Viktor walks into the hospital holding a bouquet of roses in varied shades of blue. He finally heard back from the hospital after almost two full weeks of no news. Although he tried his best to stay positive, he was slowly breaking down. When he received the call, he all but scrambled to the nearest florist and then to the hospital that he was now checking in at. The nurse working at the front desk recognizes him immediately and gives him the OK to go ahead. With long and fast strides, Viktor walks down the corridor and makes it to Yuuri's room in record time. He sucks in a breath before standing behind the glass window like he had two weeks prior to today. To say he's nervous would be an understatement.

"Yuuri." Viktor says his name with such urgency that it startles himself. The person whose name he calls peeks one coffee-colored eye open before sitting upright immediately. Viktor can see that the action is dizzying and almost calls for help, but Yuuri steadies himself out as best as he can.

"Viktor, you're here." Viktor is almost sure that Yuuri sounds more desperate than he does, which Viktor thinks can't be possible.

Then he remembers he's still holding the flowers. Ice blue eyes nervously glance between the flowers and Yuuri. "I brought you these. I know you said you like the color blue, so I had these arranged."

Yuuri smiles, and it feels like the sun is shining once more. "Thank you, Viktor. They look beautiful. You didn't have to waste money on me." Yuuri sounds tired, but he's still talking like himself, which is reassuring.

"But I didn't waste money at all. On the contrary, I don't think I've spent enough. Something tells me the hospital wouldn't enjoy trying to lug in hundreds of bouquets, though."

Yuuri laughs, and it's that sound of jingling bells again. Ah, he realizes just how much he missed Yuuri. "Really, thank you." Yuuri reaches over as best as he can to press a button above his bed. Viktor can't help but note how much frailer he looks since the last time they saw each other. "Can I get someone to put these flowers in water for me?" Getting a positive answer in response, Yuuri sinks back down into his bed. "I can't wait to have those in here. The colors will be nice."

"Mm, I bet." Viktor stands there, lost in Yuuri's eyes. The next time you see him because we both know you will go visit him, make him forget about what happened. Chris' words ring in his head as he tries to come up with something to say. Forget about what happened, he tells himself. Forget. "Yuuri, do you remember the song you had me listen to a few weeks ago?"

"The song I had you listen to...?" Yuuri gazes up at the ceiling in his room, and Viktor watches as his eyebrows furrow in concentration.

And then he realizes that maybe Yuuri wouldn't remember because of everything that happened. He feels like a jerk and decides to try to bring the memory back up in hopes that it'll help. "The piano song you said your friend created for you."

Yuuri must remember because then the twinkle in his eyes is back. "Oh, right! What about it?"

"I can't get it out of my head. Is there any chance that you could send me a download link for it? I would love to listen to it, but all I have is only what I remember of it." Viktor pulls one of the metal chairs away from the wall and sets it in front of the glass. The nurse that Yuuri had called for enters the space Viktor is in and takes the flowers from his hand before exiting the room.

"Of course! Nurse Takahashi, can you please hand me my phone on the table right there?" The nurse who holds the flowers walks over to the table Yuuri's pointing at and hands him the device like he asked. "Thank you!" She nods in acknowledgement before setting the glass vase with the blue roses in it down where his phone had been. She walks out as Yuuri tries to type things on his phone.

Viktor scolds himself again as he watches Yuuri's eyebrow furrow again, his struggling becoming more obvious. Clearly, he's still trying his best to recover, and Viktor asking something from him physically must not be helping. "It's alright, Yuuri. You don't have to do it right now. You can always send it-"

"Got it!" Yuuri proudly looks away from his phone to gaze right at Viktor again.

The vibration in his pocket is probably the link he asked Yuuri for. Quickly, he pulls out his own device and opens the new message. "Thank you for this."

"It's no problem at all! I'm glad you like it enough to want to listen to it again."

"Well, it is very good." They fall into a silence once more. Viktor isn't sure, but it almost feels strained. He studies Yuuri's face as Yuuri chews on his lip. He's come to know this as when Yuuri wants to say something but can't find the words. So Viktor waits. Sometimes, Yuuri just needs a moment to rearrange things in his mind and figure it out before speaking.

"Viktor?"

Viktor doesn't know why, but he finds himself tensing up at the sound of his name. "Yes, Yuuri?"

"Were you here when I... um..." Viktor knows what he's going to say but refuses to interrupt, "when I wasn't feeling well?" Yuuri looks anxious, almost pained. It sends nerves that wrack his frame.

Viktor nods and watches as Yuuri stares off into the distance somewhere behind the Russian. "Briefly but I was escorted out as soon as I came in..."

"Ah, okay. I thought I saw you there, but I couldn't be sure. A lot was happening, and I-"

"I understand."

Yuuri is wearing that pained expression again, and it's once again Viktor's fault. "Yuuri."

"Yes, Viktor?"

"What if I told you that I was glad that I was there for that one second?"

A few different emotions flicker across Yuuri's face as he tries to decipher Viktor's words. "Why?"

"I was able to figure things out." When Yuuri says nothing, Viktor takes that as a cue to continue. "The first thing I found was that you are stronger than you think you are. I realized what you truly have to deal with day-in and day-out without so much as a complaint to anyone. Second, I take everything for granted. I'm able to do things that you can only dream of doing, and yet I sometimes find myself thinking about how dull is everything is. I'm ashamed to admit that one." Viktor huffs an unamused laugh before taking a deep breath. "And lastly," he holds up his index finger in front of his face as he stands up, pressing closer to the glass, "I've discovered how... tied... I really am to you." He lets what he's said sink in for a moment.

"Tied?" Yuuri's confused gaze pushes Viktor to explain.

"I've realized..." here goes nothing, "that I love you."

Yuuri's mouth opens like he's going to say something, but the younger male seems to come up short.

"I don't know how I didn't see it sooner. When I saw how much pain you were in, all I wanted to do was make it go away. It hurt me to see you that way, and it was tearing at me to not know how you were feeling after. Every single day became excruciatingly long with no word on your condition. When I finally got the call that I could come in, I was so happy that I cried. I wanted to cry with joy as I bought the flowers and walked through the doors. I wanted to scream because I was so happy that you were alright and that I could see you again. Within the two weeks I didn't see you, I realized that I left my heart back with you here in this room. I've never been more happy in my entire life than I am right now being able to talk to you. Yuuri Katsuki, I love your strength to keep fighting. I love how humble you are. I love your laughter and your smiles. And most importantly, I love you."

Tears are freely rolling down Yuuri's cheeks as he stares wide-eyed at Viktor. He soon hides his tear-stricken face behind pale hands as his body shakes from his sobs. "Thank you." The sound is muffled by the tears and his hands, but Viktor hears it. "Thank you so much." It takes Yuuri a minute before he pulls his face out of his hands, wiping the back of his left hand across his eyes. "V-Viktor..." The tears that are still shaking his frame increases his embarrassed stutter. "I love you, too."

Viktor's heart almost stops. The very words he didn't think would be said in return hang in the air before him. A smile breaks out onto his face, and his own soft laughter starts up. He hardly feels the tear that slips from his eye. "Wow... Alright." His laughter only gets louder, and soon Yuuri joins him.

They both continue to do so as they sit from across each other, too elated to say anything else and instead let their actions speak for themselves.

.

. . .

.

"You look like you've been trying to say something to me since we got in the car. Care to share?" Chris swirls the wine in his glass as he props his chin on the back of his other hand.

Just like he had promised, Viktor was out for dinner with Chris. The Swiss model told him he was on break currently before his next job started up, which is why he made the trip to Russia. Sure, Viktor was expecting him to come down but not as soon as he had.

"I don't know what you mean." Viktor lets his voice take on a playful tone, taking a bite from his salad nonchalantly like he has no idea what Chris is saying. "Nothing's happened since I called you two weeks ago."

"Mhmm. I may not have much common sense, but I do know you like the back of my hand. Spill." Chris narrows his eyes in suspicion before taking a swig of the dark red wine.

Before Viktor talks, he excitedly puts his fork down and leans across the table. Chris follows his lead, clearly more curious than he was before to hear whatever news Viktor is hiding. "I might have told Yuuri I love him."

"Wow. Impressive. It took you long enough, though." Chris genuinely looks surprised, which makes Viktor roll his eyes.

"Aren't you going to ask me what he said?" Viktor is practically bouncing out of his seat as he waits for Chris to ask.

"Alright, what'd he say to-"

"He said it back!" Viktor leans further across the table, almost yelling the words across the restaurant. A few of the paying patrons glance over in their direction, but Viktor can't find it in himself to care.

"He did? Does that make you two an item? Well, you have to introduce me to him now."

Actually... Viktor didn't talk to Yuuri about that. Chris must realize because then he looks just as dumbfounded as Viktor does.

"Well, I uh... I don't know?"

"What?" Chris is leaning over the table again, abandoning his glass of wine off to his right.

"We didn't really go in depth as to what our... uh... relationship is now. I guess we were too caught up in the moment..." Viktor shrugs like it's perfectly okay, but Chris looks even more lost.

"You said 'I love you' and got one in response without even thinking of asking him to go out with you officially? Did I get that right? Please tell me I didn't."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Viktor, you aren't really this dumb, are you?" Chris shakes his head and leans back in his chair, reaching for the wine again. "I'm going to need a lot more wine if I have to sit through this dinner with you."

Viktor nervously laughs at his own expense and hides behind his own glass of champagne. "I feel like it's hard to put a label on it. 'Boyfriend' just doesn't seem right..."

"I'm going to refer to Yuuri as that from now on regardless of you not making it official." Chris takes another sip from the glass. "I'm proud of you, though. Cheers to no longer being single and lonely." The Swiss holds up his glass.

Viktor clinks his champagne against Chris' glass of wine in amusement. "Za lyubov."

.

. . .

.

Viktor wakes up to the pounding in his skull as someone violently knocks on the door. With bleary eyes, he fumbles around for his phone, finding it on the floor below him. When he tries to reach for it, he ends up falling off the couch he apparently crashed on last night. The knocking doesn't stop and is soon joined with shouting that sounds a lot like... Yurio? Viktor presses the home button to have his phone light up way too brightly, the screen displaying a time of 11:37 a.m. Viktor groans as he tries his best to stand up. The action takes a lot more effort than originally planned, and when he opens the door, he's unsurprised to find a fuming Yurio at the door.

"Hey, Yurio. Don't you have... uhh... work or something today? Why're you here?"

"I'm here because I volunteered to yell at you instead of Yakov, who's gonna kill you by the way. In case you didn't know, you look like shit. Did your diseased friend dump you or something? Not that I really care." Yurio pushes past Viktor to take a look around his now-trashed flat. "What the hell did you do last night?"

Before Viktor can even respond, Chris comes strolling out from the bathroom wearing almost nothing save for his briefs. "Vitya, who's at the- Oh, Yurio. Long time no see. Ça va, petit chat?" Chris smiles and sends a wink the teen's way.

"That makes sense now. Also, ew. Go get dressed. No one needs or wants to see...," Yurio gestures to Chris' self, "any of that."

"On the contrary, Masumi loves-"

"Ew, no. Shut up. God, no wonder you two are friends."

Both Chris and Viktor laugh at Yurio, despite the teen's apparent frown.

After giving himself a few minutes to fix his appearance, Viktor sits at the counter of his kitchen wearing clean clothes, a cup of coffee in his hands, and hair dripping from the quick shower he took. "I thought I told Yakov that Chris was coming. Sure, it was last second, but I think he can manage without me being there. He's made that clear plenty of times."

"I don't want you there either, but Yakov was hell-bent on making sure you suffered for skipping those few days. Something about making you write reports about every company you've worked with in the past ten years. I didn't care enough to listen after that." Yurio shrugs from where he's leaning against the countertop next to Viktor.

"How cold of you, Viktor. You're going to leave me already after I just got here yesterday." Chris throws a hand over his forehead in fake exasperation, almost lying across the counter across from the older Russian.

"I'll just send him a text telling him I'll be in tomorrow. He can save his breath for then."

"Great, now he'll be up my ass for not bringing you in."

"You sound like Viktor's getting arrested." Chris snickers as Viktor grins in response.

"That's what it feels like sometimes." Viktor blows on the hot coffee in his hands before taking a small sip. "Oh! You should meet Yuuri today!" A gleam replacing the tired look in Viktor's eyes.

"Ugh, time to leave then." Yurio strolls to the door and opens it. "You better come in tomorrow, Viktor. I don't need to hear all his yelling again after today. Do svidaniya." Yurio shuts the door harder than he needs to as he makes his exit.

"So you mentioned visiting Yuuri today?"

"Mm. I just have to check that it's okay. He does most of his testing early in the day, so I usually wait until later in the evening before visiting him." Viktor unlocks his phone and sends a text to Yuuri asking for his permission. "And now we wait."

"I wish you were a lightweight, so we could read hilarious drunk texts you'd send to Yuuri. That would've been golden."

Viktor's face pales at the thought of what he'd possibly send to Yuuri. "I'm glad I'm not." The ping of a new message on his phone distracts him from Chris' terrible sense of humor. "He said we could head over now, but we'd have to wait a couple of minutes for him to finish. We're all set to go!" Viktor stands up from the bar stool and chugs what he has left of his coffee before draining the rest down his kitchen sink. He plays with his bangs in the mirror by the door before stepping into his shoes and grabbing his coat. Chris isn't too far behind him, only he takes a little more time than Viktor would like.

"Relax, I'm coming." Viktor will always be amazed at how well Chris is able to read him.

.

. . .

.

Soon enough, they're walking into the hospital and are signing themselves in. Just like Yuuri said, they're told to sit for a few minutes to wait for the OK from Yuuri's doctors.

"You do this every week?"

"Usually. Before Yuuri was transferred here, I used to come every week and visit the children here."

"Something tells me you've been a little too occupied to visit them."

"Just a little."

They both laugh, almost missing the doctor that strolls into the waiting room. "Mr. Nikiforov and Mr. Giacometti, you're allowed to see him now."

Viktor nods and stands up, giving Chris the silent signal to follow him. Viktor leads him down the usual twist of corridors before entering the room with the glass window in Yuuri's room. As if no time has passed since the last visit, Yuuri still looks sickly. Viktor tries not to let how bothered he is by that show on his face, instead going for a bright smile. "Hi, Yuuri! I see you still have the flowers I brought!"

"They're a nice distraction. Thank you again for them." He's blushing, and Viktor's already lost in his Yuuri's eyes.

Chris clears his throat as a reminder to Viktor that someone else is here. Yuuri turns in the direction of Chris as well, confusion spreading across his pale face in place of the blush from earlier.

"Ah, Yuuri. I hope you don't mind that I brought a friend of mine with me today."

"Of course not!" Yuuri struggles to sit upright and smiles at his new visitor.

"This is Christophe Giacometti. He's been dying to meet you since I first talked to him about you."

Yuuri waves slowly and flinches in pain from what Viktor can assume the action brings. "Nice to meet you, Christophe. I'm Yuuri Katsuki."

"The infamous Yuuri Katsuki that has stolen my dear friend Viktor's heart. The pleasure is all mine. Feel free to call me Chris."

Viktor gawks as Chris winks at Yuuri, making the Japanese male blush harder than he did a moment ago. "Chris!"

"I-It's okay, Viktor."

Yuuri is nervously laughing, and Viktor figures that maybe it was a bad idea to have them meet without giving Yuuri a crash-course about the Swiss. Viktor sits down in his usual spot, while Chris stands at his right shoulder. "How did the testing go?"

Yuuri bites his lip, and Viktor regrets asking immediately. "They were okay. Long and tiring, but nothing new. They've started a new test just recently, so add another to the list of twenty-plus I already have to undergo." Yuuri laugh seems fake this time.

"I'm sorry, Yuuri. I wish I could be in here while it's going on, so you have something else to focus on." Viktor leans his elbows on his knees.

"It's fine. I've been able to distract myself somehow in the five years I've been hospitalized. I can manage."

"Yuuri... you can always text me if you need to. I promise I'm always free to talk."

"You mean like the time you were only able to stay for five minutes?" Yuuri's tone is teasing, but it still hurts to remember that. Yuuri must see Viktor's flinch because then a string of apologies leave his mouth. "I'm sorry! I'm really really really sorry! I didn't mean to sound rude!"

"Please don't apologize, Yuuri. I'm okay with it." Viktor smiles it off and dismisses the comment with a wave of his hand. Yuuri doesn't look totally convinced but agrees regardless.

Chris leans to whisper in Viktor's ear. "I can see why Yurio doesn't want to come with you to visit him. I almost feel like I'm intruding."

Viktor turns his head abruptly with a slight panic on his face. "I'm sorry, Chris. I didn't-"

Chris lifts a hand up and shakes his head. "I don't mind at all. It's cute to see what you two are like." Chris laughs when Viktor huffs with pink cheeks. "Yurio would throw up if he was here."

"I also don't need him yelling at Yuuri."

"Hey, Yuuri. Has Viktor told you any stories of him on his twenty-first birthday?"

"Chris, do not-"

"No, why?"

"Oh, it's hilarious. You'll love this, Yuuri."

The trio spends the next hour trading stories and laughing, mostly at Viktor's expense. Viktor would regret bringing along Chris for the sake of protecting his image of how Yuuri sees him, but the smile on Yuuri's face takes precedence over his own reputation. The story they're currently in the middle of is the one Viktor wishes he had video of.

"So then Viktor screamed he was Spider-Man and jumped twenty feet into the air to latch on to the plastic railing. It snapped as soon as he grabbed it, and he came crashing down on the sand." Yuuri is hiding his mouth behind his hands, but it's clear as day to Viktor that he's laughing.

"I broke the nice watch I was wearing because of that." Viktor pouts as he remembers that particular day.

"He also claimed he was sober enough to drive after that. We weren't having it and voted on Mila to drive us back. Viktor passed out in the backseat as soon as the car was started. You had to be there." Chris leans back in the chair that he moved earlier to sit in with a slight smirk on his lips.

Chris' phone goes off, interrupting him before he can go into explicit details about the hangover Viktor suffered the next day. He excuses himself and leaves to go in the backroom to answer the call. Viktor thanks whatever lucky stars that helped him before directing his attention back to Yuuri.

"Chris can be a bit much to people who don't know him too well. I should've warned you sooner." Viktor chuckles as Yuuri settles down from his laughing and coughing fit that he went through moments earlier. How can someone be so endearing just breathing?

"He actually reminds me of my best friend, Phichit. I think they'd be pretty good friends if they met. Chris' humor is very... um... unique to himself, though. Phichit is just as social as he is. That's one thing they share in common." Yuuri looks fond as he thinks of his friend.

"Mm... Does your sister still visit?"

Yuuri smiles sadly. "She left to go back to Japan two days after you met her. She still Skypes me, but it's not the same as her being here in person. She can't afford to come here and stay for a while, though. Besides, she has to help our mom and dad out at the inn they own. It's not her fault that she can't be here. It's none of their faults. Don't take it the wrong way! I love it when you visit! It can just be lonely sometimes to think of when I could always talk to my parents or sister if I ever needed help with something." Yuuri starts chewing on his bottom lip, and he's wiping at his eyes quickly to avoid the tears Viktor knows he's been holding back for so long. "I-I'm sorry... I d-didn't mean to..."

"Yuuri, please don't apologize. I can't imagine what it's been like for you. I know I'm only repeating myself, but I'm available to talk if you ever need to. I will stop whatever I'm doing just to answer you. You have my word on that." Viktor stands up and puts a hand up to the glass. It's the closest he can get to Yuuri, and even though it's frustrating, it's still better than nothing. The two weeks he spent apart from the other reminded him of that.

"I l-love you, Viktor."

"I love you too, Yuuri."

Chris silently walks in and taps his friend on the shoulder. "I have to go, but you can stay here. Don't do anything I wouldn't." Chris pats his shoulder before heading towards the exit. "It was nice to meet you, Yuuri. I hope we get to talk more. There are plenty of stories of Viktor to last a lifetime."

Yuuri smiles in response. "It was nice to meet you too, Chris. Goodbye."

It's back to just Viktor and Yuuri as Chris leaves with one last wave of his hand. Viktor decides to change the topic to something lighter. Happier. Or at least what he hopes will be happier. "Oh, Yuuri. I've been meaning to ask for a while, but I kept forgetting. Did you do some sort of sport before you were hospitalized?" Okay, so maybe it isn't as happy as he originally thought it would be, but it somehow brings a smile to Yuuri's face.

"I did, but how'd you know?"

Viktor's face turns red as he remembers the time when Yuuri started changing in front of him. Yuuri seems oblivious to his embarrassment, which is a very good thing. "It just seemed like you did when we first met. It's been nagging at me since."

"Wow, I'm surprised you remember that." In all honesty, how could he forget when the mental image of Yuuri shirtless was burned in the back of his mind? "I used to skate. I did it for fun once since friends of mine own a rink nearby my home back in Japan, but before I knew it, I was signed up for lessons there. The couple that owns the rink took the lessons with me, too. I stuck with it even as I got older. I don't think I was very good at it, but I did enjoy having something to do when I needed to clear my mind."

"Ahh, that makes sense then. I wish I could see you skate. I bet you're a lot better than you say you are."

Yuuri laughs and shakes his head. "No, trust me. I wasn't. I'm definitely no good now, since I've taken five years off from doing it. It is on the list of things I want to do one last time, though. I don't think I'll get that chance, though." His sad smile is back, and Viktor wishes nothing more than for it to disappear.

And then he thinks of something. "Yuuri, what day do you not have testing within the next week?"

"Huh? Oh uh, maybe Tuesday? They do have to take breaks in between the testing, and that should be the next day. I don't know for sure, though. Can I ask why?"

"It's just so I can come in earlier in the week. I want to visit you more often than I do now." The sentences come out rushed, and Viktor hopes Yuuri doesn't catch on. That gives him six days to work out the chinks in his idea. What he plans on doing may get him in huge trouble, but Yuuri's happiness means so much more to him. He'll have to be as careful as possible if all is to go well.

"That would be great." Yuuri beams from ear to ear at the notion.

"Perfect. Please text me if you find out anything different or even to just confirm that. I'll work my schedule around that day."

"I'll let you know then."

"Please don't hate me, but I really have to go." He has to get to work on his ideas, and he's going to need a few helping hands. Talking to Yuuri's doctors is also on the agenda now.

"I would never hate you. I completely understand. Goodbye, Viktor."

"I'll miss you, Yuuri." Viktor leans his forehead on the glass, staring right at Yuuri.

"I'll miss you too, Viktor."

Viktor watches as Yuuri smiles before taking a deep breath and breaking the eye contact they held. "Do svidaniya."

"Sayonara."

.

. . .

.

"You've lost it, Vitya."

"Viktor, I said I'd support you, but this is..."

"I'm sorry, Viktor, but I agree with Mila."

"You dumbass! You're going to get everyone killed!"

"Yurio's right."

"Ahh, what true love does to a person..."

"Hear me out." Viktor stands at the head of the table in the conference room their meetings are held in. Around the table is Chris, Mila, Sara, Yurio, Otabek, and Georgi; also known as the only people he trusts enough to bring his ideas to. "All you have to do is help me set everything up. That's it. Nothing more and nothing else. I can handle all the little details."

"Entrusting you with all of that is like making a baby drive a car and expect everything to go smoothly. In other words, you'll fuck it up somehow." Yurio crosses his arms along his chest and props his feet up on the table. "No way are we letting you do anything on your own."

"Have you talked to Yuuri's doctors?" Mila worriedly leans forward with both arms on the table.

"Yes, I have. I've learned that what he has is only contagious through touch, which is why no one is allowed to make direct contact with him when he's in the hospital. If he's covered up well enough, then there should be no problem. The reason I saved the rink for last is because he has almost no stamina nowadays. The doctors told me that walking for too long will become extremely difficult for him to do."

"It could happen as long as we're careful the whole time..." Sara brings a hand to her chin in thought. "I'll help you, Viktor."

"I, of course, am on your side, Viktor. I will help make sure that every moment is memorable." Georgi is looking off into the distance with his right hand over his heart. He may be over-dramatic sometimes, but Viktor's glad to have a friend like him.

"You know what? I'll help. I've seen some pretty terrible decisions of yours through before, so nothing should stop me from overseeing this." Chris sits back in his chair with a smirk gracing his lips.

"I appreciate it, Chris. Mila? Yurio? Otabek?" The ones who've said yes so far stare at those who haven't, awaiting for their decisions.

Mila sighs and ruffles her red locks nervously. "Alright, Viktor. But we're going to have a few restless nights to plan this out fully. Not one detail should be spared. It's go big or go home now."

"Thank you so much, Mila!" Excitedly, Viktor turns to Otabek and Yurio.

"I'll help."

"Huh?!" Yurio stands up in disbelief, staring down his best friend. "Are you crazy?!"

Otabek shrugs as he looks to Viktor. "I can see you love him very much."

"I do. Thank you, Otabek."

"Fine! I'm sick of this! Didn't I tell you not to involved me in any of your crap? Well, you're doing exactly that, and you're dragging my friend into this, too! You owe me big time, old man!" Yurio huffs and sits down.

Viktor is ready to cry as he glances around the room at his closest friends, all willing to help him with this huge project. "I can't tell you all enough how much this means to me. Thank you so much. Now let's get to planning."

.

. . .

.

Viktor is woken up by the stream of light that enters the room through the windows lining the wall across from the door. He's dazed and confused as he finds himself in a room that isn't his flat. Then it occurs to him. They must've fallen asleep in the middle of their plans. There are papers scattered across the room with different ideas written on each. He's impressed by all the work they've managed to do within such a short time, but he knows the worst has yet to come. The next few nights are going to be hellish, but with everyone on board now, Viktor knows everything will go just like it should.

He carefully leaves the room, sidestepping past anyone who's sleeping on the floor in order to get to the door and out into the hallway. It proves to be difficult, but soon he's out and on his way to the cafeteria to grab coffees for everyone. It's still sort of early, but the café is usually open around this time. When he gets there, he orders everyone's usuals since the staff has them memorized at this point. Viktor scrolls through his phone while he waits. The device is almost thrown into the air in surprise when a voice makes itself known way too close for comfort.

"You're up early. Trouble sleeping?"

"Chris, next time you do that, give me a warning ahead of time."

"But then that would take the fun out of it. I didn't think anyone would be up this early, especially you of all people. If I had to guess anyone, then maybe Yurio's friend. He doesn't look like he takes long naps." Chris peeks over Viktor's shoulder to see what he's scrolling through. "Anything interesting?"

"Not as interesting as we have planned. I think we win there."

Chris laughs lightheartedly. "That's for sure. Do you think this'll go off without a hitch?"

Viktor pockets his phone and turns towards his friend. "Mmm... I doubt it. Nothing's perfect after all. It's just a matter of being ready for anything that comes our way. I think we can handle it, though. Our base plan is pretty solid." One of the staff members hands Viktor a tray of coffees while Chris takes the other.

"If you believe in it, then we will, too. The problem will be getting him back to the hospital without having you or any of us for that matter arrested. That'll be tricky."

"He said that a nurse comes in to check up on him before it's lights out, which is usually around nine. I know one of the nurses that love seeing us together, so if I talk to her about this, then maybe she can back us up."

"I recommend getting on that then. That'll be crucial for all of us. We also need to make sure one of us is nearby just in case something happens to Yuuri, and we need to get him back pronto. Viktor, this idea might be the worst one you've ever had, but it's crazy enough to call it yours."

The trip back up to the room is quiet as the two fall into a comfortable silence. When they open the door to the room, they find that everyone has woken up and is either fixing the papers or is too busy trying to get up. Viktor and Chris set the coffees down at the center of the table before taking their own. When everyone's taken their own cup, they sit down in one of the many chairs thrown askew in the room from last night.

"Can we go over what we have worked out one last time before we start calling everywhere we need to? I just want to make sure there aren't any holes." Mila notes as she stares at a bunch of the papers settled in front of her.

Viktor nods and stands up from his seat. "Alright, so here's what we have..."

.

. . .

.

The next few days go by in blur, and really Viktor isn't sure what's happened. Whenever he's waiting for a set to be put in place or on break, he's on a phone call with one of the many places that are a part of Viktor's little scheme. And it's not just him. The others are constantly texting him about some places that called back or if there was something they wanted Viktor's opinion on. It was on the third day of rushing around when Mila stopped him and asked what needed to be done. She divided the work up more evenly, so Viktor could be more well-rested for the day. The last thing they needed was for Viktor to fall ill due to a lack of sleep and stress. With the day drawing closer, Viktor grew more and more panicked. Knowing his meltdown was soon to come, the others decided on keeping Viktor under house-arrest until the day came around. Since everyone else was busy, Yurio was chosen as the one to watch him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Even though he was given the day off to relax, Viktor still currently finds himself pacing around the living room of his flat.

A hundred things could go wrong, and even one tiny slip-up could ruin the entire day. It's a terrifying thought, but it reminds him that this is really happening. Yuuri is still left in the dark, and it's going to stay that way until tomorrow afternoon.

"Would you quit your mumbling already? And stop stomping around."

Viktor has no idea he's ignoring the teen until Yurio is in his face, halting the older Russian in his steps. "Sorry, what'd you say?"

"I said we're going for a walk. Hurry up, or I'll leave you here." Yurio is already out the door as Viktor tries to process what's happening.

Before long, they're walking on a pathway along the beach. The sound of the waves crashing along the shore is all that can be heard save for the few people who walk by them or stand at the water's edge. It's nice, and it distracts Viktor from the millions of different things that could go wrong tomorrow. And then he realizes that he needs to shower before tomorrow now. He can't smell like the ocean on such an important day. Did he even pick out an outfit to wear yet? Should he have bought something new? Maybe a tailor is still open... Viktor's mindless worrying sidetracks him from where he's going, and then he's on the ground dazed as to what just happened.

"Stop it already, will you? I actually put effort towards something that involves you of all people, so there's no need to worry about everything. I don't get how you're so worked you anyway. He's just one person." Yurio huffs and wraps his arms around himself. They hadn't prepared to be near the water, so what they're wearing isn't exactly suitable at all for the colder air that surrounds Russia and comes off the water.

Viktor brushes himself off and stands back up to his full height, looking over at the ocean as the sun sparkles on top of the water. "He means a lot to me like how Otabek is for you. Only I can't be near him like you can with Otabek. I can't physically touch him. Well, not until tomorrow at least. I'm nervous I'm going to screw something up, just as you said."

Yurio groans and spins on his heels to glare at Viktor. "Look, if Katsuki hasn't asked you to leave him alone then clearly he doesn't care about your screw-ups. He knows a lot about you and somehow keeps asking you to visit him. You're worrying for no reason, and it annoys me to death. Ignore what I said before because that applies to everyone and everything besides him apparently."

"Are you... actually trying to be helpful?" Viktor is stunned into silence and is left staring at Yurio. "And you used his last name. Maybe you've gotten too much of the workload..."

"You're ruining this." Yurio kicks a rock by his feet and doesn't dare meet Viktor's eyes.

"Sorry. Thank you, though. That did help."

That's the most Yurio says for the rest of the day, leaving Viktor when they reach the outside of his building. Viktor pushes open the front doors, greets the staff, and heads for the elevators. When he gets up to his flat, he finds himself tired out, but in a good way this time. The past six days have been exhausting, and with tomorrow looming overhead, he's bound to make it worth all the effort. Viktor throws himself down onto his bed without another thought, let's sleep take him away.

.

. . .

.

Chapter Notes:

Za lyubov - To love; one of many toasts that Russians give before drinking

Ça va, petit chat? - How are you, small cat?; French

Do svidaniya - Till (the next) meeting; Russian

Sayonara - Goodbye; Japanese; I didn't want to use this, but for the context of the section it's in, it makes sense. Viktor obviously doesn't speak Japanese, so if Yuuri said something like "Mata raishuu" (See you next week), Viktor would feel inclined to ask what that means and stay longer. As implied in the lines before it, Viktor said that he really had to go and staying to chat longer wouldn't make sense. I kept it at sayonara because it's a basic Japanese word that everyone knows, so if Yuuri said it, Viktor could just leave like he said he had to rather than question it.