In which people worry

…o…

"You really think Victor is his soulmate?"

Mari sighed, crushing her cigarette against an ashtray. It had been a few days since she lit one, since she knew that Yuuri didn't like her habit. It was the morning after Victor had arrived, and Mari found solace in knowing her little brother would sleep in after the intense work of helping Victor carry his boxes upstairs - the man had more than Mari could've counted.

Mari sighed, thinking of the first time she had lit a cigarette by Yuuri…an hour's lecture ensued, all about how smoking increased the risk of certain diseases, could cause death, and a million other statistics that she hadn't bothered to pay attention to.

Yuuri was always affectionate. Sure, he was shy when first meeting a person, but afterwards, he relished the small and intimate moments he could share with someone. He took a while to get attached to a person, though. Being social was something that he greatly struggled with. The only time Mari had seen a loud Yuuri was one time when he had accidentally gotten drunk at a restaurant. It was safe to say that the waitress had trouble judging the age of the restaurant's patrons.

"I haven't checked, but why else would he come all this way?" Mari asked quietly. Hiroko sighed, turning around to face Mari. She held a towel in one hand, and a plate in another. Mari took the two items from her, stepped up to the sink, and began to dry the plate. Hiroko stepped to the side, watching her for a moment, before pulling up a chair to sit next to her.

"Perhaps he really does have interest in being his coach," Hiroko offered, taking off her glasses. She wiped them with the edge of her shirt, before putting them back on - something she always did when she was nervous.

"After the Grand Prix and Nationals?" Mari asked. She set the plate in the drying rack and picked up a bowl to wash – the one Victor had eaten the katsudon from. "Mama, Victor's one of the top figure skaters in the world, one of the most famous. Why would he want to coach our Yuuri?"

"Yuuri has talent!" Hiroko said indignantly.

Mari sighed. "No, Mama, no. Yuuri is wonderful at figure skating, yes, but he does not have natural-born talent. He has…potential. Victor has talent. He surprises people. They love him."

"I wouldn't really put it that way."

Both women turned their heads to the source of the new voice. The silver-haired man himself stood against the kitchen door, leaning against the frame.

"Yuuri is talented, in his own way," Victor said, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. Mari set down the plate she was washing, silently turning to face the skater. "You want to know why I came? The way he skates…he creates music with his body."

"You saw the video?" Mari asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. You see, the video had no sound. But it didn't need to. Just from the way he spinned, the way he stepped, the way he skated, I could hear music, but it was different. It was Stay Close to Me, but at the same time, it was Yuuri's own song. He made it his own."

"So you're really here to coach him, then?" Hiroko asked, hopefully. She stood up, clutching the hem of her shirt as she always did when she was nervous.

"Yes," Victor said, flashing one of his dazzling smiles. Mari snorted, and he turned his attention to her. "You don't believe me?"

She pointed to his wrist.

His smile weakened for a moment, something Mari would have missed if she hadn't been observing his expression. It fixed itself after a millisecond, however, and he lifted his right hand up.

"Your sleeve is covering it."

"I know."

"So you're his soulmate, then?" Mari asked quietly.

Hiroko sounded heartbroken as she sat down in her chair, "You're not really here for his skating, then?"

"I am here for Yuuri in both ways," Victor said sharply. His eyes hardened, and all of a sudden, they looked more like deadly ice than a soft summer's sky. He tugged down his sleeve fiercely, revealing Yuuri's name printed on it at the start of his wrist in beautiful black calligraphy.

"I've been looking for him as my soulmate. I've been looking since that day at the banquet, goddammit. Do you know how hard I've tried to find him?" Victor asked. His voice was quiet, but Mari could sense the anger pulsing behind it. She held her ground, but her mouth sank into a thin line. "But when I saw that video, I realized I was meant to be more than a lover for Yuuri. This isn't going to be a fairy tale story. I will push him until he breaks as a coach, I will hurt him until he is born again, a phoenix from the ashes. But as a soulmate, I will be there for him. I will piece him back together; I will always be by his side. And don't you dare try to question my motives or feelings for Yuuri. I will never do anything to purposefully hurt him."

"How do you even know that you love him? You've barely talked to him." Mari wondered how she had managed to respond after Victor's spiel. Hiroko herself seemed dumbfounded, her mouth agape.

Victor took a deep breath, and something passed over his face. He straightened himself out, and Mari realized that perhaps Victor had more sides to him than she had taken into account.

He patted where his heart was with his right hand.

Hiroko smiled.

…o…

Yuuri yawned, clambering down the stairs. He was in his usual morning fuzz, and was having trouble recalling the events of the previous day. It felt as though he was forgetting something, but what? He stepped into the main hallway, and was about to head to the kitchen when—

"WOOF!"

A ball of fur slammed into Yuuri's chest and he stumbled backwards, sitting down from the force.

"Oh Yuuri, you're awake!"

Yuuri looked up, locking eyes with his soulmate.

Oh.

He need to get milk.

…o…

Short little chapter, but the beginning seemed essential for character development to me.

I've decided to abandon the structure and planning for this story, which means updates could be random, infrequent, frequent, weekly, monthly, and anything in between. This also means I may not be able to send chapters to far2addicted as much, so please forgive any mistakes that may be in this chapter.

I hope you understand.

Also, thank you for 420 followers! I've always wanted to achieve this specific number. I want to thank Dolly, my friends, my family, my cat that I might have in the future, my neighbor's dog, and the people who tp-ed my neighbor's house.

QOTD: What are things I can improve with this story? I want to make it better for all of you!

AOTD: I think I need to constrain myself less. The beginning of this chapter is one of the few parts of this story that I've freely written, and although I feel as though it's a bit tedious to read, I think it conveys emotions better than how I've been writing before. How do you feel? Do you like the beginning?

Thank you for reading! Please review with your answer to the question, I would really appreciate feedback. :D

…o…