Yuuri is cheesy.

Victor is corny.

Pretty much everyone is horny.


For Victor, a normal Friday consisted of class until eleven, working until five, and then takeout from the menu closest to his hand whenever he remembered to eat while plodding away on his thesis construction. It was a routine that was predictable, no matter how much it irritated Chris and left Victor feeling lonely and bored on Saturday mornings.

He had started going to the gym early on Saturdays to combat some of the loneliness. Part of his research dealt with rehabilitation and resistance to recovery, and Victor found putting some of his theories into motion helped him picture each step and adjust accordingly. Sometimes when the gym was lacking other patrons, Victor would restrict one of his limbs to give himself a more accurate assessment.

Dr. Feltsman had caught him lifting one-handed and practically tore him a new asshole with his shouted scolding. Victor had tried to explain his reasoning and had been met only with pure admonishment for his efforts. He was told he was too involved with his work, too invested to be healthy, and for a long time, Victor took that criticism and buried it inside himself, eager to one day prove that they had all been wrong. They could call him a workaholic, hell they could even call him crazy, but Victor was determined to succeed in making a difference and used his narrow-minded focus to do so.

Except Yuuri had literally grabbed Victor out of that focus, pulling him into a world that didn't surround around muscle charts and treatment possibilities.

Over breakfast on Friday morning, Victor casually mentioned that he wouldn't be around that night. He smugly enjoyed watching Chris choke on his oatmeal, some of it dribbling down his chin as he muttered in disbelief. "Yuuri is going to teach me about lacrosse," Victor declared, twirling his spoon in his yogurt and avoiding Chris's gaping stare. "And he said we'll have a picnic afterwards." He was worried that Chris would find the idea lame, even though Victor thought it was the sweetest plan in creation.

"I'm happy for you."

Lifting his head, Victor took in Chris's soft smile. "I'm happy for you too," he said, shoving a bite of yogurt in his mouth to disguise the emotion clamping down in his throat.

"Also, don't come back to the apartment before eleven tonight," rising from the table, Chris winked.

"And there it is," Victor laughed, finishing his breakfast and happily heading out to start his day.


"Here."

Startled by the brown basket plopped on top of his textbook, Yuuri lifted his head to examined Isabella's friendly smile. Making a wordless noise, Yuuri poked it with his finger and waited for an explanation.

"JJ overheard you this morning talking about going on a picnic and suggested I lend you this," Isabella slid into her seat next to Yuuri, demurely crossing her ankles and tucking them under her. "Sometimes we have picnics on the top of the physics building, I have the key to the stairwell if you want to borrow our spot." Flipping open her notebook, Isabella carefully wrote the date at the top of her page.

Outside of the occasional note sharing and appreciative wave for congratulatory cupcakes, Yuuri had rarely interacted with Isabella. She sat next to him in this class, but they were both highly focused, Yuuri's grades dictating his ability to stay on his team and Isabella's the basis of her presidential scholarship. JJ liked to brag about his super smart girlfriend and Yuuri found himself the least annoyed with the freshman attackman when he was singing his girlfriend's praises.

Carefully removing the wicker basket from his desk, Yuuri turned to smile at Isabella. "Is it really cheesy if we have our picnic on the bleachers? I promised to teach Victor about lacrosse and I thought it would be romantic… or something… to watch the sunset from the field."

"That's a really sweet idea," Isabella rested her cheek on her hand, tapping her pen against her chin. "Maybe a little cheesy, but sometimes cheesy is good. Don't forget to pack a blanket. You'll lose romantic points if you make him sit on those dirty bleachers without some sort of protection." Isabella shifted to look at the front of the classroom as their ancient professor shuffled in with his battered brown suitcase. "Don't forget some sort of citronella candle," she whispered behind her hand, eyes flicking toward Yuuri. "Bug bites are also a really quick way to ruin a date."

Lifting his notebook to show her the notes he was jotting in the margins with her ideas, Yuuri chuckled at Isabella's happy squeak. He willingly relinquished his notebook when she wiggled a hand towards him, taking it back when she offered it and reading "what are you going to eat?" in her feminine scroll. Foregoing any thought of paying attention to the next hour of class, Yuuri listed a suggested menu for Isabella to approve, peeking over her shoulder as she crossed items out and made suggestions of her own.

When class ended, Yuuri gratefully thanked Isabella for her input. Cradling the basket to his chest and hurriedly moving toward his next class, Yuuri could feel his excitement bubbling inside him, happily overflowing and attempting to drown out all of his nerves.


Clothes were scattered across the bed, a telltale sign of Victor's growing anxiety about his date. He had showered well over an hour ago and managed to find jeans which were to his liking, but the simple concept of a shirt was driving him to the brink of his own sanity. Huffing a frustrated sigh, he stood between his open closet and the mess on his bed, hands on his hips and brain begging him to make a decision already.

Soft cloth smacked him in the face, causing him to jolt out of his stupor. Barely catching the purple cashmere before it hit the floor, Victor looked up to find Chris standing in his doorway with a knowing smile. "Borrow that," Chris said, buttoning his own shirt over his bare chest. "Soft, thin enough to not be too hot when you are moving around and will definitely get Yuuri's hands all over you."

Feeling his face flush, Victor jammed the thin sweater over his head. The days were gradually becoming hotter, but the evenings were still on the comfortable side of cool and Victor found the luxurious fabric to be a comfortable compromise between all of his discarded choices. Holding his arms to out to his sides, Victor looked expectantly at Chris.

"Perfect," Chris kissed his fingers in exaggerated approval. "Don't forget to brush your hair!" he called over his shoulder, abandoning Victor's doorway to finish getting ready for his own date.

Stepping into his bathroom, Victor stumbled on his own nervous feet and caught the edge of his sink with a small laugh. His reflection revealed pinked cheeks and a giddy smile that hadn't left his face since Yuuri had proposed their evening plans. Inside his chest, his heart was river dancing a cheerful jig and Victor laughed again at the slight vibration of his hands.

He could remember when he had received his acceptances to both his undergrad and post-grad universities and the level of excitement they had each brought him. He remembered his nervousness upon his first arrival in both locations and the butterflies that had accompanied him to each of his first classes.

This feeling was so much better than that.

Victor had read so many books which described falling in love as a magical occurrence and part of him had always wanted to believe in that magic, even if it had never been a reality in his own life. Now, thanks to Yuuri, Victor was getting his first real taste of that feeling.

Reaching for his comb, Victor carefully worked through the scattered knots in his hair, grinning at his own face in the mirror and relishing in how happy he looked.


The field looked huge without his teammates speckled across it, the blades of the turf waving in the slight breeze. Behind him, rested two sticks against the goal post, his own and one of the spare practice sticks. On the lowest bench sat his packed picnic basket with the candle from the university bookstore already burning. The bento boxes tucked within the basket had been approved by his mother via video chat as he worked through each ingredient. She had excitedly begged Yuuri for details on his date and Yuuri had taken the opportunity to openly gush about Victor's brilliance and beauty. He could tell from the sparkle in his mom's eyes that she was truly excited for him and it made his heart swell even larger.

There was a peacefulness hanging over the empty field. Normally, the sounds of clashing sticks or playful jokes filled this space as the team practiced, mixed with the sounds of Celestino's orders and their manager's constant calls for uniform checks. On game days, the space buzzed with electricity, the hum of the scoreboard blending with the thrill of the excited crowd. Halfway through Yuuri's freshman year, lacrosse games had begun to be played to a sold out stadium and the fans hadn't ceased their enthusiasm from that point forward.

He was used to the noise and the expectations that came with it, and standing in the empty space left him with a sense of unsettling satisfaction. He had helped build something here, something that he could be proud of even when the anticipation of the next day remained a formidable threat in the back of his mind. Taking a deep breath, Yuuri took a moment to enjoy the silence, closing his eyes and replaying some of his favorite memories of this space.

Victor stood at the edge of the field, a single blue rose barely hanging in the tips of his fingers as he caught sight of Yuuri standing quietly in the center of the field. His eyes were closed and his face was tipped toward the evening sky, the light of the slowly sinking sun highlighting his cheekbones and making his beauty even more prominent. Yuuri looked like he belonged here, surrounded by the towering stands and rich green of the artificial grass.

Taking a cautious step forward, Victor felt his throat constrict as Yuuri turned over his shoulder to greet him with a smile. He had argued against the idea of luck his whole life, stubbornly believing that the only way to achieve anything was through hard work. In that single moment, watching as Yuuri crossed the field with his hands shoved deep in his letterman jacket, Victor decided that luck must exist because it was the only explanation for why this beautiful man was willing to be his.

"Hey," Yuuri smiled, feeling bashful as his eyes ran over the deep purple sweater and the wind-swept look of Victor's hair. It was unfair how gorgeous Victor was all the time, and Yuuri felt his palms become damp as he nervously took the last steps into Victor's space.

"I brought you this," Victor offered the blue rose to Yuuri, shrugging and shuffling his feet. "Sorry if that's… I don't know… really corny." He jumped slightly when Yuuri touched his cheek, peering out from underneath his bangs.

"I suggested a picnic in the middle of a lacrosse field. I think you get a pass on your corniness." Yuuri slipped the flower from Victor's fingers and lifted to his nose to smell it.

"Ok, we can be corny together," Victor laughed, feeling a little jealous of the rose as it brushed over Yuuri's lips. Realizing there was no reason he couldn't kiss Yuuri, Victor leaned in to attempt to take the rose's place.

With a teasing smile, Yuuri dodged Victor's lips and pecked a kiss to his forehead instead. "Ready for a lesson?" Yuuri teased, looking over his shoulder as he walked briskly toward the bleachers to carefully rest his rose next to the picnic basket.

Watching Victor's face change from a playful pout to an excited smile made Yuuri's heart beat erratically in his chest. He really wanted to teach Victor about his sport before they lost any more light, especially since Victor had agreed to watch his game the next day. Yuuri knew from experience that watching a fast-paced sport without a basic knowledge of the game mechanics was the quickest way to make the sport unbearable. Yuuri secretly wished that Victor would learn to love lacrosse because he wanted to share his love for the sport with Victor.

Victor reacted to Yuuri tossing a stick in his direction by trying to catch it single-handedly. When he was successful, he barely managed to suppress his need to celebrate, telling himself to calm down and be cool. All his effort was lost when Yuuri stood behind him, arms coming around either side of Victor's body to reposition his hands over the smooth pole. Victor felt the back of his neck heat where he could feel Yuuri's breath dancing over his skin and he promptly dropped the stick onto the ground. Retrieving it with a sheepish shrug, Victor settled back into Yuuri's arms with a stolen kiss against Yuuri's cheek.

Taking in every one of Yuuri's instructions with rapt attention, Victor tried to mimic Yuuri's effortless cradle and instead accidentally tossing the ball from his net to someplace over his shoulder. Spinning on his heel, Victor chased it down, stabbing at the ground and trying to collect it. The presence of Yuuri at his back again made Victor stumble, his ears turning pink as Yuuri leaned over him, guiding him to successfully scoop up the ball. In an attempt to calm himself, Victor twirled around, waving the stick wildly and making Yuuri laugh. "Hey! I'm getting the hang of this! I bet I could score a goal on you!" He dodged left and right, the cadence of his cradle offbeat with his steps.

Stepping backwards, Yuuri lined himself up with the goal. He knew Victor was teasing about getting a goal and found it even more endearing because Victor had no idea what he was up against. The competitive part of Yuuri wanted to block his boyfriend's shot, wanted to take the opportunity to impress Victor with his skills, but the sound of Victor's relaxed laughter was too tempting. Releasing himself from his normal stance, Yuuri let his shoulders loosen and prepared for Victor's attempt.

"How do you…" Victor continued to rock the stick back and forth in his hands, advancing toward Yuuri with a lopsided grin. "I guess… how do you block a shot? It seems hard with a ball this size."

"It's all about timing," Yuuri focused on Victor's goofy smile instead of the abysmal way he was handling the equipment in his hands. "I watch the attackers, keeping tracking of how each one of them moves. I spend more time watching game tapes than the other guys do so that I can judge the speed and general trajectory of the main attackers for each of our opponents." Shifting his weight from foot to foot, Yuuri mirrored Victor's attempt at a zig zag approach with a stifled giggle. "Every attacker has their own rhythm. If I learn to time their rhythms, I can learn to block them."

"So timing is everything then, huh?" Victor thought about the first time he met Yuuri and the unexplainably lucky timing that had brought Victor in Yuuri's path exactly when he needed someone to rescue him. Winking to try to throw Yuuri off, Victor took a leap to his left and let the ball fly.

The ball launched from Victor's net at a comically fast speed, jamming directly into the ground and rolling toward Yuuri's feet. At the last second, Yuuri pretended to dive for it, going in the opposite direction of the ball's path and letting it easily roll into the net. Rolling onto his back on the ground, Yuuri gave a dramatic sigh. "You have proven a worthy opponent, Nikiforov." Victor appeared above him, rolling his eyes with another laugh.

"I'm going to tell everyone I scored on the great Yuuri Katsuki," Victor teased, flinching when Yuuri choked on his own retort. Trying to recover from his accidental innuendo, Victor reached out a hand to yank Yuuri to his feet.

He had seen Yuuri curious, and had seen him shy. He had seen Yuuri's poker face when he played the most absurdly inappropriate card selections in their game with Phichit and Chris and he had seen Yuuri terrified in the hallway of Dan's house. This version of Yuuri, encouraging while teaching and then ridiculously silly for the benefit of Victor's amusement, was another layer that made Victor feel ready to swoon.

Letting himself be pulled from the ground, Yuuri reversed Victor's hold on his hand so that he could lead Victor towards the picnic basket on the bleachers. Victor's Freudian comment about scoring on him had left Yuuri a little breathless, the implication still playing in Yuuri's mind as they approached the waiting blanket. Swinging a leg over the metal bench, Yuuri smiled as Victor did the same, scooting forward until their knees touched. Lifting the basket from its place between them, Yuuri refocused his mind on carefully removing their dinner hoping to prevent his brain from continuing its course down a more explicit path.

"What's hiding in there?" Victor inquired, attempting to get a peek into the basket when Yuuri opened only one side. His eyebrows raised as Yuuri produced two sleek black boxes, placing one in front of each of them with a pair of chopsticks resting on top. A bottle of green tea was added to the presentation next and Victor couldn't resist tracing the lines of the box in front of him while Yuuri politely unscrewed the top of Victor's drink. "What is this?"

"Bento boxes." Yuuri picked up Victor's chopsticks and held them out for Victor to take. Delicately, Yuuri slid the layers apart, placing all three in a triangle formation on the blanket. He repeated the process with his own, stealing glances at Victor to ensure himself that he had made the right decision. "I hope you like rice and fish. I probably should have asked first…" Internally he winced at Victor's silence.

"Did you make this?" Victor asked, his question filled with incredulous awe. Everything located in the slotted box looked expertly crafted and the aroma rising from each little tray was making his mouth water. With wide eyes, he looked at Yuuri.

"Yes?" Yuuri answered, unable to read Victor's expression. Hesitantly, he lifted his first tray, capturing a piece of fish in between his chopsticks and popping it in his mouth. He instantly thanked himself for spending the money at the most expensive grocery store in their town.

"Wow," Victor looked over his choices, picking up his middle tray and plucking up a roll covered with a thin piece of pink fish. Stuffing the entire thing in his mouth, Victor moaned with his appreciation of the delectable taste. "Yuuri this is amazing. I can't believe you went through all this trouble." Emotion swam in Victor's chest as he picked another bite, chewing happily as he smiled at Yuuri with his mouth full.

"To be fair, my mom helped me." Yuuri blushed as he continued his own dinner, refusing to look up at Victor. "I had her on video chat the whole time."

Oh my goodness, that's the sweetest thing I have ever heard, Victor thought, swallowing his bite and placing the tray back on the bench before lifting a different one. Trying to temper his desire to embarrass Yuuri over his astounding sweetness, Victor racked his brain for a divergent topic. "Could you explain the rules of lacrosse? I tried to google it, but… honestly it makes so little sense when spelled out on paper."

Yuuri choked on his tea, covering his mouth as he sputtered in amusement. His sister had shared the same observation nearly ten years ago, and Yuuri found himself loving how adorable Victor looked with a line of confusion creating a crease between his eyebrows. Capping his drink, Yuuri shifted on the bench and pointed a finger out toward the field.

Victor had never had the slightest interest in lacrosse. In fact, when they had been choosing internships and jobs, he had written off the sport as uninteresting and outside of his desired target areas to develop his knowledge. Sitting on the lowest bleacher bench with the last of his dinner disappearing, he couldn't wrap his head around how wrong he had been.

The way Yuuri described the game, Victor could imagine the players lined up on the field, aggressive and ready to take on their opponents. Yuuri's eyes sparkled, his hands moving excitedly while he painted a picture to help educate Victor on this part of Yuuri's world. Through Yuuri's eyes, lacrosse became the most beautiful sport Victor had ever heard of.

Realizing he had been talking for a solid twenty minutes without stopping to let Victor ask questions, Yuuri dropped his hands in his lap and whispered an apology. He knew that he tended to get overexcited about his sport, the intricacies which made it compelling to him often made it boring for others. When he heard Victor say his name, Yuuri raised his head, startled by the loving look in Victor's eyes. "Did I bore you?" he asked hesitantly, concentrating hard on restacking their now empty boxes and slipping them back into the basket.

"You could never bore me," Victor stopped Yuuri's nervous movement by grabbing Yuuri's hand. "I love the way you describe the game. I can almost see it happening before my eyes." His heart flipped over in his chest when Yuuri looked at him, a beautiful relief shining in Yuuri's eyes. He wondered if he had looked similar when Yuuri had allowed him to ramble about his thesis research. "I think you could probably discuss paint drying and I would find it enchanting."

Snickering, Yuuri leaned forward. "That's how I feel listening to you talk about your research. I love how passionate you are about every detail." Yuuri played with Victor's fingers to distract himself from the embarrassment of his admission.

"To be fair," Victor smiled, "most people would say my research is less exciting than paint drying." He scoffed at the end of his comment, a hint of bitterness leaking into his intended joke.

"Most people are stupid," Yuuri shrugged. He trailed his gaze from the place where their fingers were hooked together to find Victor staring at him with such open affection it made Yuuri's heart clench in his chest. Victor looked stunning in the twilight, the last hints of the sun's light disappearing under the horizon and leaving Victor highlighted by the glow of the stars above them. This brilliant, beautiful, and misunderstood man was willing to take time away from his busy life to invest in Yuuri, and Yuuri could feel the weight of that realization land in his heart with a permanent thud.

They moved together without another word, finding each other halfway across the bench. The angle in which they were leaning was slightly awkward, both still straddling the bench between their legs and their hands still joined in the space between them. Despite all of that, Yuuri felt the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile, the feel of Victor's own smile pressed firmly against his lips.


The sound of fists banging against lockers beat in time with Yuuri's thundering heart. Every member of their team was dressed for the game, gathering in a tight circle around Coach Celestino who had finished their pregame review and had moved onto their ritual pregame chant. The team swayed in time with Celestino's words, arms slung over each other's shoulders, unifying their energy and ramping up their shared adrenaline with every word.

Beside Yuuri, Phichit nodded in beat with their swaying, his eyes finding Yuuri's with a devilish smirk. "Going to win this one for your man, Katsuki?" The tease set fire to Yuuri's blood, causing him to narrow his eyes and give a defiant nod. Phichit's playfulness faded into his game face, returning Yuuri's nod and leaving the jokes behind.

The speaker in the locker room allowed them to hear the introduction of the other team and the roaring boos of the crowd carried through the room without the aid of amplification. Wicked flares of anticipation burned in Yuuri's veins as he took his place at the end of his team's line.

From his place in the stands, Victor watched as the opposing team ran onto the field, heads held high against the nasty remarks being tossed from the crowd. Alarmed by the aggression, Victor turned to question Chris about what was happening, when he was interrupted by the announcement of their home team. The crowd around them leapt to their feet, and Chris pulled Victor up beside him. As the team ran onto the field, Victor clapped along with everyone else, smiling when Chris yelled Phichit's name over the noise.

An anticipatory hush fell over the crowd as the booming voice in the press box prepared to announce the starting lineup. One by one, the starting players ran onto the field, greeted by the overwhelming enthusiasm of their home crowd, until there was a single man left standing at the edge of the field.

A song Victor only vaguely recalled hearing before flooded from the overhead speakers, creating a ripple effect through the crowd. All around him, people began to chant the name of his favorite human.

"Katsuki! Katsuki! Katsuki!"

To Victor's surprise, even Chris was joining in, one hand pumping in the air as Yuuri ran onto the field, his stick held high above head in silent acknowledgment of the support. Glancing down at the jersey Victor had pulled over his own shirt, he felt a rush of pride at being connected to the player everyone was loudly worshipping. "That's your man!" Chris yelled in Victor's ear, pointing a finger toward the large screen at one end of the field.

A montage video played, a backdrop to the players warming up on the field. Victor told himself to concentrate on watching the live action Yuuri, but he couldn't pull his eyes from the images flashing on the screen. When a large image of Yuuri without his helmet, dirt streaked and sweaty with a look of pure intensity appeared on the screen, Victor was absolutely positive that his soul had vacated his body, the price he surely had to pay for dating someone so jaw-droppingly sexy.

Chris's hand on his elbow broke Victor from his trance. Realizing he was the only one still standing, Victor blushed as he slammed down into his seat. Chris's laughter had Victor elbowing his best friend in the side. "They look pretty good down there," Chris commented, his slight nod indicating the players lining up on the field. Victor watched as Yuuri exchanged a handshake with the other team's captain, desperately wishing he could hear what was being said.

"Katsuki," Ciao Bin offered his bare hand, his glove tucked under his armpit.

"Good luck today," Yuuri responded, obliging the gesture by removing his own glove. His hand was squeezed harder than was strictly sportsmanlike and Yuuri raised a silent eyebrow before pulling away from the hold.

"We're going to break your streak," Ciao Bin growled, loud enough for his teammates to hear.

Responding with nothing but a smirk, Yuuri turned his back on his opponents, returning to his team and calling for them to huddle up. It hadn't been his desire to ever be the captain of their team, but once the role was thrust upon him, Yuuri had been resolute in his decision to live up to the role.

"One more game," Yuuri shouted, putting his gloved hand out and welcoming the weight of the team's gloves upon his own. "We fight, fifteen minutes at a time. We take every shot we get and we rob them of the chance to do the same. We are undefeated, let's show them why." Nodding at Phichit, Yuuri let him take over the remaining part of their chant.

The huddle broke as the referee blew the whistle, the team members on both sides running into their positions. Standing in the crease of the goal, Yuuri rotated his stick in a circle, banging it against each section of the goal post in his own pregame superstition.

A shrill whistle carried over the field causing a burst in motion. With a dangerous smile settling over his face, Yuuri traced the path of the ball, ready for anything the other team could throw at him.


The disjointed voice overhead announced the beginning of halftime leaving Victor stunned that half of the game had already passed. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, every second of the past thirty minutes of game time imprinted on his brain through emotional overload.

Yuuri had been magnificent. Victor had assumed that Yuuri was good, he had to be to be ranked at the top of all of the national players, but he had no idea that watching Yuuri play would be so exhilarating. Every time an opponent had approached Yuuri's end of the field, Victor saw the shift in Yuuri's stance, varying depending on which player was attacking. Every block had been like a well-executed dance move, Yuuri's power flaring in his quick steps and explosive reactions. He seemed to trust his teammates explicitly, releasing the ball back into play without a second of hesitation.

Victor was both amazed and remarkably aroused.

"You know," Chris drawled next to him, tapping a finger on Victor's knee, "if your boyfriend wasn't so good, maybe mine would actually get to play." With a confused look, Victor shook his head at Chris. "Phichit is a freshman goalie, he is Yuuri's backup. As long as your man is the star, my man warms the bench."

Pondering this new piece of information about Yuuri's relationship with Phichit, Victor sank back into his chair, hoping that his heart would take the chance to rest and give him a fighting chance at surviving the second half of the game.


"Put Phichit in." Yuuri's voice rang over the rest of the distressed arguing that was occurring in their locker room. He had blocked every shot that had been attempted on his goal, but Ciao Bin had been equally successful in his own. His teammates were frustrated, especially JJ as their freshman attackmen, and their antsy demeanor had begun to affect their playmaking in the last minutes of the first half.

"What do you mean put Phichit in?" Leo demanded, stopping himself and throwing a look toward Phichit. "No offense, P!"

"None taken… I guess…" Phichit shrugged, his frustration with the comment painted clear as day across his face.

"Put Phichit in," Yuuri repeated, standing from his place on the bench to address Celestino directly. "Phichit knows this team. Two of their midfielders were on his high school team and he taught me how to read them. If you put Phichit in my place, for the third quarter only, I can step in on the field. Ciao Bin won't be expecting me and he has never seen me play on the frontline. We need an advantage, this is how we get it."

The locker room was silent as Celestino considered the suggestion. Snapping his fingers, he yanked a jersey from their manager's hands and tossed it in Yuuri's direction. "Change your pads. Let's brainstorm a way to get yours out to the field for a quick change between the third and the fourth. Phichit, put on Yuuri's jersey. You get one quarter to play out this plan, after that you're back in goal, do you hear me?" Celestino's words were firm, but the set of his jaw told Yuuri that he was going to support the idea as if it was his own. Acknowledging his coach's terms with a tense nod, Yuuri swapped sticks with Phichit and pulled his pads over his head.


Confusion spread over the crowd as number twenty three was subbed in for JJ Leroy. No name was attached to the number, the player simply being referenced by the digits on his jersey alone. Victor listened to those around him murmuring about the mysterious number, wondering how an entire season had gone by without any of the team's fans knowing every player on the team.

"Phichit is missing," Chris mumbled so low Victor almost missed it. Scanning the jerseys sitting on the bench, Victor noted the lack of Phichit's number among them. His confusion mounting, Victor sat forward in his seat, elbows braced against his knees with his mind spinning.

The whistle blew to signal the start of the game and number twenty three exploded from his position, catching a pass in midair without breaking his stride. As if he was dancing, he broke away down the field, leaving the other players in the dust as he raced toward the goalie.

The smack of the ball against the back of the net set off an explosion of noise from the crowd. All around Victor strangers were hugging, Victor finding himself caught in Chris's exuberant embrace before he could register what happened. On the field, number twenty three stood in front of the other team's goalie, a frozen second of time before he was tackled by his teammates.

"Surprise," Yuuri drawled, the competitive part of him loving Ciao Bin's devastated expression as he realized who was under the helmet. He heard the other goalie begin to scream about his identity, unable to register anything beyond the first few words before his teammates were piling on his back. The celebration lasted only a few seconds, Yuuri breaking it up with his demands to keep going. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the other team began their assault on his best friend and rookie goalie and Yuuri felt a carnal desire to beat as many goals into their net as humanly possible in fifteen minutes.

Lining back up at center field, Yuuri took his place between his teammates. He looked over his shoulder, giving Phichit a thumbs up to reassure his best friend. Phichit looked confident in his position, the smile shining from behind his mask telling Yuuri all he needed to know about Phichit's feelings regarding the other team's plans to attack head on. Phichit may have been tucked in Yuuri's shadow for the better part of his freshman year, but Yuuri knew his best friend had the potential to be the one standing at the top. Squaring his shoulders towards the opposing player in front of him, Yuuri readied himself for another attack.

"Katsuki is number twenty three!"

Victor sat bolt upright, staring at the girl who had shouted this information over the stands. Snapping his attention back to the field, Victor studied the figure standing at the goal. Even though the goalie was wearing Yuuri's number, the way he stood and held his stick was completely different. Roaming the field to find number twenty three, Victor immediately noted the nervous bounce of the stick against the player's glove and the minute bounce of the player's left heel. "Oh my god, it is him," Victor whispered, fear clamping down on his stomach as he watched Yuuri sprint from his position.

"What do you-" Chris stopped mid question to wince as number twenty three was blindsided from his left, taking the hit with a sickening thwack ringing through the stadium. Yuuri stayed on his feet, swooping wide to compensate and sweeping his back leg in an inconspicuous kick to the offending players shin. The player landed on the field, skidding several feet before recovering and springing back up.

In the time it took for Victor to process the physical altercation, Yuuri had already covered the remaining distance toward the goal, faking a shot and passing it to Leo who took advantage of the goalie's shift to guard against Yuuri's fake. Again, the ball struck the net, spending a shockwave of celebration through the crowd.

"Do you think Yuuri's okay?" Victor asked, eyes still trained on his boyfriend as Yuuri stood near the sideline listening to his coach. Only eight minutes had worn their way off of the clock and Victor was positive he was going to die before the game was over.

"I think Yuuri is tough in a way that is slightly frightening, my friend," Chris clapped a hand on Victor's shoulder. "It is also a bit of a turn on if I am going to be honest."

Unable to disagree, Victor only nodded. He couldn't deny how incredibly attractive Yuuri's power on the field was, but there was a deeper part of him that was paralyzed with fear for Yuuri's safety. He may not completely understand the strategy of the game being played, but he could see the other team shifting and a clear line of attention being targeted in Yuuri's direction.

"They're gunning for you now," Celestino growled, grabbing Yuuri by his face mask and yanking him closer. "Don't get hurt out there, you are playing goalie in the fourth, no matter how beat up you are." Yuuri stumbled when Celestino released his mask. "Be careful," Celestino added and Yuuri noted the concern in his voice. Yuuri knew beyond being Celestino's star player that he was also someone Celestino cared about, in the same way Celestino cared about all his players. Vowing to come out of the remaining seven minutes unscathed, Yuuri took his place on the line and nodded toward JJ who had rejoined them on the field.

"Are there four attackmen now?" Victor questioned, pointing to each of the jersey numbers and counting them out loud. "I don't understand, I thought Yuuri said they can't do that." Lost in thought, Victor nearly missed Yuuri ducking around JJ to pursue the other team's attacker.

"He's playing midfield now!" A nearby girl screamed, answering the question Victor had asked seconds ago. He could only watch with his jaw hanging open as Yuuri tore across the field, taking a sharp blow of a stick to his arm as he launched himself forward to protect Phichit.

Feeling the string of his skin splitting, Yuuri scooped the dropped ball from the ground and flung it toward JJ. He raced behind the attackmen, cheering them on as JJ took the final steps of his approach and launched the ball into the dead center of Ciao Bin's chest. "Shake it off, JJ!" Yuuri yelled, running to put himself back in line to defend his goalie once again.

An elbow collided with Yuuri's face as he turned, pain radiating through his cheek as he shoved back against the other player.

"What the hell!" Victor yelled from the stands, jumping to his feet in anger along with the majority of the people around him. Choruses of "eject him!" echoed around him and Victor joined in, unsure if that was really something a referee could do. His stomach knotted as Yuuri brushed a glove against the side of his helmet, taking a few seconds to shake his head before getting himself back in the game.

Victor could only imagine the shape Yuuri's body would be in after the game and immediately began formulating a plan in his head as to how to help his boyfriend heal all of his wounds as the clock wound down to the final seconds of the third quarter.


The fourth quarter of the game passed without either team scoring, despite the fiery attempts being made by both sides. Phichit had held his own in goalie throughout the entire third quarter and Yuuri had advocated that he remain in the position for the last quarter. He hadn't won the argument and had found himself stripping and redressing on the sidelines, taking his rightful place in front of the goal for the final minutes of the game.

At the final whistle, Yuuri's teammates had rushed him, throwing Yuuri on their shoulders and hoisting Phichit up next to him. Thoroughly embarrassed by their antics, Yuuri had wiggled his way down, laughing as Phichit gladly accepted his shoulder-height ride into the locker room.

Yuuri allowed himself time to trail behind their pack, mentally assessing his injuries before he would have to face the reality of them. His left side stung across his ribcage and the muscles in his upper arm resisted his stretch above his head. The cut on his face and the one on his arm would probably need to be glued, but he was positive he would be able to avoid stitches this time. Sighing with the total count of his injuries, Yuuri finally plodded into the locker room, joining in briefly with the celebration before dragging himself into the showers.


Victor stood with Chris outside of the locker room, jolting slightly every time the doors swung open to emit another player into the open air. He had pulled Yuuri's jersey from his body and was nervously twisting it in his hands, anxious to replace the fabric with the man himself. Phichit appeared alone, kissing Chris with both arms thrown over his neck before pausing to address Victor.

"You can go in, you know," Phichit rested his head against Chris's chest and sighed when Chris pressed his fingers into the muscles of Phichit's back. "I know you're allowed because you are a trainer or a trainee trainer or whatever you are, but also no one is left in there. Yuuri is always the last one out on game days."

Whether it was because Phichit's suggestion was truly innocent or because Yuuri's best friend was too tired to interject his normally suggestive tone, Victor only hesitated for a handful of seconds before pushing his way through the heavy doors of the locker room. Quietly, Victor walked down the line of lockers, peering down each one in search of his boyfriend.

Yuuri leaned on his locker, his sweatpants loose and sagging on his hips, his back still bare as he reached for the bottle of ibuprofen which he kept on hand to get ahead of post-game pain and swelling. Tossing two into his mouth, Yuuri tipped his head back to chug the remaining water from the bottle in his hand.

Victor stopped short, the blood rushing from his head as he spotted Yuuri, half-naked with droplets of water still clinging to his back and bruises decorating his beautiful skin. His back was arched as Yuuri drank from his water bottle, the muscles in his throat flexing and leaving Victor floundering for any semblance of a coherent thought. For the entirety of Yuuri's game, Victor had been caught somewhere between unrelenting fear and unstoppable lust, the former of the two disappearing completely as Yuuri dropped his bottle and rolled his shoulders.

"I can help with the pain," Victor said, jumping when Yuuri screamed and slammed backwards into his locker. "Sorry!" Victor shouted, covering the distance between them in a few long strides. "I thought you would have heard me come in." Putting his hands on Yuuri's bare waist, Victor steadied him as he felt himself grow increasingly unsteady. Yuuri was beautiful on an average day with his hair flopping in his face and his glasses constantly slipping down his nose. Post-game Yuuri, half-dressed without his glasses and his wet hair pushed back from his forehead was a vision straight out of Victor's filthiest dreams.

"I'm sorry I made you wait," Yuuri's heartrate refused to slow down, the spike of it caused by Victor's sudden appearance and not because Victor had nearly scared the life out of him. Victor's button down shirt was unbuttoned at his collar and Yuuri's away jersey hung over Victor's forearm, the wrinkles and bite marks around the collar enough evidence for Yuuri to be positive that Victor had been wearing it during the game. Although he hadn't seen it, the idea of Victor in his jersey was making Yuuri's libido rage, the strength of it further fueled by the adrenaline of his team's risky win and Yuuri's own part in it.

In his silence, Yuuri had unconsciously begun to unbutton Victor's shirt further, his hands fluttering when he realized what he was doing. Pausing, he glanced up at Victor through the falling curtain of his wet hair.

"You were incredible out there," Victor could feel his breath quickening with each button Yuuri popped loose. He pulled Yuuri closer by his hips, brushing his nose against the bridge Yuuri's nose as he continued to speak. "I've never been so scared and so turned on at the same time."

Desire crashed over Yuuri, Victor's words drawing the tsunami to its highest peak before letting it sweep Yuuri away. Not giving himself any time to think, Yuuri shoved Victor's shirt from his shoulders, running his hands up Victor's bare skin and lacing one hand into Victor's hair. Pushing up on his toes, Yuuri paused a breath away from Victor's lips. "Thanks for watching me," Yuuri whispered, ghosting his lips over Victor's and pushing his hips further into Victor's hands.

"I don't plan to stop… ever," Victor responded, struggling to get the words out with the way Yuuri was moving against him. Unable to resist any longer, Victor kissed Yuuri with all the hunger that had built up inside of him over the past hour.

The feeling of Victor's hands kneading into the overused muscles in Yuuri's back had Yuuri moaning into Victor's kiss, his pleasure tinged with helpful pain as Victor's skilled fingers worked him over. He wanted to feel those fingers elsewhere and he whispered this desire as he nipped at Victor's earlobe. Yuuri continued his thorough exploration of Victor's neck as Victor fumbled his phone from his pocket.

"Where are u," Victor typed to Chris, unable to think about correct spelling or punctuation as Yuuri traced every sensitive spot along Victor's throat with his eager tongue. Groaning when his phone dinged, Victor opened his eyes, reading Chris's brief "diner, why?" response. Pulling Yuuri back to his mouth with his free hand tangled tightly in the back of Yuuri's hair, Victor felt the shudder of Yuuri's body against his own. "Do you want to…" Victor lost his thought as Yuuri's tongue ran along his bottom lip.

"Yes," Yuuri exhaled, his mind catching up to his body and gratefully discovering that all of him was on the same page. Pulling back slightly, Yuuri cupped Victor's cheek with his hand. "If you don't let me go right now, this is going to happen right here on the dirty locker room floor." Yuuri laughed when Victor grimaced, loosening his grip on Yuuri's body and allowing him to slip out of his arms.

Pouting when Yuuri put on a shirt, Victor tilted his head in an exaggerated angle to emphasize his ogling of Yuuri's posterior as he bent down to slip on his shoes. Grinning as Yuuri rolled his eyes, Victor unlocked his phone, using his other hand to pull his shirt back onto his shoulders. His smile widened when Yuuri made his own sound of protest. "Find somewhere else to be for at least the next four hours." Victor sent his text off to Chris before grabbing Yuuri's bag and slipping it onto his own shoulder. Curling a finger into the waistband of Yuuri's sweatpants, Victor dragged him back in for another deep kiss.

Yuuri licked his lips as he pulled away, linking his hand with Victor's and urged him to walk toward the exit. Victor had promised to help Yuuri with his pain, and Yuuri was very eager to see exactly how Victor planned to do so. Stopping a foot away from the exit, Yuuri guided their linked hands behind his back, pressing their bodies together and stealing one last kiss from Victor.

"Locker rooms are not for sex, Katsuki!" Celestino yelled from somewhere in the vast room, causing Victor and Yuuri to jump apart. Embarrassed, they shared blushing giggles, pushing open the heavy doors and headed to spend the rest of the day exploring every inch of each other.