((And there's the rating.))

6. After the Drums of Time Have Rolled and Ceased

Falling back into a pattern was easy in the next couple of weeks. Yuuri's family was lovely and hadn't questioned Viktor's sudden appearance. In fact, they'd acted as if he'd never been gone. Either they had been primed by Mari or they had collectively assumed that this was just a matter of time to begin with. Viktor strongly suspected the latter. They had a point. In hindsight, the thought that everything they were could have ended so abruptly was absurd. Their union went too deep to break so easily. Yuuri felt the same way. The pain his flight had caused had fled fast in the light of his affection.

After a while of watching Yuuri skate, Viktor lost his patience. He could breathe normally, he had been cleared for mild exercise and could jog, even, so as long as he didn't overdo it, he could join him. Yuuri wasn't convinced at first, but after Viktor had solemnly promised him that he'd stop as soon as he felt even a hint of pain, he'd surrendered the rink to him. Anything where he needed to rotate was out and he should really not move his arm too much, even with the splint, but he did some fast step sequences, and when he returned to Yuuri, he noticed he'd actually worked up a bit of a sweat. 'See?' Viktor asked with his arms spread. 'No fallen off limbs.'

'I didn't expect any.' When Viktor wanted to untie his skates, Yuuri batted his hands away and helped him. 'Hey, let's go back. I'd like your opinion on something.'

Viktor cocked his head. 'You're cute when you think you're subtle. What is it, Yuuri? Let me have it.'

A faint blush coloured Yuuri's cheeks. 'Not now.'

This was the kind of silence from Yuuri that Viktor found adorable, so he let him be and contented himself with watching the younger man. He wasn't a mind reader, but Yuuri's face was expressive. By the time they got back to the house, he was even more high coloured and kept sneaking glances at Viktor. They were the appraising type, he knew, watching his gait and how he held himself. He was checking for damage Viktor might be neglecting. 'You worry too much,' he said gently as they stepped inside.

If Yuuri had intended to answer that, the thought was chased off by Mari accosting them with a colourful slip of paper. 'This was in the mail. It's got Viktor's name on it. The rest is illegible.'

Yuuri snatched it out of her hand and held it open for him and Viktor to look at. He tilted his head. 'This is really funny.'

'What is it?' Mari pressed. 'Don't make me worm it out of you.'

'It's Russian,' Viktor said, just to ruffle her feather's.

Yuuri laughed but tried to disguise it as a sneeze. Not very successfully, by the look of his sister. 'It's an advertisement for a luxury hotel on Oshima Island,' he helped out. 'Plus an invitation of sorts to the opening event. Black tie, no less. I'm not sure why the add is Russian.'

'Or why I'm getting one,' Viktor added. 'Whoa. Hold on.' His eyes were glued to the words on the bright paper before he passed it to Yuuri. 'Toss it in the trash. It's nothing, we don't need this.' Viktor made a beeline for Yuuri's room, who followed him at his heels.

'All right. Speak up.'

'I said it's nothing. Stop talking about it already.'

'Is that from an ex or something?'

Viktor spun and stared at the shorter man. 'What sort of question is that supposed to be? Are you asking me if I'd rather be with someone else?'

Yuuri folded his arms, the advert still firmly clasped in one hand. 'No, because I'm not stupid. But you're kind of yelling at me, Viktor, and you don't normally do that. It hurts me and I'd like you to stop.'

Viktor blinked and turned away, willing his anger away. It wasn't Yuuri's fault. Not at all. He had to get a grip before he did some serious damage. They were doing so well, as if nothing had happened, and what they didn't need was him being crabby with no good reason. He heard the door close, but before he could get worried, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, coaxing him to turn. 'Hey. Viktor. You can talk to me, you know.'

'I do.' He sighed and ran a hand over his face. 'It's … not an ex, there isn't any significant enough to get me worked up. Yuuri, it's not that I don't trust you, I just don't want anything to do with the hotel, the flyer, or the people involved in it. I don't … I don't want to talk about it because I don't want to think about it. So please, do me a favour and get rid of this.' He looked away. 'And forgive me for snapping at you. You deserve better from me. Hurting you is the last thing in the world I want, but I know I did.'

Yuuri tossed the flyer on his desk and cupped Viktor's cheeks. 'Okay. To both of that.'

'Thank you. Now, you announced that you were going to ask my opinion on … I don't think you said on what.'

'I didn't. Well … it's more like … an assessment. How did this go for you? You were a little short of breath when you were done. But not like someone who's exhausted. It seemed suspiciously like breathing through a relieving posture.'

Viktor opted for honesty. 'You're not wrong. My chest ached a little, but much less than only a couple of days ago when I overdid it with the running. If I take it slow, it'll be safe to start training again. Gently. Without spins, for now.' His eyes narrowed. 'Oh, but I'm a fool.' His smile transformed into a grin. 'That wasn't your question of course. You weren't worried that I'd overexerted myself in the rink. You wanted to know if I could get breathless without hurting. That's why you were blushing so badly.' He reached out and pulled Yuuri close. 'And now I was so rude to you. I understand if I spoiled your mood completely.'

Yuuri leaned up and kissed Viktor gently, his tongue probing softly for entry. The feeling shot right to Viktor's groin, and he knew that Yuuri would feel it, as close as he was. He forced himself not to rut against him. Not yet. He thought he had an answer, but he didn't want Yuuri to think he was under any pressure from him.

In that vein, Viktor had thought about pulling away, but then he felt the edge of the bed against the hollow of his knees and when he couldn't go further back, Yuuri pressed against him. Sighing into their kiss, the Russian let his hands wander under Yuuri's shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin under his fingertips. A hand was winding into Viktor's hair, caressing his scalp. The other went to cup his buttock, and he moaned into Yuuri's mouth. 'I may be a bit more touch-starved than I realised,' he managed to say.

'We'll be needing some ground rules tonight,' Yuuri said, and Viktor forced his dazed mind to actually listen. 'Thing is, I can't risk that you hurt yourself. Do you remember what you said to me the first time we made love?'

An almost hysterical laugh broke from Viktor. 'Which bit? I was so nervous I barely shut up.'

Yuuri chuckled. 'So was I. Your solution was to tell me to just lie back and enjoy. Now you do that. And you need to promise me that you tell me when you need to stop. I don't want to hurt you.'

Viktor nodded. 'I don't really think you will, not if you do most of the work, but if my ribs protest at any point, I'll let you know. Now, how do you want me?'

Yuuri swallowed. 'Take off your clothes and lie on the bed.'

Viktor couldn't strip properly with the idiotic splint, but he did his best to take his time. When he was only in his briefs, Yuuri stepped close and caught his hands. 'My job,' he said. With their eyes locked, he slipped down the last bit of fabric and Viktor was freed. At once, Yuuri closed his hand around him, and Viktor groaned. He leaned his forehead against Yuuri's shoulder and started fumbling with the younger man's fly. It was incredibly hard to concentrate on the simple task with Yuuri's gentle touch on him. Eventually, he had his trousers open and could slide a hand inside, massaging him in turn. 'I want you naked, too, you know,' he whispered in his ear. 'You're not just going to get me off and have nothing.'

'No.' Yuuri's voice was husky with desire. 'I'm going to treat you to something a bit like what you did to me on our last evening in Barcelona. Now lie down and do nothing.'

'I want that very much. But … ah … you realise I'm sweaty and didn't take a shower after that stint at the rink.'

'That would have been pointless.' Yuuri gave him a light shove and Viktor flopped down on the bed. 'I'm going to get you all sweaty again anyway.'

Swallowing, Viktor lay down on his back, his arms behind his head so he could watch Yuuri undress. The younger man wasn't putting on a show, it wasn't his style, but his eyes were glued to Viktor's with an earnest expression. This was what he had meant on their walk after he'd arrived: Viktor felt like he was the only person in the world.

When Yuuri finally joined him on the bed after digging out a bottle of lubricant, he settled above him, supported on his knees and elbows so they were barely touching. Viktor wasn't going to have that. He slung his legs around Yuuri and pulled him down, getting a chuckle out of him. 'Doing nothing doesn't seem to be your forte,' he said.

Viktor wrapped his arms around him for good measure and kissed him, slowly and languidly. He forced his hips to stay still – somewhat – while the entire lengths of their bodies were touching. He felt the heat from Yuuri's middle, the hardness pressing into his stomach alongside his own. This had been Yuuri's intent all along, and Viktor felt a pang of guilt for behaving like a neanderthal and almost ruining his plan. 'I'm really sorry about earlier, Yuuri,' he said quietly. 'I was being an ass.'

'Shush, Viktor.' Yuuri smiled down at him, his eyes as warm as the summer sun. 'It's not something that happens a lot, and you love me too much to continue when it starts getting to me.' He pressed their lips together and continued talking against Viktor's mouth. 'Really, it's all right. Please stop worrying. I want you to enjoy this.' A soft tongue slipped out and over Viktor's lips before he moved away a bit and down.

Viktor's eyes fluttered shut. 'I am,' he whispered.

Yuuri traced a wet path down his torso, stopping to lap at each nipple until it was hard and dark pink. His hands travelled all over his upper body, their touch alternating between an almost-massage on his arms and just ghosting over the skin of his belly and his sides. Staying still got really difficult when Yuuri pushed his legs apart, caressing and kissing the inside of his thighs. His tongue flicked out over the crease of his groin, and Viktor's hips would have bucked if his fiancé hadn't been holding him down.

Viktor had a feeling that Yuuri had meant to draw this out a lot, but apparently, he was way too horny to be comfortable. The tremor in the fingers resting on his skin was saying everything he needed to know. 'Yuuri, I took so long with you that first time because you needed that from me,' he said, opening his eyes. Yuuri's face and chest were glistening with sweat, and he had to smile at how easily he had unravelled just from having Viktor lie beneath him. He reached down and stroked his head, pushing the dark strands out of his eyes. 'That's a very strong incentive to take things slower than you normally would. I appreciate slow and gentle, my love, you know I do, but you don't have to torture yourself.'

Yuuri swallowed and nodded. He sat between Viktor's legs, taking a moment to collect himself before he wrapped his hand around Viktor's cock. He never looked away when he leaned down to let his tongue slide over his tip.

Viktor closed his eyes, hands digging into the pillow to claw into something that he couldn't hurt. 'Viktor.' Taking a deep, steadying breath, he forced himself to look again. Yuuri was staring up at him from between his legs, his lips only millimetres from him. His hand was moving slowly, rotating a bit on the light up and down motion. It was going to kill Viktor. 'You taste great, you know that?'

He felt his face go hot and fumbled for some answer. He failed badly, opening and closing his mouth without making a sound.

Yuuri didn't seem to mind. He laughed softly and licked up the entire length of him before briefly drawing in Viktor's tip. 'And you smell great. If you'd taken a shower, you'd smell of soap, and I really prefer you smelling just like … well, Viktor.'

Having absolutely no answer for that, he contented himself watching Yuuri press his flat tongue onto his slit before gesturing for him to lift his hips. A pillow was shoved under him when he complied. 'Hold your legs back. If your ribs don't like that, let me know. All right?'

'Yeah.' He didn't sound like himself, he found, his voice cracking with need. 'Can I let you know that I'd like you to touch me properly already before I burst a vessel or something?'

'Let's not risk that.' Yuuri placed a soft and wet kiss on his tip before taking him in, and when Viktor felt an equally soft and wet finger probing him, he gasped. His hips failed to decide whether they wanted to thrust up into Yuuri's mouth or down on his finger, preparing him gently after their short abstinence.

'Oh, Yuuri, you do that so well,' he said when their eyes locked. His stunning companion was moaning around him, clearly as turned on as he was, and Viktor watched mesmerised as he vanished between his swollen lips while a bead of sweat travelled slowly down Yuuri's forehead to stay trembling at the tip of his nose.

His fiancé breathing hard through his nose, licking and sucking him while he opened him up, was the most erotic thing Viktor could imagine. Yuuri couldn't sit still, his own erection was straining and stark red, and Viktor decided that it was more than enough. 'Yuuri. Yuuri, come up here,' he ground out.

The younger man released him with a soft 'pop', and Viktor's gaze was captured by a thread of mixed saliva and pre-cum that connected Yuuri's mouth to his tip. 'You're okay? Are you hurting?'

'That … am I …' Viktor laughed. 'I'm going to shove you on the mattress and ride you if you don't put your gorgeous cock in soon. And then I will hurt myself. So spare me, would you?'

Smiling like a born predator, Yuuri let his fingers slide in and out of Viktor a couple more times, curling them slightly to press against that wonderful spot inside him. Viktor flailed helplessly, but with this amazing man being turned into goo didn't feel embarrassing. When Yuuri moved up to him, Viktor reached down to position him. Their eyes were locked when the slickened cock slowly pushed inside him. 'I love you, Viktor, you know that,' Yuuri said quietly.

Viktor cupped his jaw and kissed him softly, relishing in the sensation of this beautiful man filling him, moving with slow, gentle thrusts, giving him time to adjust to his girth. 'I know it and I love you, too, my Yuuri,' he said. 'And I'm very, very happy to be here with you.'

Yuuri's head slumped down, his face pressed into Viktor's neck. They were so close, Yuuri's belly rubbing deliciously over his cock with every movement. Wrapping his legs around Yuuri's hips, he encouraged him to a go bit faster while he let his hand wander over his shoulder, his sides, his back. 'God, Yuuri, you feel so good inside me.'

All his partner managed were soft moans as he made love to him, muffled against Viktor's skin. He liked it when Viktor talked to him like that when they were intimate. He could tell by the small kiss that was placed on his collarbone in answer, by the fingers that squeezed his shoulder a little harder, by the increased intensity of Yuuri's thrusts into his body. Viktor had to fight for enough control that he wouldn't cry out – they weren't alone in the house, after all – and as that got harder, he pressed his own face into Yuuri's hair, letting his scent intoxicate him. 'Yes, Yuuri, like that,' he breathed when he felt him add a small circling motion every time he was fully inside him.

The young man raised his head enough to look at him. 'You enjoy that, don't you' he said, continuing to move like that. He leaned down again and continued in a whisper. 'I can tell. Every time I do it, you squeeze me a little more tightly and it's so hot.'

Thrashing and arching against Yuuri for friction with feet now planted firmly on the mattress, Viktor did groan at that, loudly enough to be heard, but he couldn't have stopped himself to save his life. He felt Yuuri everywhere, inside him, on him, the entire world boiling down to just the two of them. Yuuri was still gentle, he always was, but his movements were fast and his breath came in sharp, quick bursts. He kissed Viktor, his control dissolved in sweat and primal need. It was sloppy and wet, sounding and feeling like absolute debauchery. 'Come for me, Yuuri,' Viktor breathed when they came up for air. 'Come right there inside me, I'm so close, too.'

Shifting enough to cradle Viktor's head in his hands, Yuuri gazed down at him, and neither of them could look away. A drop of sweat fell from Yuuri's forehead to Viktor's lips and he licked it away, causing Yuuri's breath to hitch. He was beautiful, so beautiful, his mouth open, his cheeks and chest pink and shining, his eyes soft with purest love even as he reached the peak of passion. 'Viktor,' he panted, also too loud, and his thrusts became short and quick before his entire body went rigid, grinding into him as he released deep within him.

Feeling every muscle in Yuuri tense, his pupils wide in passion, Viktor' own climax crashed into him. With his cock trapped between their bodies he came hard, his hand slipping on Yuuri's wet skin as he drowned in his warm brown eyes. It took him something between a minute and a small eternity to notice that his chest did ache a little, but even less than a few days ago when he'd run a bit too fast a bit too long. This was so worth it.

Yuuri kissed him again, the contact this time soft and tender, and Viktor finally closed his eyes to just feel. 'You okay?' Yuuri asked again when he broke away, still out of breath, still inside him but slowly starting to slip out as he began to soften.

Viktor took a moment to answer before he cracked open one eye to look at the face above him. 'More than okay. I really needed that, Yuuri. To feel you again.'

The younger man answered with a nod. 'Me too, my Viten'ka.' He leaned to the side of the bed and pulled a few tissues from a box to wipe them both down before he settled next to Viktor, their legs entangled. The Russian chuckled and at Yuuri's enquiring look made a lazy gesture to the desk with his head. 'You intend to keep that dratted thing, don't you? In case I ask for it one day.'

Yuuri just smiled and closed his eyes.