Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you're all enjoying this story!

AiVici asked if there was an opportunity for Yuri and Victor to have a duet. Yes, there is an opportunity for a duet of sorts...it'll happen sometime down the road! ;-) Also, thank you to ImpracticalDemon for your kind review! I love hearing from all of my readers!

The songs mentioned in this chapter are: Nancy Mulligan by Ed Sheeran, Glasgow Reel, and St. Patrick's Day. All of these songs can be found on Youtube! There is a great set of videos that give you tutorials on the different techniques in Irish Dance. They are presented by Howcast and can also be found on Youtube. It doesn't cover all of the possible moves that are done (because there are so many!) but it gives a good foundation of what movements most steps are created from.

Yuri slowly came to wakefulness, feeling blissfully warm under his sheets and comforter. He didn't want to move as he was much too comfortable, and something innate was telling him that his bedroom would be much colder than the cocoon he had created on his bed. He sighed and opened his eyes. The disorientation was momentary - he initially didn't recognize his surroundings. He blinked a few times, thinking that his brain was still foggy from a deep sleep and that he would find himself back in his tiny bedroom in Hasetsu rather than the alien western looking room he was in now.

It slowly dawned on him that he wasn't even in the same country anymore. Yesterday - was it yesterday? - he had moved to England, and he was sharing a flat with a Thai man named Phichit. He was here because he wanted to become a world champion Irish dancer. He closed his eyes once more, burying his head beneath the blankets. He couldn't believe he had done this! His arms reached out for Vicchan, and he felt the soft fur of the plush dog sitting just mere inches from his chest. He gathered the dog to him and squeezed tightly, feeling a sort of emptiness in the pit of his stomach.

Phichit was nice, and Yuri couldn't complain about his bubbly flatmate. He even thought his new instructor was nice as well, but he was still somewhat of an enigma. What was his teaching style like? Would he be kind yet firm like Shirasawa-sensei, or would he be in Yuri's face, screaming at him to fix all the tiny details of a dance that would make him champion material? He knew he wouldn't like the second option and desperately hoped he had made the right decision in going with Sean as his new teacher.

Then, there was the whole prospect of becoming a champion dancer. He had no idea where he would be placed level wise for competition, and doubt was beginning to creep into his bones. What if Sean felt that Yuri wasn't even close to being a preliminary champion, or even a Prizewinner? He would be more likely to be allowed to compete at the regional level being a Prizewinner as opposed to a Novice.

The thought of having to show his skills off to new people made Yuri feel anxious. What if they thought he was terrible? Would they laugh at him? Would Victor be there? Thinking of Victor judging his dancing and finding him incapable of being a champion just made Yuri want to crawl under a rock and die.

Yuri squeezed Vicchan and his closed eyes tight. The anxiety was coming close to being overwhelming, and he forced himself to concentrate on his breathing. He inhaled deeply, feeling the air expand his chest and abdomen. He held it for a brief moment before exhaling slowly. He continued the deep breathing exercise until he felt his wildly beating heart calm to a normal rhythm and his muscles relax. He slowly opened his eyes and peeked out from under the blankets, allowing himself to take stock of his surroundings once more.

The room was brightly lit with sunlight, helping to chase away Yuri's dark mood. It made him feel more at ease, and he smiled at the hope sunshine always made him feel. He flung his blankets aside and sat up, stretching his limbs before stepping out onto the wooden floor. As he expected, the room was slightly colder than his bed had been, and Yuri went to the dresser to pull out a sweatshirt before making his way to the kitchen. There, Phichit was sitting at the island with earbuds in. His fingers were tapping on the countertop to the beat of the music he was listening to.

Phichit happened to look up and with a brilliant smile, he removed the ear buds. "I was wondering when you'd wake up! You were asleep when I came home last night. I think you've been out for...at least sixteen hours."

"That long?" Yuri mused. "The jet lag really gets to me."

"How are you feeling?"

"A little out of sorts, but not too bad," Yuri responded as he went to the refrigerator to look for something to eat.

"There's some eggs in there and some veggies. I could make you an omelette if you'd like."

Yuri poked his head out from the fridge. "Oh...you don't have to do that." Yuri was surprised and a little uncomfortable that Phichit wanted to cook for him.

"I don't mind! I like to cook, and it's nice to have someone else to cook for."

Yuri smiled as he removed a carton of eggs, tomato, green pepper, shredded cheese, and mushrooms out of the fridge. He placed all of the items next to the cook top. He then scanned the room around him, looking for a pan. Phichit noticed and slid off the bar stool to grab what Yuri needed.

"Thanks. I'll learn this place soon enough."

"Don't worry about it, Phichit replied as he handed Yuri a small pan. "Are you sure you don't want me to cook? I've been told my omelettes are heavenly."

Phichit's playful tone made Yuri laugh. He put the pan on the burner and stepped aside, gesturing that Phichit could help himself. Phichit's grin was broad as he took his place to begin to cook. Yuri went to a bar stool and sat to watch.

"Do you always cook for your flatmates?" Yuri finally asked.

"You're my first. I've cooked dinner for a few of the students from class a couple of times."

"Oh, really? You host everyone here?"

Phichit nodded as he continued to gather other needed supplies for his omelette. He returned to the cooktop with a whisk, spatula, and small bowl before setting to work on cracking eggs to whip them. "It's not many...just the few friends that I'm close with. Coming from Thailand, I didn't know anyone, so my dance friends are like family to me. Even though we sometimes compete against each other, we also support and cheer each other on."

Yuri smiled. He hoped he could have that kind of relationship with the other dancers. In his last dance school, he had fun with his fellow dancers at shows around St. Patrick's Day, but he had never developed close bonds with any of them through competition. He always felt a little left out because the others always seemed to get along so well, and he felt like was intruding if he stepped in. More often than not, he kept to himself in class to just focus on dancing. Yuri brought himself out of his thoughts and focused on Phichit once more.

"Do you think I could go to the studio today? It's been a few days since I last danced, and I wanted to get some practice in."

"Sure! Sean doesn't hold classes on Fridays, but he's given a few of us keys to the studio. I know my neighbors below really don't like to hear me practice my hard shoe dances here."

Yuri laughed. "I was wondering about that last night when I heard you dancing."

Phichit's grin was unabashed. "Yeah. Sometimes I just can't help myself."

A beat. "Strangest place you've ever just started dancing in?"

Phichit lit the burner and put a pat of butter into the pan. "Hmm...the market back home. I found this section of the road that was just perfect for beats, so I did my set. You?"

"The aisle of a grocery store," Yuri said with a laugh. "Though I made sure no one was around to actually see me."

Phichit giggled before returning his attention to his task. Yuri watched intently as Phichit worked on the most gorgeous omelette Yuri had ever seen. When he was finished, Phichit slid the omelette out of the pan onto a plate and handed it to Yuri. Yuri clasped his hands in thanks for the meal and dug in. Once the first bite was in his mouth, he groaned in pleasure, which made Phichit happy beyond measure.

"You're right...you do make the best omelettes," Yuri said after he swallowed. "I'll have to return the favor and make you something that I enjoy."

"What is it?" Phichit asked as he walked around the island to come to sit next to Yuri.

"Katsudon. It's a pretty heavy dish, but it's...it's so good."

"Deal."

Yuri finished his meal in companionable silence. After washing dishes and returning everything to where it needed to go, he went to his room. He dressed into a loose fitting t-shirt and athletic shorts. He grabbed his athletic bag and went back to the kitchen to fill his water bottle. Phichit had also changed his clothing and looked ready to join Yuri. The two set off for the studio, which ended up being just around the corner from their flat. Yuri was excited to see that it was so close.

"I can start leaving my key somewhere by the door so you can have access to the studio whenever you want."

"I would love that."

The pair walked into the studio after Phichit unlocked the door. They were greeted by a wide open area with a few benches lining the walls and a table set up off to the right. To the left was a room where several cubbies were stationed for dancers to keep their belongings while in class. Yuri went into that room and slipped out of his sneakers. He placed them into one of the cubbies. He threw his wallet in as well, but kept his phone with him for practice music. He followed Phichit back out of the room and saw two doorways that opened into two dance rooms. Both had walls lined with mirrors. One of the rooms had a barre attached to one of the walls.

"Oh good...the barre will be useful for stretches," Yuri observed.

Phichit nodded. "I'm gonna go into the room next to this one. I figured you'd probably want some privacy?"

Yuri nodded in reply. "Thanks."

Yuri went into the room with the barre. He shut the door and saw a shelf to his right that hosted a sound system. He found an auxiliary cord to plug his phone in. He set it down and then sat on the floor to put on his soft shoes. The familiar feeling of the soft leather on his foot made him smile at the prospect of being able to dance once again. Once he had laced up his shoes, he stood on his toes and walked around for a few seconds, making sure his feet were turned out. He then went to his phone and scrolled to a good warm-up song. The beat of a drum and the strums of a guitar greeted him as he turned away. He loved warming up to a song from Ed Sheeran's latest album.

Yuri counted eight bars before launching himself into skips around the room as a way to warm up. He counted the movement to himself One, two, three, up! One, two, three, up! As he lifted his back foot to bring it forward, he made sure to kick his butt and that his foot was arched with pointed toes. He skipped a circle around the room about four times before he stopped and went to the barre to complete some stretches. The song had finished, and Yuri let the next song play while he finished stretching.

Once he felt limber and warmed up, he went to his phone and switched it to a reel. He positioned himself in a corner to allow himself more of the room to move around in. Counting another eight bars, he began his reel. The first run-through was just to dance it, remembering his steps to fix any major mistakes. Yuri knew he would be getting new steps soon as schools never choreographed the same movements for a solo dance. Once he had finished going through his reel, he let the music continued to play as he decided to work on his jumps.

Jumps were Yuri's favorite because he could really get his body off of the floor and into the air. He loved having the feeling of soaring through the air across the stage from his own power, and he thought his form was great. He placed himself in the corner once more before beginning a run sequence that would give him the momentum to launch himself up in the air. As he came close to the end of the run, he contracted the muscles in his legs and abs before getting himself up into the air. His right leg was extended before him - perfectly straight with pointed toes - and his left leg was bent and tucked up by his butt. He felt himself linger in the air for a brief moment before he could feel himself coming down. As he began the descent, his right leg came down and his left uncurled to extend into a quick straight kick out before he landed on his toes once more.

That felt good, Yuri thought with a grin.

He did a few more runs of his jumps before he took a brief water break. He went over to his phone to pause the music and heard the familiar strains of The Three Sea Captains coming from next door mingling with Phichit's foot work. Yuri listened until the song had finished, impressed by the noise Phichit was making. Even though he couldn't see the dance, it sounded complex. Phichit had hit all of his beats perfectly. Yuri believed that Phichit would be a tough competitor.

He returned his attention to his own dancing, deciding to work on clicks next. Yuri turned his reel music back on and proceeded to work across the floor, concentrating on making sure the heels of his soft shoe connected to make noise as they passed each other in the air. Yuri felt better concentrating more on techniques at this point because of the fact he would be getting new steps, and he wanted to show Sean what he was capable of. Besides, working methodically through technique helped Yuri focus his anxiety about his competition placement into something constructive. He really wanted to do well enough to maybe be a preliminary champion with Phichit.

Once he was finished with soft shoe techniques, Yuri sat on the floor and changed from his soft shoes to his hard shoes. He loved dancing in hard shoe dances and making various rhythms with his feet. Once he was finished, he stood once more and then completed a few trebles before standing up on the blocks of his shoes to walk on his toes. He was comfortable now with the shoes and turned the music to a traditional set dance to focus on his turn out and making sure he hit all of his beats. When the dance was complete, Yuri took a deep breath and smiled. He was feeling confident after completing the set dance.

He looked to the clock and saw that almost an hour had passed. He decided to work on a few drills for hard shoe before he would call it a day. He faced the mirrors and completed several rhythmic combinations, making sure his turn out was good while completing them. He had no idea what else he could work on because he was certain that Sean's expectations were going to be different from Shirasawa-sensei's. He could feel the familiar chest constriction that came with the beginnings of a panic attack, and he decided the best thing to do right now was to go back to the flat and relax before he lost complete control. He turned off he music and took his hard shoes off before leaving the room.

Yuri went to the other dance room and knocked on the closed door. He waited a minute or so. When the music stopped, Yuri knocked again.

"Come in!"

Yuri opened the door to see a sweaty Phichit breathing deeply. Yuri smiled in apology. "I didn't mean to bother you. I just wanted to let you know I was going to leave."

"Okay. The keys to the flat are in my bag. Just don't lock me out," Phichit said with a wink.

Yuri couldn't help but smile. He really liked his flatmate. "Sure." Yuri turned to leave.

"Hey, Yuri!" Phichit called. Yuri paused and turned his head to face Phichit. "Your St. Patrick's Day sounded good."

Yuri could feel a light blush fill his cheeks. "Thanks."

As Yuri shut the door, he heard Phichit start The Three Sea Captains again. Yuri gathered his things and left the studio. He could feel the anxiety poking at the back of his consciousness, and he tried his best to ignore it. He knew what was causing it - he was nervous about his first class tomorrow morning. He knew he would need a distraction to take his mind off of class, and he wondered what he could do. He had the whole day to discover more of London, but he also didn't want to go alone into an unknown city. He grudgingly decided his best option was to stay in the flat and find something to do there.

Upon his return, Yuri dropped all of his belongings into his bedroom before gathering the items he would need for a shower. He brought his phone with him, hoping the music playing would provide some distraction from thinking because he knew if he was in quiet surroundings, his thoughts would stray to what was causing him distress. He turned the water on and undressed as he waited for it to warm. He flipped through his phone to find music from home to listen to. Once he saw steam curling above the curtain, he stepped into the tub and sighed blissfully at the feeling of warm water hitting his skin. He stood in the spray for a few minutes, reveling in the warmth of the water cascading down on him.

Taking his time with showering, Yuri lazily went through his usual routine of shampooing his hair and then washing his body before taking some time to just stand in the soothing spray of the shower. As music from Japan filled his mind, Yuri found himself singing along quietly and then a sort of despondency filled him. He was really missing home right now. A part of him wished he was back home still taking lessons with Shirasawa-sensei. There, the expectations and people were familiar. Phichit was a good flatmate, but it just wasn't the same as home.

A gasp escaped his lips as his heart clenched at the thought of being so far away from home. Yuri quickly shut the water off and dried himself off with a towel. He quickly dressed into the clothing he brought with him before rushing to his bedroom. He shut the door and flung himself on the bed. He lay still for a minute before he crawled under the blankets and searched for Vicchan. He held the plush dog close to his abdomen and shut his eyes tight, feeling hot tears fill them.

He didn't want to cry...he didn't want to feel so lonely or incapable. Most of all, he just wanted something familiar around him. Home was so far away, and while he figured he could always call his family, he wasn't sure how he'd put his emotions into words. He realized he was holding his breath and forced himself to breathe, though each breath was shallow. He could feel the tendrils of anxiety beginning to take stronger hold within him. He wanted to desperately to fight them off, but he had no idea how he was going to do so.

The anxiety would probably only be relieved once he went to dance class tomorrow and knew where he stood. Until then, he would be caught in the swirling thoughts - the negative beliefs he had in his own abilities as well as the never-ending 'what if' questions. Yuri moaned with distress.

"I just..."

He squeezed Vicchan as hard as he could.

A knock on his door. "Yuri? Are you okay?"

A shaky breath before peeking his head out from under the blankets. "Yeah."

"Are you sure?" Phichit didn't sound convinced.

Yuri gulped and took a deep breath to steady his voice. "Yeah, I'm sure! Just...just finishing up with some of my unpacking."

A lie. A complete lie, and Yuri felt sort of bad that he was doing it, but he didn't know how to explain what was happening to a relative stranger. He preferred just dealing with his feelings by himself because right now, there just wasn't anyone he could fully trust yet.

"Okay. Well, let me know if you want help or anything."

"Thanks," Yuri replied before burying his head into the sheets once more.

He heard Phichit pad away, and he exhaled. He realized this panic was something that Phichit would learn about him sooner rather than later. He just wasn't ready to let him in yet. Yuri lay in his bed, letting himself be consumed by all of his worries and fears. He attempted to focus on his breathing to lessen the blow of his emotions, and he clutched Vicchan to him as a source of comfort. After half an hour, he could feel a lessening of the intense anxiety, and he decided to take the opportunity to utilize a grounding technique he had learned from a friend who had debilitating panic attacks.

Yuri focused on what he could currently feel around him. With each breath, he mentally named the physical things he was touching. Vicchan, the sheets, the warm comforter, his pillow, the squeeze of the elastic in the waistband of his pants. As each thing was named, Yuri became more aware of his surroundings, and he could feel the anxiety chased away to a more manageable level. A few more deep breaths, and he poked his head out from under the blankets.

The sunlight that had permeated his room earlier that morning had been obscured by clouds, and Yuri looked towards his window. He saw dots of water and realized it was raining - a perfect companion to his mood. He sighed and decided that he should probably get out of bed now. He did so, leaving Vicchan under the covers. He made his way to the living room where Phichit was sitting in the arm chair with a book in his lap. He looked up with a smile.

"Hey! How'd it go?"

Yuri looked momentarily confused until he remembered the lie he had told. "Oh...it was fine." He wanted to change the topic instead of talking about his feelings. "What are you reading?"

Phichit looked down at the book, his nose wrinkling in slight displeasure. "Oh, just some textbook on business ethics. I have my exam tonight."

"Oh! How much longer do you have?"

"One more semester. I'm looking forward to being done with college - that way I can focus more on dance."

Yuri smiled but wanted to find something else to talk about as the thought of dance was now a trigger for him. "Right. Sounds good." Yuri moved to sit on the couch.

Phichit's expression was cautious. "Are you sure you're okay? You..."

Yuri waved his concern away. "Yeah...just feeling a little overwhelmed again."

Phichit closed his book. "Want to talk about it?"

Yuri shook his head. "Not really. I just need to get used to it here, that's all."

"Okay...but you know, you can talk to me about whatever."

"Thanks."

Phichit opened his textbook once more, and Yuri watched him. He wanted to find a way to thank Phichit for everything he'd done for him so far. He wracked his brain, trying to think of something that Phichit would like. His knowledge of his flatmate was still somewhat limited. He thought about how Phichit had made him dinner and then breakfast, and how kind Phichit had been. He remembered the conversation from this morning, and he started becoming excited.

"Hey, what time is your test?"

"Um...I have to be there at 5:30."

"In Japan, students eat Katsudon for good luck before exams. If you want...I could make you some for dinner before you go."

Phichit's smile lit up his entire face. "That would be awesome!"

I know, I know...no Victor yet. He will be making his grand debut in the next chapter!

In Irish Dance, there are two types of shoes: soft shoes and hard shoes. Soft shoes, for ladies, are very similar to ballet shoes (not pointe shoes), though they are laced more than your standard ballet shoe. For the gents, they wear a soft shoe that is very similar to a hard shoe. It has the thick heel and tap like a hard shoe in order for them to make noise, but the toe of the shoe is soft. Hard shoes have taps at the toe and heel made of fiberglass for both ladies and gents.

A traditional set dance (like St. Patrick's Day) is a hard shoe dance. The steps, while having small variations, are the same across all dance schools around the world. The dance is usually completed at a specific speed as well. There are several traditional set dances, and St. Patrick's Day is danced the most often.