For the rest of the hour and a half devoted to solos, Yuri remained in the corner watching everyone complete their hornpipes and treble jigs. He was still feeling embarrassed by his subpar performance of King of the Fairies and didn't want to subject himself to further scrutiny, especially from Yurio. He decided watching the steps and attempting to pick up certain elements was better than trying to showcase what he did know.

Once the hour and a half was over, the students from both rooms were ushered into the main room as the teachers worked to open the partition. All of the students began to chat with each other, the sound creating a dull roar in the room. Yuri, again, felt awkward being around people who were mostly strangers. He found himself drifting towards the windows to look out onto the street. The sun was shining, and he watched people walk by in casual clothes with light spring jackets. Several held take away coffee cups in their hands and were moving at a relatively easy pace as most people had nowhere to be on Saturday. It was - and wasn't - like Tokyo.

"Hey! How're you holding up?"

Yuri turned his head to his right to see Phichit standing beside him. He flashed him a quick smile before returning his attention to the street. "All right, I guess."

"Don't pay attention to Yurio. He's one salty guy."

Yuri quirked an eyebrow at Phichit, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. "Salty?"

Phichit giggled. "Yeah. It means...pissed; angry."

Yuri snorted with laughter. "That fits."

"Yeah...but anyway...don't let him get to you. Just remember that you're new here, and you're gonna need some time to learn everything. It's okay to make mistakes."

Yuri heaved a sigh. "I guess so."

Phichit didn't know what else to say to cheer his roommate up. Instead, he pulled out his phone and opened Instagram. "Hey...are you on Instagram?"

Yuri faced Phichit once more. "Yeah, but I don't use it much."

Phichit gasped dramatically as if Yuri was committing a serious crime. "What?! You have to!"

"Why?"

Phichit shrugged. "I don't know...it's just what we do! Where else are we gonna share silly pictures of our adventures?"

Yuri smiled and rolled his eyes as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He opened the barely used app and hit the magnifying glass icon. "What's your username?"

"Phichit+chu with a plus sign between the two words." Yuri typed it in and then showed Phichit the results. "The first one," Phichit confirmed.

"There...added you."

"Yay! It's official! We're best friends now!"

Yuri laughed as a light blush filled his cheeks. "Okay..."

Two loud claps sounded through the room, and the chatter died down as everyone turned their attention to Sean and a middle-aged woman that Yuri assumed was the assistant instructor. "All right! We are ready to begin ceilis!"

Everyone filed into the room through both doors, and most took up a spot along the walls, waiting for further instruction. Yuri did the same, making sure he stayed close to Phichit. The others from his class were also nearby, and Yuri tried his best to ignore the fact that Victor was mere feet away. The instructors entered the room, and all the students quieted any continuing conversation.

"All right. Let's start with The Three Tunes. I want eight of my champs in one group and eight of the novice/prizewinners in another. Champs, since there are five men, I need one to volunteer to sit out," Sean instructed.

"I will," Yurio grumbled.

Sean nodded. "Thanks. The four of you...come out to the floor," he added as he motioned to Yuri, Phichit, Victor, and Steve.

Yuri's heart began to pound hard against his ribs with a slight rise of his anxiety. I'm going to be dancing in the same dance as Victor!

"Yuri, is there a spot you're used to dancing?" Sean asked.

"It doesn't matter. I can dance top, bottom, or side."

Sean smiled in approval, which warmed Yuri's heart. "Great! Take a side."

Once the men had situated themselves into a square, four of the girls from their class stood beside them. Yuri noticed that Victor had chosen the men's spot across from him, and he tried hard to ignore the possibility that Victor would watch every move he made. He turned his attention to his partner instead, who turned out to be Sophie. She grinned up at him.

"I hope you're enjoying yourself so far," she said sincerely.

"Well...I'll feel better when I know all my steps."

"I'm sure you'll catch on," she replied with a wide smile. "Hey...are you doing anything tonight?"

Yuri felt like her question sounded like she was fishing for a date, which made his eyes widen with surprise. "Uh...no?"

"A bunch of us were going to the pub later for drinks and a seisiun. You're more than welcome to come."

"Sophie!" Sean barked. "Now's not the time to pick up a date!"

She flushed and turned her attention to the center of the floor. She grasped Yuri's hand to prepare for the start of the dance.

"When do you all point and lift your hands?"

"Five."

"Thanks."

"As you all know, The Three Tunes gets its name from the three songs that are played through the length of the dance. Does anyone remember the names of the songs?" Sean questioned.

"Haste to the Wedding!" one novice called out.

"Leslie's Hornpipe!" another shouted.

"The German Beau!"

"Good! Let's start the music and get the dance going!"

The music started, and everyone immediately began to count. Yuri attempted to ignore Victor staring at him from across the way, but he knew that part of dancing well in the ceili was watching your mirror across from you. Yuri glanced briefly at Victor, and noticed the man had a dazzling smile on his face. Yuri gulped, suddenly feeling flustered. He tried to tamp those feelings down because they wouldn't help him dance. On the count of five, everyone raised their arms to the side with elbows bent and created a circle. On the next eight count, the dancers started dancing to the left around in a circle.

It didn't take long for Yuri to forget the fact that Victor was dancing across from him. The movements of the dance came easily to him as muscle memory took over, and he felt his heart leap with joy as the ladies came together in the center of the square to dance in a smaller circle. When they came back to their partners, everyone clapped twice and switched spots with their partners. Yuri couldn't help but smile.

Next, the men took a turn in the center of the square, and Yuri was now dancing even closer to Victor, though the man remained across from him. Victor's blue eyes sparkled with his smile, and Yuri felt his breath catch for a brief moment in his throat. Beautiful... He returned to his spot to clap twice and switch places with his partner once more.

As the dance continued, Yuri realized that he was having fun. The grin on his face was unmistakable. He would occasionally steal glances toward Victor, but the presence of his idol did little to dampen his mood. For the first time that day, Yuri felt confident about what he was doing, and the little mistakes he made didn't bother him. When the dance was finished, everyone pointed their right foot in front of them. Everyone then broke apart to face Sean for feedback.

"Yuri, you'll just need to learn some stylistic differences, but otherwise, it was really nice."

"Thank you," Yuri said with a slight bow.

"Everyone needs to work on making sharp movements. I want this dance to be clean." Everyone nodded. "You lot go sit. I need the next two groups up to dance!"

An all female group from the champion class got up followed closely by a novice group. Yuri settled himself against the wall to watch the next groups dance the same ceili. Sophie came to Yuri's right side, which made him tense slightly with discomfort.

"So...my offer still stands," she said slyly. "You should see more of London."

Yuri squirmed uncomfortably. "I don't know..."

"What?" Phichit jumped in.

"I'm inviting him out tonight," Sophie explained.

"I don't think..." Yuri began.

"Yeah! Come out with us! It's such a great time!"

"I...don't really-"

"Please?" Phichit wheedled. "I'll be there. And you won't have to stay the whole time. Just come out for a drink or two."

Yuri was having an internal argument with himself. He liked seisiuns and had attended a few in Tokyo. He enjoyed listening to the traditional music and having the chance to freestyle dance with friends. These previous experiences were what was persuading Yuri to go this evening. What was holding him back was the fact that the only person he would know there was Phichit - and he didn't even know him that well to begin with.

"Well? What do you say? It's the perfect way for us to get to know you better," Sophie's voice cut through Yuri's thoughts.

Yuri's desire to be in a somewhat familiar atmosphere won out. "O-okay then," Yuri responded.

Sophie's answering grin was huge. "Great!"

The rest of ceili class passed quickly. Yuri danced one more time with Yurio subbing for Steve in the dance. Yurio had groused about how much he hated dancing ceilis, that he much preferred solos, but Yuri didn't let it dampen his enjoyment of the dance. As everyone was filing out of the room, Sean called Yuri over.

Yuri approached the man. "Yes?"

"How was your first class?"

"Well...it's not what I expected, but I'm willing to learn everything as quickly as I can."

"Good. I saw you working to learn the steps, and I'm impressed with how quickly you do pick up things. You'll be ready to compete in no time. Now, in order for you to dance as a preliminary champion, we have to change your set. No traditional sets anymore unless you want to do them for fun."

Yuri nodded. "I thought Phichit's set was very nice."

"It's a good fit for him," Sean agreed. "However...I think you're capable of dancing something much more challenging."

"O-oh...really?" The waver in Yuri's voice betrayed the shock he was feeling.

"Victor!" Sean called.

Yuri turned his head to watch Victor pause at the doorway before he made his way over to the pair. Yuri felt his heart hammering against his chest. Victor's stance was easy and confident - a nonchalant smile on his lips. Yuri felt like he was going to have a stroke on the spot. It was enough to dance across from Victor without real interaction, but it was quite another to be the center of the man's attention.

"I want Yuri to learn your set."

Yuri's eyes widened. "W-what?!"

"Sure thing!" Victor's response was bright.

"The name of the music is The Charlady, speed 69. Find the music, listen to it to get used to the melody, and then I want you to watch Victor to pick up the steps," Sean instructed.

Yuri could feel his palms become damp from sweat. He wanted to protest - how could he dance Victor's incredible set? It was one of the most elaborate dances he had ever seen with complex rhythms. It almost felt like he was being set up for failure - a punishment for even thinking he could dance at Victor's level. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Is something wrong?"

Yuri closed his mouth and vigorously shook his head. "N-no!"

Sean smiled. "Good. See you next week at class."

With that, Sean exited the room leaving Victor and Yuri there. Victor continued to smile upon Yuri, making the younger man blush furiously. Yuri glanced down toward the floor.

"Want to see the set before we leave for the day?"

"Uh..." Yuri quickly glanced at Victor before looking toward the door. "I think I'll look for the music first...um, excuse me..."

With that, Yuri walked as quickly as he could out of the room. He couldn't stomach the idea of having a private lesson with Victor right now, and it didn't matter that Victor was looking at him in utter confusion. He could feel his cheeks aflame as he made his way to the cubby with his sneakers and dance bag. Phichit stood nearby, his eyes curious. Yuri avoided his gaze as he ripped his shoes off.

"Yuri?"

"Nothing. I'm okay...just...he wants me to dance Charlady!"

It took a moment for Phichit to process what Yuri had said before he laughed. Yuri whipped his head toward Phichit. Yuri felt extremely annoyed that his flatmate was laughing at his distress. Phichit noticed Yuri's reaction and stopped with a shake of his head.

"Yuri, I think you're overreacting."

"But I'm not!" Yuri protested. He figured Phichit wouldn't understand. "Charlady is Victor's dance! I'll look like a fool trying to match him!"

Phichit's mirth was tempered by Yuri's obvious distress. He sighed and shook his head, stepping closer to place a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Yuri, you need to take a few deep breaths and listen to me for a minute. The Charlady is music that anyone can dance to. No one can lay claim to it. You're being silly if you think it's Victor's dance. Second, no one will think you're copying him. You have your own style and interpretation of the steps - Charlady is just as much yours as it is Victor's. You're not doing yourself any favors comparing yourself to him."

"But-"

"Yuri, you're a good dancer. Your jumps are amazing. I wish I could get the same height on mine!"

Yuri was temporarily pulled out of his racing thoughts. "Thanks."

"You have your strengths and Victor has his. Stop...selling yourself short."

Yuri wasn't completely convinced, and on top of that, he was surprised that Phichit had caught on to his insecurities so quickly. He nodded, deciding to say what he knew Phichit was looking for. "Okay."

Phichit's grin was wide. "Great. So let's go back and grab some lunch. Forget about this morning...tonight is gonna be awesome!"

Victor was dumbfounded. There really was no other word for it. He stood in the doorway of the studio, listening to the Japanese Yuri's mini meltdown. It was both endearing and heart shattering. It was endearing because it was clear that Yuri was a fan - a big one - of Victor's Irish Dance career. All of his actions during class made complete sense to Victor now. What was heart shattering was the complete lack of confidence Yuri appeared to have in himself.

Victor had to admit that he hadn't been watching Yuri too closely during class. Sure, he had watched his rendition of King of the Fairies and despite the mistakes, he thought it was quite good. During ceili class, it was clear that Yuri loved to dance - the joy was evident in his movements and his face. Based on traditional dances, it was hard to tell if Yuri had the potential to be an elite dancer. This was something Victor would have to find out for himself.

He waited until the two Asian men left the studio before he went to retrieve his own belongings. As he slipped into his street shoes, Victor's thoughts meandered around Japanese Yuri. If he was honest with himself, he would admit that he was instantly drawn in by Yuri's infectious smile as he danced The Three Tunes, and he was having difficulty reconciling the vibrant Yuri of The Three Tunes with the Yuri he had just overheard.

As he left he studio, Victor pulled out his phone and opened up Messenger to text Sophie.

There's a seisiun tonight?

Sophie: Yeah! Wanna come?

Who else is going?

Sophie: Phichit, Steve, Cassie, Yurio, and Yuri

Sophie: Shannon said she'll probably be late. She's working until 7

Victor snorted with laughter at Sophie's use of Russian Yuri's new nickname. I'm guessing Yurio will be our keeper since he's too young to drink

Sophie: Haha! He'll make sure we get on the right train

Fitzgerald's?

Sophie: You bet! See you at 7!

Victor tucked his phone into his pocket as he walked the street back to his flat. He was mostly looking forward to seeing Japanese Yuri there and getting to know him outside of dance class. He was really hoping to see more of the carefree Yuri he had seen during ceili class - it was that Yuri that intrigued him much more than the one he saw dancing King of the Fairies. Tonight is going to be fun...