The weeks after the competition flew by so quickly, it felt like no time had passed at all. Every day had been filled with challenges. Yuuri was so determined to land all of his jumps, to improve his step sequences and his spins. Yuuri knew he could do better and he wanted to prove it. There had been a few times that Viktor had had to push Yuuri to take breaks. He couldn't deny Yuuri's improvement, though. In such a short amount of time, he at least seemed to be a little bit more confident when performing his programs. Viktor could only hope that would last when they arrived at the Cup of China.
What Yuuri now considered 'the Cuddling Incident' hadn't been repeated since that night in their hotel room. He was pretty sure it had a lot to do with the fact that they had separate rooms back in Hasetsu, but that wasn't going to last forever. He'd tell Viktor to get his own room while they're traveling, but that just felt like a waste of money. Besides, it wasn't so bad sharing a room with him. The thought that maybe they'd end up in each other's arms again had only crossed his mind a few dozen times. It wouldn't be a big deal. That's what he had told himself over and over again.
Of course, Yuuri hadn't really expected Viktor to fall asleep with his head rested on his shoulder in the plane to China. It took him by surprise at first, but he really didn't mind. Yuuri was tired. His training had become so extensive over the last few weeks, determined to prove himself in this qualifier. He couldn't let Viktor down, and he had to show Viktor his conviction. With Viktor so close, his warmth so soothing, Yuuri rested their heads together, closing his eyes. He could pretend he didn't mean to fall asleep so close to him and just enjoy this for a few hours, right?
OoOoO
Yuuri was eternally grateful for the small time difference between Japan and China. He wouldn't be too jetlagged. It meant he could get enough rest for the competition without worrying about oversleeping, or not sleeping enough. Viktor on the other hand, seemed completely refreshed after the short nap he'd had on the plane. He was excitedly talking about all the places he could show Yuuri while they were in town as they made their way through the hotel to find their room. Of course. Viktor had been to China before for competitions, he knew the area. He probably knew all the best places to go. Normally, Yuuri would just stick to the hotel room until the competition. He was a shy person, and as much as travelling was exciting, his nerves before a competition could get the better of him. It was better to just stick to himself and focus. With Viktor there, though, he found it easier to go with the flow, to just do whatever Viktor planned for them. After all, being in Viktor's company had a habit of emptying Yuuri's mind of all the fear and self-doubt.
That was how Yuuri found himself sitting in a restaurant in the middle of China that evening. Viktor had at least given him enough time to get settled before he dragged him out of the hotel room. There were no real plans ahead of them, but soon enough they had found themselves at their own table, plates of food in front of them, though Viktor was the only one eating. Yuuri was looking around the room, quickly realising that this place was fancier than anywhere he would go to on his own, and he was glad Viktor had dragged him there. It was something he'd never normally do, even if it was something so simple. Viktor had been praising the food and seemed a little disappointed when Yuuri turned down some he'd been offered.
Yuuri looked down at the table, "I gain weight really easily. I shouldn't eat stuff like that before a competition."
Viktor was silent for a moment, and Yuuri could feel his eyes on him. Finally, he spoke up, "I'll just have to take you somewhere like this after the competitions, then."
"Y-You don't have to take me anywhere!" Yuuri raised his voice without thinking as he snapped his head back up to look at Viktor, blushing. Why was he so embarrassed? He had no reason to be. Friends invited each other to places like this all the time, it wasn't anything new. Was that what it was? Viktor Nikiforov had been his idol for so long, was it really so bewildering for him to be his friend? That didn't make sense, though. They'd been friends for months now, talking to him had gotten so much easier. So why was Yuuri feeling so nervous when Viktor talked about taking him places like that?
The sudden outburst seemed to take Viktor off guard. A moment of silence passed between them as they just stared at each other. Yuuri really wished it would just end, wished Viktor would say something, anything. The moment felt like an eternity, though it was only a few seconds before Viktor was flashing one of his dazzling smiles, "I want to take you places, Yuuri! The world is a wonderful place, and I want to share it with you. There are so many things you still need to see, and so many foods you need to try."
Viktor was such a cheerful person. He always seemed to be searching for new things to do and see, but Yuuri wasn't sure why Viktor wanted to share everything with him. Viktor knew plenty of people, and they all must've been more interesting than him. The only reason Viktor was even sitting there with him was because of a drunken deal he couldn't even remember making. Yuuri had never fought this hard to win before, but it stopped being about the bet a long time ago. He just had to keep Viktor there. He couldn't let Viktor doubt his decision to be there with him, not for a moment. He had to make this last for as long as possible. Of course, Yuuri wasn't naïve. He knew he only had a few months left, that once the Grand Prix Circuit was over, Viktor would be gone, but thinking about that just hurt too much. He couldn't imagine his life without Russian accents, silky silver hair, dazzling blue eyes, breathtaking smiles, heart warming laughter… The longer he spent time with Viktor, the more this feeling grew. He was becoming one of those creepy fans, he was sure. By the end of this he'd have a restraining order. But he couldn't possibly pull himself away. Not for a second.
"Yuuri?" The sound of Viktor's gentle voice speaking his name broke him from his thoughts and he quickly realised that Viktor had been trying to get his attention. Smiling reassuringly, Viktor held up a glass of wine, "Would you like something to drink? It might calm your nerves."
Yuuri shook his head, though he was still a little distracted by his thoughts, "No, I don't drink before a competition."
"Only after, huh?" Viktor smirked, raising an eyebrow at the man sitting across from him before taking a sip of his drink.
A blush rose on Yuuri's cheeks, and he quickly averted his eyes, opting to stare at the table instead. Viktor had seen him drunk, had seen a side of himself that he couldn't possibly remember, but the hardest part was knowing that it just wasn't him. Whatever he said or did while under the influence, it wasn't what he was really like. This thing, whatever it was that had brought Viktor Nikiforov into his life, none of it was real. Yuuri didn't know how he could possibly measure up to his expectations. After all, he didn't even know what Viktor had seen. Yuuri had told himself so many times that he should just ask Viktor exactly what he'd done and explain that he really wasn't that person. He didn't know how to say it, though. How could he? If he said the wrong thing, Viktor could disappear. But Yuuri knew Viktor wanted him to be more confident, to speak his mind. Taking a deep breath, he spoke softly, "Viktor, I—"
"Yuuri?"
Looking up at the sound of his name being uttered, he didn't know that he was expecting to see, but it certainly wasn't his best friend. Phichit Chulanont. He hadn't seen him in over a year now. Yuuri had forgotten that Phichit had qualified for the Grand Prix Circuit. He'd been so caught up in his own world, he didn't even realise he'd be seeing his best friend again, "Phichit?"
"Hey man, it's been forever. I didn't think I'd see you here after…" His voice trailed off as he realised Yuuri wasn't alone. Suddenly it made sense to see Yuuri in a place like this if he wasn't by himself. Though, Phichit was completely caught off guard by the Russian God of Figure Skating sitting on the other side of the table.
"Hello there!" Viktor waved cheerfully, his heart shaped smile on display.
Yuuri quickly got to his feet, "Uh, Viktor, this is Phichit. I used to train with him. Phichit, this is—"
"Viktor Nikiforov? Whoa, this is awesome! Is this why I haven't heard from you in so long?"
"Right, sorry. I guess I kinda lost track of everything and just focused on training." Yuuri smiled apologetically. He really hadn't meant to neglect his friend. They used to talk all the time, but when Viktor arrived in his life, everything had been about training. He couldn't possibly let Viktor down. He just hadn't thought much about anything else. Yuuri hadn't even thought to tell Phichit about Viktor's arrival in his life, but that was probably the biggest mistake of all. Phichit had been there for Yuuri through his darkest times. If anyone could help him deal with his fear of Viktor leaving, it would be him.
Phichit waved a hand at Yuuri dismissively, "Don't worry about it. At least I get why you went silent on me for so long. Hang on, let me call the others, they'd love to meet both of you. After all, we'll all be competing tomorrow, right?" He smiled brightly at Yuuri before pulling out his phone and scrolling through his contacts.
The night went by so quickly after that. Phichit had invited Guang Hong, and Leo to meet them. Yuuri was the kind of person who just kept to himself during competitions and avoided talking to the others. He wasn't sure exactly why. Maybe it was because he was shy, maybe it was because of nerves, or maybe it had something to do with his competitive streak. Still, he was glad he had someone like Phichit in his life to help him meet people. Guang Hong seemed to be almost as shy as Yuuri was. It was refreshing, really. They both seemed like great people, and Yuuri was finding himself grateful to Viktor, as well. After all, if Viktor hadn't pushed him, he wouldn't have been there in the first place. The only regret Yuuri had from that night was not talking to Viktor about the banquet.
OoOoO
It had been so long since Yuuri had been to the Cup of China. He'd almost forgotten what the atmosphere was like. Of course, it was nothing compared to the Finals, but it was still much more important than the last competition he was in. This was it. This was his chance to prove himself to Viktor once and for all. Even more than that, this was his chance to bring Viktor back to the world of figure skating. Ever since he'd retired, the skating world had been different. It wasn't that people had stopped wanting to skate. There were just some skaters who didn't have as much drive as they once had. Some people had lost their idol. Others had lost their rival. Yuuri wanted to bring that back to them. He wanted them to see that Viktor hadn't given up on skating. He couldn't have. If he had, he wouldn't be so determined to see Yuuri skate.
"Hey, Yuuri. Can I talk to you?" He looked up to see Phichit standing beside him, an arm rested gently on his shoulder. He would've thought it an odd request from anyone else, but this was his best friend. Yuuri looked over his shoulder to see that Viktor was distracted with the press. Of course, Viktor was here in a much more competitive light than he had been the year before. It made sense for the press to be so excited.
"Sure." Yuuri smiled at his friend, walking down the hall to a more secluded area. As they walked, he tried to figure out exactly what Phichit would want to talk to him about. They hadn't seen each other in so long that he knew it could be about almost anything. Maybe he just wanted to wish him luck. The last time Phichit had seen him skate, he hadn't exactly been very impressive. Maybe he was worried about him.
The moment they were alone, Phichit turned to him, clearly excited, "So, Viktor Nikiforov!?"
"…What?" Yuuri was confused. Very confused. Phichit admired Viktor, sure, but he was never as much of a fan as he was. Why was he so excited about Viktor being there? He hadn't been acting that way at all the night before, though maybe Phichit was just playing it cool in front of him. In all the time he'd known him, he'd never been the type to act like an excited fan, though. It just didn't make any sense.
Phichit nudged his shoulder, smirking, "Don't play dumb with me, Yuuri. You've been his biggest fan as long as I've known you. You said you wouldn't skate again, yet here you are. With Viktor. How long have you been dating? I want to know everything!"
"What!?" Yuuri sputtered, taken off guard by Phichit's words. Dating!? Did it really look like that? Viktor had been such an important part of his life, especially over the last few months, but dating? Of course not. That would be ridiculous. He looked around them to make sure no one had heard what Phichit had said, "It's not like that. We're just friends, that's all."
"Friends don't look at each other the way you two do."
Yuuri froze. Was he being that weird? He knew he looked at Viktor a lot, but it was just because he still had trouble believing that all of this was happening. Sometimes he thought he would wake up one day and find out that this was all a dream. Things like this just didn't happen to him after all. But if Phichit noticed after just one night, then how uncomfortable was he making Viktor? He'd have to restrain himself. Yuuri looked away, speaking softly, "He's my idol. I look at him like he's my idol."
It wasn't exactly a lie. Viktor was still the person who had inspired Yuuri's skating career. He was still the one Yuuri tried so desperately to live up to. He wanted to be enough to make Viktor Nikiforov proud. More than that, he wanted to be able to surpass him one day.
"That explains you, but it doesn't explain him." Phichit seemed to notice the confused look on Yuuri's face this time, "You haven't noticed the way he looks at you?" Yuuri shook his head after a long moment. He really hadn't. Viktor smiled at everyone. He was always happy. He was always trying hard to make other people smile. He didn't look at Yuuri in any special way, not as far as he'd ever seen before. Phichit shook his head, wrapping an arm around Yuuri's shoulders and guiding him towards the rink, "Come on, our practice starts soon. Just think about it, okay?"
OoOoO
It had been so long since Yuuri had seen Phichit skate. They used to practice together all the time, but it was different now. They weren't training partners anymore. They were competitors. They both wanted gold, and only one of them could have it. Still, Yuuri wanted to see Phichit succeed almost as much as he wanted to win the gold himself. Phichit had to get at least second in the Cup of China if he wanted to move onto the next stage of the Grand Prix Circuit, and Yuuri was sure he could do it. He didn't want to be a hindrance to his friend's chances, but he honestly didn't think he had anything to worry about. Phichit was a brilliant skater, and he had the potential to win. As Phichit made his way to the centre of the ice, Yuuri watched with baited breath, excited to see just how far his best friend had come in the time they'd been apart.
He couldn't help but smile as the music began to play. Yuuri could remember vividly all the times Phichit had told him he would one day skate to this song in front of thousands of people. He loved it, and the crowd seemed to as well. There was something wonderful about watching Phichit skate. He'd noticed it back when they trained together, too. Phichit was competitive, of course, but he lived in the moment when he was on the ice. His smile was clearly on display as he landed his first jump, the triple axel. Yuuri watched, entranced as he silently wished for Phichit's skate to go well.
His combination triple lutz and triple toe loop were landed well, but Phichit fell to the ice after attempting his quad toe loop. Still, he had enough rotations. It would still get him some decent points even if he lost some in the execution. The fall didn't seem to matter, though. Not to the audience. Phichit was making the music his own, the crowd clapping along enthusiastically as he began his combination spin. The program seemed to be over much too quickly, but the crowd loved it and Yuuri couldn't help but be happy for his best friend. He'd gotten better since he'd last watched him. It felt even better when he heard the announcers reveal the score. 86.75. A personal best for Phichit. He deserved it, too.
Of course, Phichit doing well still left some pressure on him. He had to do well. All the world watched the Grand Prix Circuit, and they now knew that Viktor was here. For him. He wasn't just proving himself to Viktor anymore. He was proving himself to them, too. He had to show them that he deserved to have Viktor there, that no one could take him away. He knew he sounded crazy. He knew that if Viktor could hear the things he thought, he'd probably run a mile. No one wanted a fan as crazy as him. Still, all he really wanted was for his skating to make Viktor happy. He didn't always believe in himself, but when he saw Viktor's smile, that changed. Because if Viktor could smile so warmly, so brilliantly, if Viktor could offer all the praise that he had to him, it had to mean he wasn't as bad as he thought he was. Right?
The other skates seemed to go by in a blur. Georgi Popovich was sitting in first place with 98.17, Leo not too far behind with 87.98. Phichit was in third. He didn't want to knock his friend from the podium, but Yuuri knew this was just the beginning. This was the short program. Phichit still had time to prove himself in the free skate. Yuuri simply couldn't afford to hold back. He had too much at stake. Every skater seemed to have a different style. Guang Hong's performance was filled with grace. Georgi's was… angry. That was really the only way Yuuri could think to describe it, though he was sure he saw him shed a few tears. It made him wonder what exactly was motivating him. Leo's program had a similar feel to Phichit's though the music was very different. They both had performances that seemed to be filled with hope. And Chris… well… Chris' performance was pure sex appeal.
"Are you okay? You seem worked up." Viktor stood on the other side of the barrier, his fingers brushing over Yuuri's and breaking him from his thoughts.
Viktor's eyes were as dazzling as ever. Did he know what one little look could do to people? Probably. That was why he winked at cameras with that devilish smile, Yuuri was sure. Viktor Nikiforov, the man who went out of his way to always surprise people. Well, Yuuri wanted to be able to surprise him, too. Without thinking, Yuuri threaded their fingers together, pulling Viktor closer and murmuring softly, his breath brushing against Viktor's cheek, "Just watch, okay? I don't care if the whole world is watching, just as long as you are."
It seemed to be all the encouragement Viktor needed. Yuuri felt his gently squeeze his hand, the bright heart shaped smile returning, "I came here for you. I'm not going to miss it for the world."
As Yuuri reached the centre of the ice, he looked over at Viktor. To his credit, he hadn't taken his eyes off him. Viktor wanted him to do this. If he didn't, he wouldn't be there. There for him. That's what he'd said. Viktor Nikiforov had flown all the way to Hasetsu just for him and had spent months by his side. This was all for him, and for the time being, Viktor Nikiforov was his.
As the music for the program began to play, Yuuri fell into his usual step sequence, though the jumps had been shifted to the second half of the program to up his score. Yuuri wasn't holding back anything, not now. Viktor's time in his life was always going to be temporary, but for right now, in China, in front of the world, he would show everyone that Viktor was his, and that he wasn't going to let anyone take him away. Maybe it was crazy. Maybe he still didn't understand the things he'd been feeling since Viktor had arrived in his life, but he didn't want them to go away.
Phichit's words were spiralling through his mind as he landed his first jump. Friends didn't look at each other the way they did. But if that was true, what were they? They weren't acquaintances. Not anymore. He always thought friendship was all it was. Although he supposed that friendship was difficult between an idol and his fan. But if they weren't friends, then what was it? What was Phichit seeing from Viktor that he couldn't? Yuuri just didn't understand. He only knew his own feelings, and those had been so confusing lately, he could barely think straight. All he knew was that he longed for the feeling he had when he'd fallen asleep in Viktor's arms. He lived for the moments Viktor smiled and made his heart melt. And Yuuri Katsuki wasn't going to give that up for any of the skaters who wanted to take the gold away from him. His feelings were all drumming together inside him, and they all brought him to the same conclusion. Viktor belonged to Yuuri. Maybe not forever, but right now he did, and he'd fight anyone who tried to challenge that.
The program ended so quickly, Yuuri didn't even realise at first. He had been running on muscle memory but hadn't seemed to have fallen or stumbled throughout the performance. Maybe it was enough, at least for now. He still had the free program. That was worth so much more than the short. He could do this. Once Yuuri had taken his bows, he headed off the ice, only to be stopped by Viktor's arms wrapping tightly around him, "You were incredible. That's the best you've ever skated."
Hearing the praise caused his heart to flutter. What was it about Viktor that did this to him? He didn't understand it. Ignoring the blush rising to his cheeks, he wrapped his arms around Viktor, chuckling nervously, "We have to go to the kiss and cry, Viktor."
He didn't want to let go of him. He really, really didn't, but he knew that they were probably on TV right now, and despite how much he enjoyed being close to Viktor, he wasn't so excited at the prospect of the press jumping to conclusions like Phichit had. He was grateful that he could claim his blush was from the exertion of skating, taking his skate guards from Viktor and slipping them on before they headed over to the kiss and cry. He wasn't expecting a particularly amazing result. He just needed enough to give him an edge for the free skate.
Sitting in the kiss and cry had always been one of the more nerve wracking things for Yuuri. He didn't know how people handled the nerves. Of course, there was nothing he could do. He had skated the best he could, and he had to accept whatever result he got. It was the waiting that made it so difficult. Viktor seemed to sense the nerves, though, resting a hand at the small of his back. It was amazing how something so simple could be so reassuring.
"Yuuri Katsuki has earned in his short program… 106.84, a new season's best. He is currently in first place."
Yuuri froze as he heard the announcement, barely registering Viktor wrapping him up in his arms. He was in first place after the short program. He'd never been in first place in a competition this size before. He was facing some of the better skaters in the world, and he was in first place. They would all be trying to beat him, now more than ever. Yuuri didn't know whether to be relieved because of his score, or terrified.
Author Notes: Wow this one took me a while to get out. I'd say I've been busy (mostly with Winter Olympics), but I think the real problem has been writer's block. I blame Yuuri. He knows what's going to happen in the next chapter and is trying to stop me, I swear. Anyway, the podium standings and scores will start to differ from this moment on. We might see different people winning! Time will tell.