Author Notes: Enjoy this short, fluffy little intermission before we head to Barcelona for the final!
There was almost a month between the Rostelecom Cup and the Grand Prix Final. It was time for training, time to get ready for one of the most important competitions in figure skating. Most people had gone back to their hometowns to train. Some had decided to head to Barcelona to settle in and begin training there. As for Yuuri and Viktor, they had other ideas. Of course, Yuuri did want to train. He wanted to be prepared to win the gold. But Viktor was determined to find a way to celebrate Yuuri's birthday before they got back into training. It had taken some time, but Yuuri had eventually conceded that what he really wanted more than anything was to see Saint Petersburg through Viktor's eyes.
It was a short trip from the venue to Viktor's house. It took no time at all, but Viktor wanted this to be something special. He didn't want to rush through everything in a day. There was so much for Yuuri to see in Saint Petersburg, he wasn't quite sure where to begin. Besides, Yuuri had to be exhausted from competing. They would spend a few days there, he'd decided. After all, Yuuri had been working hard for months, he was long due a break. His birthday was just the perfect excuse. It was already late by the time they had gotten to Viktor's house, and they'd decided to just sleep off the trip and start their adventure in the morning. Of course, that's what Yuuri had thought. Viktor, on the other hand, was too excited, practically bouncing around the room as he talked about all the places they could visit while they were there. Yuuri was starting to see exactly what Yuri had meant. Keeping Viktor away from this town was cruel. There was simply no way he could take him away from this place permanently.
Yuuri was sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the wall as he thought about Yuri's words. If he wanted to make Viktor happy, he had to let him come back here. There was no way he could keep him in Japan. But if they were apart, wouldn't that be just as bad? He couldn't bear the thought of being without Viktor. Not after all these months spent by each other's sides. Still, he cared about Viktor. If he truly cared, he'd do what's best for him, right? Even if that meant hurting himself.
"Yuuri!" Viktor's face suddenly appeared before his own and he jumped back on the bed, nearly falling flat on his back. Viktor frowned, tilting his head to the side, "What're you thinking about?"
Yuuri quickly shook his head, "Oh um, nothing! Nothing at all. Where uh, where are you going to take me first?" He didn't want Viktor to worry about him. After all, he knew that Viktor was doing all of this because he wanted to make him happy. Yuuri just wanted to stop thinking and focus on being with Viktor without having to worry about training and medals for a while.
One moment, he was looking up at Viktor, the next, he was flat on his back with Viktor laying over him. He would've been surprised, but this seemed to be his favourite thing to do. He was always laying on Yuuri. It seemed like it was quickly becoming his part time job; Viktor Nikiforov's personal pillow. Not that he minded, of course. Viktor was warm, and he smelled amazing, but that wasn't something he'd ever say out loud, because no one needed to know he thought like that even though it was totally true. "I know there's something on your mind."
Viktor's hair was falling to gravity, just barely tickling at Yuuri's nose. He reached up to brush the soft locks behind Viktor's ear, shaking his head, "No, I just… It's kinda surreal that we're here. I've always wanted to come to Saint Petersburg. Ever since I was a kid."
"Because it's where I grew up?" Viktor asked, smiling brightly. Yuuri would've thought he was being teased, but Viktor seemed genuinely curious. Sometimes he wondered if Viktor knew just how much of an impact he'd had on his life. There were so many choices he'd made in his life because of the man in front of him. Of course, Yuuri had his own passion for the ice, had his own dreams, but Viktor was a driving force. He was someone he strived to be like.
Heat rose in Yuuri's cheeks, "I sound like such a weird fan, don't I? I need to stop doing that."
"Not at all. You're my biggest fan." Viktor leaned closer, pressing a kiss to the tip of Yuuri's nose and smiling fondly when it scrunched up in response, "And I'm your biggest fan."
"Don't let Minami hear you say that."
Viktor laughed, a beautiful sound that seemed to vibrate through his body into Yuuri's, filling his heart with so much warmth, "It'll be our little secret, then."
Yuuri brushed a hand over Viktor's arm without thinking, watching his own fingers moving along Viktor's pale skin, "Where are you going to take me tomorrow?"
Viktor beamed his bright, heart shaped smile, "There are so many places we can go! We could go to the Winter Palace! And there's Saint Isaac's Cathedral!"
"Oh um…" Yuuri chewed on his lip nervously, avoiding Viktor's eyes as he spoke, "It's not that I'm not grateful…"
Viktor quickly caught on, brushing his fingers against Yuuri's chin and tilting his head to meet his eyes, "That's not where you want to go. Where do you want me to take you?"
There was so much love and affection in those sparkling blue eyes, Yuuri almost forgot to speak. He just let himself get lost in them for a moment. Taking a breath, he reluctantly looked away, "It's just that those are all things I can do any time. When I said I wanted to see Saint Petersburg through your eyes, I meant… I want to see all your favourite places. I want to see where you go to unwind, and your favourite place to eat. I don't care about the tourist attractions, I want to see the things that are important to you."
It might have sounded silly. Viktor had spent months with him in Hasetsu, living a day to day life. He saw all the things that were important to Yuuri. He met his parents, they spent every day at the ice rink he'd grown up practicing in. There really wasn't anything more he could share with Viktor that he hadn't already. He wanted to feel that closeness. There were so many things he didn't know about Viktor, things that he would only be able to know if he heard it from him. The papers knew Viktor as the figure skating God. Yuuri wanted to know him as the adorable Russian man who always seemed to be brimming with energy.
Yuuri felt Viktor moving closer more than he saw it, the gentle touch of their lips meeting. As Yuuri's eyes fluttered closed, his heart hammering in his chest, instinct kicked in. His hands reached out to the front of Viktor's shirt, fingers gripping the fabric in an unspoken need to keep Viktor close. He felt a soft hand gently caress his cheek and let out a content sigh against Viktor's lips. He had this effect over Yuuri. It felt like his whole body was melting into the mattress as Viktor's free hand tangled into his hair. Everything felt so gentle, but so right, and Yuuri couldn't bear the thought of this moment ending. Their lips parted for barely a moment before Yuuri was pulling Viktor back, his arms sliding around the Russian's waist as he let himself get lost in the taste of Viktor's warm, sweet breath mixing with his own. Viktor smiled against Yuuri's lips, letting their legs intertwine, their bodies pressing closer together.
It felt like they'd been kissing forever, but not long enough, never long enough. The gentle smack of their lips parting was the only sound that filled the room, along with their gentle breaths as their heads rested together. Yuuri bit his lower lip, silently wishing he could still feel Viktor's there. He had no idea anything could feel the way it did when Viktor kissed him. When Yuuri finally opened his eyes, he saw Viktor's glimmering blue ones gazing lovingly back at him, "You've shared your life with me over the last year." Viktor's voice was soft, as though he was afraid to break this perfect moment between them. He brushed a kiss against Yuuri's cheek, his temple, his nose, capturing Yuuri's bottom lip between his own for one last short, sweet kiss. Yuuri's breath caught in his throat, his fingers sliding up Viktor's spine, encouraging him to just keep kissing, because there hadn't been anything that had felt so right since the first day he'd stepped onto the ice, "Of course I want to share mine with you, Yuuri."
OoOoO
The day had been filled with as much as Viktor could possibly think to show Yuuri about his life. They had spent it exploring the city, visiting Viktor's favourite coffee shop, the places he spends most of his time. They had wandered through a park filled with lush green trees, a fountain towards the centre of the area. Viktor had told Yuuri about all the times he'd spent there with Makkachin over the years. It was his favourite place to take the dog for walks, or to play with him in his down time. Viktor missed it. He spent so much time training that it felt like he didn't have any time for his beloved companion. He admitted it was one of the reasons he had enjoyed his time in retirement; being able to shower his poodle with love, to make up for all the lost time. It made Yuuri long for the days he'd spent with Vicchan.
Viktor had even taken Yuuri to the ice rink Yakov used for training, though Yuuri didn't want to stay too long. He knew that they were training, that there was last minute practice to be had before the final. He didn't want to distract Yuri. Still, he couldn't help but imagine Viktor as a teenager, his long hair tied back in a ponytail as he moved along that ice, practicing his routines, creating his routines. It all happened there, on that ice.
The sun was starting to set by the time they ended up sitting on the sand, watching the waves of the water. Yuuri knew Viktor liked the beach. He'd made that obvious when they were back in Hasetsu. He'd found Viktor sitting on the beach many times, though he never really questioned it before. Viktor said he missed the seagulls in Saint Petersburg, that when he heard them in Hasetsu, they reminded him of home. Now that they were sitting on the beach together, that was starting to make sense. It was a long time before either of them said anything, but eventually Viktor spoke, his eyes never leaving the horizon, "I'd always come here when I needed to think. If my routines weren't coming together, or Yakov wasn't listening to me, I'd come here and watch the waves. I guess it eventually just became a routine to come here every day before I went home."
Yuuri watched Viktor as he spoke. It made sense. That's what Ice Castle was to him. A place to go when he was anxious, a place to clear his head. Everyone needed that special place. "Is that why you would always be at the beach back in Hasetsu?"
"Old habits die hard, I guess." Viktor smiled.
A silence fell between them, but Yuuri had so many things he needed to say. Yuri's warning was still in his mind. Viktor would want to come back here. Keeping him in Japan wasn't fair. It was only right to let him come back. Being apart would be so difficult, though. He couldn't imagine not having Viktor in his life after all this time. It was something he had to think about, though. They only had one more competition to get through, and that would be it. Yuuri traced circles in the sand with his finger, speaking softly, "So… you'll come back here after the final, right?"
"I don't know yet. I haven't really thought that far ahead."
"But this is your home, right? So, of course you'd want to come back here." Yuuri looked up at him, trying to figure out what the Russian was thinking.
"Yuuri," Viktor reached out, resting his hand over the Japanese man's, the pad of his thumb brushing reassuringly against his skin, "Tell me what's on your mind."
Normally, Yuuri would've found some way to change the subject. He would've tried his best to hide his feelings, because really, he'd put Viktor through enough already. The look in those comforting eyes told Yuuri that he should talk, that Viktor wouldn't hold anything that he said against him. Looking down at their hands, he sighed softly, "I know that you miss it here. Having you back home with me has been amazing, but you can't stay away from Russia forever, and I could never keep you away. This place is too important to you for that. It's just… after the final, I'm really going to miss you. I know it's dumb, but it feels like all of this has been a dream, and I'm not ready to wake up in the onsen, all alone."
"So, don't." Viktor said simply, "Stay here with me."
"What?" Yuuri's eyes darted to meet Viktor's once more, trying to figure out if he was being serious. His bright smile was so sincere, Yuuri felt his heart flutter.
"I know it seems like I just act on a whim, but I haven't stopped thinking about you since the day I saw you skating in Sochi." It was the single most embarrassing moment of Yuuri's life. He'd never get over that performance, and he didn't know why Viktor still spoke like it was a good performance. It was awful, "You're right, staying away from Russia has been hard for me, and I don't want to be away from you, either. So, when the final is over, come stay with me here. If you win the final, I'll have to come back here to train with Yakov anyway."
"You… you want me to stay here with you? Really?" It felt like he was floating, like his whole body was numb. This wasn't what he had expected. Yuuri thought maybe Viktor would tell him that this would be a fleeting thing, that this happiness wasn't meant to last forever. They'd spent so much time together, Yuuri had been expecting Viktor to be getting tired of having him around, not asking for him to stay.
Viktor beamed his heart shaped smile, his eyes almost childlike in his excitement, "I bet Yakov would love to train you! We could train together every day. And you could meet Mila and Georgi, too!"
"Wait! Just… slow down." Yuuri's head was spinning. It was so much to take in. There was so much to think about. It wasn't that he didn't like the idea. There were just so many things that he was unsure of. He could train away from home. He'd done it before with Coach Celestino, but he had never felt like he was intruding back then. Now, it just felt like he was pushing himself into Viktor's life. Though, he supposed Viktor had done that to him in the first place, but this was different. This was permanent. Yuuri shifted to face Viktor, though his eyes were downcast, staring at their hands, "Where would I even live?"
"I told you, with me."
"What?" He looked up at Viktor, seeing how confused the older man looked.
"I said stay with me." Viktor lifted Yuuri's hand, holding it close to his chest, "I have plenty of extra space. There's a guest room, but you don't have to stay there, it's not like we've slept alone in weeks."
Looking in those pale blue eyes, Yuuri could see that Viktor meant every word he was saying. This wasn't some fluke, some spur of the moment thought that he'd regret in a week. Viktor wanted this. Viktor wanted him to stay here with him. Viktor wanted them to stay together just as much as he did. "Are you sure? You can't say something like this to me if you don't mean it. That's not fair."
Viktor chuckled, "Yuuri. I am asking you to please come and stay with me here, in Saint Petersburg once the Grand Prix Final is over."
"Vitya…" For once, Yuuri found himself being the one to pounce on Viktor, wrapping his arms tightly around him as he rested his head against his shoulder, tears in his eyes. This wasn't what he'd planned. He hadn't thought anything like this was going to happen, but the thought of not being together after the final hurt. It was haunting him. Knowing that he could stay with Viktor, that none of this had to end when the circuit did, it was overwhelming.
Viktor held Yuuri close, speaking softly, "Is that a yes?"
"Don't make it sound like a proposal."
Viktor laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of Yuuri's head, "One step at a time."
"Yes. I'll stay with you." Yuuri held Viktor tighter, taking a stuttering breath, "Best birthday ever."