"Fuck, quit moving, Katsudon!" Yuri swore as he wobbled and nearly lost his balance while doing a step-up exercise in the small weight room attached to the rink where the skaters often did some of their off-ice training. It just had a couple of treadmills and some mismatched free weights, but it was more than enough for Yuri to work on some of his physical therapy exercises and provided him much more privacy than if he had done so at his regular gym.

"Sorry, Yurio," Katsuki legitimately looked apologetic as he once again offered his shoulder as a balancing point for Yuri as he forced his bad knee to bend and support his weight with each step onto the small step that was left over from the step aerobics craze of the eighties, which the whole team suspected might have been about the last time any money had been put into this workout room.

With a frustrated sigh, Yuri finished the set and sat down on the step, burying his face in his hands for a second before nervously redoing the pony tail that he had put his hair up in for what constituted for a workout these days. When he finished that, he moved on to glaring at the nasty, old, stained blue carpet of the floor as if it had all the answers he was so desperately searching for. Although he was nowhere close to working out hard enough to break a sweat, the spandex of his workout shirt was starting to feel hot and suffocating, and he had to mentally count to three and remind himself that he was in a public place and couldn't just start ripping his clothes off when he got frustrated or felt an oncoming panic attack like the one he had experienced the day of his surgery.

"Yurio?" Katsuki sat down cross-legged on the floor in front of his younger friend, placing a comforting hand on his knee. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just something stupid," Yuri grumbled before starting to stand up so he could do his next set of exercises.

Yuuri tugged his arm and yanked him back down to a sitting position once again. Yuri was more startled by the action than it was Katsuki was stronger than him, given how rare it was for Yuuri to take charge of a situation like that. The Japanese man raised an expectant eyebrow at Yuri and sat with his arms crossed over his chest, patiently waiting for him to start talking.

"You really are getting more and more annoying the longer I know you," Yuri rolled his eyes. "Viktor has been rubbing off on you."

Yuuri smiled a little at that, expression softening but still looking every bit like a stern parent that was waiting for their teenage child to explain why they had gotten themselves suspended from school. Yuri really wished those two idiots would stop trying to act like surrogate parents to him.

Another part of Yuri thought maybe the old couple should get another dog. Makkachin had been gone for years now and it was as if they were determined to take out all of their suppressed parental instincts on him. Maybe a puppy would be his gift to them for New Years. Or not, since that meant he'd have to keep it in his apartment for a few days and no way in hell was he about to put his precious Potya through that. Plus there was the small detail that Yuri hated dogs.

But then, who else did he have to talk to right now? Otabek was obviously out of the question and Mila was usually his go-to person when the first wasn't an option, but she had flown off to New York or something to whisk Sara away on a special New Year's trip and celebrate with her in Times Square so she could kiss her at midnight under the fireworks or some romantic bullshit. Georgi was retired and more dramatic than ever now that he didn't have his creative outlet to pour his erratic emotions into. Yuri would likely just end up wanting to strangle Viktor five minutes into any conversation about love and other feelings.

Given his other options, Katsuki almost seemed like the sane and logical choice. Although he was still reeling from trying to figure out his own feelings, Yuri was hoping that maybe voicing them out loud would bring him some clarity.

"I'm just nervous about how thing are going to go in Almaty," Yuri sighed, tugging nervously at the ends of his hair.

"Why is that? You and Otabek have been friends for years, what could go wrong?" Yuuri was actually perplexed by the concept that Yuri could feel anything other than totally comfortable around Otabek.

"Jesus Fucking Christ, because now I know he loves me! And I told him that I need to work out my own feelings and even though he hasn't pressured me at all to make a decision, I'm putting pressure on myself to make one." Yuri put his face on his knees, folding in on himself and hoping it would help to shut out the world that was so confusing to him at the moment.

Yuuri simply "hmm"ed in response and seemed to be thinking of the best way to respond to this. If anyone knew how to deal with anxiety issues, it would be Katusdon, but Yuri wasn't sure that he was going to hold his breath over this. He knew deep down that this was something he had to figure out on his own, but it was still nice to voice his concerns out loud to someone else and maybe even have his concerns validated.

"While I think Otabek is doing the right thing by not pressuring you, I think the pressure you're putting on yourself means that you already know the answer." Yuuri reached out and gently placed a hand on the younger Yuri's head. "And it's only fair to Otabek that you tell him."

Yuri's gut twisted at this response, but of fucking course Katsudon was right. A part of him had known all along, but now it was just a matter of finding the courage to say what needed to be said.

"Thanks, Katsudon. I think…I think I know what I'm going to do when I get to Almaty," Yuri finally lifted his head and smiled a little, albeit a nervous one.

"Anytime!" Katsuki returned the smile as he stood and reached a hand out to help Yuri get up. "Anyway, I think you've done enough for today with your knee. See you tonight?"

Green eyes rolled so far back sometimes it was a wonder that they didn't get stuck. "Of course I'll be there. Just because Mila bailed doesn't mean the rest of us get to skip out on our New Year's traditions."

"Great!" Yuuri was so happy that Yuri thought it almost looked like it was his wedding day all over again. Katsuki would get oddly sentimental about certain holidays, but he wondered if it had anything to do with the homesickness everybody knew he still suffered once in a while. From the time Yuri had spent with the Katsuki family over the years, he'd learned a lot about Japanese culture, and he knew that the New Year was a big deal to them.

"I'll even bring the katusdon pirozhki," Yuri grinned before playfully punching Yuuri in the shoulder.

"It's a deal! Just prepare your liver for after dinner!"

Yuri groaned. "If you two end up naked on the roof of a castle arguing over a mythological fish again, I swear to God I will leave you up there and submit photos to all of the tabloids."

Katsuki's face paled. "That was five years ago! When will everybody let that die?!"

"Never!" Yuri grinned. "But seriously, I have to shower. See you later."

"Later, Yurio!"

Finally alone with his thoughts, Yuri turned toward the locker room, but not before taking a moment to stare out at the empty ice rink. Part of him itched to give his doctors and friends a giant 'fuck you' and put on his skates while nobody was around to tell him otherwise. He wouldn't attempt any jumps, just some easy laps around the rink so that he'd could feel the cool rush of air in his face while his blades cut through the surface of the ice. He just needed a few minutes on the ice to clear his mind and settle his nerves.

But he subconsciously found himself rubbing at his still healing knee and felt his stomach sink as he realized what a bad idea that would be.

Just a few more months, Plisetsky. You can do this.

With all the pain of leaving a piece of his soul behind, Yuri turned and walked out of the rink.

New Year's came and went, although Yuri had to admit it was some of the most fun he'd had since the Grand Prix Final. Phichit had flown into town as he usually did to spend the holiday with Yuuri, but then Chris had surprised everyone by showing up with his fiancée whose name Yuri could never remember—he just knew the man was a former ice dancer that had been around Chris for as long as Yuri had known him. The night had of course entailed lots of alcohol, and while Yuri was unfortunately once again forced to see everyone naked as seemed to be this group's nature while drunk, at least no poles were brought out for dancing on and nobody climbed to the top of a castle to declare their love publically.

In fact, Yuri was very happy to say that he passed out on Viktor and Yuuri's couch not long after midnight, all of his clothes still on. Other than the string of drool and the slight hangover he woke up with the next morning, he could have done much worse given the circumstances. Yuri's only regret was that he was just slightly jealous of the Snapchats he woke up to that morning of Mila and Sara making out with each other in Times Square while confetti flew everywhere and the fireworks went off in the background. It must have just struck midnight in New York, and as happy as he was for one of his dearest friends, he also couldn't stomach watching a couple be so damn happy while he was currently in one of the less than stellar periods of his life.

Fuck, he really missed Otabek.

The morning that he was set to take off for Almaty couldn't come soon enough. He waved at Katsudon and Viktor as they dropped him off at the airport with barely a "Dasvidaniya," as he bolted to check his bag and get through security. St. Petersburg had slowly felt like the walls were closing in on him over the past month or so and even if he hadn't planned on visiting Otabek, chances were good that he was going to have to leave sometime soon for the sake of his sanity. After a lifetime of constantly traveling, Yuri refused to sit still for more than a couple of weeks at a time. Just another way that this knee was slowly trying to kill him on a spiritual level.

So when he finally stepped off the plane and got through customs, Yuri all but sprinted as fast as his leg would allow him so that he could pounce on the unsuspecting Otabek waiting for him in baggage claim. Yuri didn't even cry out "Beka!" like he usually did, just stood there with his arms wound so tight around his shoulders that passersby were starting to worry that maybe Yuri was drugged. When his lithe frame started shaking, Otabek finally snapped to attention and returned the hug, rubbing Yuri's shoulders and asking, "Yura? Are you okay?"

A pause and then, "Yeah, sorry. Been a weird couple of weeks. Just really glad to see you."

Untangling himself from Otabek, Yuri grabbed his luggage and then proceeded to follow him out the door to where Otabek had, sadly, brought his black SUV rather than motorcycle. Otabek must have seen the disappointed look on Yuri's face because he gave him a quick peck on the temple and pointed out that it was way too fucking cold and there was too much snow and ice to be riding the bike right now. Yuri grumbled something about stupid winter and Otabek just smiled at him.

The ride back was uneventful, Otabek being a good driver and keeping his eyes on the road at all times, while Yuri nervously picked at the material of his jeans. He had about a million thoughts rushing through his head at once, but was having a hard time trying to figure out what to say. He supposed that was a sign that maybe he had matured a little since when he was fifteen and had first met Otabek—back then, Yuri had been brash and didn't believe in the concept of a filter between his brain and mouth. Now, he found himself actually thinking about what he wanted to say and how it would affect the other person in the situation—basically, how would Otabek react?

For his part, Otabek seemed content to stay quiet as per usual. It was as infuriating to Yuri as it was endearing, how he never could really tell what was going on underneath that beautiful undercut.

Yuri was suddenly aware of Otabek pulling the SUV into an underground parking garage. "We're here," he stated unnecessarily and got out of the car before helping Yuri drag all of his bags to the elevator.

Although Yuri had stayed with Otabek on several occasions, the beautiful architecture of his apartment building never ceased to amaze Yuri. He'd always known that Otabek's family was wealthy, and while Yuri made a decent enough living between his skating, sponsorships, and other advertising deals, his own apartment was modest compare to Otabek's.

Otabek lived in a large two bedroom apartment. The design was modern, open concept with the outer wall of the living room being entirely large windows overlooking the mountains in the distance. There was only one bathroom to be shared between the two bedrooms, but it was large and luxurious like the rest of the place. Yuri just assumed that he'd be staying in the spare bedroom, typically saved for Otabek's younger sister when she came to visit, and started walking down the hallway to deposit his luggage.

When he came back into the living area, Otabek was in the kitchen slamming cabinets and pulling various food items out of the fridge. When Yuri came over and sat down at the island, Otabek surprised him by starting to talk more than he had in the past hour or so.

"I was planning on cooking dinner real quick, and then I have a DJ gig at a club later. Do you want to come along?"

Suddenly remembering their first Grand Prix Final together when Yuri had snuck into the club Otabek was DJ'ing at before forcing him to help him create his Welcome to the Madness routine, Yuri couldn't help but grin at his best friend. "Fuck yes, I want to come! You still owe me from when we met in Barcelona five years ago."

Otabek returned the grin and threw a piece of bell pepper at Yuri. It landed in his blonde hair and the younger man rolled his eyes before pulling it out and popping it into his mouth. He heard a fake snort of disgust come from the other side of the counter before Otabek went back to chopping and prepping the food as if nothing had happened.

After a quick and simple dinner designed to meet the macros of a professional athlete, Yuri took over the bathroom for the sake of taking a shower and getting ready to make himself presentable to the public while Otabek did whatever it was he normally did to get ready for a show.

Yuri toyed with the idea of wearing the same outfit he had worn that night at the club in Prague, but thought that might send the wrong message given how everything ended that night. He wanted to grab Otabek's attention and this time, hold it all night.

So instead, he opted for a pair of black skinny jeans that were strategically ripped over the knees, a simple jade green tank top to make his eyes pop, and a black choker that attached to a gold body chain. He made sure to shake his hair out so that it was at its full length past his shoulder blades and looked shiny and soft after spraying in a ton of leave-in conditioner.

In the end, he had to recycle the same pair of boots that he'd worn in Prague because he could only fit so many clothes in a suitcase, but figured that was the last part of his outfit that anybody, least of all Otabek, would be looking at tonight.

When he walked out into the hallway and saw Otabek waiting by the door, texting somebody, Yuri felt his heart stop for a minute. It wasn't fair how Otabek could look so damn good wearing nothing more than his usual jeans and V-neck white t-shirt. The light color of the shirt stood out in stark contrast to his tanned skin, and Yuri found himself nervously licking his lips at the sight of the bulging biceps that were straining against the too-tight material of the sleeves.

That was when Otabek finally looked up from his phone and Yuri saw his pupils dilate as his eyes grew wide. He was a little more surprised when Otabek let out a low whistle of appreciation, saying, "Fuck, you look incredible, Yura. I might have to keep an eye on you tonight."

Yuri, of course, stuck his tongue out childishly at Otabek to mask his embarrassment, before grabbing his jacket as the two of them walked out the door. Otabek locked up behind them and slung his computer bag over his shoulder.

He just hoped tonight went at least a little better than the last time they had gone out.

The club was within walking distance thankfully, and Yuri was shocked by how busy it was when they arrived. He noticed flyers all over the entrance advertising Otabek's gig that night, and somehow it made his heart swell with pride to see so many people show up to listen to his best friend's music.

The bouncer nodded at Otabek and gave Yuri a once-over before lifting the velvet rope separating the line outside from the club. Without warning, Otabek grabbed Yuri's hand and laced their fingers together before pulling him in the direction of the back, wordlessly signaling for the younger to follow him.

They went through a small door behind the bar and then up a set of stairs before coming back out on a balcony overlooking the dancefloor. A DJ booth was already set up and Otabek walked over to it and began pulling his laptop, headphones, and a series of wires out of his bag and set to work setting it all up. A waitress came over and handed him a bottle of water and said something to him in Kazakh, causing Otabek to throw his head back in absolute laughter and responding with something Yuri didn't understand. Otabek must have seen the confused look Yuri gave him because he simply winked at him and said something else to the waitress before she disappeared for a minute and returned with what looked like a vodka and Red Bull and handed it to Yuri with a smile.

Yuri tried not to notice how pretty this waitress was, the glitter around her blue eyes setting them off in the low club lighting and making them stand out against her dark hair that she wore down. She was dressed in the typical tight, black mini dress that seemed to be the uniforms of waitresses at all bars and nightclubs, and in the end Yuri felt that familiar stab of jealousy since she clearly was familiar with Otabek and that he in turn was perfectly comfortable with her.

She gave him a soft smile and finally said something in Russian so that Yuri could actually understand, although she had to lean in and talk directly in his ear to be heard over the music, "I was just telling Otabek how lucky he is to have such a gorgeous boyfriend. He told me I should try being in the room with you for more than five minutes and see if I think your attitude matches your looks."

Yuri was blushing so furiously that he didn't even know how to respond for a minute. He didn't even register the part where Otabek didn't correct her on Yuri not actually being his boyfriend, just that she thought he was pretty and Otabek had agreed.

By the time he remembered to say something, though, the girl had walked away and was back to working her shift.

"Hey," Otabek was suddenly in front of him, trying to get his attention. "Follow me. You can hang out in VIP until my shift is over."

Yuri tried not to pout at that. "But Bekaaaa, I wanna hang out with you!"

Otabek smiled and flicked his nose affectionately. "No can do, Yura. I actually have to concentrate. I do get paid for this, ya know. Besides, it's only a few hours."

Yuri grumbled something inaudible but followed Otabek over to what he figured was the VIP section. The room was small and overlooked the club, but the noise was a little more subdued in there, making it much easier to converse with people. There was also a private bar and a handful of attractive girls working bottle service.

In the back there was a small group of young people sitting in a booth, bottle of champagne opened in the middle of the table on a bucket of ice while they all chatted and laughed. One of the girls looked up and saw the two of them before bursting into a huge grin and waving at them. "Beka!" she cried, "Over here!"

Yuri followed Otabek over to where the group was sitting, silently a little salty over the fact that somebody else besides himself or Otabek's sister Irina had called him Beka. The girl that called them over elbowed the boy next to her, and next thing Yuri knew, a chorus of "Beka! Yuri!" broke out and he was confused as to who the fuck these people were.

The girl that called them over broke away and ran over to grab Yuri's hand, gushing and excited. "You must be Yuri! I'm so glad to finally meet you! Beka never shuts up about you."

Otabek fixed her with a warning glare but she barged on. "I'm Alina, by the way. We've all known Otabek since grade school and make sure to come to as many of his shows as we can."

"Oh," Yuri replied, honestly unsure of how to respond. He'd never had many friends, especially as a child, so the idea of having a group of people you loved and trusted that had been around since the beginning was completely foreign to him. It was also strange realizing that Otabek had a whole part of his life that Yuri wasn't a part of, and it rubbed him the wrong way for some reason.

"Yura, I have to get to work. I'll come get you when my shift is over," Otabek clapped him on the shoulder before turning to walk out of the room after Yuri nodded his acknowledgement.

As soon as Otabek left the room, Alina all but pounced on Yuri. "Oh, my God. He calls you Yura?! That's so adorable!"

Next thing Yuri knew, he was being dragged by Alina over to the booth that everyone was sitting at. The other girl gave him a long, hard look but didn't say anything. Yuri was actually a little intimidated by her, one side of her head shaved with the ends of her hair dyed bright blue, a septum piercing, and her eyes framed with dark kohl liner that had harsh but perfect lines. She didn't say anything to him, but one of the guys elbowed her and said, "Be nice, Kamila. If Beka likes him, he's okay by me."

Kamila rolled her dark eyes and reached for her glass of champagne, leaning back against the cushions of the booth. "Whatever, Roman. You know how protective we all are of Beka."

The other guy in the group leaned forward, talking directly to Yuri while Kamila and Roman bickered with each other. He seemed more relaxed than the rest of the group, with kind, dark eyes and dark hair that was long enough to be pulled back into a bun. He smiled and introduced himself as Alexei before saying, "Don't mind Kamila and Roman. They've been together since high school and have officially reached the old married couple phase of their relationship."

"I see," Yuri said, taking a sip from his neglected drink as a way to distract himself.

Alina slid into the booth on the other side of Yuri, pulling her long hair back into a pony tail to get it out of her face. She wordlessly leaned over Yuri to grab the bottle of champagne to refill her glass, before turning to both Yuri and Alexei. Although she was outwardly bright and bubbly, Yuri had a suspicion that she had a protective streak about her and was about to play Twenty Questions with him about his intentions with Otabek.

"Well, Kamila wasn't wrong about us being protective of our Beka. He's usually so shy and reserved around people that when he came back from Barcelona all those years ago, we were of course more than a little curious about this mythical fairy that swept him off his feet." Alina was talking smoothly as she sipped on the expensive champagne, as if this were the most natural interjection into the conversation ever. "Now that you're here and Otabek told you his feelings, we all want to know if you love him too."

Yuri about choked on the last of his drink, coughing and spluttering for a few minutes while Alexei sympathetically smacked him on the back. Alina just sat there calmly the whole time with her long, thin legs crossed, not saying anything and simply staring at Yuri over the rim of her glass, her dark eyes narrowed and expectant.

When he finally caught his breath, Roman and Kamila had stopped arguing long enough to start listening in to the conversation, and one of them waved the waitress over for a glass of water and a refill on Yuri's vodka and Red Bull. Water and half of his new drink downed, Yuri took a deep breath and finally told the group, "I…yeah. I think I love him too. I'm just trying to figure out how to tell him."

Alina beamed at this news and shouted, "Great!" and that was it. The conversation shifted completely to typical small chat while getting to know new people, and by the end of the night, Yuri was laughing and joking with all of them. He was pleasantly surprised to realize that he actually really liked this group of people and could understand why Otabek had spent so much of his life with them. Alina was loud and fun, Alexei the down to Earth one that reeled her back in when she went too far. Kamila's stern exterior was more an act than anything, and once she relaxed and decided that she trusted Yuri, her wit and sarcasm had him almost rolling on the ground from laughing so hard. He could tell that she and Roman were absolutely in love and completely comfortable with each other, and he couldn't help but hope that he and Otabek would eventually reach that point.

It barely felt like any time had passed at all before Otabek rejoined the group, switching places with Alina so he could slide into the space next to Yuri and put his hand on Yuri's knee under the table where nobody could see it. "They better have been nice to you," Otabek stated, fixing all of his friends with a pointed look.

"Of course we were! We love Yuri!" Alina was a little more than drunk at this point, all smiles and giggles. "I totally understand why you kept him from us for all these years."

The tips of Otabek's ears turned red and he said something to Alina in Kazakh. She rolled her eyes and replied, and suddenly everyone was bickering and laughing in a language Yuri couldn't understand. He was mildly annoyed and just this side of pissed off for being left out of the conversation, but he felt Otabek's warm hand stroking the inside of his knee, a wordless signal that he wasn't missing anything important and that Otabek's attention was all on him.

Finally, Alexei announced that he was going to get Alina home before she made a bigger ass of herself, and after a few more rounds of volleyed insults and friendly jabs, the group said their goodbyes and Yuri and Otabek were heading back to the apartment, their arms swung around each other's waists. Yuri may have even squeezed Otabek's ass in a not-so-subtle manner, earning him a surprised yelp and a mumbled, "Brat."

Yuri of course laughed at the whole thing while he waited for Otabek to fish his keys out of his pocket and let them in to the building.

It wasn't until they were back inside and Yuri had collapsed on the couch that Otabek sat next to him, asking what Yuri thought of his friends.

The smile Yuri flashed him was so genuine that Otabek's heart melted a little at the sight. "Oh my god, Beka, they're awesome! Why did you never introduce me before? Kamila is like my long-lost salt sister or something, for fuck's sake!"

Okay, Yuri might have been slightly drunk after spending several hours with bottle service in the VIP room. He was only just tipsy though, not hammered and still in full control of himself. That being said, it definitely took the edge off him and made him bolder. So while Otabek was laughing and saying something about how he's glad his favorite people are all getting along, Yuri couldn't take it anymore and finally leaned in to kiss Otabek.

The kiss wasn't heated, just quick and affectionate. Otabek was surprised at first but was absolutely speechless when Yuri said, "Beka, I know how I feel about you now," and proceeded to kiss him deeply.

The noise that came from Otabek was both surprised and happy, and suddenly Yuri felt his back being pressed into the cushions of the couch as Otabek leaned over him. They remained like that, Otabek stretched out over Yuri's lithe form, the two of them making out lazily while letting their hands wander a little, Otabek's running through Yuri's hair and then down to his choker/body chain combination and tugging a little on the small, golden chains. Yuri growled into his mouth as he ran his hands down Otabek's sides and rolled their hips together, earning him a soft groan from the man above him. He was surprised when the friction caused him to let out his own needy whine, Beka's name on his lips.

"Yura," Otabek warned, moving his hands to pin Yuri's hips down on the couch.

"Beka, please. I want this so badly and I know you do too," Yuri murmured, kissing the corner of Otabek's mouth and working his way down to his neck, hoping to break the man's resolve.

Otabek grabbed Yuri's shoulders and pushed him back, looking at him sternly but clearly fighting the lust clouding his eyes. "Of course I do, Yura. But we have all the time in the world. It's your first night here. Just give me a little time, okay? I love you and want to make sure we do this right."

Yuri sighed and flopped his head back against the arm of the couch. "Fine. But I want to sleep in your bed tonight."
Otabek swore in Kazakh above him. "I swear you're trying to kill me, Yura."

"Nope, just slowly break you down until you give me what I want," Yuri laughed, wrapping his arms around Otabek's shoulders and pulling him down on top of him to nuzzle into his neck.

Otabek returned the embrace and physically melted into Yuri's arms, all but purring as he felt the blunt end of Yuri's nails run through the shaved sides of his undercut. They stayed there like that for God only knew how long, and Yuri hadn't even realized that he'd dozed off until he felt Otabek shaking his shoulder and saying, "Fine, come on. You can sleep in my bed tonight but we're keeping our clothes on."

Yuri smirked but before he could comment, Otabek cut him off. "And nothing over our clothes. Sleep and cuddling tonight, that's it."

Green eyes rolled but Yuri got up and followed Otabek down the hallway. "Okay, Altin, you win. I'll keep my hands to myself…for now."

After changing into their pajamas and brushing their teeth, Yuri was out the instant he got under the covers and shamelessly wrapped himself around Otabek. For his part, Otabek had to chuckle and he nuzzled into the blonde hair, murmuring a soft, "Goodnight, Yura," before finally drifting off himself.

Yuri didn't think he could be any happier than when he woke up the next morning, limbs tangled up with Otabek's, watching the rise and fall of the other man's chest as he continued to sleep. Thinking he was the only one awake, he buried his face into the other man's broad chest and whispered a soft, "I love you, Beka," before drifting off into a second sleep.

If only he'd heard the soft hitch in Otabek's breath, he'd have known that the other man heard him.

If Otabek had died right then and there, he wouldn't complain, because he couldn't think of a more perfect moment.

A/N: Okay, so basically from here on out, the story gets much more graphic. From what I remember, FFN doesn't like that. So I think for the rest of the story, I'm just going to leave that on AO3. Please come read my stuff there as I update there much more often than here! (Same URL as here)

I'm also on Tumblr:

theinsanefox . tumblr . com