Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. None of these characters belong to me, sadly. I am just using them to relay a story that I love. All characters and parts of the plot from Yuri! On Ice belong to Mitsurō Kubo, Sayo Yamamoto, Tadashi Hiramatsu and TV Asahi.
Title: The Bronze
Written by: SadieAnnabethMellark ( porkcutletbowltrash)
Summary: Yuuri Katsuki placed third and took home a bronze medal in his first Grand Prix final. It had been an amazing performance and an amazing feeling. The only problem was that he couldn't really remember what happened on the ice thanks to some really strong cough medicine. Now, skating with Viktor alone on the rink, he lets down his walls. An AU where Yuuri didn't suck in his first GP. By request of Shiranai Atsune.
Dedicated to: Shiranai Atsune. Thank you for the idea in your request!
Chapter Two
Yuuri held his backpack over his shoulder and looked around anxiously for who he was supposed to be meeting. He had been stuck in between hiding in his hotel room (he really just wanted to go back to bed) and meeting Viktor in the lobby. His internal conflict didn't last long however and the Yuuri's inner fanboy came out and nothing was going to stop him from meeting his idol.
He tapped his foot nervously and looked around trying to spot the silver haired Russian in the crowd of busy hotel staff and guests. Pulling his hoodie closer around him, He stayed back in the corner of the room, blending into the background as he waited. He didn't know what would transpire in the next few hours, but he was hoping that he would get to watch Viktor glide across the ice. It'd be a private moment of just the two of them – no audience, no judges, no coaches – just Viktor and him. He'd get to see the beauty of the routines Viktor choreographed in its rawest form. That is, if they actually went to the rink and not to the ballet studio or gym
"Ready to go?" A soft Russian accent drifted into his ear as a hand came to rest on his shoulder. Yuuri jumped for the second time that night and whipped his head to the side to see Viktor next to him, dressed in a pair of form fitting sweat pants and a soft grey jacket, "You're rather jumpy today? You alright?"
Yuuri blushed and fumbled with his words, "Uhm, uh, yeah. I'm fine. Just s-surprised me is all."
Viktor smiled widely, "Let's go then. I was getting restless at the banquet anyways. The rink isn't that far away, how about we walk over and burn off some steam? It should be empty except for the two of us since everyone else is still in the reception hall. How's that sound?"
Yuuri nodded and blushed, "O-okay", he blushed deeper when his voice cracked slightly in the middle, but it was soon forgotten as Viktor smiled once more and began pulling him out into the chilly winter air of Sochi.
o.O.o
Yuuri walked out of the locker room to a sight he never in a million years he thought he would see. Viktor was on the ice in the midst of a spread eagle as he danced to inaudible music. He was flowing around the ice, lost in his own world of interpretive story telling. Yuuri stayed silent and watched from the rink side as Viktor landed a perfect quad toe loop. Smiling, Yuuri allowed himself to also get lost in Viktor's dance. It was the same sense of serenity and admiration that Yuuri had experienced years ago when he watched 16-year-old Viktor debut on TV. He was captivated by the flow of Viktor's arms and the strong push of his legs as he slid around the slick ice.
He never fails to surprise me. Ever since I first saw his skating, it's been a never-ending chain of surprises.
"Yuuri?" A slender finger softly caressed his cheek and he blinked up at the skater on the other side of the wall. He had been so lost in Viktor's performance that Yuuri even forgot where he was. His mind was solely set on watching Viktor's grace. He hadn't even realized that Viktor had slid up to the side of the rink where Yuuri was watching.
"That was beautiful Viktor. Choreography for next season?" he stumbled over his words and tried to hide his blushing cheeks.
Viktor chuckled softly and put a hand on top of Yuuri's ruffled black hair, "Possibly. I was just sort of doing what I wanted."
"Really?" Yuuri blinked up at him, "That was you just fooling around?"
"Yes." Viktor ruffled his hair and leant against the wall, "Don't you ever just mess around with jumps and step sequences ever? Just do whatever feels right and see where it takes you?"
"Well…" Yuuri usually only did it during practice to warm up. He hadn't ever thought about doing it simply to do it. The only other time was when he was stressed and then he just let his body take over and ease the pressure off his mind, "I guess. Not in the same way you do, anyways."
"You should try it sometime. It's quite fun." Viktor chuckled once more and skated to the exit off the ice, putting on his skate guards, "Will you perform your free program for me, since I never got to see it fully? I want to see the routine that took the bronze."
Yuuri felt his insides clench as sweat beaded his forehead, "Uhm, well…I dunno. I'm not really all that prepared and I mean, it won't be as good as anything you do or anything, plus, I don't have my music and so that'd be a bit difficult." His rambling came to an end when Viktor walked over, his skate guards clinking softly as he moved, and placed his hands on Yuuri's shoulders.
"I brought some music. You skated to Yiruma's If I Could See You Again, right?" Viktor asked. When Yuuri nodded, Viktor smiled, "I was positive I had heard that song before." He walked back to where his own backpack sat not that far away and pulled out a small portable speaker and his phone. Viktor came back and set the speaker on the edge of the wall and began to search for the right music piece. When Yiruma's soft sonata started playing, Yuuri felt his cheeks go warm. Viktor wanted to see him skate. He wanted to see the program that had brought Japan the bronze medal – right here, right now.
Yuuri felt his stomach drop as anxiety started to fill him. Viktor wanted to watch him skate and Viktor would know what a shit skater Yuuri actually was. It didn't help that his head was already starting to ache with a slow dull throb. He bit his lip and closed his eyes for a few seconds before he felt Viktor's hand on the top of his head once more.
"Please, Yurka?" The nickname that rolled of Viktor's tongue in his heavy Russian accent was absolute bliss to Yuuri's ears. Yurka. He wasn't very aware of how Russian nicknames worked, but it sounded beautiful in his voice.
Yuuri bit his lip and opened his eyes, walking towards the entrance to the ice, before taking off his skate guards and sliding onto the ice. He heard Viktor let out a soft hum and as he took his place the soft piano notes of If I Could See You Again began to drift into the vastness of the rink. He danced on the ice the same way that Celestino had shown him, letting go with the motions. His nerves were still on over drive and beginning to show as his first jump, a double loop, came up. He went from a spiral into the jump and as he landed, he wobbled, but quickly caught his footing. The music was still softly playing in the vicinity and he tried to match his breathing to the down beat. He needed to calm down before he made a fool of himself.
His brain wasn't listening to him however and as he went in for his triple axel, he felt his feet slip from beneath him and he landed on the ice in a tangled heap of limbs. He breathed hard as the dull ache from his fall hit him and he pushed himself back to his feet quickly. The weight of Viktor's eyes on him was becoming heavier as he went back into the motions of the routine. Thankfully, next was the step sequence he himself had learned to love and he found it almost relaxing as his feet glided across the ice.
It was nearing the end of the song and Yuuri went into a dizzying combination spin, the blur of colors he saw as he spun was rather dizzying and was making his stomach lurch. He closed his eyes and held his breath as he pulled into a one-handed Biellmann spin. He stopped with the music and stood frozen in the center of the ice, breathing hard. He was normally known for his insane amount of stamina, but the spin had set his stomach into a roll of waves and his head was pulsating.
Clapping filled the sound of the room and Yuuri opened his eyes as Viktor glided to him on the ice.
"It was a beautiful program." He said as he came to a stop in front of Yuuri, "I thought you perfected that triple axel though. You nailed all those jumps in competition."
Yuuri wrapped an arm around his stomach anxiously and looked down at the ice, "Uhm, well, I'm just nervous, I guess."
Viktor hummed and glided around him in a slow circle, "Will you try that triple axel again? Maybe it was the music and you were just following the routine. You were too caught up in the motions to focus on the foot work."
Yuuri watched Viktor glide off towards the wall and waved him on. He wants me to try the triple axel again.
Yuuri sighed softly but started gliding around, getting in stride with the jump before he vaulted himself into the air. He spun three times and then landed on the ice face first. He rolled onto his back and put his hands on his face. He heard Viktor skating over to him, but he quickly pulled himself to his feet.
"Hmmm." Viktor hummed as he came once again to a stop in front of Yuuri, "What're you so tense about?"
With red cheeks, Yuuri looked away, "N-Nothing."
They were both silent for a moment and then Viktor spoke, "You know, I think I'm going to run and get a snack. Want something?"
The thought of food made Yuuri even more nauseous, "I'll pass."
"Alright," Viktor gave him a winning smile once more and skated off the ice. He put on his skate guards and then he was off towards the locker room.
Now that Viktor was gone, even if it was for a few moments, Yuuri could try to calm himself. He slid around the ice and went into a perfect spread eagle as he focused on trying to breathe. He needed to steady his racing heard and his rocking stomach. He'd already embarrassed himself in front of a figure skating legend, he didn't need to embarrass himself even more by puking on the ice as well. He swirled into a perfect step sequence as he tried to shut his anxiety away. He had always gone to the rink when he was home in Hasetsu to calm down. The feel of the ice under his feet and the cool temperature of the ice was comforting to him.
This time was no exception. He could feel the anxiety ebbing away as he started towards a jump in the empty space of the rink – it was just him and the ice. He went into a triple axel and landed on his feet with surprising grace. He smiled to himself and went in for a triple flip and double loop combination, landing that too with ease. He felt his body easing as he nerves started dissipating.
As he started into compulsory figures, a Russian accent drifted across the room to him, "You're beautiful, Yurka." Yuuri slid to a stop and eyed Viktor who was leaning against the wall, a bottle of water in his hands.
Yuuri didn't think his cheeks could go redder, "T-thank you."
Viktor smiled and beckoned him over, "You're very talented Yuuri. I see why you placed third."
Yuuri came to a stop and leant back against the wall, trying to hide his flushed cheeks, "I-I dunno about that. I was just skating around."
"Fooling around on the ice does that to you. It relaxes you." Viktor's observation wasn't incorrect, "Your problem seems to be that you lack self-confidence."
Yuuri could hear the embarrassment in his own voice, "Yeah. I just get so nervous and then I panic and I guess I lose my body to my anxiety…"
He couldn't believe he had just admitted one of his own fatal flaws to Viktor. He knew that people noticed his anxiety and all but, he never expected to outright acknowledge it, let alone admit it to one of the world's most prominent and talented male figure skaters. He was expecting Viktor to laugh at him. He expected that Viktor would call him a variety of insults that would be meant to be playful, but that Yuuri would take to heart later that night in his hotel room. What he didn't expect was what happened in reality.
Viktor was quite for a moment and Yuuri shut his eyes trying to control his rapid heartbeat. He had scared off his idol. But then, Viktor's arms wrapped around him from behind in a soft hug. Yuuri let out a squeak of surprise but quickly went silent as Viktor murmured to him, "Yuuri, I'm so proud of you. That's amazing that you face that every time you perform. I know it's not easy to do. Mila use to get that way when we were younger. Even with your nervousness, Yurka, you placed third. You did such a good job." Yuuri's eyes were as wide as saucers and his cheeks were a soft pink in a blush as Viktor's heavy accented tone flowed around him. Viktor was…reassuring him. He could sense Yuuri's embarrassment and was trying to ease the worry some. Even though they had just properly met only a few hours ago, it was almost as if Viktor had known Yuuri for years and had genuinely cared about him.
Viktor hummed softly in his ear and gave one final squeeze before letting go and carding his fingers through Yuuri dark hair, "How about we just mess around on the ice together? We can just skate for fun."
Yuuri smiled for the first time all night and nodded, "Okay." He slid away from the wall and started gliding across the ice as Viktor removed his skate guards and soon joined him. It was as if the pain behind Yuuri's eyes had disappeared and his stomach's internal rolling came to a stop for that moment as he and Viktor just skated lazily around each other. They were speaking much, but they were in a comfortable silence. Yuuri watched as Viktor came into stride for a jump and was impressed, just like every time he had seen Viktor perform when he landed a quad flip.
"That was really good." He called over as he went into a step sequence on the other side of the rink. He had been a little nervous to try another jump.
"Your step sequence is perfect Yurka!" He could feel Viktor watching him as he slid around the ice, "Your stamina is pretty good."
"I'm known for my stamina in Detroit when I train. I'm usually the last one at the rink every night. They say it's because I could just keep going and going, but the truth is, I plan my training around school, so I have to work odd hours."
"You go to college?" Viktor asked surprised, "What do you study?"
Yuuri gave a nervous chuckle, "I do. Wayne State University. One of the best universities in Michigan. I'm studying Sports Medicine. I'll be able to graduate by the end of the year too."
"That must be difficult to schedule training around. How do you do it all?"
Yuuri smiled and slowly went into skating in lazy circles, "Train during the day, go to school at night. I take minimum credits so I can fit everything in. I tried taking 18 credits of classes one semester and it didn't end well, so after that Celestino made me stick to 12 credits."
Viktor chuckled, "I'm glad it's going well. Have you ever tried one of those step sequences into a jump?"
Yuuri frowned slightly in thought, "Possibly. I don't really remember if I have though. Why?"
"I bet you could pull it off. I've tried before but I just can't get the power behind the jump, so I end up only doing singles."
Yuuri could sense that Viktor was hoping that he would try it. He could feel the anticipation building in the air, which made him a little nervous. His body and mind were telling him no, but his heart was screaming at him to try. He could impress Viktor. Maybe Viktor would remember him then after they parted ways after their impromptu skating session. He really wished he had some of that damned cough syrup with him now to take the edge off of his anxiety, but whether it was here or not, he was determined to try Viktor's suggestion.
He smiled softly and started in stride for his step sequence. He twirled beautifully along the ice and he could feel his hair being swept up in the air as he moved. He started getting ready for the jump. He turned his body so he would land facing Viktor who was watching awestruck in the center of the ice. Yuuri pushed himself into the air and felt him go into a triple axel, before landing soundly on the ice. He heard Viktor give a whoop, but he wasn't done yet. He tossed himself once more into the air. He was going for a combination jump. When he fell out of his double toe loop, he opened his hips and landed with beautiful grace.
"That was perfect Yurka!" He chuckled softly and felt his heart thudding in his chest as he slowed to a stop next to Viktor.
He panted softly, but he managed to stay upright, "Thank you."
"What made you decided to go into a combo jump?"
Yuuri blushed and lied, "I dunno. Just went with the motions."
Viktor smiled and patted Yuuri's head, "Just fooling around then?"
"Just fooling around."
The world suddenly tilted around Yuuri and he felt the pain in his head and his rolling stomach return to him. He was slowly becoming dizzy as the pain washed over him. Shutting his eyes for a moment, he tried to take some deep breaths to right the world.
"Yurka?" He could hear Viktor's voice softly in the background. He opened his eyes softly, but he couldn't seem to focus on Viktor's face, "Yuuri?"
He wrapped his arms around his stomach and hunched forwards as he tried to get the spinning to stop. If the world would just stop moving around him, he'd be able to carry on.
"Yuuri? Are you alright?" He ignored Viktor's voice as he tried to keep his balance. He didn't last for long, however, because soon he was laying on the ice, with his eyes shut. The world was slowing down as he lay in this position. He could possibly try to focus on his surroundings if he was careful.
A cool hand brushed his bangs off his sweaty face and he opened his eyes to see Viktor crouching beside him.
"Are you still dizzy?" Viktor asked trying to keep the panic out of his voice, "You've been in and out for the past few minutes and I thought I caught you as you started to fall over. I don't think you hit your head or anything." Viktor was rambling and as he looked at the Japanese man, Yuuri finally looked into Viktor's eyes. They were the color of cerulean blue, with soft flecks of gold floating around in them – like watching fall leaves floating on the most beautiful of ponds. Of course, Yuuri had known Viktor had blue eyes, but he had never seen this much detail from her various posters at home. He hadn't seen how truly soft the ridges of his cheeks were and how prominent his eyes were on his face. They were beautiful.
Yuuri blinked slowly up at Viktor who was looking down at him with great concern, "I think I'm okay."
He made to stand up but was pushed down softly by Viktor, "J-Just lay here for another minute. Make sure you aren't going to pass out again." Yuuri noticed that Viktor worried his lip between his teeth as his eyes flicked all over the 24-year-old. It must've been a nervous habit of Viktor's, one that he hadn't seen before.
Viktor watched him carefully for another minute before helping Yuuri slowly get to his feet. The world wasn't spinning anymore, but still, Viktor had Yuuri wrap an arm around his neck for support as he pushed them off the ice. Yuuri had been adamant that he was fine, but Viktor wasn't listening to him.
Yuuri was blushing madly, "I'm fine Viktor, really."
"Passing out on the ice isn't fine Yuuri."
"I only passed out for a few seconds. I was just tired."
Viktor hummed and helped Yuuri slide on skate guards before pulling on his own, "Then lets rest for a few minutes. I want to make sure you didn't smack your head when you fell."
Yuuri sighed but allowed Viktor to push him down onto a bench near the edge of the rink.
He watched as Viktor grabbed his phone off the side of the wall and turned on his flashlight, "Let me see your eyes." He asked softly, crouching down in front of him as he pushed Yuuri's chin up softly. Chocolate brown met cerulean blue as Viktor checked his pupils. Even though his head was splitting his head in two, Yuuri couldn't help but notice once more how strikingly beautiful Viktor was, even when he was worried.
"Your pupils are dilating fine, so it doesn't look like you have head trauma or anything." Viktor turned the light off on his phone and put a hand on the back of Yuuri's head, "I don't feel any bumps yet." Viktor's slender fingers trailed through Yuuri's soft hair and finally came to rest near his temple.
Yuuri blushed softly and looked down, "I'm sorry."
Viktor's voice was gentle like he was speaking to a small child, "For what Yurka?"
"I'm sorry for bothering you."
Viktor chuckled softly, "What do you mean?"
"For worrying you," Yuuri mumbled softly.
Viktor ran his fingers once more through the soft tendrils of Yuuri's hair, "Don't be sorry, Yuuri. It's alright." Yuuri gulped softly but leaned into Viktor's soft touch. His fingers sure were cool on his warm skin. Viktor smiled softly at him and swiped his hand across Yuuri's forehead.
Viktor's smile turned into a soft frown, "You're burning up."
To Be Continued…
(A/N: Chapter two is finally done! Woo! Sorry about the later update. I was planning on uploading a couple weeks back but I just started a new job so I've been working odd shifts. Not as much fun as it sounds. Also, my entire pay check goes to paying for car insurance which is a little disheartening since I just saw this super cute Yuri on Ice journal. :( Anyways, there is going to be a chapter three! And that just might be the last chapter. I dunno yet. There might possibly be a sequel at this point, but once again, no guarantees. Anyways, don't forget to R&R. Love you all. S.A.M.)
