A/N: Hello, people!

I don't own Yuri! on Ice.

I have no beta.

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-Not episode 10 compliant really. In terms of Yuuri getting naked or dancing at the banquet. That didn't happen in this. This has been written for a few weeks, but I've gone over it several times because I wasn't happy with it.

-They are engaged at the end though. So sort of ep 10 compliant without certain revelations of course.

菖蒲

Βαρθολομαιος

वज्र

Juno.

Cygnus.

晨

Many times in his life, Yuuri would look down at his arm and see a new name written. And like always, the name would eventually lose its blood red color, and turn black.

Like death. Yuuri had gotten used to the fact that all of his soulmates kept dying. It not longer surprised him. He no longer cried. He instead pitied those names that had come and gone so quickly.

Eventually, it became a sort of shame. Yes, it happened to everyone, but not everyone's soulmates kept dying so much. It was sad to think about, and to keep being reminded of it was annoying, so Yuuri wore long sleeved shirts, even when it was hot.

And to distract himself, Yuuri focused most on his skating, hoping that it would give him some kind of release from the day to day expectations of soulmates and people flaunting their impressive words that covered their arms.

At his first Grand Prix Final, everything went wrong. And it was like Murphy's Law had targeted him specifically that day. His dog had been hit by a car the night before his big performance. He hadn't seen Vic-chan in four years.

His nerves had acted up and he'd vomited in the cubicle nearest the bathroom door. He ended up stuffing his face full of greasy food to ease the panic.

Finally, just as he was about to step on the ice, his arm burned. It wasn't long or all that surprising, but of all times for it to happen.

The burn signified the death of another soulmate. The word on Yuuri's arm would then fade from red to black and go cold to the touch like all the other marks.

Basically, it had been the worst day of his life. He wasn't exaggerating or anything. So many bad things had happened in such little time that he honestly didn't know where he was at emotionally. Things would go from being numbing to almost triggering in a sense.

He also just really needed a good cry.

The next night, on the plane ride back to Detroit, Yuuri felt his arm warm again, and a peak showed a new name.

He wondered how long, Виктор would last.

"I wish he was mine."

Staring at the video of Katsuki Yuuri took Victor's breath away. Over the years he'd witnessed many people skate his routines, and yet none of them had been like Katsuki's rendition. Even when he downgraded most of the quads and made them triples, he did really well.

Not the best that Victor had ever seen, certainly not. Many others with better precision on their jumps had certainly done better, but there was something more in Katsuki's performance. Something that called out to Victor unlike all the others who had mimicked him over the years.

Life.

Katsuki brought the life into the Free Skate. Victor had been so unimpressed with himself. So lost and unable to find inspiration. A will to keep skating. A will to keep enjoying skating.

By technicality his performance had been perfect, but crowd bias was what made everyone think it was perfect all around. He was the best and held the longest record in most competitions. They expected him to win, so they went in thinking that he wouldn't fail or that he couldn't fail.

The problem was, that made it even harder to judge fairly when you're evaluating someone with a reputation like Victor's.

Victor knew deep down that he was nearing the end of his rope, and while he knew that he might have to stop competing soon, he didn't want to stop skating. It was so important to him. He'd given up so much for his sport, and he didn't want to lose even his simple enjoyment in it.

He wanted what Katsuki had.

And he'd get it somehow.

It took some time for Yuuri to feel comfortable within Victor's presence. About a month at least. Even after boldly hugging him during the Hot Springs on Ice competition and everything.

It was probably some time after the talk on the beach that Yuuri realized he was staring at Victor so often. And by often, he really meant a lot. If Victor was nearby, chances were, Yuuri was looking at him. Which was how Yuuri came to realization that he didn't seen any marks on Victor's arms.

Victor bared his arms every day without a care in the world, and Yuuri noticed that there wasn't one name written anywhere visible. And he knew that the entire arm was usually used, but it was just so shocking to not see a mark on someone's forearm.

Minako-sensei had two names currently in black. Mari had one name still in red. His mother had three names, two in black and the final which was red, wasn't even his father, but she'd married for love and not because of some divine decision.

Yuuri was the most sorry of the lot, with twenty-three names in black and one currently still red. He still wondered how long they would last.

He wondered if Victor had a soulmate or not.

He also wondered if Victor cared at all.

It was an accident. He hadn't meant to see them, specifically because Yuuri refused to bathe whenever anyone else was around. He hadn't known that Yuuri was already in the onsen, and he hadn't realized until he was fully submerged in the water, that he'd just joined the other man.

Said man, who was too busy lounging against a rock to properly pay him any attention. He probably thought Victor was just another guest.

Victor's eyes were drawn immediately to the various black marks all along Yuuri's arms. There were so many.

That would probably explain why Yuuri didn't like to bathe when other people were around.

"Victor!"

He jumped, not realizing that the object of his focus had turned and saw him standing there like a creep, watching him.

Yuuri ducked below the water then, until only the top of his head peeked out, nose just capable of taking in air.

"I didn't mean it!" Victor asserted. "I didn't expect to see you in here at this time of night."

Yuuri was pouting, eyes strangely misty. "You didn't want an eyeful?"

Well… "I would never mind getting an eyeful of you, Yuuri. I have even dreamed of it. I simply didn't come in here to look at your arms."

And now he couldn't look at anything.

A shame.

"Aren't you curious?"

Victor shrugged. "Not much really. I bare my arms for the world to see because I don't necessarily care. I stopped caring years ago. I don't have any names, so I take it in good faith that I won't have to experience the death of my soulmate, ever, if I don't have one in the first place."

Yuuri's head lifted from the water a bit, until Victor could see his entire neck even!

"Wouldn't that be sad?"

"No. I'm over it now. It does cause problems when a lot of people don't want relationships because they're trying to find their own soulmates though. A lot of people place a lot of faith in a name they don't even know."

"Don't lose hope!" said Yuuri, suddenly standing, the water only up to his waist now. "My parents aren't soulmates and they'd been married for thirty-one years! It happens."

Victor couldn't help but beam. Even when in an embarrassing situation, Yuuri managed to push aside his feelings in order to help Victor out.

"Thank you."

Yuuri shrugged. "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to use the onsen for what it was made for?"

Victor wasted no time in joining his friend, sitting not too far away so that they may converse easier.

That had been resolved a lot better than he'd hoped!

The current living soulmate on Yuuri's arm rested toward the large vein in the bend of his arm. Yuuri found himself staring at it more often recently.

Victor hadn't really cared or tried to see Yuuri's arms. After seeing them, he'd simply shrugged, explained his views, and went on to jabber about Makkachin. That was it.

Victor didn't have a soulmate. He wasn't worried about those kind of things. He didn't seem to be too affected over the information.

Perhaps Yuuri shouldn't care either. People usually lost at least one soulmate, so it wasn't like it was something new.

And in a way they were sort of like tattoos. Besides, it wasn't like anyone would really see them beneath his costumes and sweaters.

Perhaps it was time to stop caring what other people thought.

"Yuuri, are you joining us?!"

The Grand Prix was over. Yuuri had managed to win, beating Yurio by two whole points. The banquet afterward was being ignored by most of the competitors in favor of having a pool party at the hotel's pool. That was much more interesting than catering to some stuffy people.

Yuuri had been lingering by the mouth of the pool, not sure about joining despite how everyone was practically asking him to.

Victor's blue eyes were pleading.

Yuuri rolled his eyes and stripped out of his robe, ignoring Chris' wolf-whistling and Phichit's mobile which was making the standards shutter noise.

No one commented on his arms. No one seemed to care. Though Victor did wrap his arms around Yuuri and give him a tight, proud squeeze.

"Don't be surprised if I jump on you at random," Victor warned with a smile.

"I would be more surprised if you didn't."

"Good!"

It was a split second thing. Something that Victor hadn't expected but was shocked over.

Yuuri had turned Victor's words over and instead jumped on the other's back when he wasn't paying attention.

With Yuuri's legs wrapped around his waist, Victor had traversed the length of the pool, holding Yuuri's legs in place while Yuuri held himself up by wrapping his arms around Victor's shoulders.

Beyond Chris' suggestive comments and Yurio's disgusted sneers, Victor and Yuuri hadn't sought to change the friendly atmosphere around them.

Any second could have become filled with sexual desire. Both were almost naked after all. And Yuuri's body rubbed against his own every few seconds.

But there was something that had occurred that left Victor contemplative.

Instead of being sexually aroused, he was astonished and happy.

With Yuuri's arms so close to his face, he was able to see something bright and red that stood out among the overlapping black names all over Yuuri's flesh.

Victor used to not care about the whole soulmate business, but if the word was true, then he couldn't help but feel intelligent.

His name was on Yuuri's body. Red and full of life.

How many other Russian Victor's would Yuuri really meet? It had to be Victor.

So while Victor had never had a mark, Yuuri had to go through twenty plus in order to finally get the right one. Yet they still managed to find each other. Though Victor would like to believe that it had nothing to do with divine selection.

It was simply because they were good for one another. And they had come together on their own with their own choices. Not because of the mark. And as Yuuri had never mentioned it, he probably didn't even know the translation of the name.

Still, Yuuri was already Victor's. The ring on his finger said enough as it was.

Victor didn't have to say anything about the mark being his.

They were already promised to one another, and it wouldn't be the first time someone married for love and not because their mark pointed them elsewhere.

Victor would take the revelation to the grave, because love was more important in his eyes.

He'd found his soulmate on his own. Not because of some outdated method that rarely ever worked any longer. He'd personally decided that Yuuri was perfect for him. A simple stain on the flesh surely wasn't capable of the same.

"Vitya, are you okay?"

Yuuri's arms tightened just a bit in concern, and Victor couldn't help but smile.

"I'm perfect, Yuuri. Simply perfect."

A/N: Another is done!

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