Chapter Text
“Maybe we should curl his hair for this show.”
“That would be different. He was saying he wanted to surprise people…”
Viktor was used to people talking about him like he wasn’t even there, so he let his stylists do what they wanted, sitting patiently in the chair. They’d already tried on three different makeup options in the rehearsal a few days earlier, settling on one that emphasized on his eyes. As usual. Because his eyes and his hair were what made Viktor stand out as a model. He turned his head to the side obediently as they fiddled with his hair. They needed his hair to look good, but since they relied on his eyes, it also needed to be out of the way. It was a process.
Viktor started to zone out everything around him, really. It was the same routine that he always was a part of. He would sit in a chair while stylists fussed over him, and then he’d go out on the runway, pose, and walk back in. It was getting boring, really. Everyone at every show was the same, and everything “surprising” his stylists chose to do turned into the same look.
But he wouldn’t quit, because he still loved the business. He’d been to college, he had a future plan, he could easily change careers, but he could only be a model for so long. He loved people paying attention to him, seeing his face all over things, being praised for doing what he loved. He’d grown up with the bright flash of lights in his face, and he didn’t expect that he’d get so bored of it.
But here he was.
Chris said it was because he didn’t do anything outside of work. Every morning, he’d wake up and take his dog on a walk. Then, he’d come in to work, he’d model, and he’d go home and sleep with his dog. He’d go to dance classes every weekend, or take Makkachin on a later walk when he had earlier shoots. Maybe Chris was right. Viktor needed something to spice up his life.
But what?
Viktor sighed, trying not to be audible, because he didn’t want his stylists to assume that he was bored with whatever they were doing. No, they seemed fine. They were busy fussing and flitting about, styling the great, handsome Viktor Nikiforov’s hair. He was best in the field, after all. He’d been voted world’s sexiest model consistently for five years now. Magazine after magazine ranted and raved about his unique looks.
They’d get bored eventually. They always did. Viktor closed his eyes, allowing the makeup artist to apply the makeup they’d decided on, sucking in his cheeks and pursing his lips on command.
When he opened his eyes… Viktor's breath escaped through his mouth, staring in his mirror at the reflection of the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. And no, it wasn’t himself. It was... wow.
Dark hair, still wearing street clothes. His jeans were tightly fitted, though, and his thighs were the kind that men would die for (both to have and to have around them). His shirt was loose, hanging off of his shoulder and exposing a piece of his collarbone that Viktor desperately wanted to sink his teeth into. His eyes were a warm brown, but far from ordinary when matched with that face. His soft features were somehow hardened with the style of his hair, making Viktor weak in the knees. He was, in short, the sexiest thing that Viktor had ever witnessed.
Viktor had met a lot of incredibly attractive people while he was working as a model. His best friends featured in all sorts of spreads of sexy people, the people everyone wished they were. But this man… This man was something else.
He’d clearly just arrived to the shoot, and he looked flustered as hell. His hair was slicked back on his head, and he was talking rapidly into his phone in a language Viktor couldn’t place. He slowed down for a second, smiling and saying something soft to whoever he was talking to, voice quieting as he walked into the building, checking in and setting his bag to the side. He disappeared after far too short a time in Viktor’s sight, going into some other room to meet with his stylist and get his clothes for the night.
He was the most beautiful person Viktor had ever seen. He hadn’t modeled with him before, he would have known if he had modeled with him before. No, this man was only half dressed and out of control, but he was gorgeous. Viktor swallowed, realizing belatedly that his hair dresser was telling him to turn his head. He did so, tearing his eyes away from where the other model had been, his mouth dry.
Who was he? Maybe Chris would know him. Chris seemed to know a lot of the newcomers, since they were always less afraid to talk to Chris than they were to talk to Viktor. Viktor was treated like some kind of… unobtainable god in the field of modeling, and new models looked up to him but rarely actually spoke to him. He had to make sure that it wasn’t the case with this man. He had to get to know this man. He had to try to befriend him, at the very least.
He sat, trying his best not to fidget as he craned his neck to make sure that he would see if the mystery model came back in. When they finished, he stood, letting them look him over for any flaws as he slowly turned. He flashed a smile when they announced he was done and picked up his phone, stepping to the side so they could help with the rest of the models.
He grabbed a water bottle, replying to the few texts that he had gotten and checking to make sure that Yuri had actually fed Makkachin like he’d promised to. Once Yuri texted back, Viktor set his phone down, leaning against the wall. He still had a little bit before he was due for the runway, so maybe he’d be able to find the model he’d seen and get to know him. He wanted to push through the crowds of models and look for a sign of the man, and beg for more information, but there wasn’t enough time.
After an elaborately “casual” search of the room (in which Viktor walked the full perimeter of the room, pretending like he was just getting ready for the show), Viktor realized that the model was probably still in the other room, getting ready for the show. He could go through and search all of the rooms for another glimpse of him (no one would really question Viktor Nikiforov anywhere on the set) but he couldn’t. He had to stay professional and not stalk down the cute model to ask for his name (and his phone number, and his hand in marriage).
Viktor needed a distraction, and fast. Before he lost the last shred of professionality he had in that moment. He sighed, picking his phone back up and flipping through Instagram, trying to pick the right filter to put on the picture of Makkachin that he had taken that afternoon. Makkachin was safe. His Instagram was full of pictures of Makkachin (“Stop posting so many pictures of your dog. We don’t follow you for your dog.” A fan had commented once. “Then you can unfollow me :)” Viktor had responded, and Yakov had banned him from running his own Instagram for nearly a year). Focusing on Makkachin meant that he wasn’t looking overtop of his phone every fifteen seconds to see if he’d walked back in yet.
In theory, at least.
In practice, it meant that Viktor tried a filter, scanned his eyes over the room, and then disappointedly looked down at his phone. And then repeated the process. The delicious sex-on-legs who was the model he’d seen earlier hadn’t made a reappearance yet. Maybe Viktor should have gone into the back rooms to find him…
And then done what? Asked him for his name, admitted that he’d stalked him back to his dressing room because he thought he was the most attractive person that had ever existed?
Right. That would go well.
Luckily, Viktor didn’t have too long to pine, as soon all of the models were called out out to the runway, so Viktor dropped his phone with the rest of his belongings, the picture of Makkachin posted for all to see. He was one of the last to walk out for the show, since his name would boost the impact for the designer. He made small talk with one of the models near him while he waited, but it was boring. Boring, boring, boring. The same people he’d seen every day he’d worked for the past over ten years. He was considering getting back onto Instagram, really. He’d much rather look at people on the Internet than have to interact with the people around him.
Until he saw the model come back in from the runway, looking even more gorgeous than earlier. His hair was slicked back from his head, and he was wearing one of the more ridiculous designs for the show, but he still stood out from everyone else in his appearance. He was clearly fit, and Viktor couldn’t help but stare for a moment longer.
Fuck.
His outfit was a tight-fitting black one piece with mesh pieces over his chest and a little red half-skirt. Despite it covering his entire body, it left little to the imagination. It fit very well over his ass and thighs (Viktor barely restrained himself from seeing if it was the same in the front), and the diamond accents drew attention to all of the strongest parts of his body. Traces of a six-pack were visible through the mesh, and Viktor was wondering if drool was dripping from his mouth as he stared.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! Okay. Wow. His poor heart was going to stop from staring at the man in front of him. He walked in heels like he was made for it, and Viktor reached out to the model in front of him (Mila Babicheva, he recognized dimly, dressed in a beautifully form-fitting purple dress) to keep himself standing upright when the model passed by him.
Viktor started to follow without even thinking.
But then he was being ushered out onto the catwalk, so he let go of his daydreams about the cute model and instead focused on his job. Maybe he’d show up to the party later, and Viktor could learn more about him there. It was a big show, so they were very strongly encouraged to attend.
As soon as he was off of the runway, Viktor ducked into his changing room to take off the clothes from the shoot and change into his own outfit. For whatever reason, the runway seemed to bring out a strange sense of style in people. He didn’t mind a lot of it, and had asked some of the designers to design very similar things for red carpet appearances, but for parties and other similar events, he stuck to more simple suits. Of course, “more simple” did imply “mostly pink” for Viktor, but it was still less outlandish than what he had been wearing for the job.
He wasn’t going to deny immediately looking through the room to see if the model was there when he arrived at the party. Viktor didn’t see him as he walked in, though, so he grabbed a glass of champagne off of a tray, walking to a table full of models and designers that he recognized, making small talk with them as the night went forward.
More people arrived throughout the night. Yakov liked when Viktor arrived earlier to these parties, so he could be more of a presence. It meant that he could pull over other designers and friends and get Viktor more jobs. Viktor just wished that meant he could leave earlier. Usually, it just meant that he was there longer.
He walked away from his first table after a while and joined Chris (who had just come in, over an hour after Viktor had) instead. “Finally decided to show up?” Viktor joked, sitting down with his friend and putting down his finally empty glass. The best way to get through these events was to take things slow with the drinking at first.
“Unlike the star of the show, I get to take my time coming,” Chris responded, winking at Viktor. “Anything interesting happening?”
“Georgi has been trying to flirt with Anya for the past hour. I don’t know if you’d call that interesting, but I am impressed she hasn’t walked away yet. Usually he lasts no more than ten minutes, it’s not like they really know each other.” Viktor grinned, leaning back against the table and looking out into the crowd. “Maybe she’s going soft on him. Or just giving up.”
“Think he’s going to ask her out tonight?” Chris laughed, but Viktor couldn’t bring himself to answer, staring at the doorway and the person who had just walked in.
He’d obviously changed out of the clothes that he’d worn on the runway, and his hair was a little messed up, but Viktor could still tell it was him. His suit was black, nearly plain other than the silver lining and embroidery on the jacket. It didn’t matter, though, because the stylish outfit was ruined by his absolutely terrible blue tie. But last century’s tie aside, Viktor’s mouth was dry just looking at him. He looked exhausted when he walked in, on his phone again, so Viktor let him blend into the crowd like he seemed so desperately to want to.
“Katsuki, huh?” Chris bumped up against his hip and Viktor tore his eyes away, looking at Chris.
“Is that his name?” he asked excitedly, leaning into his friend. “He’s so gorgeous, Chris. Is he new? I saw him when I was getting my makeup done and, god, he’s so beautiful.” Viktor grabbed a new glass of champagne for himself and for his friend. He handed Chris his glass, sliding into a seat.
“He’s not new, Vitka. You’ve never seen him before?” Chris leaned back, watching Viktor as he took a sip of the champagne. “He’s had a few shows with me, although I guess he’s not as big a name as you are. Yet.” He raised his eyebrows. “That’s your type? I don’t think you’ve ever shown interest in a coworker before.”
“I haven’t,” Viktor murmured, trying to catch a glimpse of Katsuki again before shaking his head, looking at Chris. “Has he done much? I need to look him up. Chris, he’s practically sex-on-legs.”
“It’s not like you to get this caught up on a coworker,” Chris answered, raising his eyebrows. “Though, Katsuki’s a good choice if you are going to fall for somebody. He’s pretty shy, though –“ Chris started to say something else, but someone waved him over to their table.
“Go ahead,” Viktor said, shooing him their way. He didn’t really want Chris to leave him alone with his glass of champagne, but, unlike Viktor, Chris had multiple friends at these events. Plus, Viktor’s thoughts were far from whether or not he was talking to Chris.
Katsuki. That was the name of the man who had taken Viktor’s breath away when Viktor had simply looked at him. Viktor wasn’t really looking for someone. He was so used to being alone with Makkachin, he didn’t really feel like he was missing much when it came to dating. Maybe in a few years, when he was less busy with work. He’d only have a sustainable job as a model for so long.
But Katsuki… Viktor would go out on a date with Katsuki. Viktor would go out on a couple dates with Katsuki. He groaned, sinking down into a seat and praying for someone to come up and talk to him. He was getting carried away with thoughts about someone he hadn’t even spoken to. Just because Katsuki was gorgeous shouldn’t mean that Viktor automatically wanted to date him!
Anya and Georgi walked over and Viktor smiled at them, falling back into the routine of ridiculous small talk and conversations that none of them actually cared about. After an hour of that, there was a clamor in the crowd, and Viktor saw someone stumble through.
Katsuki. His ugly tie was loosened from his neck, and he stumbled a little as he walked. Viktor stared at him, probably a little too openly. Chris came up behind Katsuki, whispering something in his ear that made him laugh.
And then Katsuki took his pants off.
Viktor stumbled back into a chair, his eyes blown wide in surprise at what was happening in front of him. This was some kind of dream. He was definitely imagining the way that Chris and Katsuki were dancing with each other. This was too much to handle.
They were practically stripping, pure seduction dripping from both of them. Considering Viktor had seen Chris do much more than this before, his eyes were completely focused on Katsuki. God, Katsuki was something else. His drunken moments were slightly off balance, but he still was strangely graceful, sliding around Chris. He treated Chris like Viktor’d seen Chris treat a pole before, hanging off of him and doing a lewd dance that only Katsuki could make look like it belonged in a ballroom.
The dance lasted only a few moments before Katsuki began pulling other people to dance with him. The commotion was starting to die down as he did, so Viktor made his way to Chris. He desperately needed to know more about Katsuki. If he’d been that familiar with Chris, Chris must be comfortable with Katsuki, too. He had to know something.
Before he could even start the conversation, though, someone came up behind him. “I’ve looked up to you for so long,” he said, and Viktor plastered on his media smile as he turned to face them, only for his mouth to go dry. “It’s crazy to be doing something like this with you, actually.” His words were a little slurred, clearly more drunk than he should be at an event like this, but Viktor was still speechless. Katsuki was talking to him.
“A lot of people look up to me,” Viktor answered before wincing. That was the world’s worst answer to someone admiring him. When had he just thrown away all abilities to talk to other human beings? He forced another smile onto his face. “I’m glad to meet you. I’m Viktor Nikiforov,” he tried. Yeah, Katsuki was drunk, but he had to still want to introduce himself, right?
“I know who you are,” Katsuki answered instead of a name, licking his lips. “I’ve had your face all over my wall, since I was twelve,” he slurred, setting a hand against Viktor’s chest. His eyes grew wide with a softly voiced, “Wow.” Viktor could only stare. “Did you know that you’re even more attractive up close than you are far away? Like, wow,” Katsuki repeated, tracing his fingers against Viktor’s chest, laughing to himself. Viktor was pretty sure he was on fire, being felt up by the most attractive stranger he’d seen. “Plus, you’re like… really cool, y’know? I’ve read so many of your interviews with people, and you’ve got so much cool stuff to say.”
“You think so?” Viktor blinked in surprise. He’d done a few interviews, but he didn’t actually think that people read them. Especially since he did over half of them in Russian. Did Katsuki speak Russian? Fuck, if Katsuki spoke Russian, Viktor was doomed.
“I do. You’re so pretty and so smart.” Katsuki was swaying in place down and Viktor’s hands immediately went around his waist, to hold him up straight.
“Be careful. You look like you’ve had a lot to drink.” This was clearly an understatement, if the way that Katsuki had been dancing only moments ago was anything to go by. Katsuki seemed much less wild now, but still definitely not sober.
“I did!” Katsuki was far too cheerful, and Viktor laughed softly. Katsuki’s eyes lit up. “Dance with me?” He spoke a little too loudly, but when Katsuki offered a hand, Viktor took it immediately.
He was swept away into a night of drunken dancing with the man. Both barely spoke a word as they danced, Katsuki’s smile bled deep into his soul. Viktor was going to die. This was the end. The way Katsuki danced was much different than the way he had been acting before he’d walked over to Viktor. Gone was the drunken stumble and seduction, only an erotic grace that held Viktor just as tightly remained. He was fully clothed, but he looked just as appealing as if he wore nothing at all.
So, fine, maybe Viktor might be a little lonely. Maybe Viktor was melting with the gentle touches he got in Katsuki’s arms. He could stay here all night, held close to Katsuki, dancing to the same music that they heard at every event Viktor had ever worked at. It was different this time. It was different in Katsuki’s arms, such a careful waltz despite the drunken stupor that had previously overwhelmed the man.
Katsuki pulled away after a couple of dances, his cheeks flushed with alcohol and embarrassment before turning away. His phone was buzzing in his hand, and he stared down at it, squinting up at Viktor before drunkenly saying, “I need to… go.” He pulled away from Viktor, starting to disappear into the crowd.
Viktor didn’t want to lose this moment. He didn’t want to lose whatever this was with Katsuki. “...phone number,” Viktor muttered to himself, unable to form complete thoughts this soon out of Katsuki’s arms. He reached out to grab onto Katsuki's arm.
But he was gone.
Viktor spun around on his heel, looking for the man, but he had disappeared somewhere into the crowd or out of the building. Viktor’s shoulders slumped. He look looked down at his unlocked phone and pressed the button to turn it off before sliding it back into the pocket of his pants. He grabbed another glass of champagne and sat back down at a table.
Georgi was driving him home anyway.
Viktor spent the next morning in his bed, texting Chris and considering signing up for some sort of online dating app. That would be good, right? He had probably only been so interested in Katsuki because he was cute and Viktor was lonely. Katsuki wouldn’t stop being the most attractive man that Viktor had ever known, but maybe Viktor could make himself slightly less lonely.
Makkachin scratched at his bedpost, and he rubbed a hand over his eyes, looking down at her. She whined, and Viktor stretched out, knowing he had to go feed her, as little as he wanted to get out of bed and face the world. Just food for his dog, and then he could go back to sleep, for a little bit. He dragged his feet as he walked out to the kitchen, filling her bowl and calling out to her before he climbed back into his bed. Viktor curled his blankets back around himself, picking his phone up and checking through his new Instagram notifications. People loved his most recent picture of Makkachin, of course they had. There was no such thing as a bad picture of Makkachin.
He hadn’t been paying attention to the time, so he was surprised when Makkachin climbed back onto the bed with him, whining. She pressed up against Viktor, looking up at him with a sad look in her eyes. He had already fed her, so there wasn’t any reason for her to look this sad already. She usually didn’t act like this until –
Oh god. It was time for her walk.
“I’m sorry, Makkachin,” Viktor whispered, leaning over to scratch at his dog’s ears, cooing to her. “Let me put on some clothes to jog, then we can go. Shoot, let me – “ Viktor nearly fell out of bed, walking downstairs, making sure that Makkachin was following. “I’ll be out in a minute. Stay in the yard.” Not that she could do anything else, since the yard was fenced in, but he still felt better telling his dog to stay put.
Viktor ran back up the stairs, changing clothes quickly. He threw his pajamas into a hamper, tugging a tightly fitted workout shirt and some pants. He’d been doing sponsored shoots for the company for a few years, and they supplied him new clothes each time. He ran a comb through his hair a few times, looking at himself in his mirror before running back down his stairs, grabbing Makkachin’s leash from where it lay on the table.
Viktor stuffed his keys and his phone into a pocket, walking back outside. Makkachin was lying by the door and he smiled, scratching at her ears again. “I’m sorry I forgot about our walk, Makkachin. Let’s go.” He attached the leash to her collar, wrapping the other end around his hand and opening up the gate on his fence.
Viktor managed to make it a block from his house when he realized that he’d forgotten his earbuds. He usually jogged with music just to give himself something to do, but he supposed he had no other choice but to jog with his thoughts today. After the night that he’d had, he didn’t feel like that was such a good idea.
He didn’t really want to go back home, though, so this was going to have to work. He just had to… not think about Katsuki.
Katsuki.
Chris hadn’t had much information on him, not really. They’d only done a few shoots together, but apparently Katsuki tended to keep to himself every time that they were at work. Chris had only gotten his name off of a call sheet, and Katsuki had continued to answer to it.
Much to Viktor’s disappointment, Chris didn’t have Katsuki’s phone number, or even his full name.
“Makkachin, what am I supposed to do?” Viktor mumbled to himself. Talking to his dog made him seem a little saner than if he was talking to himself. “Should I try to find someone to date me? I’m a model, people think I’m cute.” He made a face. “But what if they just want to date me ‘cause I’m a model? Do you think they’d do that, girl?”
Makkachin looked back at him and barked, and Viktor sighed. Yeah. He should probably keep the rants about his love life to Chris. He leaned down for a second to pet her, and at that moment he realized that someone behind him was talking.
Viktor turned his head and froze, stunned. Behind him was the family that lived down the road, who he’d seen walking at the same time as him before. Viktor was usually ahead of them, though, so they didn’t cross paths like this. The triplets were whispering to each other, and their (gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous) father laughed. “Go ask him,” he said, acting like it was a whisper for the girls, but making eye contact with Viktor so that he knew he was talking to him.
This was too much. Viktor was going to die. He’d thought Katsuki was attractive, but Katsuki was in the realm where attractive people should be. Viktor was a model, so he expected to see gorgeous people at work. This man caught him completely off guard. His hair was kind of tangled, like he hadn’t brushed it after he’d gotten out of bed, and his face was framed with unattractive blue glasses. His clothes barely even fit him properly, but he still managed to punch the breath out of Viktor.
Maybe Viktor was lonelier than he’d thought.
“Can we pet your dog?” the triplet with the purple hair ties asked after another couple seconds of arguing, tugging her sisters forward. Their father smiled, but Viktor didn’t let himself think about that for too long. He focused on the young girls in front of him.
“Of course.” Viktor said, leaning down to hold Makkachin still while they approached. “Stick your hand out for her first, so she can sniff it and get used to you. She’s very nice, but since she’s meeting so many new people it’s better for her,” Viktor said proudly, patting his dog’s head.
“I’m Axel Nishigori!” the purple triplet spoke again, stepping forward. All three reached out their hands to Makkachin. Viktor was completely unsurprised when she licked their hands instead of actually sniffing them. She’d always been good with people, and too friendly for her own good. It was probably how Viktor had avoided being lonely for so long.
“I’m Loop Nishigori!” The triplet with the pink hair ties bounced forward to pet Makkachin’s head. Makkachin barked excitedly, her tongue lolling out with the attention that the little girls were giving her.
“I’m Lutz Nishigori!” The final triplet had blue hair ties, and joined her sisters in petting Makkachin. “What’s your names?”
Viktor laughed, glad that Makkachin was behaving so well. “I’m Viktor,” he introduced to the girls, “and this is Makkachin.” He patted her head.
“I’m Yuuri,” their father introduced, extending a hand to Viktor. “It’s nice to finally meet you for real. We keep seeing each other in passing.” He smiled a brilliant smile at Viktor, and Viktor smiled back, trying to pretend like he could still feel his heartbeat. It was normal for your heart to momentarily cease beating, right? “Thank you for letting them pet her.”
“It’s not a problem,” Viktor laughed, watching the triplets pet Makkachin. “She has too much energy, anyway. Those three will let her run some of that off. She acts like a giant puppy, no matter how old she is.” Viktor shook his head. He loved his dog more than the world.
“They’ve been begging their mom for a dog basically since they were born, so they’d love that,” Yuuri laughed, and Viktor paused for a moment to let it sink in that Yuuri’s laughter was the most beautiful noise that he had ever heard. Other than Yuuri mentioning their mother and snapping Viktor back to the terrible reality that Yuuri was absolutely not single.
“Here, let me give you my phone number! We can meet up some days, so they can play with her?” They weren’t dates, they were playdates. Viktor was setting his dog up on playdates with the most handsome man in the entire universe’s dog (other than Katsuki? Including Katsuki? That might take some thought), and he somehow didn’t care. He still got to see Yuuri.
“Oh, yeah, sure!” Yuuri handed his phone to Viktor, who typed his phone number into it easily, handing it back without visibly showing the fact that his heart was racing. He was like a teenager. He’d given the cute boy his phone number.
Most teenagers didn’t have the problem that their cute boy was the father of three and probably married.
Yuuri immediately texted him (“this is yuuri!”), and Viktor grinned, adding the contact into his phone: Yuuri Nishigori.
“I’ve seen you out when I’m with the girls sometimes, so we have a similar schedule, I guess?” Yuuri asked, sitting on the ground since it seemed that his daughters were going to be preoccupied with Viktor’s dog for a little while longer. Viktor sat beside him.
This scene was so incredibly domestic that it made Viktor’s heart hurt to know that he wanted it, and he’d just figured that out, but he couldn’t have it, because Yuuri was so incredibly taken. He kept the smile on his face anyway, nodding. “I jog the same time every day, and I’m usually only busy on evenings. Makkachin would like the change to go the park sometimes.” He watched the girl’s pet and coo at Makkachin, smiling. “They’re good with her.”
“I used to have a toy poodle,” Yuuri said, smiling a little sadly. “He adored them, especially since they were close to the ground and would play with him. He was old, though, and he’s been gone for a few weeks, so it’s nice for them to see another dog.”
“Oh.” Viktor nodded. “You can pet her too, you know. She won’t just be good for the kids.” He winked at Yuuri, who turned a beautiful red that had Viktor wishing he could clutch his chest to make sure that he still had his heart, but Yuuri was right there.
“Thank you, Viktor. We won’t interrupt your jog for too much longer today. We’ve gotta get back for lunch soon.” But Yuuri leaned forward anyway, reaching out to rub Makkachin’s belly, causing Viktor’s dog to let out an excited bark at the now four people paying attention to her. “Axel, Lutz, Loop, thank Viktor for letting you play with his dog! He said we could meet up at the park again sometime and play longer, since we have to go now.”
“Awh,” Axel whined before standing up away from Makkachin, her sisters following.
“Thank you!” The three chorused as one, giving Makkachin one last pet and a hug. Yuuri handed her leash back to Viktor, who wrapped it around his hand, giving his dog the time to stand back up after all of the attention she had been getting.
“I’ll text you,” Yuuri said, taking the three girl’s hands and leading them to their house.
This time, since Yuuri was turned, Viktor did clutch his heart. It was a miracle it was still there, and even beating.
He walked Makkachin back to his house, filling her bowls with food and water before leaning against his kitchen counter, falling into a state of emergency. He’d gotten the cute boy’s number, but the cute boy was almost definitely not single. How did you deal with this kind of situation? The answer was probably not to continue to think about the cute boy, right? Or to keep calling him ‘the cute boy’ in his head?
Viktor groaned, pressing his forehead against the counter before fixing himself a quick lunch, sitting at the table and eating it.
When would Yuuri text him? Was this the sort of thing that you planned days in advance? Would they text about things other than Makkachin?
… Was Viktor allowed to send the first text?
Viktor snatched his phone off of the counter, turning on the camera and smiling when he saw that Makkachin was fast asleep by her bowl. He walked over and snapped a picture and sent it to Yuuri.
to Yuuri Nishigori: look at her!!! the triplets wore her out :) but she had a fun day!!
Yuuri almost immediately responded and Viktor tried not to drop his phone into Makkachin’s food dish.
from Yuuri Nishigori: awhhh, she’s so sleepy!! <3 they’d love to play with her again, they won’t stop talking about how soft she was. are you free for lunch at the park tomorrow? we can walk there together and then eat and let the girls play for a while?
It sounded like a date, to Viktor, but Yuuri was not available for Viktor to date, and he shooed that thought far from his head. It wasn’t a date. It was Yuuri arranging something fun for his daughters to do.
to Yuuri Nishigori: that sounds perfect!!! where do you want to meet?
from Yuuri Nishigori: i can bring the girls to your house, if you want? just send me your address!
Viktor immediately did, and then put his phone to the side, staring at Makkachin and sinking to the ground. “How am I supposed to live through this, Makka?” He groaned, resting his head on her fur. She snored, shifting slightly before immediately falling back into a deep slumber. “Oh, thank you, Makka,” Viktor huffed, throwing an arm over his face. “You’re absolutely the best at advice. Not even listening to me.” Betrayal filled his tone, like Makkachin would feel guilty about not solving all of Viktor’s boy problems. She out another snore and Viktor sighed. Right. His dog was great at relationship advice.
The trip the park became a nearly daily thing. The first day, it went so well that Yuuri texted back almost as soon as they had left that they should do it as often as possible. Viktor couldn’t help but agree, because going to the park with them gave him an excuse to see Yuuri again and again.
See, Viktor was very quickly developing a problem. And that problem was that he really liked Yuuri. Yuuri was beautiful, of course, that had been the first thing that Viktor had noticed about him, but there was so much more to Yuuri. Yuuri was so smart and funny and he cared so much about his daughters.
Every time that they talked, Viktor felt his life improving. But he also felt his crush growing, which was an issue. Yuuri, more than likely, was married. If nothing else, he probably had a girlfriend, but the way that he talked about the triplet’s mom, Viktor assumed that he was married. He had three adorable daughters (if a little unruly, but Viktor adored them even more for that).
He was the perfect father. He made the girls adorable lunches and after the first few days at the park, he made Viktor lunches too, and packed snacks for Makkachin. He had this shy smile that could send Viktor into tears in a few seconds from how perfect he looked when it happened.
Everything about Yuuri was absolutely amazing, other than the fact that Viktor couldn’t have him.
He’d tried other things, since he realized he wanted to try dating. It had been weeks since he met Yuuri, after all. He had to take some action to soothe his unreasonable crush. Viktor had downloaded a couple dating apps, but each one of them had had the same results. Any matches he had gotten had either sent or requested nudes, and Viktor blocked them.
He deleted the apps shortly and wondered how he was supposed to meet someone who would make him happy when all he wanted was Yuuri, or, sometimes, Katsuki. Sometimes he thought about Katsuki, about if he had as amazing a personality as he did an appearance (and ass. Look. Viktor wasn’t blind). If Katsuki was anything like Yuuri, Viktor would be blown away.
But he couldn’t have Yuuri, and he hadn’t seen Katsuki at another show since that first one. He had another one this Saturday. Maybe he’d get lucky. With how his life had been going, it seemed less and less likely. Plus, it could turn out that Viktor didn’t even want Katsuki any more, with how obsessed he was with Yuuri.