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Chapter Text

“We’re almost there, Makka,” Viktor whispered, nervously tugging his fingers through his dog’s curly fur. She barked and he nodded his head, scratching at her ears. He was going to be meeting his fiancé today, and he was meant to spend the next month or so in his kingdom to get to know his family and to arrange the royal wedding. Once they were ready, they were going to be going back to St. Petersburg together to rule.

Hasetsu was a small seaside kingdom, but an important one all the same. With its distance from St. Petersburg, they commanded a completely different piece of the sea and trade, and having such a strong alliance with them would be incredibly beneficial. Viktor’s mother had gotten along well with the queen of Hasetsu when they were younger, and so they had arranged for Viktor to marry her son as soon as it became clear how much this wedding would benefit the two kingdoms.

While arranged marriage wasn’t the most romantic thing Viktor had ever considered, the prince of Hasetsu had so many amazing stories told about him. He’d wanted their first meeting to be face to face, so had refused to trade letters with him or even learn his name, but he’d been writing back and forth with Mari Katsuki, the heir to the throne. Mari had given him a short description of her brother, but she’d also put him in contact with other people who knew the prince better so he could have stories from those not nearly as close to him.

Viktor was excited, as strange as it was. While he’d had the overly romantic idea of marrying someone he loved for a long time, he wasn’t upset about marrying the prince of Hasetsu. They were going to have a good friendship, at the very least. That’s all Viktor wanted. He was glad to help out his kingdom, and with all he’d heard about the prince, he couldn’t dream of anything else.

Finally, his carriage began to slow and he sat up straighter, leaning forward to readjust his circlet until it rested in his hair more evenly. He ran his fingers through the end of his braid, throwing it over his shoulder to make sure that he was going to look his best when he met the royal family. Impressions were everything, and while what he said and did was far more important, he had to make sure that he also looked his best.

“Are you ready to meet him, Makkachin? I am,” Viktor whispered to his dog, kissing her fur and letting go, knowing that someone else was going to have to help him down from the carriage. “I hope he’s everything that I’ve heard about him.”

The carriage pulled to a stop and Viktor’s heart began to pound. Attendants rushed around it – to take his bags, to lead Makkachin down on her leash. He heard his announcement and finally stepped down from the carriage, taking the hand of the attendant there to assist him.

Viktor walked carefully, making sure to keep his head held high and to take careful steps so that he would present himself as princely as possible. He was the crown prince for his kingdom, after all, and they were giving away their son to him. He had to make sure that he made himself worthy of that. He had to make a good impression for his betrothed. The prince of Hasetsu was often talked about – a beautiful man, kind, strong. The sort of person that anyone would be proud to know as their spouse. Viktor wanted to prove himself worthy of their prince.

He lifted the hem of his skirt to keep it from getting dragged into the puddle by his feet. It had been raining his whole journey from St. Petersburg to Hasetsu, but the seaside kingdom seemed to have gotten it pretty badly. He sort of regretted the long skirt around his pants as he stepped from the carriage, but he’d gotten the outfit specially made for this moment, to show off for the royal family.

He might have gone a bit… extreme when it came to his outfit. He’d wanted to make a good impression on the family, but… well. He also wanted to show off. Viktor had requested a dress that showed off a variety of styles, giving him the princely masculine vibe through its base as a simple suit, but then he’d added his own flare. A black and red skirt that trailed behind his legs, and criss-crossing black and silver straps over himself, accentuating his body and hopefully drawing the prince’s attention.

As soon as he was out of the carriage, he readjusted his skirt so it fell over his pants properly, trailing behind him as though it was almost a cape, the shimmery black and red fabric hopefully making an elegant effect behind him. Viktor stepped forward, reaching out to take Makkachin’s leash from the person unloading the carriage. He didn’t care who brought in the rest of his luggage, but he had to be the one to bring his dog in.

“Welcome to Hasetsu, your highness,” an attendant said, bowing to him as he unloaded the carriage.

“Thank you. Your kingdom is beautiful,” Viktor answered truthfully. The kingdom did appear to be incredibly beautiful, even if the remains of snow were melting away at the moment and leaving it mushy and cold.

“This way to your room.” The attendant bowed, holding onto the luggage and walking up the grand staircase. Viktor nodded, leading Makkachin up, hoping to keep her focused on walking ahead of themselves. A small seagull sat on the edge of a fountain, the only sign of life in the courtyard at the moment. Viktor smiled at it, at the reminder that Hasetsu wasn’t too dissimilar from St. Petersburg, and finally walked inside.

Once they got to the room, Viktor requested that the attendant leave him alone with his dog to unpack. As soon as they were gone, he took Makkachin off of her leash and climbed up onto the bed, opening up his luggage and carefully placing things onto his bed. He made sure that they all remained folded, placing them carefully into drawers.

Makkachin started to bark, and Viktor looked up to see another seagull sitting on his windowsill. His dog was barking and scratching at the wall by the window, trying to get to it, but the seagull seemed unfazed, simply tilting its head and watching the two of them. “Makkachin, no,” Viktor scolded his dog, leaning down to pat her head, holding her close. “Be nice, it’s just a bird. We have seagulls at home, too.” Viktor looked up at the seagull in the windowsill, who somehow hadn’t been frightened by Makkachin’s barking.

It had to be a different species than there were in St. Petersburg. This one had angular blue markings surrounding its eyes, almost as though its feathers were framing its eyes with glasses. The ones at home were plainer, and wouldn’t dare come anywhere near people like this.

He stood up, about to walk over to it, but it spread its wings and flew away, back through the window, disappearing through the courtyards of the castle, probably back to the sea. “I know we’re in a new place, but you can’t scare the birds, Makka. You know you won’t hurt them.”

Viktor sat on the ground, calling Makkachin into his lap. He probably shouldn’t, not right before meeting the prince, but he didn’t want to be here alone, and he didn’t know when they’d come get him. He buried his face against her fur, petting her softly.

Finally, there was a knock at his door and Viktor shooed Makkachin off, doing his best to get the dog hair off of his clothing. He straightened out his skirt so it billowed over his pants again and finally opened the door, bowing his head when he saw the crown princess. “Our family welcomes you to Hasetsu, Prince Nikiforov.”

“Thank you,” he answered, keeping his head inclined for a moment longer before raising it to look her in the eyes. “Your kingdom has been lovely so far and your staff is very kind.”

“I hope you enjoy your stay.” Viktor closed the door, careful to keep Makkachin in the room before following Mari to the dining hall where he would be having dinner with the royal family.

When they entered, the queen and king were already seated, and the queen smiled warmly at him as soon as he was in the room. “Prince Nikiforov! We’re happy that you’re here. I’m so glad that you’ve agreed to marry our son,” she said, and Viktor couldn’t help but smile.

“All of you have been very kind and welcoming, thank you.” He sat down in his seat, watching Mari take the only open seat that was left. Viktor casually made small talk for a few moments, but he was dying to ask another question. “And the prince? He will be joining us, right? I’m dying to meet him,” Viktor finally brought himself to ask. He’d come here to meet the man he was to marry - was he not attending dinner?

“The prince won’t be here tonight,” Mari spoke up after a moment, her eyes watching out the window. Viktor glanced in the direction she was looking, but all he saw was another seagull, perched on the windowsill, almost like it was looking in. “He’s not feeling well, but sends his apologies. He wants to meet you, and was upset to fall ill today.”

“Oh,” Viktor responded, biting his tongue after he had. He knew that his petulance had shown in his voice, but he couldn’t help it. He’d come all of this way to meet the man that he was going to marry, and he was ill the first time that they were supposed to see each other. Viktor pushed his food around his plate, looking up. He still had to make a good impression. After all, the prince was going to be leaving Hasetsu to come back to St. Petersburg with him, he couldn’t have his family hate him. “I’m sorry he’s under the weather. Does it…” How was he supposed to ask when he’d be able to meet him?

“He unfortunately falls ill quite often,” Hiroko sighed, shaking her head sadly. “He gets anxious, and his body responds terribly to that. He was excited to meet you, but the nerves overpowered his excitement.” She shook her head, and Viktor smiled. At least they continued to reassure that he was wanted there, and they seemed to be kind to him. It would be harder to accept a missing fiancé if the family wasn’t nearly as kind. “He usually isn’t ill for long, though. If you’re lucky, he’ll be ready to meet you tomorrow.”

“I would like that. I’ve heard amazing things about him,” Viktor responded, smiling back at the royal family. “He’s ill that often? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine.” Viktor tried not to focus on how quickly Toshiya answered his question, instead nodding his head. It made sense that they’d worry about all of the questions that Viktor was asking, in fear he’d rescind his contract if the prince didn’t seem fit. But it was concerning. No one had mentioned anything about how sick the prince was to him in the whole time that he was agreeing to marry in Hasetsu. “When he was a child, he became very ill and the effects still act on him when large amounts of pressure are present in his life.”

“And the doctors can do nothing for him?” Viktor asked. It was probably prying a little too much at this point, but he was worried, and rightfully so.

“They’ve done everything that they could. We’re sure that the illness won’t be fatal for him, but it hurts a lot when it affects him.” Hiroko looked down at the table, shaking her head. Viktor swallowed, nodding his head as the conversation tapered off into an awkward silence.

Luckily, their food was brought out soon after that and they were able to distract themselves with something else until the meal was over. Viktor couldn’t stop thinking about the prince. Everything that everyone was saying about him was that he was incredibly handsome and smart and strong, no one had ever mentioned how ill he was.

Maybe it wasn’t common knowledge? But if the royal family was hiding such a secret, that made this all seem so much more suspicious. Why couldn’t they just tell VIktor what illness he suffered from? Maybe the doctors in St. Petersburg would be better equipped to deal with it and the prince wouldn’t get so bad that he was bedridden so often once they were married.

“Will you dine with us tomorrow for breakfast?” Hiroko asked, smiling at Viktor, though a little more strained than it had been. Viktor smiled back, despite how conflicted he felt. The prince’s family were very kind, but he didn’t know if he wanted to eat another meal with them before meeting him. But… they were so kind, and they seemed genuine when they told him that the prince was ill. Maybe he’d even be better by morning!

Viktor nodded. “I would be happy to eat with you again,” he answered. “Do you think the prince will be there?”

“By breakfast?” Mari frowned, but shrugged her shoulders. “It all depends on how sick he really felt today. Sometimes, it’s only a few hours, sometimes several days. I don’t think so this time. He seemed pretty bad when I saw him earlier.” Mari glanced toward the window in concern and Viktor nodded his head.

He couldn’t imagine having a family member so ill for that long. He wasn’t particularly close to anyone in his family, but his mother had fallen ill when he was very young. His father had barely left her bedside and Viktor’s lessons in the St. Petersburg government had only gotten harder, in fear of what may come.

They both recovered, thankfully, but it was barely in time.

Having the prince sick so often… As long as they genuinely knew that it wouldn’t kill him. There were doctors in St. Petersburg people traveled thousands of miles to see, maybe they could help the prince out with whatever he had. VIktor had to hope - for the prince’s sake more than his own.

“Of course.” Viktor smiled pleasantly, inclining his head to the princess and standing up. “Thank you all for your hospitality. I look forward to meeting the prince as soon as he is well enough.”

As soon as they had said their goodbyes, Viktor fled the room (as much as one can flee when following an attendant because he didn’t know the way to his room). He thanked the attendant and walked in, sliding down against the door and calling Makkachin to himself.

“What do you think he’s like, Makka?” he mumbled, burying his face in her fur. She barked, staring out the window again. Another gull flew away and Viktor sighed, staring out to the beach in front of them. “Maybe tomorrow if he’s not ready, we can ask to go outside. Or at least we’ll go to the gardens. Okay? Want to play tomorrow?” he cooed.

Makkachin jumped up onto him, knocking him to the ground and Viktor laughed, no longer worried about the expensive clothing he was wearing. He was sure that the Katsukis would have it expertly washed before he left, it didn’t matter if Makkachin left some dust on him. He tackled his dog to the ground, wrestling with her until she was exhausted before he climbed into bed with her at his side, closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.

Chapter Text

The prince was not ready in time for breakfast, but the family said that he was doing better, and seemed much more like himself. He needed rest, they said, but he should be better by their next meal together, and they would all be able to dine and Viktor could finally meet his betrothed.

It was better, he supposed, than being told that the prince wouldn’t be able to come at all for a while longer, but it was still incredibly frustrating. If he was doing so much better, could he not pop his head in for breakfast to at least introduce himself?

At least Viktor was granted access to the gardens for the day. As soon as they were finished with breakfast, he walked back to his room, changing into much less formal clothes. He carefully unbraided his hair, letting it fall down his back before grabbing the tie to simply hold it up and out of his eyes. Once he swapped out his crown for a lighter circlet, he put Makkachin on her leash, finally ready to go outside. She immediately excitedly tugged on it, knowing what the leash meant.

Viktor smiled down at her, making sure she was calm as they were led through the halls of the castle, but once they were outside, he let her pull him ahead, laughing gleefully at her excitement. He’d needed this too. “Makkachin, slow down,” Viktor laughed, rushing to catch up with her and leaning down, stroking his fingers in the fur near her ears. “If you promise to be good, I’ll take you off your leash. No leash?” he cooed.

Makkachin barked and Viktor laughed, unclipping her leash and standing back up. “Sit,” he commanded, and Makkachin happily sat where she was, her tail pounding on the ground as she did. It was much clearer outside today, the last traces of snow melted away from the ground, leaving it damp but smelling of the sea. It was warmer than St. Petersburg, but not by much.

Viktor closed his eyes, letting the breeze coast against his face happily. He needed this. He needed the time to spend with his dog and take his mind away from his ailing betrothed. Viktor finally let Makkachin up, grinning down at her. “Chase?” he asked, and she immediately went running, letting him run after her. She collapsed onto the ground after a while, rolling over and demanding that Viktor scratch her belly and Viktor laughed, dropping down with her and giving her plenty of belly rubs and kisses.

Viktor held onto her for a while, just leaning against a wall and watching the sea move in front of them, a calmingly familiar setting. He stood up when Makkachin started to tug on his sleeves, letting her lead the way into another game of chase.

More people were beginning to fill the gardens, and Makkachin was barreling right toward someone who had his back turned to them. Luckily, she was barking enough that he heard them coming and turned around, squinting at them for a moment before his eyes widened in surprise.

Viktor’s breath caught in his throat a little, tripping over his feet as he chased after Makkachin, trying to keep up with her. The man was… handsome, to say the least. His hair was a little messy, like he’d been out on the beach and the wind had blown it however it wanted to. It was pinned down a little, though, but the rest of it was too much of a mess to see what was holding it down. Some kind of headband, maybe? Clips to hold his bangs back from his eyes? He probably should have adjusted them, if that was the case, but it seemed sort of like slightly out of place was his style. He had big blue glasses that framed his face in a way that probably should’ve been ridiculous but was charmingly adorable, fitting for him in some way.

Really, Viktor supposed, he was far too handsome for his own good. Everything about this man was somehow adorable, even if it seemed like it societally shouldn’t have been. Something about the soft look in his eyes and the muscled but still soft build of his body was… unnervingly charming. He was probably the most attractive person that Viktor had ever –

Oh, wait, no – Viktor couldn’t let himself get distracted by the other man’s looks. He was a taken man, first of all, and his dog was about to either knock him over or absolutely cover him in mud – he didn’t know which one was worse.

Viktor slid to a stop in front of the man, glad that Makkachin slid up beside him. He winced when he saw the mud spray up onto the man’s pants, biting his lip as he smiled, trying to be casual about it. “I’m sorry about her. She’s been cooped up in carriages and our room for the past weeks, and I should have thought about other people before letting her run free. I’d be happy to help you clean that off if you need to.” Viktor leaned down to tug Makkachin closer to him, patting her head as she panted.

“No, no, it’s fine.” He didn’t even look at his pants, which was probably in Viktor’s favor, because his pants were absolutely not clean. He smiled at Viktor nonetheless. “So you’re Prince Nikiforov, then?” the other man asked, smiling at him. “I’m glad that you arrived safely.”

“I am.” Viktor nodded. “The castle is lovely, as is the kingdom. It’s a big change from home, but not nearly as much as I was expecting.” He wasn’t going to be there for long, as Prince Katsuki would be coming back with him when the time came and they were married, but it was nice that it was so hospitable for him while he was there. There was no big shock between the two places, not in the places that he would be present in Hasetsu. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yuuri,” he offered a name, inclining his head to Viktor. “It’s nice to meet you too. There’s been all kinds of interesting gossip about you, ever since the treaty was made.”

“Oh?” Viktor blinked, wondering who exactly Yuuri was to have heard that sort of talk. He smiled up at him, a teasing glimmer in his eyes. “And it’s good, is it? What about?”

“That you’re… I don’t know. All around fantastic. Completely out of anyone’s league.” Yuuri shook his head, but his attention was quickly drawn elsewhere as Makkachin started to bark at the birds again. “Who is this?”

“This is Makkachin!” She turned when she heard her name, tongue hanging out and panting excitedly at Yuuri. “Makka, come meet Yuuri.” He knelt down by her side, holding her in place so Yuuri could pet her.

Makkachin’s tail started to wag excitedly. Yuuri laughed, dropping to the ground next to her to continue to pet her. “Hello, Makkachin,” he cooed, smiling as she licked his hand, turning to his face as well. “She’s yours?”

Viktor nodded proudly. “I’ve had her since I was a teenager. She’s the most important part of my life, so I figured it would be important for the prince to meet her.”

Yuuri gave Viktor a strange look at the sentence, and Viktor wondered if that meant that the prince didn’t like dogs. He would still marry him, of course, but would his marriage force him to get rid of Makkachin? It would have to be… they would have to sleep in different rooms. Viktor wanted desperately to be able to get along with his fiancé and to be able to maybe even fall in love with him, but Makkachin was a deal breaker. If the prince somehow did not love Makkachin, then there was nothing left. They would have to try to be friendly, and Viktor would just have to… keep Makkachin closer to him and further away from his husband.

It wouldn’t be the best arrangements that they could have, but it wouldn’t be the worst. As long as he didn’t try to convince Viktor to get rid of Makkachin, at least.

Luckily, that did not seem to be what Yuuri meant (at least not yet).

“Have you met him yet, the prince?” he asked the question cautiously, and Viktor hesitated before he could answer. Did Yuuri know about what the royal family had been talking about last night? It seemed like something strange to tell common folks, but maybe it was common knowledge in the kingdom, so that they could be completely open with their people. It was incredibly important, Viktor supposed, to know that the prince could disappear for long periods of time at any moment.

But if Yuuri was in the gardens, he wasn’t just any random person on the street. At the very least, he must work for the castle, so he would probably know about the prince’s condition. He wouldn’t have asked Viktor about it if he didn’t know that there was a possibility that he might not have. It was expected that Viktor would have met him immediately upon arrival, so questioning it at all probably meant that he knew something about the prince. Viktor had to stop being so concerned about all of this.

It wasn’t like the prince was dying. They’d said that last night. If anything, maybe Yuuri would know something about his illness that the royal family hadn’t felt was important to disclose to Viktor last night.

“I haven’t,” Viktor answered honestly after a moment. “The royal family said that he’s ill right now, and so I wasn’t able to meet him. They hope that he’ll recover by dinner tonight. I can’t wait to meet him.”

“Oh,” Yuuri sounded so genuinely shocked that Viktor worried he had somehow revealed something that he wasn’t supposed to. Instead, Yuuri looked down at Makkachin again, nodding his head. “I’ve met him a few times, and I heard that he was… not doing well while preparing for you to come. It’s a nerve-wracking time.”

“You’ve worked with him!” Viktor leaned down, staring at Yuuri in the eyes, his own wide. “What can you tell me about him? I have no idea what to expect, but I want us to get along so much.”

“Really?” Yuuri looked at him, that surprise on his face again before he shook his head, looking down at his hands and shrugging. “People say that he’s a good person, I guess he is. He’s… average, I guess.”

“Average.” Viktor sat down, his excitement deflated. How could someone that he had been waiting for for so long have such a… boring description? “In what ways? I’ve heard he’s incredibly handsome, and brilliant. I’m hoping he’ll be a perfect equal to rule by my side.”

“He’s nowhere near as attractive as you are,” Yuuri answered immediately, his cheeks flaring red after he had, focusing all of his attention on Makkachin. “I mean – you’re… You’re very attractive, your highness. Next to you, the prince looks… plain.”

“I guess I’ll have to make that judgement for myself, then,” Viktor decided. Yuuri knew the prince well, but maybe the prince just wasn’t his type. Viktor wasn’t so shallow that he wouldn’t accept his husband if he wasn’t conventionally attractive, but it wouldn’t hurt if he was cute.

There were certainly cute people in the kingdom, Viktor mused, trying to convince himself that he wasn’t thinking only about Yuuri.

Wow. Okay. He had to pull himself together. He knew practically nothing about Yuuri, or anything in the kingdom, for that matter. Maybe that was something to talk about, actually. Viktor knew practically nothing about Hastesu other than what he could observe for himself.

“Since I haven’t met him, what if you tell me about something else?” Viktor asked, pointedly changing the subject since Yuuri seemed so awkward talking about the prince. “Like Hasetsu. What’s it like here? I won’t be here for long, but I’d like to be able to come visit with the prince once we’re married.”

“Oh.” Yuuri looked surprised again, yet another soft sort of surprise where he was… almost amazed by what Viktor was saying. Like he had been expecting something completely different. “It’s nice. The beach is… I spend a lot of time on the beach. It’s a good place to think. People will go there for picnics and the like. I think the royal family wants to hold the wedding on the beach.”

“Oh!” Viktor exclaimed excitedly. “I’d love that! St. Petersburg has beaches, but it’s so often too cold to go anywhere near them. It gets warmer here?”

“Yeah. We’re just clearing winter now, but we’ve got a good summer. It gets warm enough to even go into the water a little. I used to have a dog, he loved splashing in the water when it was warm,” Yuuri said. He sat down next to Viktor, and Makkachin happily flopped into both of their laps. Viktor laughed, stroking his fingers through her fur. Yuuri started to do the same.

“You had a dog?” he asked, and then wondered if he shouldn’t. ‘Used to’, obviously, implied that he didn’t any more, and if anything happened to Makkachin –

“When I was a lot younger. I want to get a new one, eventually, but I’m moving soon, so I just… was waiting. He was a poodle too, actually.” Yuuri laughed, looking at Makkachin, who was happily panting away in their laps. “Though much smaller than Makkachin.”

“Are you going to get another poodle when you move?” Viktor asked curiously. Dogs were something that he could definitely talk about without screwing up.

“I am,” Yuuri said completely decisively, staring at Makkachin for another moment before looking out to the sea, avoiding Viktor’s eyes. “Maybe more than one, though. I’d… like to have a smaller dog again.”

“I hope the prince likes dogs,” Viktor sighed. “I brought Makkachin as a test but… I don’t want to have to lock her up in her own room if he doesn’t like her.”

“He does,” Yuuri spoke so immediately and firmly that Viktor looked up in surprise. Yuuri’s cheeks were red, turning his head away from Viktor. “I just mean – ah. I… he’s had a dog. He’ll love Makkachin. I don’t think anyone couldn’t.”

“That’s good!” Viktor exclaimed. “I don’t think I could – “ The bell of the clock tower tolled and Viktor looked up in surprise, seeing that Yuuri looked up too. Their hands brushed against one another in Makkachin’s fur and Viktor stared at him, his eyes wide. Yuuri pulled his hand back quickly. “I’m sorry, I need to go,” he said, his shoulders falling in disappointment. Viktor stood up, offering Yuuri his hands to help him off of the ground. Yuuri took them, clinging on after he had stood up.

“Prince Nikiforov, I should probably tell you – “ Yuuri started to speak, but the bell tolled again and Viktor’s eyes widened.  Shit. He was eating with the royal family and Mari said that she’d come get him shortly before six - and the bell was chiming six already.

“Time got away from me. I have to bring Makkachin in! I’m so sorry, I’m meant to eat with the royal family and I’m no longer presentable.” He was supposed to have gone inside to get ready ten minutes ago. They were probably already sitting down, and here he was still outside and Makkachin was covered in mud and this was so absolutely not the way that he wanted to meet his fiancé.

“Viktor, I – your… your highness, I’m –” Viktor apologized again, hardly sparing a glance at Yuuri, because he couldn’t continue this conversation, no matter how intriguing Yuuri was. He’d have to see him on the grounds another time.

“I’m so sorry, Yuuri. I hope we can meet again.” Viktor took his hand, kissing it softly before grabbing onto Makkachin’s leash. He was going to be late. He was going to be so late. This was a terrible first impression to make on the prince. He knew it really didn’t matter after he had been sick the night before, but he still felt like he had to be on time. “It was great to meet you,” he repeated,

“Viktor, wait!” Yuuri shouted, but Viktor ran inside anyway.

He tried not to let himself feel thrilled at the fact that Yuuri called him by his name.

That wouldn’t be allowed, not any longer. It couldn’t be allowed. Yuuri was an employee of the castle, and he had to go meet with the royal family. He rushed into his room, throwing his muddy clothes off to the side and calling out when he remembered how muddy Makkachin was. He shoved her into the bathroom, quickly asking someone to give her a bath.

Viktor was buttoning the last of the buttons on his shirt when someone knocked on the door. He ran a brush through his hair a few times before deciding that this was as good as it was going to get. He put his crown on carefully, looking at himself in the mirror before opening the door, standing up straight.

“Prince Katsuki won’t be able to join us again,” Mari said before the door was even all of the way open.

“You said he was doing better.” Viktor’s shoulders fell in disappointment. All of this trouble, and his fiancé still wasn’t ready to see him.

“He was,” Mari argued, rolling her eyes in frustration. “He was doing much better this morning, but something must have set him off, because when we went to get him, he was unable to get out of bed. Do you still want to dine with us?”

“I’d like to get to know you better,” Viktor agreed. He didn’t really want to eat without the prince again, but if he had to go without him, it was true that he wanted to get to know the royal family. He felt like it was important that he get to know the prince’s family since he was going to marry him.

He wanted this marriage to be as smooth as possible, for both of them. The prince was going to be ripped from his home, he didn’t want that to be something that he was entirely uncomfortable with. In all ways possible, he wanted them to be able to communicate with his family, and to come and see them.

Mari led him outside, past the gardens that he had just come from. There was no sign of Yuuri in the gardens anymore, but there was a seal incredibly close to the castle, right on the edge of the beach. It was staring right at Viktor and Mari until Mari glared at it.

“Do they always come so close?” Viktor stared at the seal laying on the shore near the castle. It must be the way that the light was reflecting from the water, but he could almost swear that the seal had the same blue facial markings as the seagull from earlier. He smiled to himself at the idea that all of their animals had that marking.

It’s cute, Viktor mused as he watched the seal, they’re almost like Yuuri’s glasses.

But he caught himself, because letting himself think of Yuuri as cute was such a terrible idea. He’d only just met him, and he was betrothed to marry the prince, and live in St. Petersburg. Which was very far away from Yuuri.

“Sometimes,” Mari said, glaring out at the seal and shaking her head. “The animals here are frustratingly friendly sometimes.” She shook her head, looking away from the seal and leading him into the main dining hall, for the second night in a row without the prince.

Viktor rubbed his hands over his face, breathing out.

This was going to be a long engagement.

Chapter Text

Yuuri became a constant in the courtyard after the first time.

Any time that Viktor wasn’t needed for official business, he would take Makkachin out to play in the gardens, and Yuuri would be around somewhere. The first few times, he was hesitant to hang out with Viktor, but after they continued to run into each other, he got over some of that nervousness – or just gave in to Viktor and Makkachin constantly running to him and asking if he wanted to join their walks.

They walked together for almost a week, making small talk during each and every one of them. Viktor was as casual as he could be with Yuuri, while Yuuri was nervous, rarely sharing anything about himself. Actually, Viktor didn’t know very much at all, other than his name and the fact that Yuuri liked dogs. He tried to ask Yuuri, just some simple questions he didn’t think were that prying, but Yuuri would head him off with queries of his own, about Viktor, about St. Petersburg, about his hobbies and his favorite foods and everything Viktor couldn’t pry out of Yuuri.

One day, Yuuri approached him for their walk, a bright smile on his face. Makkachin immediately rushed up to him, barking loudly and demanding pets before circling around him, nosing at something that he was hiding behind his back. “What do you think about changing things up?” he asked.

“I’d love to do something else,” Viktor answered, smiling back at Yuuri. He’d probably follow Yuuri’s plans no matter what, but he was especially eager to now, what with the bright smile on Yuuri’s face, with how excited he was to show Viktor whatever he was hiding. He was so adorable. “What do you have in mind?”

“The best part of the courtyard is the beach,” Yuuri explained as he took Viktor’s hand, leading him out toward the water. “Whenever I have a couple minutes to myself, I like to go out to the water. I was thinking… maybe we could have a picnic out there? I got my favorite foods from the kitchens, and I thought maybe we could go out to the beach, and then have an early lunch?”

He moved his arms from behind his back, holding up a basket. Makkachin followed the basket, trying to stick her nose into it, to get to whatever might be inside.

“Yuuri!” Viktor exclaimed in excitement, nodding immediately. “I’d love that. Show me your favorite spot!” he trilled. Yuuri led them off to the beach.

He laid down the blanket and Viktor sat down on the edge of it. Yuuri sat down beside him, spreading the food out in front of them. Viktor’s heart sped up, watching Yuuri as he sat down. Makkachin sniffed at the food for a bit but after being scolded a few times to keep away, she went racing out toward the water, jumping at it.

“She seems excited,” Yuuri laughed, watching Makkachin snap at the waves. He was sitting so close to Viktor and Viktor propped his arm up behind Yuuri. If he hadn’t come to Hasetsu because he was engaged to their prince, he would have wrapped his arm around Yuuri, pulled him closer. He wanted nothing less. Instead, he focused on his dog.

“Makkachin loves the beach,” Viktor laughed, watching his dog run off. “She likes the breeze and to chase the gulls,” Viktor said, smiling. “We go out most mornings, to make sure that she gets some exercise in.”

“That sounds nice,” Yuuri answered, smiling very softly at him. Yuuri was… really something else. He was beautiful and kind and everything that Viktor could wish for in someone –

“So what food do you have?” Viktor exclaimed, trying desperately to break his brain away from those thoughts.

“Oh, my favorite!” Yuuri answered. He pulled the main dish from the basket, and Viktor immediately smelled pork and rice and egg. “It’s called katsudon. I hope you like it too.” He smiled widely, pushing one serving toward Viktor.

Viktor held the chopsticks kind of clumsily until Yuuri leaned forward. Their shoulders touched as he rearranged Viktor’s hands, helping him pick up the first few pieces. “Vkusno!” Viktor immediately exclaimed, shoveling more of the food into his mouth. “Yuuri, this is delicious!”

“I’m glad you like it.” Yuuri started to eat his own, not nearly as quickly as Viktor, but much more deft with the chopsticks. “It’s a comfort food for me. My parents would make it a lot when I was young, especially when I had a lot going on.”

“It’s delicious. I can see why you’d want it,” Viktor said, swallowing down another mouthful and turning to look at Yuuri. Yuuri bit his lip, clearly keeping from laughing.

“Careful,” he said, and then he did the unthinkable. Yuuri reached forward, wiping a piece of rice from Viktor’s cheek.

Viktor’s cheeks were immediately inflamed, and he found himself unable to make eye contact with Yuuri.

Oh no.

“You can call me Viktor.” He knew it probably wasn’t the most proper thing he could do, but he really liked Yuuri. Something about him was incredibly… familiar to Viktor, something kind. If the prince was anything like this man, Viktor would be beyond lucky. “Obviously, just when we’re alone. I don’t want you getting into trouble with the royal family, but I’d like us to be familiar with each other.”

“Oh.” Yuuri smiled at Viktor, ducking his head down to look at the flower crowns they were weaving together. “I’d like that.”

“Good!” Viktor smiled. “I always feel bad, how formal you have to be. I hope you… see me as a friend?” he asked hesitantly, hoping he wasn’t misjudging Yuuri’s kindness. Yuuri could just be being kind because Viktor was soon going to be a king, but he… it felt realer than that.

“Of course I do,” Yuuri immediately responded, his eyes wide. “I… didn’t know I could, but of course I do. You’re amazing, Viktor.”

The sound of his name off of Yuuri’s lips was something that he would never get sick of. Yuuri was amazing in literally every way. He’d have told Yuuri to call him Vitya, if he didn’t think that was a step too far. If he started letting Yuuri get that comfortable with him, it was bad news for himself.

He trusted Yuuri. He trusted Yuuri maybe more than he should, but he trusted him so much and wanted to make sure that Yuuri trusted him too. That didn’t include having a crush on Yuuri when he was inevitably going to have to leave Yuuri behind in Hasetsu. He wasn’t going to hurt his chances of loving his fiancé just because he was enamored with Yuuri. Once he met his fiancé, maybe he would be better.

Viktor had to stop thinking that there was no one better than Yuuri in Hasetsu.

“I’m glad you think so,” Viktor responded, knowing he was looking at Yuuri in far too soft a way.

“I don’t think anyone could not think that. You’re incredibly kind, and beautiful and –” Yuuri cut off his words, his cheeks turning red.

Maybe Viktor’s infatuation was a little worse than he thought. He turned his head away from Yuuri, finishing his weaving, keeping his eyes away from Yuuri and his cute face and his cute blush.

“Hopefully my betrothed feels the same,” Viktor muttered, staring down at the crown of weeds in his hand, carefully placing it on top of Yuuri’s head.

Yuuri touched his fingers to the petals, staring to the ground after he had been crowned. “I’m sure he does.” He had that strange expression again, one of… guilt. Like he knew something that Viktor didn’t.

Viktor tried to ignore it, leaning forward for Yuuri to crown him too. Yuuri laughed, leaning forward and placing his crown over Viktor’s head. “I feel like this really isn’t something I should be allowed to do,” Yuuri laughed as he straightened the leaves in Viktor’s hair, overtop of his actual circlet.

There, looking at Yuuri with a crown of leaves and wildflowers, Viktor could imagine he was the real prince. Crowned with a circlet much like his own. Handsome, standing tall and proud with the royal family. Destined to marry Viktor.

No.

“As long as no one sees, we’re safe.” Viktor winked, but the words felt a little flatter as he was reminded of how little he could actually be for Yuuri.

“You can feed the koi, if you want to,” Mari offered as they were walking back from yet another breakfast without the prince. “They’re usually fed around now, I don’t think you’ve seen that part of the gardens yet.”

“I haven’t!” Viktor exclaimed. “I’d love to help feed them.”

“I’ll go grab someone to get the food,” Mari responded. “Stay here.” She walked away, and Viktor’s mind briefly wandered to hopes that it was Yuuri she was going to get. Over his time at the castle, he and Yuuri spent more and more time together, and Viktor couldn’t help but wonder what his actual job was.

Generally, he was out in the gardens, reading, or just watching people walk around when Viktor found him. He’d guess he might be a tutor, but there was no reason to have a tutor so young at the castle. The prince was the youngest of the royal family, and he was twenty-three, probably around the same age as Yuuri. While he might be able to do basic tutoring, it seemed like Prince Katsuki would have one of the older tutors that Viktor had met while at the castle, like Celestino.

Mari walked back with someone who was not Yuuri and Viktor smiled at them, introducing himself officially and walking by Mari’s side to the pond.

The pond was huge, full of fish and plants. It was clearly well cared for, and Viktor sat at the edge by the rocks, leaning over to watch the fish swim around. Most of them had normal colors for koi he had seen before, but he couldn’t help but notice one with those ridiculous blue markings that appeared again and again in Hasetsu.

He laughed softly. “What?” Mari asked, handing him a handful of the food and demonstrating how to do it.

“Your animals. I’ve noticed you’ve got something in common with a lot of them,” Viktor answered, motioning to the koi that almost looked like it had glasses. It stayed farther from the rest of the fish, surfacing only after the rest had their fill. As Viktor threw food in, it swam right over.

Mari looked at the koi and rolled her eyes. “Only in Hasetsu,” she responded, glaring at the water as the fish darted back down, away from the flakes. “That one might be pickier, don’t worry if it doesn’t eat much. What other animals like that have you seen?”

“A gull, when I first arrived. And a seal a few days ago. A puffin and a starfish, when Makkachin and I went out the ocean. And now him.” Viktor smiled down at the fish, which was lingering close to the edge that Mari and Viktor were leaning against.

“It might let you pet it,” Mari said with a wide smirk and Viktor swore that the fish looked up to glare at her. “He’s a real nice one. Very friendly. Almost human sometimes.”

She splashed her hand against the water and most of the fish scattered, but the blue koi hesitated longer than the rest, reacting as if he only now realized that he had to react. Viktor raised his eyebrows, leaning down into the water to reach out.

“Give him a second,” Mari said, watching the fish as it swam away from Viktor’s hand, sinking deeper into the waters. “He only lets people he likes pet him.”

The fish swam in circles for a few moments before darting closer to the surface, rubbing against Viktor’s hand. He swore it looked Mari in the eye as it swam past, but he marveled at the feeling of its scales rubbing against his hand ever so softly.

“Wow,” he whispered softly, staring into the pond, “that’s amazing.”

Viktor was imagining it now.

Viktor was definitely imagining the blue markings on the fish and other creatures in Hasetsu. He wanted to ask Yuuri about it since the royal family didn’t have much to say, other than Mari seeming to mock those variants of the animals more mercilessly than the rest of them. But Yuuri hadn’t been around the last few days, too busy to spend any time with Viktor, so he had to just guess what was going on – and that wasn’t going well.

He and Makkachin were walking along the beach and he saw a seahorse a little off of the dock with blue markings around its eyes. There was a small patch of seaweed in the still clear water from the dock, and Viktor had seen a couple seahorses hanging out on it in his time here. But one with those stupid blue markings?

That wasn’t possibly something he actually saw, right. Viktor threw a stick off for his dog to chase so she wouldn’t attack the creature and waded into the water toward the seaweed. Many of the creatures scattered but the seahorse stayed clinging to the seaweed, swaying lightly with the waves. Yep. It definitely had blue around its head.

And then the next day! Mari took him out on a boat with a glass bottom, so they could see more of Hasetsu’s wildlife through the clear water, trying to entertain him until the prince was well enough to meet with them. He went on the boat in fascination, wondering if he could catch sight of another of the creatures with blue rims around their eyes.

He was more than rewarded when a pod of stingrays swam past them, one of them swimming more slowly behind, barely blending in with the rest of the group. Its color was different, if only slightly, a darker brown than the rest of them. And around its eyes, the same blue squares.

A few days later, when an orca jumped out of the water, bearing the same markings?

He had to be imagining it.

“Can you tell me more about the prince?”

Viktor and Mari were walking down the beach after dinner, something that was becoming fairly common. The crown princess was a very kind person when she wanted to be, but it seemed that she was as frustrated with the situation as he was.

“What do you want to know?” she asked,

“It just feels like he doesn’t even want to meet me,” Viktor muttered, not looking at Mari. The water splashed, a dolphin jumping out. A dolphin with blue markings around its body. He crossed his arms in frustration. “I know nothing about this place, about him, about anything. Tell me about his illness?”

“I’ve told about all we can, Viktor –”

“I don’t care if it’s a family secret. I’m marrying him. I feel like I deserve to know whatever you’re hiding from me,” Viktor snapped, turning toward Mari. The ocean behind her churned with the beginning of a storm, but Viktor didn’t look at it. He wanted answers, he wanted to know something about the prince.

“I told you already, Viktor. It’s a hereditary illness, and he contracted it and when he’s especially nervous it gets worse and –”

“He’s nervous to meet me, then. Nervous to marry me? Can’t I at least go see him? If it’s hereditary, I’m not going to catch it from him. I don’t care if he looks sick, I can handle that. I want to be able to help him,” Viktor responded, trying to bargain. He’d asked before and always got the same answer.

“You can’t help him, Viktor. We can’t cure it.” Mari looked like she wanted to say more but she shut her mouth and Viktor felt tears pricking at his eyes.

This wasn’t okay. He was falling in love with a castle worker while he hadn’t even met his betrothed and he was starting to care less and less about that. He liked Yuuri; Yuuri was cute and funny and clever and liked Viktor. He knew nothing about the man he was going to marry.

“Then I can help take care of him. Clearly, there’s something you can do to help, if you’re keeping him locked up.” Viktor just wanted to see him. Even if Prince Katsuki couldn’t speak to him, at least he could meet him. He could have proof that he existed.

“You can’t see him.” Mari was firm, and Viktor could tell that this conversation was going nowhere new.

“Why not?” he snapped, despite knowing the answer.

“I feel like it’s better that he tell you – “ Mari answered and Viktor stared up at the skies.

“Better that he tell me!? When? When I meet him? When will that be?” Viktor asked, taking longer steps. She wasn’t going to say anything; he might as well go back to Makkachin.

“Soon.” It was the answer he always got, and he just shook his head, turning his back to her.

“I don’t even know his name!” Viktor yelled after her. The tears started to fall, and he raced back into his room.

Yuuri arranged another picnic for them by the beach, one for dinner. Viktor cancelled with the royal family, even though he felt kind of bad blowing them off for Yuuri. It wasn’t like he was really needed there, was he? Sure, they gave him constant reassurances that the prince wanted to meet him and that he was just nervous about their marriage, but he had been here for weeks and still the prince hadn’t managed to come to one of their meetings, formally or informally.

Viktor was getting sick of it.

He was sick of being somewhere he no longer wanted to be, waiting for someone he didn’t even know if he would meet. He turned more and more from excited waiting and more toward… frustration.

Some days, he wondered if there even was a prince.

So he didn’t feel as bad as he should blowing off the royal family for another picnic with Yuuri. He brought another favorite dish, and they sat together on the beach side, even closer than last time. The wind was blowing his hair around, and his cheeks were red with the beginning of the cold, an approaching winter.

Viktor wasn’t thinking. If he was thinking, he wouldn’t lean in closer to Yuuri, right in the public eye of the gardens. Anyone could walk by and see them, see Viktor being unfaithful to the prince. The prince that he hadn’t even met yet.

He didn’t care.

He leaned forward, setting his hand against Yuuri’s shoulder and kissing him.

Yuuri pulled away from him, his eyes wide in shock, and Viktor immediately started to apologize, but Yuuri grasped his stomach, his eyes wide as glittery light shone by his feet. “Viktor –” he started to speak, but he dropped to the ground.

Viktor rushed forward but stopped when… Yuuri wasn’t there.

A turtle was lying on the ground where Yuuri had just been, its shell speckled in rectangular blue patterns. Viktor stumbled backwards, his mouth opening and closing, trying to find words. He breathed out, sitting onto the ground and staring at the turtle, trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened. “Is… that you, Yuuri?” he asked, like the turtle could possibly speak.

The turtle crept over to him, though, climbing toward his open hands. He paused underneath Viktor’s hands, head inclined up as if to look at him. Viktor stared back at the turtle and swallowed softly, shaking his head to try to clear his mind. The turtle was probably Yuuri. Yuuri had somehow become a sea turtle.

“If… if it’s you, can you… walk… over there.” Viktor carefully set his hand against the turtle’s shell, tracing his fingers against the blue patterns. He lifted his free hand, waving vaguely in the other direction. He didn’t know what else he was supposed to do, unless Yuuri could somehow talk in this form.

The turtle climbed off of his hands and walked in the direction that Viktor had waved and Viktor sat with his hands in his lap, trying to wrap his head around the situation at all.

He had kissed Yuuri, and Yuuri had… turned into a turtle.

It was like a terrible fairy tale, so improperly reversed. You weren’t supposed to kiss the cute boy and make him turn into a turtle. You were supposed to kiss the turtle and make it turn into a handsome prince!

Yuuri wasn’t even a prince.

Okay.

Viktor breathed out again, staring at Yuuri-the-turtle. “Will you be human later?” he asked, again, as if a turtle could possibly speak to him. He groaned softly. “If you’re human later can you… come to my room. If you know where it is?”

The turtle stared at him, and Viktor probably should have expected it. Actually a human or not, the turtle was not going to be able to talk to him.

“Ah. Um. Walk in the direction of my room?” Viktor directed for the turtle, trying his hardest to not feel like he’d gone entirely insane. The turtle turned toward where Viktor’s room was in the castle and walked in that direction and Viktor nodded, breathing out.

“Come see me when you’re human. Please. We need to talk. Obviously. Holy shit.” Viktor stared at the turtle for a moment longer before standing up, walking into the castle. He walked straight to his room, no idea how long it was going to take Yuuri to be human again.

Chapter Text

Once he got into his room, he started wondering if what he was doing made any sense at all. Yuuri might not have access to the castle at all, especially not the royal quarters. Should Viktor have explained to someone that Yuuri was going to be coming to see him? Did they even know he was there? If he was a shapeshifter, they might not even know that he was there. He might be a spy, or an assassin, and Viktor might have invited him to his quarters and –

No. Viktor had to calm down. Yuuri was not a spy or an assassin. Yuuri was someone who clearly worked for the castle, because no one had ever questioned him when they’d been in the gardens before. They were definitely not outside of the public view when they were in the gardens, so it only made sense for him to work in the castle.

Viktor laid on the bed, letting Makkachin curl up against him. He picked up a book to take his mind away from Yuuri. It wasn’t a particularly interesting book, one he’d grabbed about Hasetsu’s history. The country had a long history of magical encounters, which Viktor supposed was suddenly much more relevant to his life, wasn’t it?

It had been hours before there was a knock at his door, hesitant and almost silent. Makkachin barked, jumping up and Viktor shushed her. He’d skipped dinner, so he knew that it had to be late in the night. He could only be expecting one visitor this late in the day. He walked up to the door, reaching his leg out to make sure that Makkachin stayed in his room when the door opened.

His breath vanished.

Yuuri was standing there, his head hung low, totally human but –

He was wearing a crown.

Viktor stood silently in the doorway, staring at the glimmering jewels decorating Yuuri’s headpiece, his mouth opening and closing with a thousand questions. Why was Yuuri wearing a crown? Was he a visiting royal? Had he stolen something from the prince? Was the prince dead, had he killed him? Was he – was he the –

“I should probably come clean about a few things,” Yuuri mumbled without lifting his eyes from his feet. Viktor opened the door wider, letting Yuuri in, still unable to speak. Makkachin ran up to him, licking his hand excitedly. Yuuri smiled a very small smile, leaning down to pat her head before turning to look at Viktor. “Where do you want me to start?”

“Who are you?” Viktor asked, the question blurting from his lips without even thinking about the words. He… had no idea how to even think right now. “I mean – “ He breathed in, sitting down on his bed. He left enough space for Yuuri next to him, wondering if he would take the hint. Yuuri walked over slowly, hesitantly sitting an arm’s width from Viktor. Viktor was partially thankful for the space but also it scared him. All this time he’d been getting to know Yuuri, but who was this?

“Yuuri Katsuki,” he said quietly. Viktor felt his heart pounding, making connections he had already started to realize. “I’m… Hasetsu’s royal family’s second born, Prince Yuuri Katsuki. Your betrothed.” Yuuri looked up at him, nervously, like Viktor would yell, would hurt him for this.

Viktor was hurt, but not because of who Yuuri was, because he hadn’t told him. Viktor had been falling in love with Yuuri this whole time, and learning to hate his fiancé because of it, and now, they’re the same person the whole time. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to be upset. I tried to tell you, the first time we met, but you ran off to go to dinner, and you wouldn’t listen.” Viktor dimly remembered that Yuuri had tried very hard to get him to stay a few more minutes, but he’d thought at that point that he was going to go meet his fiancé and had been too excited to really stick around for long. “After that, I couldn’t find the words. I kept shifting, and my family kept making excuses for me even though they’d seen us together, they knew that I knew you, they knew that we’d met. They were waiting for me to tell you, and I couldn’t.”

“So your ‘illness’?” Viktor pushed. He wanted Yuuri to give him all of this information in his own time, but also he had to know. He had to know everything that had been kept from him the whole time in Hasetsu. This was… this wasn’t okay. His mind was going insane.

“You’ve been reading about Hasetsu’s history,” Yuuri started, indicating the book which Viktor had haphazardly thrown on the bed in his haste to let Yuuri in. “The royal family has a history of magical blood, and it showed up in me, but… not in as good a way as many of us have gotten it.” Yuuri explained, staring at his hands. Viktor couldn’t take it any longer and moved in closer, reaching out to tilt Yuuri’s face up, so they could see eye to eye. A deep red blush covered his cheeks and he sucked in a breath before continuing, “I shapeshift, like you saw today. We can’t find a cure or a real reason, but it acts up the most when I’m nervous about something. The first day, it was because I was meeting you, and I felt like I was completely out of your league and you’d just humor me and leave.”

“I wouldn’t, Yuuri. Even if you made a bad first impression,” Viktor promised, taking Yuuri’s hands. Yuuri looked down at them and sighed.

“I know that now, but I didn’t then. I just heard things about Prince Nikiforov, the most handsome man in St. Petersburg, smart and talented beyond his years. It was intimidating, because I’m just… Yuuri, who sometimes turns into an animal when I’m stressed out.” He wrapped his arms around his chest and Viktor stared, leaning forward.

“You’re not ‘just Yuuri’. You’re brilliant, and I didn’t even know that you had to know all of these things. And you’ve enchanted me to hate a fiancé I didn’t know because I wanted to be able to love you,” Viktor said softly, and Yuuri looked up with a soft, wondrous look in his eyes.

“You love me?” he asked, his voice hesitant. “But that means you also hate me. Which is why I should have told you, but every time I tried to, you had something, or I felt the pull, and I just… I couldn’t.”

“So why did you keep shifting when we had official meetings?” Viktor asked, though he had an idea of what Yuuri might say.

“I didn’t want you to hate me! I love spending time with you, and if you suddenly found out I was the prince? Every time I thought about going and trying to prove myself, I wasn’t human, before I could even warn anyone. Usually we can see when it’s getting that bad, but I was terrified of letting you down.” Yuuri was crying, Viktor realized after a second. Tears were dripping from his eyes onto his hands. Viktor leaned forward, brushing the tears away.

“I’m not happy you didn’t tell me,” Viktor said, because there was no use trying to hide that from Yuuri, that sort of information would only hurt him more. “But I’m happy it’s you. If you’d told me, one of the first times that we met? Yuuri, I told you, I’m falling in love with you. I hated the idea of my fiancé because of you. Knowing it’s you…”

“Oh,” Yuuri said softly, looking up at him. “You surprised me this afternoon, when you kissed me. I was so afraid of what you’d say when you found out that I was… me that I couldn’t help it, I shifted with my first thoughts about it.”

“I surprised myself too,” Viktor laughed, reaching out again to take Yuuri’s hands. Yuuri let him, and this time squeezed softly, holding onto Viktor. “And how do you feel about me? I hope you weren’t hiding it because you also secretly hate me?”

“Of course not,” Yuuri said, rushed. “If anything, I was terrified you were just humoring me because you were bored. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to see me as weak.”

“Yuuri, I could never imagine that you are weak, before or after knowing this.” Viktor cupped Yuuri’s face and Yuuri’s eyes flickered delicately shut. Viktor stared at him, his fiancé, taking in everything about him. Yuuri was beautiful, he’d known that for a long time, but he was fitting for the crown.

The sparkling jewels went perfectly on his head, making him look more regal than he really should. He was… perfect. Even if he hadn’t told Viktor. He trusted Yuuri, despite all of this. Some people, most people, probably wouldn’t, would think he was crazy, but Yuuri had come out with the truth, had reasons that made sense. Viktor couldn’t imagine that he was holding another secret like that, either. Yuuri was… well, Viktor loved him.

“I can’t believe this is what you’re really like,” Yuuri whispered, looking up to meet Viktor’s eyes, a smile on his face. “Everything I was told about you, it made you sound… so different.”

“What did you hear about me?” Viktor didn’t know what Yuuri had learned before their engagement was official, if he had any say in it. Yuuri might have not even wanted this, and might have skewed everything that they said about Viktor to be something much worse.

“I… it wasn’t bad, it was just… it wasn’t you. It was someone I didn’t really want to know. I agreed to marry you because I knew what was best for Hasetsu, but… I didn’t know I’d end up feeling like this about you,” Yuuri said, vaguely. Vaguely implying the thing that Viktor so desperately needed Yuuri to say to him, had needed to hear the entire time that he had been here.

“And what do you think of me?” he pushed, hoping that Yuuri would answer him. It wasn’t too much to ask, was it? It was pretty much obvious through everything that they had said to each other, but it was… it was different, to hear it directly from Yuuri’s mouth. It would be different to see Yuuri say it, to know that Yuuri wasn’t afraid of this, that he actually wanted this.

This wasn’t just a marriage for politics for Viktor any more. Marrying the elusive Prince Katsuki would have been. If the prince wasn’t Yuuri, Viktor didn’t think he would grow to love him. He would give him every chance, and he would be the best friends with him that he possibly could, but his heart had been irrevocably stolen by the man in front of him.

Yuuri had stolen his heart before Viktor knew that he was allowed to have it.

He desperately wanted to hear that Yuuri wanted it.

“You’re so much better than anything I heard about you. I heard about a living legend, someone… untouchable. I was afraid you might be pompous or full of yourself or a dick, but you’re… perfect.” Yuuri stayed silent for a moment before turning up to Viktor, catching their lips, holding him close to himself. “I think that I love you too.”

“Wow,” Viktor whispered before laughing, burying his face against Yuuri’s shoulder. That was definitely not the proper response to a declaration of love, but he couldn’t think anything else. “I’m glad I know now, Yuuri. Don’t keep these things from me.”

He leaned forward, kissing Yuuri again. Yuuri excitedly leaned in, meeting their lips. Viktor happily let his eyes close, holding Yuuri in place and kissing him deeply, letting all of their love flow over them. It was everything that he had been denying himself for weeks because of a fiancé who turned out to be so much of a non-issue that it was laughable.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while,” Yuuri murmured as they pulled away. “But I thought you’d be angry if I did as Yuuri, since you were engaged to… me. And I couldn’t figure out how to explain, since we’d gone on for so long like that.”

“This isn’t exactly the way I would have liked to learn,” Viktor laughed.

“It’s not how I wanted to tell you either, but I couldn’t exactly help what happened.” Yuuri’s cheeks turned red. “And a turtle. I couldn’t have at least turned into something cooler?”

“You don’t pick what you become?” Viktor leaned forward, fascinated. Yuuri shook his head.

“As long as I’m on land, I’ll be something that can survive on land. If I’m in the water, I can be anything. The only real pattern we’ve been able to figure out is that I always shift into something that is mostly a marine animal. I’m a gull fairly often.” He ducked his head down with another blush.

“That was you,” Viktor realized, and Yuuri turned his face away, his blush only deepening. “The first day I was here! I saw a bird, and it had markings like your glasses. And when I was feeding the koi and there was the blue one! And the little puffin that sat on Makkachin’s head! And the seal, that had the blue too. They’re all you. You were always watching me!”

“I couldn’t tell you they were me! I was never human and you kept finding me, even when I was hiding from you. A couple times, like… the first time, yeah, I went looking for you, but it wasn’t every time! I was trying to hide, you weren’t supposed to know that was me.” Yuuri covered his face with his hands, groaning.

“It’s cute. I wish I’d known it was you, I probably wouldn’t have let Makkachin chase you down the beach for so long,” Viktor teased and Yuuri laughed before covering his mouth, hearing creaking above them.

Right. It was late. They couldn’t be too loud.

“Does the rest of the kingdom know what you are?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri shook his head. “My family gives them the same excuse that they gave you, that I’m sick,” he answered. “It’s easier, because it’s been so long since magic showed up in our bloodline, a lot of the commoners think that it’s just a myth now.”

“Mari said there’s no cure,” Viktor murmured, remembering the beach with Yuuri’s sister, at the peak of frustration with the whole situation. “But she said there’s ways to help. You’ll teach me some of that?” Viktor asked, leaning forward. “I want to be able to help you, when I can. We won’t stop it, I guess, but hopefully I can help you manage it.”

“You want that?” Yuuri asked and Viktor nodded immediately. “It’s mostly just breathing exercises and a few ways to distract myself and take my mind off of the things that I can’t stop thinking about. I… I guess you can help.”

The floor above them creaked again and Yuuri frowned, glancing at Viktor. “I should let you get back to your room,” Viktor said after a moment, sighing. “We’ll talk more soon?”

“Nothing left to be afraid of with you, I guess.” Yuuri nodded, leaning forward to kiss Viktor one more time. Viktor held him there for a moment before letting him walk toward the door.

“Prince Katsuki,” Viktor called, his voice teasing, eyes twinkling as he looked up. “Will I be seeing you for breakfast tomorrow? I skipped dinner and I fear I might be famished.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Prince Nikiforov,” Yuuri answered, giving an over the top bow and laughing softly. “I’m supposed to meet my betrothed for the first time tomorrow. I’d better make a good impression, after making him wait this long.”

And he closed the door and left, leaving Viktor on the bed, staring at the now-closed door.

“Makkachin,” he whispered softly, looking over to his dog, who was fast asleep in the bed. “Makkachin, I’m marrying Yuuri.”

Chapter Text

“They probably shouldn’t find us sleeping in the same bed on the day of our wedding,” Yuuri murmured, though he didn’t try to roll over off of Viktor. Instead, he cuddled in closer, pulling the blanket over their heads. Viktor laughed, leaning in to kiss him softly.

“Who will they send after you? Mari? Yuuko? Yuuko might let us get away with it, but Mari would never stop teasing,” Viktor laughed, kissing Yuuri back, deepening the kiss for a few moments. They laid together, simply kissing before Yuuri sighed again, pushing Viktor softly.

“They’ll send Mari,” he said, absolutely positive. And, really, Viktor had figured that much, but he didn’t want to get out of bed and Yuuri’s arms, even if this was how he was going to wake up every morning after this point. “And she’ll do worse than tease. Come on.”

Yuuri sat up, stretching out his back. Viktor watched him, marveling in the fact that this was really who he was going to marry. All of that worry over falling in love with Yuuri in the gardens, and here he was right in front of Viktor on their wedding day. Viktor traced a hand against Yuuri’s thigh. Yuuri shooed it off, leaning down to kiss him one more time.

“I’ll see you in a few hours, Vitya,” he murmured against his lips. “I have to go get ready. I can’t wait to see you all dressed up for our wedding.” He climbed out of bed, then, tying a robe around his body and snatching his circlet. He slid it onto his hair, searching out his glasses. Viktor grabbed them from their place on the bedside, climbing out of bed and sliding them onto Yuuri’s face, kissing his nose.

“Today’s your last day as my fiancé,” Viktor said excitedly, letting him go and sitting back down onto the bed. “I can’t wait to see you later. You’re going to be beautiful.”

Yuuri laughed, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. “I doubt I’ll look anywhere near as amazing as you, but thanks for trying.” He flushed pink and Viktor smiled, reclining in the bed and starting to work the tangles out of his hair. His family had sent Mila to help him get ready for his marriage, but she wouldn’t arrive for another hour now.

“I doubt that. You’ll take my breath away. I’ll see you soon. I love you.” Viktor lifted his hand to blow a kiss to Yuuri and a bright smile lit up his face when Yuuri reached out and caught the kiss, miming holding it close to his heart. After he had, he opened the door and snuck down the hallway.

Viktor laughed softly, rubbing his hand through Makkachin’s fur and watching his still sleeping dog snore soundly. He leaned back in bed with her, lightly dozing (as much as he could in the excitement of the day) before bounding up when he heard the knock at the door. Mila was here!

He walked to the door, opening it up for her and grinning widely when she walked in. “You look awfully excited. Being betrothed worked out better than expected?” she asked, motioning for him to sit on the bed and sitting down beside him, grabbing a brush to run through his hair. He sat patiently, nodding his head.

“He’s perfect, Mila. Incredibly handsome, but so kind. Anything negative they said about him was completely wrong. I can’t imagine my life without him.” Viktor hadn’t stopped imagining their future life together since he had met Yuuri, and he certainly didn’t want to stop thinking about that now. Everything that he had done in his life had been leading to this moment, but he had never in his wildest dreams imagined he'd be so incredibly in love with and able to marry the man of his dreams.

Mila quickly got to work, helping Viktor do his hair and makeup. She twisted his hair into an intricate updo, tucking all of the strands of hair into the bun, except for a couple she left hanging down by his face. The makeup was simple enough, but made all of his features pop. Finally, she helped him change into his wedding suit, pure white with a shimmering silver veil attached to his crown and a jacket with blue and silver accents.

He turned to his side in the mirror, his breath escaping. This was… everything. It was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever owned, and it was perfect to marry Yuuri in.

Mila left the room once she was done, only a little bit left until the wedding. Viktor sat in a chair, picking up a book he was working through about the wildlife of Hasetsu. He figured he might as well know more about the native species if it turned out that Yuuri kept shifting every so often. He had plenty of resources about the magic and history now.

After a few minutes of reading, there was a knock on his door and Viktor looked up. It immediately opened to admit Mari Katsuki, dressed in a navy blue dress and a formal tiara, looking like she was frustrated with the entire world. That… didn’t seem like good news.

“Not to alarm you,” Mari said slowly. Viktor rose to his feet, careful not to disturb his clothing too much. His veil trailed around his feet and he eyed her cautiously.

“What is it?” Viktor asked, his hands playing with the edge of his shirt, trying to get it to lay flatter. ‘Not to alarm you’ from Mari probably meant that something was going terribly wrong.

She glanced out the window, pulling down the shade. After a quick look around the otherwise empty room, she dropped into his vacated chair, rolling her eyes. “Yuuri’s freaked about the wedding and he shifted. He’s an iguana.”

“An iguana?” Viktor bit his tongue to keep from laughing a little bit before looking at her more seriously. “I’m not supposed to see him before the wedding, but are you sure that we can’t break tradition just a little bit?”

“I don’t know if –” Mari started but Viktor turned to face her, begging.

“We’ve been practicing! And we figured it might happen. I’ll take off the veil and crown, that’s the most important part of the outfit anyway. I can’t exactly marry an iguana in front of all of St. Petersburg,” Viktor reasoned and Mari sighed.

“You get ten minutes. If he doesn’t shift back with you, I’ll have Yuuko or someone talk to him. You let Mom or Dad know I let him in here, you’re screwed. Give me your veil and your jacket,” Mari ordered. Viktor carefully stripped the two off, mourning that he’d have to put them back on and try to get them to look as gorgeous as they’d been the first time.

There was a scratching at the door and Mari threw her hands up. “For god’s sake!” she exclaimed, opening up the door. An iguana scurried in, clambering up into Viktor’s lap. Viktor sighed, brushing his fingers against Yuuri’s scales. “Ten minutes,” Mari reminded before walking from the room, carrying Viktor’s veil and jacket.

“Love, are you really this nervous?” Viktor murmured, brushing his fingers against Yuuri’s scales. Yuuri’s eyes closed, his body sighing. Viktor sighed. He’d had to read up on a lot of animals to start to understand Yuuri’s body language better, but at least he acted sort of human, enough that Viktor could start to figure out what was going on.

“Keep breathing. There’s nothing to worry about. I love you, and I want to marry you. As long as you love me too, this should be nothing. A few minutes in front of the full kingdom, and then the reception is mostly private. It’s just proof that we love each other. You’ve been ready for this,” he spoke softly, holding Yuuri close to his body.

Yuuri buried himself against Viktor’s chest and Viktor smiled softly. “I’m here for you. I know it’s hard and scary, and I’m scared too, but I love you so much, and I know we’ll be able to do this.”

A glowing light started to surround the iguana in Viktor’s lap and Viktor grinned, continuing to pet his head gently. “See? All fine. I just get to show the whole world how fully I adore you. All I’ve ever wanted,” he teased, and breathed out when Yuuri’s weight changed, slowly turning human in his lap.

Yuuri clung onto his neck to keep from falling off, dressed only in his undergarments. Clearly, he’d freaked out, and they hadn’t been able to calm him down. Viktor smiled, kissing him softly. “You’re okay?”

“Just terrified,” Yuuri answered, kissing Viktor back. He held onto him, closing his eyes. A few tears fell and Viktor reached out to catch them.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I… what if I let you down?” Yuuri questioned, burying himself against Viktor. They didn’t have much time left, but Viktor wrapped his arms around Yuuri anyway, kissing him again and again.

“You couldn’t. We’ll have to adjust to all of the changes, but you won’t let me down. We’ll love each other forever. That’s all we’re saying today. Not that we’ll never make a mistake, but that we’re dedicated to each other and to fixing them, to being the best we can for each other,” Viktor promised. He was sure that they were going to do a thousand things wrong when they got married, but he wasn’t afraid. Not with Yuuri as his husband.

“I love you,” Yuuri answered, hiccupping slightly and holding onto Viktor.

Mari let them have a few extra moments, which Viktor was incredibly grateful for, rubbing Yuuri’s back softly and whispering reassurances of his love and his devotion to Yuuri. When she walked back in, Yuuri climbed off of Viktor’s lap, smiling a much less teary smile.

“I’ll see you when it’s time for you to be my husband,” Viktor said, blowing a kiss in his direction.

Yuuri blushed, ducking his head toward the ground as he was led out of the room by his sister. “Thank you, Vitya,” he murmured.

“Of course.”

Mari had left his veil and jacket on a table, so Viktor got back to work putting them back on. Mila wouldn’t notice if they were a little off, his makeup and hair had stayed fairly intact. He looked at himself in the mirror once he was completely ready, breathing out.

He was going to marry Yuuri.

Only a little while later, he was led out of the room, led among crowds roaring in excitement. The royal wedding, the talk of both Hasetsu and St. Petersburg. Everyone who could come had come, and they had flooded the streets, cheering excitedly for Viktor and Yuuri’s entrance. Viktor walked out with his head high, the golden crown gleaming above his head.

He walked to the altar, standing there in excitement while he waited for Yuuri and –

Oh, wow.

Yuuri was wearing a beautiful white suit, covered in colored gemstones. They formed a pattern across his back, and were around all of the edges of his sleeves. He simply shined in the light, his crown almost unmatched by himself. He met Viktor’s eyes and smiled brightly, walking taller through the crowds until he took his place.

Viktor took his hands once he stepped onto the alter, kissing his hands softly. “Not so hard, was it?” he asked softly and Yuuri laughed, ducking his head own.

“Easy for you to say. You weren’t so scared you were an iguana for part of the afternoon,” Yuuri mumbled. Viktor laughed, holding onto him.

The ceremony was short, something the two of them had requested. Held on the beachside, it was matched with the cries of gulls and splashes as animals swam throughout the water. Makkachin stood impatiently by Queen Katsuki’s side, tugging on her leash to get to Viktor and Yuuri and the water.

When the time came, Viktor kissed Yuuri, holding him close to himself. “I love you,” he whispered as he pulled away.

“I love you so much,” Yuuri whispered back, throwing his arms around Viktor’s neck. Applause broke out from the crowd and they walked back through them to their ride, hand in hand.

Makkachin climbed into the carriage after them, barking loudly and climbing all over them, desperate to get all of the attention she wasn’t allowed all day to make sure that they kept everything pristine for the wedding.

It was perfect. It was everything that Viktor had imagined.

The party was small, only the royal families and a smattering of friends. Viktor and Yuuri stuck together for most of it, thanking everyone excitedly for their congratulations. It had been arranged, but Viktor had still happily found love with Yuuri.

He admired his ring throughout the night, holding onto Yuuri, marveling at the fact that his was all his. He had his husband, the love of his life. He was going to rule with someone he truly loved.

When all was said and done, the party faded out and Viktor and Yuuri returned to Viktor’s room. Immediately, Viktor stripped out of his wedding suit, carefully laying the pieces out for attendants to pick up later on. Once he was wearing much less, he raided the closet, pulling on something much simpler for himself.

As he turned, Yuuri was pulling on the same for himself. Viktor smiled, undoing the intricate updo. “Brush my hair?” he requested.

Yuuri walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed and helping Viktor brush all of the knots out until it laid flat down his back. Yuuri laid a circlet over Viktor’s hair, kissing his forehead gently. “A walk on the beach?” he asked.

“I’d love to,” Viktor answered, kissing him again. They stayed in the room, holding onto each other and kissing for a few moments until Makkachin got impatient, shoving at their legs.

Yuuri laughed, grabbing her leash. “Let’s go,” he said, reaching out to take Viktor’s hand. Viktor held onto Yuuri’s tightly, walking out onto the beach. The sun was setting, darkness starting to fall. Yuuri reached out to let Makkachin off of her leash, letting her walk peacefully by their side.

A gull flew overhead, loudly crying into the distance. Makkachin rushed after the sound, chasing a bird she couldn’t catch down the length of the beach. She barked in response to each of the gull’s cries and Viktor laughed, shaking his head at his dog’s antics and reaching out to take Yuuri’s hand in his own, leading him slowly down the beach. The sun was fading behind them, casting a soft glow over the whole scene.

“I love you,” Yuuri whispered, turning to face Viktor. He paused their walk, leaning their foreheads together.

“I love you too,” Viktor met their lips, setting his arms gently around Yuuri’s shoulders, holding him close to his body. Yuuri kissed him back, holding him close to himself as he slowly pulled away, leaning against Viktor as they walked down the rest of the beach.

“Are you ready to go back to St. Petersburg?” Yuuri asked softly. It was going to be a new adjustment, living in his own kingdom with his husband by his side, but Viktor wasn’t afraid. He and Yuuri had done so much together, going back to St. Petersburg was going to go completely smoothly. They could come visit Hasetsu if Yuuri got homesick, and there were plenty of beachy stretches in case his curse started to act up. He was going to be understandably anxious the first while that he was there, but Viktor hoped that St. Petersburg would prove to be a good home for him, despite that.

He would support him through anything, and make sure that everything went as smoothly as possible. He wanted Yuuri to be comfortable in his home, and he wanted to be able to take care of him, even if that included a little more shapeshifting.

Viktor could handle it.

“With you by my side?” Viktor asked, his eyes lighting up in his teasing. “I’d be ready for anything, Yuuri.”