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Chapter Text

“Petya, hurry up! We’re going to be late!”

“Coming Uncle Vitya!”

Viktor stood by the front door, already bundled up, holding his nephews bright red coat in his hands.  His long silver hair was down around his shoulders, tucked beneath the dark green scarf around his neck.  He pulled it out from under his scarf, and tucked it behind his ears.  I really should think about cutting it, he thought to himself.  His thoughts were interrupted as his nephew, Peter, came pounding down the stairs, dressed in his practice clothes with sweatpants and a sweater layered over them.  He sat on the floor of the entryway to tug his boots on, and then Viktor helped him into his little coat and hat.  Makkachin stood by his owner, wagging his tail and watching.  Viktor soon knelt down and kissed the top of his furry head.

“We’ll be home soon Makkachin,” Viktor promised. “You be a good boy for Tati and Dimitri, okay?”

Makkachin barked gently, and then padded over to the kitchen where Tatiana was.

“Mama! Papa! We’re leaving!” Peter called once he was bundled up.

“Have a good class, dear!” Tatiana called back, smiling.

“Tell us all about it when you get home,” Dimitri smiled, patting his son’s head.  He then looked up at his brother-in-law. “Thanks so much for taking him, Viktor.”

“My pleasure,” Viktor smiled. “I don’t get to spend as much time as I would like with this munchkin, so I don’t mind at all.”

“Uncle Vitya, let’s go!” Peter grabbed the sleeve of his uncle’s coat and tugged him towards the door.  Viktor chuckled and took his nephew's hand, and then they left the house and walked the short distance to the bus station.  It was only a fifteen-minute ride to their destination.

The other day, Viktor had arrived for a month-long visit.  Yakov had finally given him some decent time off training (so long as he practiced at the local rink), and so he decided to stay with his sister and brother-in-law during his break and spend some time with his nephew.  The eight-year-old was thrilled to have his uncle all to himself, and especially loved playing with Makkachin.

Peter had begun ballet lessons when he was six, and had practically begged Viktor to take him to his classes while he was visiting.  Viktor eagerly agreed, wanting to watch his nephew dance.  So here they were, sitting side by side on the way to the Boys Ballet Academy.  All the while, Peter talked excitedly about his dance class, about his friends, and especially about his teacher.

“I think you’d like him, Uncle Vitya.” Peter said knowingly. “He came last year, along with another lady teacher.  He’s really pretty too!”

“Is that so?” Viktor asked, smiling.

“He’s the best dancer I’ve ever seen!” Peter then exclaimed.  He then hesitated, and glanced over at his uncle. “After you, Uncle Vitya.” He added quickly.

Viktor laughed merrily, and ruffled his nephews’ dark hair fondly.  The bus soon arrived at their stop, and they got off and walked to the academy.  The academy Peter attended was special.  It was an all-boys ballet academy that catered to young aspiring dancers from all over the world.  There were other Boys Academies around the world, but everyone knew the one in Russia was the best.  Since boys came from almost every country, it was important that everyone at least knew how to speak and understand English.  The Academy even offered lessons to new arrivals who had not yet mastered the language.  There was an all-girls ballet academy not too far away, and the two schools often came together to put on productions and recitals.  This year, however, the two schools weren’t going to join forces to put on their annual production of The Nutcracker, Peter informed Viktor seriously.  The Boy’s Academy was doing an all-male version of the classic production.

“Will you be in it, Petya?” Viktor asked.

“No, I’m too little.” Petya said sadly. “But I hope my teacher will!  I bet he’ll get the lead part!”

“Well, if he’s as good a dancer as you make him out to be, I’m sure he will.” Viktor smiled.

They soon made it to the academy, and Viktor watched as his nephew ran off to the locker room to get dressed for class.  He took his scarf and coat off and draped them on a nearby coat rack before going to the front desk to sign his nephew in for class.

“Um, excuse me?” He asked the woman behind the desk. “I need to sign my nephew in for class?”

“Of course,” She smiled.  She had long brown hair, which was twisted into a bun with two locks framing her face, and although she spoke English perfectly, her accent indicated she was one of the two teachers who had come from Japan. “What’s his name?”

“Peter Orlovsky,” Viktor answered.

The woman looked at the clipboards before her, and then picked up the right one. “Here it is,” She smiled, handing it to him. “He has class with Yuuri Katsuki-Sensei.  He and I came here from Japan last year.”

“So I’ve heard.” Viktor smiled, signing Peter in, and signing his own name next to it. “Peter seems to like him a lot.”

“All the kids do,” She smiled, taking the clipboard back. “Oh where are my manners, my name is Minako Okukawa,” She held her hand out. “I teach the juniors and pointe.”

“Viktor,” He shook her hand warmly.

“Uncle Vitya!”

Viktor nodded to Minako, and then turned to see his nephew all ready for class.  He had his black tights and white shirt on, along with his black dancing slippers.  He was also wearing blue leg warmers, and a matching blue sweater for during warmup.

“Ready?” Viktor asked.

Peter nodded, and took his hand to lead him down the halls to where his classroom was.  There was a bench and chairs outside the classroom, and a huge window so parents could watch their children having class.

“Promise you’ll watch?” Peter asked, sounding a bit nervous.

“Every second.” Viktor promised, kissing his nose.

Peter giggled, and then went into the classroom.  Viktor found a seat on the bench, and settled in to watch his nephew.  There were about ten boys in the class altogether, all wearing the same black and white dancers uniform with various colored warm up gear.  They stood in the center of the room, chatting together until their teacher clapped to get their attention.

“Alright everyone, to the barre!”

Viktor’s eyes followed the voice, and his eyes widened a bit.  Peter hadn’t been kidding, this Katsuki-Sensei was indeed very pretty.  He couldn’t have been more than three or four years younger than Viktor’s 26 years.  He wore the same black tights and dance shoes as his students, but wore a ¾ sleeved navy blue shirt instead.  His black hair was a bit messy, and fell into his eyes a little.  He had blue-rimmed glasses that seemed to have a tendency to slip off his nose every now and then.  His face was kind, and his brown eyes were warm and bright as he began class.

“And first position,” Katsuki used a remote to start the music. “And one, two, three, four, five, six,  . . . keep those arms up!” Katsuki performed the same warm up exercise in the center of the room, using a wooden stick propped against the floor as his barre.  Every now and then he would step up to one of the boys and use the stick to tap his arm, or adjust the turn-out of his foot.  He was very professional, and encouraging to the boys.

Between barre exercises, Peter snuck a wave to his uncle through the big window.  Viktor waved back, then pointed to his teacher, telling him to pay close attention.  Peter nodded, and did just that.  After about twenty minutes, Katsuki had them take their warm-ups off and put them in their cubbies by the mirror.  They returned to the barre for two more exercises, and then they all sat down right where they were.

“Wall-stretch everyone.  Make sure you’re not hitting your neighbor!” Katsuki came close to the viewing window, and waited until all the boys were laying with their backs on the floor, bottoms against the wall and legs open in a center split before flicking the lights off.  He went over to the stereo, and turned on some music.  He then continued in a soothing, gentle voice, “I want you all to close your eyes, and just listen to the music.  Focus on relaxing your muscles and let gravity do the work for you.”

There were murmurs of “yes Katsuki-Sensei,” and then the boys fell silent.

Katsuki made one pass around the room, giving a gentle push down to the boys’ feet to increase their center splits before propping his stick against the mirror and moving to the center of the room.  Although the room was dark, there was enough light coming in from the windows that Viktor could see him perfectly.  He turned out a few pirouettes before slipping into a gentle improvised routine.  He moved so gracefully that the floor didn’t even creak as he gently shifted his weight from foot to foot.  The instant a foot left the floor, it was pointed perfectly.

“He’s beautiful,” Viktor found himself whispering.

“Isn’t he?” A nearby parent agreed.  “And he’s so good with the boys, too.”  She then smiled warmly at him. “Which one is yours?”

“My nephew is the one by the corner,” Viktor said.

“Ah, I thought you looked familiar! You must be Tatiana’s brother!  The figure skater!”

“Yes,” Viktor nodded.

“Is this your first time at the academy?” She then asked kindly.

“Yes, unfortunately my coach doesn’t give me a lot of time off to come and visit,” Viktor chuckled.

“Welcome.  I hope we see more of you.”  She smiled warmly at him, and then returned her gaze to the inside of the classroom.  

Katsuki was still dancing, and it took Viktor’s breath away.  He had never seen anyone move with such effortless grace, on, or off the ice.  Even he couldn’t move like that.  Viktor couldn’t really hear the music very well through the thick glass of the viewing window, but he didn’t need to.  Katsuki made his own music with the way he moved his body.  He held himself perfectly straight as he turned out five rotations in a pirouette, and then extended his arms out gracefully and landed with his right foot behind him.  He moved to one corner of the room, and executed a jump, making a perfect left split in the air and landing without making a sound.  Viktor was so enraptured by his performance, that he didn't notice someone come stand beside him.  

“He’s good, isn’t he?”

Viktor looked up to see Minako standing beside him.  She was looking through the window, watching Katsuki dance.

“He is stunning,” Viktor whispered.

“I’ve been teaching Yuuri since he was six.” Minako said softly. “He used to be so self-conscious, so sensitive to criticism...it made me worry that he would give up ballet for good.”

“What changed?” Viktor asked.

Minako smiled and looked at Viktor. “You.”

Viktor tore his eyes away from Katsuki and stared up at her. “M-me?”

“Yep,” Minako smiled.  “His best friend is a figure skater in training, and he sent Yuuri a video of you skating.  I think it was the routine you won gold with at the junior Grand Prix Final a few years ago...in that black one with the half skirt.” 

“I remember,” Viktor nodded.  That had been one of his favorite costumes. 

“He saw how beautifully you were skating, and wanted to dance just as beautifully as a principal ballet dancer.  When he came to class after watching that video, he was an entirely different person.  I think he has a shot at becoming a principal dancer this year.” She smiled proudly. 

“I see,” Viktor murmured, returning his attention to Katsuki.  His dancing soon slowed, and he struck a final pose, holding it for a moment before stepping out of it.  He stretched his arms over his head as he walked back over to the light switch.  He flicked the lights on, calling for the boys to gently get out of their splits and get some water.  He waved at Minako when he saw her through the window, then his gaze fell on Viktor.  Katsuki’s eyes widened a bit, and his cheeks reddened just a little, but then he sent a charming smile in Viktor’s direction and called the boys to the center of the room. 

“See you round,” Minako smiled, then continued on her way down the hall.  Viktor watched her go, and then returned his attention to the class.

Katsuki stood at the front of the classroom, making it hard for Viktor to see him since the viewing window was on the same wall as the mirror.  He kept his attention on his nephew, who was sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in concentration.  He chuckled softly to himself.  He used to do the exact same thing when he was younger.

In the remaining hour of class, Katsuki guided the boys through some floor work, across the floor exercises, and finally a short routine they had started a few weeks ago, just for fun.  At the very end of class, Katsuki led the boys through their final bow, and then turned and bowed to them, thanking them for class.  They bowed back, and then ran up to hug him.

“Thank you boys,” Katsuki laughed happily, patting all their heads. “I’ll see you all on Thursday!”

The boys drifted over to the cubbies to get their warm up gear, and Viktor watched as Peter was called back by Katsuki.  He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but suddenly Peter turned and pointed at him through the glass.  Katsuki smiled, and then followed the boy out of the room.  A few of the parents shook his hand and thanked him for the class, and then he made eye contact with Viktor, and came over.  Viktor stood up politely.

“Hello, I wanted to introduce myself.” The younger man smiled, holding out his hand. “I’m Yuuri Katsuki.”

“Nice to meet you,” Viktor shook his hand. “Viktor Nikiforov.”

“I know,” Yuuri smiled.

“Oh?” Viktor asked, a smile playing at his lips.

“Peter talks about you all the time.” Yuuri smiled, winking at the little boy. “He’s always so proud of his champion figure skating uncle, right Peter?”

“Yep!” He grinned.

Viktor felt his face heat up a bit, and chuckled softly, tilting his head down so his long hair shifted forward to hide his blush a bit. “Well, Peter’s told me a lot about you too, Katsuki-San.” Viktor said, politely adding the honorific at the end of his name.

Now it was Yuuri’s turn to have his cheeks redden. “Oh, just ‘Yuuri’ is fine.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. 

“Alright, Yuuri.” Viktor smiled.

“Are you going to bring Peter to class on Thursday?” Yuuri then asked.

“Yes,” Viktor nodded. “I’m giving his parents a bit of a break while I’m visiting.”

“That’s nice.” Yuuri smiled.  He then glanced at a nearby clock. “Ah, I’ve got rehearsal soon.  I’ll see you on Thursday?” Yuuri asked hopefully.

“Thursday it is.” Viktor agreed.

“Bye Katsuki-Sensei!” Peter waved.

Yuuri waved back, and then watched as Peter took his Uncles hand as they walked to the locker room.  

He’s even more handsome in person, he thought to himself as he watched them walk away.  He sighed softly, smiling to himself, and then went back inside the studio to gather his things.  He put everything in his bag, and hauled it over his shoulder, going to the front desk.  Minako was still there, organizing clipboards for the next set of classes.  She was giving Yuuri some private lessons after his morningclass, and she usually waited at the front desk for him. 

“So, how did class go?” She asked in Japanese. 

“It went well,” Yuuri nodded, continuing their conversation in their native language. “I got to meet Viktor Nikiforov.” 

“I know,” she grinned. “I helped him sign his nephew in for class.” She handed him the clipboard for the class he just finished, and he double checked the names before signing off at the bottom. “He’s rather gorgeous, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed softly.

“You like him, don’t you?” Minako grinned knowingly. 

“M-Minako-Sensei!” Yuuri stammered, his face heating up. 

She laughed softly. “Seriously though, I think he might have a thing for you.” She took the clipboard from him and took the top page off and filed it away. “I happened to be walking down the hallway while you did your usual improvisation . . . Yuuri, he couldn’t keep his eyes off you.”

“W-what?” Yuuri asked, staring at her.

Minako smiled and nodded. “you always dance your best when you’re improvising.” She commented. “and personally, I think the two of you would make quite the pair…champion figure skater and ballet dancer extraordinaire!” she grinned, pumping her fist into the air.

“I just met him, Minako!” Yuuri complained, cheeks reddening furiously.

“Ah, love at first sight then!” She gushed, making the younger dancers’ blush deepen even more.

“S-shut up.” Yuuri stammered. “Come on, you’re supposed to be teaching me right now.” Yuuri snatched his bag up and stormed off to one of the smaller rooms reserved for privates.  He heard Minako laughing as he walked away, and just continued to the room.  Once he was inside, he dropped the blinds to cover the window so prying eyes couldn’t watch.  Minako soon joined him, going over to the stereo while Yuuri changed shoes. 

“So you’re serious about this audition?” Minako switched back to English. 

“I think I have a decent shot at it,” Yuuri said, keeping his attention on what he was doing. “You’ve been training me to do this since I was eleven . . . a lot of the others auditioning only started a few years ago.” 

“True.” She nodded.  She hit play on the music, and the overture for The Nutcracker began to play softly.  Yuuri stood, and rolled his ankles, making sure the ribbons on his shoes were comfortable. 

“Wow, those look great Yuuri.” Minako smiled. 

Yuuri grinned, and looked down at his feet through the mirror.  He had ordered these pointe shoes a few weeks ago, and they had finally arrived.  They were by the same company that made his regular pink shoes, but he had requested them to be done in black satin.  He moved to the barre and went through a few warm up exercises, not too many since he had just ended class.  Once he felt sufficiently warm, he moved to the center of the room. 

That year, the Boys Ballet Academy was putting on a very special performance of The Nutcracker.  This time, the cast would be entirely male, pulling from the students and staff of the academy.  The lead part was open to anyone over the age of sixteen, but there was a catch.  Whoever got the lead had to be able to perform en pointe.  As soon as Yuuri had heard that, he and Minako began private lessons.  Back in Japan, Yuuri had begun pointe at eleven just like the girls had at Minako’s studio.  He had struggled at the start, because the pointe shoes he had been given weren’t quite right for his feet.  Upon realizing this, Minako herself had taken him to the dance shoe store to have him properly fitted.  Now, he didn’t wear anything else.  The Veronese shoes hugged his feet perfectly, and gave his foot a sleek, slender silhouette. 

“Let’s begin with some simple floor work,” Minako said, standing next to him.  She showed him a short combination, and then they drilled it together.  Yuuri held his core tight, making sure he didn’t land hard when he came down from the box of his toe shoes.  He executed the combination perfectly, and then Minako had him practice his pirouettes and turn combinations.  Yuuri was well known for his pirouettes and turn combinations, and his extensions made all the other dancers envious.  The one thing he sometimes struggled with were his jumps.  He could execute them perfectly, but he often faltered on his landings.  They spent the remainder of the hour working landing his jumps, and then Minako had to leave to teach one of her classes.  Yuuri had booked the room for two hours, so for the last hour, he had the room to himself. 

Minako had been teaching him some of her old routines from when she had been in a company, and he went through some of those during his remaining hour.  While he danced, he thought about what Minako had said to him about Viktor Nikiforov.

“Yuuri, he couldn’t keep his eyes off you,”

Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up, and despite his sudden rush of emotion, he landed flawlessly out of his turn combination.  He shifted effortlessly into a different mini routine, and kept that up for the rest of his time.  After the fifth routine, he glanced at the clock to see that he had ten minutes left, so he went through a gentle cool down before sitting by his bag to remove his toe shoes.  It wasn’t a secret at the academy that he knew how to dance en pointe, but he never let on how good he was.  Only Minako knew his true talents.

He wrapped his shoes up properly, and put his toe pads and gel spacers away before fetching the CD out of the stereo.  He rolled the blinds back up, and then left the room.  He didn’t have any other classes to teach that day, and so he checked out at the front desk and headed to the teachers’ dormitory.  He was one of only five staff members that actually used the dormitory, and that suited him just fine.  He didn’t have anyone on his floor or beneath him, so that gave him a bit more privacy.  He entered his apartment, and locked the door behind him before dropping his bag right there.  He went to his bed and sat on the end, resting his elbows on his knees.  Minako’s words kept echoing through his head, making his heart beat quicken.

“Yuuri, he couldn’t keep his eyes off you,”

~~~

“We’re home!” Viktor called, holding the door open for Peter. 

“Welcome back.” Tatiana smiled.  She came over and helped her son out of his coat and boots. “How was class dear?” 

“It was good, mama.” Peter smiled.  He then tugged on his mother's hand until she knelt down in front of him. “Mama, I think Uncle Vitya has a crush on Katsuki-Sensei.” He said rather seriously. 

“P-Petya!” Viktor stammered, his face getting warm once again.

Tatiana merely laughed softly, and clucked her son’s cheek. “And what makes you think that, dear?” 

“His cheeks got all pink when Katsuki-Sensei complimented him, just like your cheeks get all pink whenever papa says something sweet to you.” Peter beamed. 

“I see.” Tatiana smiled, and then glanced up to see her little brother’s face bright red.  She took pity on him, and looked back at her son. “Now Petya, it’s nice that your uncle likes someone, but it’s not very kind to embarrass him about it, okay?” 

“Okay mama.” Peter nodded.

Tatiana kissed the top of his head, then sent him upstairs to get changed.  She watched him go, then turned to her brother.

“So?” She asked.

“So what?” Viktor mumbled, taking his scarf off.

“What do you think of Katsuki, hm?”

“H-he’s a good dancer.” Viktor said, paying extra attention to how he hung his coat up.

“Vitya,” She sighed. “Come on, you can be honest with me!  I’m your sister!”

Viktor hesitated, and looked down at his hands. “He was stunning, Tati,” He murmured. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone dance so beautifully before.”

“Is that all?” She asked kindly.

“Not just his dancing . . . he is beautiful too.” Viktor mumbled.

Tatiana smiled, and took her brother's hand and squeezed it gently. “Life isn’t all about skating, Vitya.  It’s about time you found someone for yourself.  You should take some time to get to know him.” She encouraged. “From what I’ve heard he’s a bit of a loner at the academy, but he’s the sweetest boy there.”

“M-maybe.” Viktor agreed. 

Tatiana smiled, and kissed her brother’s cheek. “Now come help me make lunch, Vitya.”

Viktor smiled, and followed his sister to the kitchen.  He tied his hair up into a messy bun to keep it out of his face while he helped her cook.  Tatiana didn’t say anything, but every now and then she caught her brother smiling warmly to himself, no doubt thinking about Katsuki.  She smiled to herself as well, overwhelmingly happy that her brother had finally found something outside of skating that he could grow to love.

Chapter Text

The following Saturday, Viktor found himself awake earlier than normal, eager to take his nephew to his ballet class.  Sadly, he hadn’t had much time to talk to Yuuri on Thursday – the dancer had been whisked away to rehearsal with Minako the moment he ended class.  He wanted to see Yuuri again, he wanted to see him dance.  Just thinking about it made his heart flutter just a bit.  Despite the early hour, he got up and went about preparing for the day, much to Makkachin’s annoyance.  The pooch whined, then simply rolled over and fell back asleep as soon as Viktor got out of bed.  He laid out the clothes he wanted to wear, then took a quick shower.  He dried his hair as best he could when he got out, but he knew it would still be wet by the time he and Peter left.  Really should cut it . . . he heaved a sigh.  Not fancying having wet, cold hair against his neck, he quickly twisted it up into a bun.  He couldn’t stand just lounging about in his room, so he dressed, grabbed his bag, and went downstairs, figuring Makkachin would come down when he got hungry.

“Morning Vitya.” Dimitri said when Viktor entered the kitchen.

“Morning,” Viktor replied.

“You’re up early,” Dimitri commented. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Just eager to take Peter to class, I guess.” Viktor said, shrugging.

“Ah, so you like that Katsuki fellow that much, eh?” Dimitri asked with a wink.

Viktor felt his cheeks heat up, and he ducked his head down, concentrating extra hard on the coffee he was making.  Dimitri just laughed heartily, and put his arm around Viktor’s shoulders.

“I don’t mean to tease,” his brother-in-law said gently. “Really, it’s good that you’ve found someone you like.  Honestly, it’s about time you think about something other than skating.  You’ll waste your life away if you don’t.”

“Hm, Tati said the same thing.” Viktor murmured.

“I’ll bet she did.” Dimitri smiled, removing his arm and starting on breakfast for them all.

Tatiana and Peter soon joined them downstairs, and they ate breakfast together before Dimitri sent Peter upstairs to get dressed for class.  Viktor waited by the door as he shrugged into his coat and secured his scarf around his neck.  Once Peter was bundled up, they were off.

Minako was glad to see Viktor when they arrived at the Academy.  Viktor sent Peter off to the locker room to get ready, then went over. 

“Welcome back.” Minako smiled, handing him the clip board.

“Thanks,” Viktor smiled, signing Peter in for class. 

“Yuuri will be glad to see you,” Minako said softly. 

“H-he will?” Viktor looked up at her, surprised.  His cheeks flushed a little bit, but she hardly noticed. 

“Yep.” She then glanced at the clock. “He’s probably still warming up for class.  If you go now you might catch him before he starts.” She added. “Don’t worry, I’ll send Peter your way once he’s ready.” 

“Oh, thanks.” Viktor nodded.  How did she know? He wondered.  He made his way down the hall, and just stood at the viewing window, giving Yuuri the chance to spot him in his own time.   Viktor smiled as he watched him warm up. 

Yuuri had music playing, and as Viktor stood there, he realized that it was the same song on repeat.  From what he could hear, the song sounded quite alluring, much more sensual than he thought ballet music could be.  For a while, Yuuri was sitting on the floor, laying on his stomach in a center split as he just listened to the music.  As the song came to an end, he pulled through his split, and gracefully got up off the ground.  He struck a simple pose, his right foot behind him with his arms down at his sides, and waited for the music to begin.  It did, and he began to dance.

Viktor gasped softly behind his hand as he watched Yuuri dance.  For the first minute or so, Yuuri slipped through the moves effortlessly, dancing with a sort of muted sensuality that Viktor had never seen in ballet before.  Thirty seconds later though, all that sensuality went out the window.  Yuuri moved onto a more complicated part of the routine, and even Viktor – who had little ballet experience – could tell that he was just thinking way too much to really feel the music.  Viktor watched him none the less, entranced by how easily his feet moved against the floor.  If he’d been a skater, his step sequences would have been flawless, Viktor thought to himself.  Yuuri stepped easily into a pirouette, but then stepped out of it, stopping his routine, and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. 

Yuuri glanced up at the clock over the doorway, and only then did he spot Viktor out of the corner of his eye.  His face lit up, and he ran over to the stereo to pause his music before stepping out of the classroom. 

“You’re back,” Yuuri said a bit breathlessly.

“I couldn’t stay away.” Viktor said, smiling. “That routine you were doing was beautiful.”

Yuuri flushed bright red. “Oh, that . . . I didn’t think anyone was watching.” He murmured nervously.

“It was stunning,” Viktor smiled. “Though, you seemed to lose the emotion once the tempo increased.”

“I know,” Yuuri nodded. “I’m still trying to figure out the emotion of this piece.” 

“What’s it called?” Viktor asked. 

“Well, it’s from Swan Lake, and it’s actually the piece that the evil sorcerer dances to, but Minako and I thought it would be fun to choreograph a routine for the Black Swan to this music.” Yuuri explained. “She likes to challenge me.” 

“I can see that,” Viktor nodded. “But from what I’ve witnessed, it looks like you’re up to the challenge.” 

“T-thanks,” Yuuri smiled, still blushing a delicate pink over his cheeks. 

“Will you ever perform this routine?” Viktor then asked, hoping he didn’t sound too eager.

“I was thinking about performing it at the recital this summer…” Yuuri trailed off. 

“I’m sensing a ‘but’?” Viktor prompted gently 

“I just can’t figure it out.” Yuuri said frustratingly.  “I know the steps, I can do them in my sleep, there’s just something missing and I can’t figure it out.”

Viktor thought for a moment.  He dimly recalled seeing the Bolshoi Ballet perform Swan Lake years ago, and tried to remember what he could about the Black Swan.

“The Black Swan is supposed to be a seductress, right?” Viktor asked.

“Yeah,” Yuuri nodded. “In the story, she’s the sorcerer’s daughter, and she seduces the prince in order to kill Odette, the white swan.” 

“Well that’s it then,” Viktor said, shrugging. 

“Uh, what’s it?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor smiled, and leaned forward so his face was close to Yuuri’s.  The dancer blushed, but didn’t try to move away.  Viktor chuckled softly, then leaned even closer so that his mouth was by Yuuri’s ear. “Dance like you’re trying to seduce someone.” Viktor whispered. He then pulled away, and watched Yuuri to gage his reaction.  Yuuri stood there, staring at him for a while.  He suddenly looked down, using his bangs to hide his red cheeks. 

“You make it sound so easy.” He muttered. 

Viktor laughed merrily, and tucked a few fallen strands of hair back into his bun.  “I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out.  After all, you are an amazing dancer.” 

Yuuri glanced up at him, then looked back down.  Viktor didn’t mind his bashfulness though; he could see the proud smile gracing Yuuri’s face just fine. 

There was a series of chimes from inside the classroom, and Yuuri looked over his shoulder at the doorway. 

“Ah, that’s my alarm.  Class is about to start.  I’ll see you after?” He asked, heading for the door. 

“See you after, Yuuri.” Viktor smiled, and then took a seat on the bench before the viewing window.

Peter soon came hurrying down the hallway, and paused for a moment to give his uncle a big hug before hurrying into the classroom with the other boys.  Viktor watched the class with a smile on his face, recalling just how adorable and charming Yuuri had looked with his cheeks flushed light pink.  

When it came time for the boys to do their regular wall stretch, Yuuri turned the lights off again, and moved to the center of the room after pushing the boys’ feet down gently.  Yuuri had left the classroom door open that day, and so the soft music trickled into the hallway. 

The music began, a soft, simple measure of piano.  Viktor watched as Yuuri went through a few steps, pausing every now and then to just listen to the music.  Unlike on Tuesday, where he just danced his heart out, Yuuri looked frustrated and conflicted.  He kept staring down at the floor, marking out a few steps before stopping again.  He kept closing his eyes, listening to the music, but he didn’t look pleased at all.

“What’s wrong, I wonder?” Viktor murmured to himself.

“He’s probably choreographing,” A parent offered.

“Hm?” Viktor looked up to see one of the boys’ dads smiling at him.

“Whenever Katsuki-Sensei is choreographing something serious, he gets like that.  We’ve all seen it many times.” He said.  The other parents there nodded in agreement.

“I see,” Viktor nodded, looking back through the window. 

“Either that, or he doesn’t like the music.” 

Viktor looked back over his shoulder to see Minako leaning against the wall behind him. 

“Do you always come to watch when he improvises?” Viktor asked, eyebrow arched. 

“Pretty much,” Minako smiled. “I’ve seen him pull out some of his best work during the short five minutes of wall stretch.”  She watched Yuuri for a while, and then heaved a sigh. “Yep, it’s the music.” She groaned. 

“The music?” Viktor questioned. 

Minako nodded, and pushed off the wall to stand next to where the skater was sitting. “Yuuri’s had this song for a while.  All I know is that he had a friend from College compose it for him.” 

“Wow, an original composition,” Viktor breathed.  He was familiar with commissioning pieces for his programs.  Ever since he joined the senior division, he made it his practice to have new music written for every season.  He understood the frustration when a piece didn’t quite turn out the way he wanted.

“I think he likes the song, overall,” Minako sighed. “But it’s lacking.”

“He could get it recomposed,” Viktor suggested.

“Perhaps,” Minako nodded.  She then smiled, and then continued on her way down the hall.  

By the time Viktor returned his attention to the class, Yuuri had flicked the lights on, and the boys were gathered in the center of the room.  They went through their regular schedule: floor work, across the floor, and then back to the center to work on their routine.  Yuuri was serious about using it for the recital, for he was already giving the boys their positions.  He led them through their final bow earlier than normal, but then had them all sit down on the floor while he grabbed a folder and called for the parents to join them inside the classroom.  Viktor went as well, and stood behind the boys among the other adults. 

“Hello everyone,” Yuuri began, smiling. “I just wanted to let you all know that the auditions for this year’s production of The Nutcracker will be during the last week of September.”  He held pulled a flyer out from his folder and held it up. “The auditions are open to students ages 9 and older, unless they are selected by teacher recommendation.”

“Teacher recommendation?” Viktor echoed to himself.  Yuuri must have heard him though, for he began to explain exactly what that meant.

“A student can be admitted into a production if he has two letters of recommendation from a teacher either here, or from the girls’ academy.” Yuuri explained. “We have ten spots open for recommended students this year.” 

“When will the results be posted?” A parent soon asked. 

“Results will be posted at the front desk the following Monday.” Yuuri said. “The list will be broken down in sections, so if your student has been placed in multiple sections, his name will be listed multiple times.  Once the cast has been finalized, you will all receive a comprehensive schedule for practices, fittings, and all of that.” 

Yuuri then walked around and handed the flyers at to the parents.  Viktor took his with a smile, and scanned it quickly. 

“I’ll keep a flyer taped to the mirror, and there will be extras at the front desk just in case.” Yuuri finally said. “If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me, or Madame Lilia, who will be directing this years’ production.”

“M-Madame Lilia?” Viktor gasped in surprise, causing the other parents to look at him. “As in Lilia Baranovskya?”

“The one and only,” Yuuri grinned.

A few parents then came up to ask some questions, and Yuuri answered them if he could, and wrote them down if he couldn’t.  He promised to get the answers before Saturday’s rehearsal.  The parents soon drifted out of the classroom with their students, and Viktor followed his nephew out as well.  He had Peters bag over his shoulder, for he was going home with a friend from class and would be spending the night.  He also had his own bag sitting by his feet, holding his skates and practice clothes.  He waited by the front desk for Peter to change, and then smiled when his nephew came over. 

“Here’s your bag,” Viktor said, handing it over. “You’re sure you have everything you need?” 

“Yep!” Peter grinned. “Papa helped me pack last night.” 

“Alright,” Viktor knelt down and kissed his forehead. “Have a good time.  I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” 

“Okay! Love you Uncle Vitya!” Peter hugged him tightly. 

“Love you too,” Viktor smiled.

Viktor watched as Peter caught up with his friend, and soon they were gone from the academy.  He hung around the front desk, knowing that Yuuri would have to stop by sooner or later to sign off for his class.  Only five minutes passed before Yuuri arrived. 

“Hey there,” He smiled.  He then looked around. “Where’s Peter?” 

“He’s staying over with a friend, they left already.” Viktor explained. 

“Ah,” Yuuri smiled, then searched through the clipboards until he found the right one. “So are you just going to relax at home then?”

“Actually I was going to go practice,” Viktor said, nudging his bag with his foot. “Yakov will kill me if I come back rusty.” 

“Yakov Feltsman?” Yuuri asked. “Madame Lilia’s ex-husband?” 

“Yep,” Viktor nodded. 

“I’ve heard he’s kind of grouchy,” Yuuri noted as he stepped behind the desk to file away the sign in sheet. 

“He is,” Viktor said with a grin. “And he really hates it when I don’t listen to him.” 

“I take it you don’t listen to him often?” Yuuri asked with a chuckle. 

Viktor just laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.  Yuuri merely shook his head, and shouldered his bag. “Well, I have to go.  I’m covering Minako’s class today.” Yuuri then looked down at his hands, and glanced back up at Viktor. “M-maybe I’ll stop by the ice rink when I’m done?  It’s been a while since I’ve skated.”

“You know how to skate?” Viktor demanded, leaning across the front desk, his expression surprised.

Yuuri leaned back, eyes wide at Viktor’s exclamation, but nodded. “Y-yeah.” He then smiled. “Back home in Japan, there’s a rink near my family’s inn.  If I wasn’t in class with Minako-Sensei, I was at the rink skating.  Come to think of it I almost pursued figure skating instead of ballet.” He added almost as an afterthought.

“Seriously?!” Viktor exclaimed. 

Yuuri nodded, a bit touched at Viktor’s enthusiasm. “My best friend is a figure skater too, so when he visits he teaches me a thing or two.” 

“Well, now that I know you can skate, you’ll have to meet me at the rink when you’re done!” Viktor grinned. “I want to see how good you are on the ice!” 

Yuuri’s cheeks reddened a bit, but he grinned back. “Alright then.” He smirked. “I’m done with class in an hour and a half, so I should be able to make it to the rink in two hours.” 

“I’ll be waiting,” Viktor winked, and then shouldered his bag and left the academy.  

Yuuri watched him go, and then made his way to Minako’s classroom.  The class he was subbing for was a beginner’s pointe class.  He didn’t have the professional training necessary to teach a full-on pointe class, but the academy president deemed him experienced enough to substitute for an introductory class.  The students were on pointe at the barre for the most part, and only did about twenty minutes of pointe in the middle of the floor before changing to regular ballet slippers if they wanted.  A few of the students were in the classroom warming up and chatting a bit when he got there, so he just headed to the stereo and put his own pointe shoes on.

“Wow Katsuki-Sensei! Those are neat!” 

Yuuri looked up to see Minami standing over him, looking at his black pointe shoes. 

“Thanks Minami,” Yuuri smiled, securing his ribbons.  He stood and tested his shoes out to make sure everything was comfortable, then he warmed up his shoes a bit at the barre.  His alarm soon went off, and he silenced it before starting class.

“Hello everyone.  Minako-Sensei wasn’t able to make class today, so I’m standing in for her.  In case anyone doesn’t know me, I’m Yuuri Katsuki.  You can call me Katsuki-Sensei.” Yuuri introduced himself.  There were only a few faces he didn’t recognize. “Minako-Sensei trained me herself in pointe, so I think you’re in pretty good hands.” He smiled, and then clapped his hands. “Alright, to the barre, first position.  We’ll begin with your usual tendu warm up.”

Yuuri used the remote to start the music, and then stood in the center of the room, using his stick as his barre as he went through the exercise with the students.  He called out corrections, reminding them to really point their feet since pointe shoes were more stubborn than ballet slippers.

He walked them through half an hour of warm up at the barre, and then they began some serious pointe work.  Yuuri demonstrated the exercise in the center of the room, then started the music and had the students do it at the barre.  He walked around, giving corrections as they went through the exercise.  They did pointe barre work for twenty minutes, and then they moved to the center of the room. 

“I think we’ll begin with a simple echappé, passé, combination.” Yuuri announced.  He turned to face the mirror, and demonstrated the combination for the students.  They all watched, and then Yuuri turned on the music so they could perform the exercise. 

“Slide onto the platform! Don’t jump!” He shouted over the music. “you’ll kill your feet if you hop onto the platform every time!  Control!”

After ten minutes of center-floor work, Yuuri called for a water break.

“Does Minako-Sensei usually have you change out of your shoes?” He asked them.

“At this point it’s optional,” One of the students piped up. “Starting in two weeks though, we’ll be doing the whole class en pointe.”

“Alright,” Yuuri nodded. “If you want to change to slippers, now is your chance.  If you want to continue on pointe, feel free.” 

About half of the students changed into the ballet slippers.  The other half, Minami included, remained in their toe shoes.  They spent the rest of class doing some across the floor work, and practicing pirouettes, especially for those still on pointe.  When class was almost over, Yuuri led them in a final bow, and then turned to the class and bowed to them.

“Thank you for class,” He smiled when he bowed his head. “I’m make sure to give Minako-Sensei a glowing report.”

The students thanked him, and drifted off to their cubbies.  Yuuri gathered his things, and went to the front desk to sign off for class.  He then hurried to his apartment, wanting to get to the ice rink as fast as possible.  He hadn’t skated since he’d arrived in Russia and the academy, but to get a chance to skate with Viktor Nikiforov, there was no way in hell he was going to pass that up.

~~~

When Viktor arrived at the rink, it was still open to public skate.  He had booked the rink for three hours after public skate ended, but figured he could use the public time to warm up.  He laced his skates on, and left his things in his locker before heading to the ice.  It was rather busy, so he merely did laps around the ice to get his legs warmed up.  An hour later, an employee announced that public skate was over, and to please exit the ice so it could be smoothed.  Viktor left the ice as well, and went to sign in for his three-hour time slot. 

“Oh by the way, I’ve got someone joining me.  They should be here in about an hour,” He told the employee. 

“Alright, what’s their name?” The girl asked. 

“Yuuri Katsuki.” Viktor supplied. 

“Alright, we’ll let him in when he gets here,” She assured him.  Viktor nodded a thank you, and then went back to the rink.  They were still smoothing the ice, so he leaned against the barrier, sipping his water and scrolling through his phone until he found his playlist for his program music.  There was a stereo there he could plug his phone into, and he got everything set up while he waited for the ice to be ready. 

“Mr. Nikiforov! The ice is ready!” The employee called. 

“Thanks!” Viktor waved, and set his phone and water down next to the stereo.  

He turned on his old program music and did a few laps to warm back up, before going over his roster of jumps and spins.  He spent an hour going over his technique, and then moved on to refine his free program.  He did have the whole thing choreographed, but he was still playing with the step sequence.  He went through the entire program as it was a few times with the music, and then set the song on repeat to focus on the choreography.  He was so tuned into his training, that he didn’t notice someone arrive at the edge of the rink.

~~~

Yuuri hurried into the rink, and stopped at the front desk.

“Hi, is Viktor Nikiforov in there?” He asked the employee, slightly out of breath.

“He is, are you Yuuri Katsuki?” She asked, reading the name off of a post-it.  She mispronounced his last name, but he let it slide.

“Yeah, that’s me.” Yuuri confirmed.

“Go right in.  He told us you’d be coming,” She smiled warmly.

“Thanks.” Yuuri nodded, and went into the locker room.  

He hadn’t bothered to change after teaching class.  He’d just thrown his track suit pants on over his tights, grabbed his skates and coat, and rushed to the bus stop.  So here he was in the locker room, layering socks over his tights before lacing his skates on.  He made sure the skate guards were in place, and just stood in this boots for a while, getting used to the feeling of them again.  He stuffed his things in a locker, then carried his phone and water bottle out with him to the rink.  Once he pushed the doors open, his eyes widened. 

Viktor was soaring across the ice to a song that Yuuri could only describe as heartbreaking.  It was slow, but had a beautiful orchestral arrangement accompanying the male singer.  The lyrics were in a language Yuuri couldn’t understand, but he felt the emotion either way.  He set his water and phone next to Viktor’s by the stereo, and then just stood against the barrier, watching him for a while.  Sure, Yuuri had watched him perform on T.V. plenty of times, but seeing him skate in person was completely different.  He smiled as he watched Viktor perform an entrancing step sequence, letting his teacher’s brain take over for a while.  He analyzed his technique, recognizing when Viktor let his core go, or when his balance wasn’t quite where it needed to be.  He was still smiling when Viktor exited his step sequence, and skated over to the stereo for a water break.  His sweaty face lit up when he spotted Yuuri.

“Ah, you finally made it!” He grinned, skidding to a stop.

“Yeah,” Yuuri smiled. “Were you working on a program just now?”

Viktor nodded, taking a drink from his water.  “I’m working out my step sequence for my free program.”

“How’s it coming so far?” Yuuri asked.

“I’ve hit a bit of a road block to be honest,” Viktor heaved a sigh, slumping against the barrier.

“Maybe I can help?” Yuuri offered. “I don’t know a lot about the technicalities of figure skating, but I know how to choreograph.” 

Viktor’s head snapped up, and he stared at Yuuri with wide eyes. “You’d . . . help me?” He breathed. 

“Sure!” Yuuri smiled. “It’ll be fun.  I can’t make any promises you’ll like what I do though,” He chuckled softly, and then moved to the entrance to the rink.  

Yuuri removed his skate guards, and stepped onto the ice as if he had never left it.  He did a few laps skating forwards, and then whipped around and did a few more laps backwards.  He practiced a few spins, and a step combination he had come up with just for the fun of it.  He practiced a few jumps, only letting himself do doubles.  He couldn’t risk hurting himself attempting a triple or quad.  After landing quite firmly out of a double flip, he skated back over to where Viktor was standing by the stereo, staring at him with wide eyes.

“W-what?” Yuuri asked, shoulders completely steady.  That little warm up had barely winded him. 

“Why didn’t you pursue figure skating?” Viktor asked, his voice sounding unusually small. “That was amazing, Yuuri!” 

Yuuri flushed and looked down, fiddling with the wrist of his glove. “I had to make a choice,” He explained. “Between figure skating and ballet.  My body couldn’t handle both.  It was hard, but . . . I love being on stage.  The thrill of being the only one on stage in a huge theatre, the spotlight on you, dancing your heart out . . . it’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced.”

“You seem very passionate about it,” Viktor said, his blue eyes bright. “Still, from what I just witnessed, you would have been a formidable opponent on the ice.” 

“thanks,” Yuuri grinned.  He then leaned back against the barrier. “So are you gonna show me this step sequence or what?”

“I’ll let you hear the music first,” Viktor said, and queued up his music.  He pressed play, and skated lazily to the center of the rink as it began. 

Yuuri tilted his head up, closing his eyes as he listened to the song.  The beginning was soft, just a few gentle instruments accompanying the singer.  He felt a sort of loneliness as he listened, and tucked his hand under his chin as the music became a bit stronger.  The music softened again, and Yuuri’s eyes furrowed, feeling an overwhelming sadness.  The music suddenly surged, and Yuuri could finally pick out two of the words sung: Stammi Vicino.  Sounds Italian, he thought to himself.  He continued to listen, even though he couldn’t understand the words.  He didn’t know what Viktor had choreographed already, but he could already feel a sort of story from the way the music was written.  The music ended on a bold note, and Yuuri soon opened his eyes. 

“What’s this song called?” Yuuri called to Viktor. “I’ve never heard anything like it before.”

“It’s called Stammi Vicino.  It’s an Aria.” Viktor said, skating back over. “I had it commissioned for my program this season.”

“Is it in Italian?” Yuuri guessed, smiling when Viktor nodded, confirming his suspicion. “It’s a beautiful song . . . but it’s so sad.” 

“It’s a love song,” Viktor smiled, retying his hair up out of his face. “Both of my programs are about love this season.  This one is more about the desperation to find love.  My short program, well, I’ll let you listen to it for yourself.” Viktor grinned, and then picked up his phone to queue the music.  He hit play, and Yuuri’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

The tone of his song was completely different from the aria.  This song was upbeat, fun, and – for lack of a better word – sexy.  Yuuri found himself smiling as he listened.  He couldn’t help it.  He could imagine a couple, donned in passionate red performing a tango or flamenco dance.  The sensuality of the song actually reminded him a bit of his own routine, the one about the Black Swan.  However, while the seduction in his piece was a bit malicious, Viktor’s just sounded like pure fun. 

“I love this song,“ Yuuri grinned. “What’s it called?  It’s so fun!”

Viktor laughed, nodding his head in agreement. “It’s called On Love: Eros.” He informed the dancer.  “It’s one of two arrangements of the same music.  The other is On Love: Agape.  I’ve choreographed a routine to that arrangement as well for another skater.” 

“Hmm,” Yuuri hummed, nodding. “And, what is it about, exactly?”

“Agape has to do with unconditional love,” Viktor explained, skating closer and closer to Yuuri.  For the second time that day, Viktor stepped, or rather, skated into his personal space, pinning him down with those bright blue eyes of his.  Yuuri couldn’t do anything other than grip the barrier behind him, and stare right back at him. “Eros, on the other hand,” Viktor began, his voice softer and lower than usual, “deals with sexual love.”

“Oh,” Yuuri breathed, the word barely audible. 

Viktor chuckled softly, and then skated backwards, back to the center of the rink.  Yuuri followed, after a beat, and stopped himself far enough that he wouldn’t get in Viktor’s way, but close enough so he could really see what he was doing.

“I already have the Eros routine done.” Viktor said, using his remote to switch to his free-program music. “Here, I’ll show you the step sequence I’m having trouble with.” 

Viktor hit play on the remote, and then marked his routine out until he came to the step sequence.  Yuuri went into teacher-mode as he watched him, thinking up stylistic changes Viktor could apply to the sequence as watched him perform.  The step sequence was beautiful, but it was missing something.  The music was so heartbreaking and desperate, but Viktor looked too fierce, too determined almost.  Viktor soon skated out of the sequence, and pulled the remote out of his pocket again to pause the music. 

“What do you think?” Viktor asked, slightly out of breath. 

“It’s a beautiful step sequence, don’t get me wrong,” Yuuri began. “But where’s the story?  What story are you trying to tell with this piece?” 

“Story, hm?” Viktor hummed to himself.

“I’ve watched every program you’ve ever performed on live television, and you always tell some kind of story through your movements and through the music.” Yuuri said, not caring at the moment that he was exposing his inner fanboy. “So what’s the story for Stammi Vicino?”

“I haven’t really thought about the story yet,” Viktor admitted. “I have the lyrics, if you want to see them.” 

“I would.” Yuuri nodded. 

Viktor led him back to the stereo, and scrolled through his phone until he found the lyrics.  He had translated them into Russian for himself, so he took a few minutes to translate them into English.  He then handed his phone over, and watched the dancer as he read the words. 

“Alright,” Yuuri nodded when he was done, handing the phone back. “So it seems like the story has to do with someone being confused about love, they don’t know what to do with it, and they just want to push it all away and ignore it altogether.” Yuuri then paused, thinking for a moment. “But then, at the end, the lyrics suggest that the person has found someone that they don’t want to let go of.”

“I thought the same,” Viktor nodded, staring down at the lyrics. 

“Then you need to figure out who you’re performing for.” Yuuri said, shrugging. “Who is that one person that you absolutely cannot live without?” 

“Someone I can’t live without,” Viktor echoed, staring down at the ice. 

“It might take some time to think about it,” Yuuri offered gently, placing a comforting hand on the skaters’ shoulder. “So why don’t we work on the technique of that step sequence for now, alright?” 

“Okay,” Viktor nodded.

Chapter Text

 In the end, Yuuri and Viktor ended up spending the remaining two hours of Viktor’s practice time tearing the step sequence apart. While he skated, Viktor kept thinking about what Yuuri had said,

“Who is that one person you absolutely cannot live without?”

A few people came to him immediately. His sister, brother-in-law, and nephew of course. His fellow skaters back in St. Petersburg, but that was all familial love. The love in his free program had to do with romantic love. It had to do with passion. Who was that person who made his heart flutter, who made his cheeks flush when he was always so calm and collected. At the moment, that would be—

“Viktor that was great!”

Viktor pulled himself out of his thoughts, and looked up to see Yuuri grinning at him.

“W-what was?” Viktor asked. “I kind of blanked out for a while.”

Yuuri chuckled softly. “You just did your step sequence perfectly.” He informed him. “The technique was spot on, and the emotion! Just who were you thinking about?”

I was thinking about you, but I can’t tell you that!! Viktor tucked a few strands of fallen hair behind his ear, mumbling something about not being able to remember. Yuuri smiled nonetheless, his brown eyes shining brightly. Viktor smiled as well; he couldn’t help it. Yuuri’s cheer was contagious.

The weeks passed, and Viktor and Yuuri ended up spending every Saturday afternoon together at the ice rink. While it was true that Yuuri didn’t know all that much about the technicalities of figure skating, he knew a hell of a lot about presentation and performance. Viktor almost wished that he could bring Yuuri back home with him to help him during practice. He was so much nicer than Yakov. Despite his kindness, Yuuri didn’t hold back when he had a correction to give. Viktor took every word he said and committed them to memory. He took every correction and applied himself until he’d made it.

On the Thursday of Viktor’s third week visiting, Yuuri came to him after his class at the academy had finished. He looked a little sad, but at the same time, excited.

“Hey, Viktor.” Yuuri said.

“Is something wrong?” Viktor immediately asked, reading the dancers face.

“Oh, no!” Yuuri assured him quickly. “I just wanted to tell you I won’t be able to make it to the ice rink this Saturday.”

“Oh,” Viktor hoped he didn’t sound too disappointed. “How come?”

“My mom and sister are coming to visit,” Yuuri smiled. “my Saturday afternoon class here is cancelled as well. We’ll be having a double class in the morning to make up for it.”

“Oh,” Viktor said again, nodding. “I bet you’re excited to see your family.”

“I am,” Yuuri smiled. “Though I have a feeling I won’t be seeing much of my sister,” He added with a laugh.

“What?” Viktor asked, completely confused.

“My sister and Minako-Sensei are engaged,” Yuuri told him with a smile. “Whenever Mari comes to visit, she often spends more time with her intended than with me.”

“I had no idea,” Viktor’s eyebrows rose. “Minako doesn’t wear a ring . . .”

“Oh she does.” Yuuri corrected. “She wears it on a necklace. A lot of dancers do that actually. It’s easy for a ring to fall off one’s finger while you’re dancing, and we aren’t allowed to wear any jewelry during a production. So dancers often wear their rings on a necklace and pin it to the inside of their costumes.”

“Ah, I see.” Viktor nodded, recalling the gold chain Minako always had around her neck.

“I’d love for you to meet them,” Yuuri then said. “So make sure you come and watch Peter dance on Saturday!”

“I’ll be here,” Viktor promised.

Yuuri then fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “You know, Minako has cancelled my rehearsal with her today,” He began softly. “She’s working with the other teachers on choreography for auditions. We could go to the ice rink this afternoon instead, if you’re not busy . . .”

“I’m not busy at all!” Viktor grinned, his face lighting up. “I need to take Peter home of course, and get my skates and practice gear, but I’ll come right back!”

Yuuri laughed, warmed by Viktor’s enthusiasm. “Alright, I’ll meet you at the front desk then.”

Viktor nodded, and then winked at Yuuri before turning to hunt for his nephew among the dozens of little dancers wandering around. He found Peter, and forced himself to wait until his nephew was done talking with his friend before they left the academy. When they got home, Viktor helped Peter out of his coat, and then went upstairs to change. When he came back downstairs, Tatiana lifted an eyebrow at his attire.

“I thought you practiced on Saturday’s, Vitya,” She commented.

“Yuuri can’t make it to the rink on Saturday, so we’re going today.” Viktor said, combing his hair up into a ponytail.

“Oh?” Tatiana smiled knowingly at her little brother.

Viktor gulped, and felt his cheeks heat up. “S-stop it Tati.”

“I’m just happy for you,” She smiled. “Have you told him how you feel, yet?”

“No.” Viktor shook his head. “It’s only been three weeks . . .”

“I know,” She nodded.

She let the conversation drop, and Viktor bundled up into his coat and scarf. He shouldered his bag, and then left, making his way to the bus station. While on the bus, he called the rink to see if they had any time slots available that day. He was relieved when they informed him that the rink was open for booking until 5 pm that day. Viktor immediately booked a two-hour slot, and then hung up, spending the rest of the ride in silence. He soon made it to the academy, and hurried back inside. Yuuri was at the front desk, talking on the phone with someone when he arrived. Yuuri smiled at him when he noticed the skater, and then resumed his conversation. Viktor stood nearby, listening as Yuuri spoke in Japanese. He couldn’t understand a word he was saying, but it didn’t matter. The tone of his voice sounded happy and cheerful. He soon hung up, and slipped his phone in his pocket.

“Sorry about that, my mom wanted to make sure everything was ready when they arrive on Saturday.” Yuuri explained with a smile.

“It’s alright.” Viktor smiled. “I managed to get a two-hour slot at the rink for today.”

“Oh, that’s great!” Yuuri smiled. “And on such short notice.”

“I know,” Viktor agreed.

Yuuri soon signed out, and then he and Viktor left the academy together. While they were waiting at the bus stop, Viktor asked him a question.

“Say Yuuri?”

“Hm?”

“You said Minako is working with the other teachers on audition material,” Viktor began. “Why aren’t you there too?”

“Oh!” Yuuri looked down a bit and his cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. “Well, I can’t be there.”

“Why not?” Viktor worried. “You aren’t in trouble with the academy, are you?”

“Oh no!” Yuuri shook his head. “I can’t be there because I’m auditioning.”

“Really?” Viktor grinned.

“Yeah,” Yuuri nodded. “A few of the other younger teachers are auditioning as well, so we can’t be present during the teacher meetings. It would be unfair if we got to see the material before everyone else.”

“I see,” Viktor nodded. “Which part are you going to audition for?”

Yuuri hesitated for a moment before answering. “The lead.” He finally said.

Viktor stared at him with wide eyes. “But . . . doesn’t the lead have to be able to dance on pointe? That’s what Peter told me.”

“Well, I’ve been training on pointe since I was eleven, so I think I’m good.” Yuuri smiled.

Viktor’s jaw dropped, and he continued to just stare in wonder at Yuuri, even once the bus had pulled up. Yuuri just laughed at him, and pushed him onto the bus. Viktor finally got over his surprise, and snapped his mouth shut.

“Doesn’t pointe hurt?” Viktor asked, sounding worried.

“It did at first,” Yuuri admitted. “But it’s just like getting used to new skates, really. You build up calluses, and learn how to wrap your feet and what not. You find the shoe that works, learn how to soften and shrink it to your liking, and go from there.”

“Soften and shrink?” Viktor echoed. “I’m afraid I don’t know that much about dance shoes.”

“That’s alright,” Yuuri said. “When you get a new pair of pointe shoes, you have to soften the sides of the box, that’s the hard part at the front that lets you dance on your toe.” He explained, crossing his ankle over his knee to point to the front of his foot. “Then if the shoe’s too loose on the back, you use water to shrink the fabric here, and here.” Yuuri then indicated along the back sides of his foot.

“And this is all before you even put them on?” Viktor asked.

“Yep!” Yuuri grinned. “Plus you have to darn the platform, and sew your ribbons and elastics on.”

Viktor let out a huff. “And here I thought breaking in new skates was bad.”

Yuuri just laughed.

They arrived at the ice rink, and Yuuri signed them in before following Viktor to the locker room. They changed into their skates in silence, then went to the rink. Yuuri stepped onto the ice and took a few laps around the perimeter while Viktor plugged his phone into the stereo. He put some old program music on softly, and joined Yuuri out on the ice. Yuuri stayed to the edge of the rink, still making slow laps as Viktor moved to the center. He watched Viktor go through his signature move, the Quadruple Flip a few times, admiring his technique. A new song soon started on the stereo, and Yuuri’s eyes lit up as he recognized the soft music-box like introduction.

“I remember this one,” Yuuri said thoughtfully. Viktor had performed this piece at 15, two years after he’d made his debut in the junior division. The version Viktor had skated to had been in Russian, but Yuuri recalled looking up the song in its original English shortly after watching Viktor perform to it years ago.

“Did you say something Yuuri?” Viktor asked, skating over.

“Oh, I just remembered watching you skate to this song,” Yuuri smiled. “It’s from that animated movie about the Russian princess, right?”

“Grand duchess,” Viktor corrected, smiling. “But yes. I had to fight Yakov to let me use it.”

“Really?” Yuuri asked. “How come?”

“He’s not fond of his skaters using music from movies,” Viktor shrugged. “but as soon as I watched it, I desperately wanted to skate to this song. Yakov let me use it on the condition that I had to choreograph it myself. It was the first routine I’d ever come up with on my own.”

“Wow,” Yuuri breathed.

Viktor then smiled, and reached over to restart the song before going to the center of the rink. He remembered every single program he had ever performed, and stepped easily into the routine as the vocals began. From the side of the ice, Yuuri gasped softly, and watched with wide eyes as Viktor skated effortlessly to the music. He’d been entranced the first time he’d seen Viktor perform this routine on T.V. His hair had only reached his shoulders at the time, and he had half of it pulled back away from his face. Yuuri’s favorite part though, had been his costume.

Echoing the movie, Viktor’s costume had had two parts. For the first minute or so, he had on a somewhat ill-fitting plain brown tunic and dark red trousers with a barely-there gold stripe down the sides. Yuuri remembered being slightly disappointed at first. Viktor’s costumes had always been so beautiful, and here he was, wearing this? His disappointment had vanished quickly though, when Viktor had ripped off the tunic, tossing it to the side of the rink to reveal a beautiful white and gold Russian-styled jacket. He’d had a brilliant blue sash going from his right shoulder to his left hip, pinned to the jacket with a gold brooch. He’d looked like a prince.

Yuuri watched as Viktor stepped into the final spin. As the music trickled away, he stepped out of the spin and lowered himself onto one knee facing Yuuri, his right hand crossing his chest to his left shoulder. Yuuri just stared back at him for a moment, before grinning and clapping his hands. Viktor laughed, and stood, giving Yuuri a dramatic bow. He soon skated back over to the stereo.

“I think that is still one of my favorite programs you’ve ever done,” Yuuri commented as Viktor went through his music on his phone.

“Are you familiar with all my programs?” Viktor asked, a twinkle in his eye.

Yuuri blushed, and looked to the side. “Maybe,” He mumbled. “P-Phichit likes to send me videos all the time of your performances.”

“Phichit Chulanot?” Viktor asked. “The Thai skater?”

“Yep!” Yuuri smiled. “I helped him refine his ballet technique. He finally qualified for the Grand Prix this season. I’m really proud of him.”

“Well, I’d better watch out for him if you helped train him,” Viktor said with a wink.

Yuuri flushed once again, and just watched as Viktor queued up his free program music. He got it set up, and then retied his hair out of his face.

“Want to go through it just once to start with?” Yuuri asked him.

“Yeah,” Viktor nodded, then skated over and handed Yuuri the remote. Yuuri took it, then skated to his usual spot on the ice. It was off to the side, close enough that Yuuri could watch, but far enough away that he didn’t get in the way of Viktor’s performance. He waited until Viktor struck his opening pose, and then hit play.

Viktor’s head rose with the music, and he threw himself into the program. For this first run through, Yuuri put his teachers-brain to the side, and just watched Viktor’s expression and movements. He’d been steadily improving the story he was trying to tell with each practice they had together, but Yuuri could tell he was still holding back. Perhaps he did it on purpose, in case a competitor saw him practicing . . . or maybe it was because Yuuri was watching.

Viktor hit his final pose, and held it for a moment before letting his arms drop. Yuuri paused the music before the song could repeat, and met Viktor over by the stereo.

“That was really good, Viktor.” Yuuri smiled. “I think you’ll snag the gold again no problem this season.”

Viktor chuckled softly, wiping his face with his towel. “Thanks.”

Viktor did his program twice more, and then took a bit of a break. While he rested, Yuuri skated out onto the ice and practiced a few tricks. He went through his jumps, taking a risk and breaking his own rule as he executed a triple axel. It had always been his strongest jump. He then went through some footwork, doing a step sequence Phichit had taught him. He could feel Viktor watching him as he skated, so he decided to show off a bit. He might be the reigning men’s figure skating champion, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

Thanks to his ballet training, he had the flexibility to execute a few techniques to an extent that most male skaters couldn’t. He skated gracefully into an Ina Bauer, arching his torso and letting his arms extend back so that his upper body was practically parallel to the ice. He then straightened up, and did a wide lap around the ice, picking up speed to skate into a spin. He lifted up his right foot, and reached behind him with his right hand and hooked his fingers on the blade of his skate. He used his left hand to support his wrist, and then drew his leg up behind him into a beautiful Biellmann. He was flexible enough that he could keep his torso pretty much upright while he brought his leg up behind his head. After half a dozen rotations, he let his skate go, and stepped out of the spin. He took a moment to catch his breath before skating over to get his water bottle. Viktor was tapping away at his phone when he arrived, but Yuuri ignored it.

Viktor soon set his phone down, and skated onto the ice, perfecting a few things from his short program. He didn’t have the music playing; he just wanted to run through some of his technique. Yuuri leaned against the barrier, watching him closely, but his attention was pulled away as his phone started to go off repeatedly.

“What the—“ Yuuri picked his phone up, and his eyes widened at the amount of messages and notifications he suddenly had. Most of them were from Phichit, but he was also getting messages from Yuuko and Nishigori, his sister, as well as some of the dancers he was friendly with at the academy. He unlocked his phone, and was about to open up his messages when he got a call from Phichit. He answered it, turning away from the rink so his voice wouldn’t distract Viktor.

“YUURI OH MY GOD THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL!!” Phichit shouted into the phone.

Yuuri winced and held the phone away from his ear. “Phichit, what are you talking about?”

“YOU!! I’m talking about you!!” Phichit shouted. “Hang on.” Yuuri heard the tapping sounds of Phichit’s phone keyboard, and then his own phone chimed with a new message from his best friend. “I just sent you a link, check it out.”

“Okay?” Yuuri stayed on the line, but pulled his phone away so he could open the link Phichit had texted him. It took him to his Instagram app – which he rarely used – but instead of opening up on his own feed, it opened up onto Viktor’s!

Viktor had posted a video, just a few minutes ago, and he stared at the black square as it loaded. The image soon popped up, and Yuuri’s eyes widened as he recognized himself. He tapped the play button, and watched. Viktor had started recording him shortly after he landed out of his triple axel. Thank god, the last thing I need is Minako seeing that and yelling at me for doing a triple jump. Viktor had followed him as he skated through the step sequence, and then zoomed in when Yuuri had done the Ina Bauer. He had remained zoomed in as Yuuri extended into the Biellmann, and had ended the video just as he had skated over to the stereo. He watched the video once more, before scrolling down to see the comments.

phichit+chu: @yuuri-katsudon YUURI THAT IS BEAUTIFUL I’M CRYING!!! TT.TT

yuri-p: who the hell is this guy?

mila-ice-queen: wow @yuuri-katsudon your flexibility has gotten better!

okukawa-minako: @yuuri-katsudon very beautifully executed, but I swear to god if you hurt yourself before auditions I will kill you.

There were already dozens of other comments, either complimenting his technique, or wondering irritably who the hell he was. A lot of the comments were in Russian, and he didn’t feel like trying to translate them in his translation app, so he just ignored them. He finally closed Instagram, and put his phone back to his ear.

“Did you see it?” Phichit asked excitedly.

“Um, yeah, I saw.” Yuuri said softly.

“The internet is blowing up over this!” Phichit gushed. “Apparently Viktor never posts videos of himself or other people skating, so for him to post a video of you is a freaking big deal!”

“Is that so?” Yuuri mumbled.

“Yuuri, do you realize that you just pulled off a near perfect Biellmann with hardly any traditional figure skating training?” Phichit said seriously. “There are skaters who have been training their whole lives who can’t do what you just did!!”

“I am a ballet dancer, Phichit.” Yuuri reminded him.

“I know! But it’s different when you’re on the ice!” Phichit insisted.

“Whatever you say,” Yuuri sighed. He glanced over his shoulder to see Viktor skating back over to the stereo. “I gotta go, talk to you later, Phichit.”

“Bye Yuuri!”

Yuuri set his phone down, and turned around to look suspiciously at Viktor. Viktor thoroughly ignored his gaze, and took a swig from his water bottle before getting his music ready to go through his free program again.

“Viktor.”

“Yeees?”

“Phichit just sent me a very interesting link,” Yuuri began, leaning back against the barrier.

“Oh? What of?” Viktor asked.

“Your Instagram page,” Yuuri said, smirking at the shocked look on Viktor’s face. “More specifically, the video you just posted about five minutes ago.”

Viktor paused, and glanced to the side at Yuuri. “Are you mad?”

“No,” Yuuri assured him. “I’m a bit flattered actually, just . . . next time, let me know before you post something? My phone’s going off like crazy.”

Viktor chuckled, cheeks still pink from the initial embarrassment of getting caught. “Alright.”

Yuuri laughed, then pushed him off towards the center of the rink. “Come on, we only have a half hour left before our block ends.”

They spent the last half hour with Viktor just drilling his routine. By now, Yuuri had pretty much learned the routine just from watching, and sometimes skated alongside Viktor, demonstrating what he was trying to explain in his comments and corrections. By the time their block on the ice ended, they were both pleasantly exhausted.

“Your free program is going to be amazing,” Yuuri grinned as they walked to the locker room. “But I can’t wait to see your short program.”

“I have a video of it,” Viktor said, sitting down to remove his boots. “I could send it to you.”

“Really?” Yuuri asked. “You trust me enough to show me your program before competition starts?”

“Of course I do.” Viktor said. “Besides, the program is about sexual love. Maybe watching it can help you figure out your Black Swan routine.”

“Oh,” Yuuri nodded, tugging his second skate off. “Thanks Viktor, I’d love to see it.”

They soon had their skates off and were bundled up to head back to the bus. While they waited, Viktor went on and on about how well Yuuri had executed the Biellmann spin, mourning the fact that he just didn’t have the flexibility to do it well enough for a competition. The bus soon arrived, and they settled in side by side.

“Oh, give me your phone number Yuuri,” Viktor suddenly said, pulling his own phone out of his pocket. “So I can send you that video I promised.”

“Oh. Right.” Yuuri nodded, and told Viktor his number. The skater tapped his screen for a few moments, and before long, Yuuri’s phone chimed with a new message. He opened it, and saved Viktor’s number into his contact list before downloading the video. The bus soon slowed, and Yuuri stood and got his bag.

“Text me after you’ve watched it,” Viktor smiled.

“Alright,” Yuuri nodded. He then looked down and blushed a bit. “I know I say this every week, but I really did have a good time today. Thanks, Viktor.”

“You’re welcome, Yuuri.” Viktor smiled.

Yuuri smiled, and got off the bus. He waved at Viktor as it rolled away, and then turned and headed to the dormitory. He got inside, and decided to take a quick shower before watching the video. He scrubbed the sweat off of him from practice and ice skating, and then dried off quickly and changed into some comfy sweatpants and an over-sized long sleeved shirt. He grabbed his phone, plugged his headphones in, and then brought up the video. The thumbnail showed Viktor, standing in the middle of the rink by himself. His long hair was tied into a ponytail, but his bangs were left down to brush against his forehead, and he was wearing all black. Yuuri hit play, and then settled against his pillows to watch.

The music began, that striking melody of acoustic guitar, and Viktor’s head snapped up. He moved through a few steps, swiping his arms around gracefully, before coming to a stop. He whipped his head towards the camera, and gave a flirtatious smirk before skating off to the right. Yuuri felt his breath catch a bit in his throat. Violin joined the guitar, and the tempo of the music increased.

Yuuri was entranced as he watched Viktor go through his step sequence. It wasn’t as complicated as he had expected, but the way Viktor moved his body along with the music and stared down the camera as often as he could kept him from looking away. As part of the choreography, Viktor used his bangs almost like a prop, running his hands through it, as if he were just simply combing it back out of his face. Yuuri felt his face heat up as he watched. It was the most sensual routine he had ever seen anyone skate.

So this is what Viktor meant by Eros, Yuuri thought as he watched. I can’t look away. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to dance this sensually . . . so that Viktor can’t look away from me.

Yuuri blushed furiously at that thought, and shook his head, as if trying to shake the thought right out of his ears. He took a deep breath, and rewound the video a bit to re-watch the part he’d zoned out on.

At one point in the step sequence, he skated evenly on both skates, and brought his hands up to the side of his face and clapped like a flamenco dancer. Viktor flourished his hands out and up, and transitioned into a beautifully executed spin combination.

The music suddenly became more dramatic, and Viktor’s skating picked up speed. He lost a bit of the sexuality in his moves as he focused on the technique, but Yuuri reminded himself that this was just a practice run. He was sure the real thing would pretty much be complete sex on ice. Viktor began to skate sideways, slapping his hands against the sides of his thighs, and drawing them up to his hips before extending them out as he picked up speed. Yuuri recognized the preparation, and gasped softly when Viktor transitioned into a triple axel, landing out of it smoothly.

Yuuri’s eyes were glued to the small screen of his phone as Viktor executed another shorter step sequence, transitioning into an impressive jump combination. He couldn’t be absolutely positive, but he thought that the first jump in the combination had been a quad flip, Viktor’s signature move. The sensuality of the choreography slowed a bit as Viktor showed off his technical skills, but that flirtatious smirk never left his face.

About thirty seconds before the music ended, Viktor picked up the emotion of the choreography again, stepping easily into an intricate spin combination. He began with his right leg extended out straight behind him, and then rotated his hips so his leg was in front of him and sank into a sit spin, using his left hand to keep his leg in place, and letting his right hand reach up to the ceiling. He soon began to rise up out of the sit spin, and his rotations increased in speed as his body became more streamlined. He extended his arms outwards to slow himself down, and then moved into the final steps of the routine. He threw his arms dramatically to the right, looking away as if he were casting a lover aside, and then swept his arms around and brought them to wrap around his chest as he struck his final pose, gazing intently at the camera.

Viktor held the final pose for about three seconds, and then let his arms drop. From off camera, Yuuri could hear a gruff voice talking to him in Russian, and Viktor nodded, responding to whatever the gruff voice had said. Viktor skated closer and closer to the camera, and the last thing Yuuri saw was Viktor extending his hand out to hit the ‘stop recording’ button.

Yuuri let his hand drop to the side, and just stared at the wall for a while. He’d seen Viktor skate dozens of times before during their Saturday practices, and while watching him on TV during competitions, but this routine was something else entirely. He placed his hand against his chest, startled that his heart was beating just a bit faster than normal. He took a few deep breaths, trying to get his body to calm down. Once his heartrate was back to normal, he picked his phone back up again and opened up his messages to text Viktor.

<Just watched the video you sent me.> Yuuri scrolled through his music as he waited for a response, searching for the song he was using for his Dance of the Black Swan. Just when he hit play, his phone chimed with a message.

<And? What do you think?>

That it was basically sex on ice and there is no way in hell I can dance like that, Yuuri thought miserably. He heaved a sigh, and typed out a response. <It was incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you skate like that.>

<Thanks.> There was a pause, and a second message appeared. <Did it help you figure out your Black Swan routine at all?>

<Yeah, it’s given me some things to think about before I have rehearsal again on Monday.>

<Good! I really do look forward to seeing you perform the whole thing :3>

Yuuri chuckled at the little emoji, and typed out a response. <Maybe I’ll record what I have on Monday and send it to you?> He hit send, and watched his screen, waiting for Viktor’s reply to pop up.

<REALLY?!?>

<YOU WOULD DO THAT?!?>

<YES PLEASE I’D LOVE TO SEE IT!!!>

Yuuri laughed out loud, warmed by Viktor’s enthusiasm. It was strange . . . he’d known Viktor personally for only about three weeks now, and yet his opinion and encouragement meant so much to him. He smiled as he typed his reply.

<Sure, it’s no problem at all.> Yuuri thought for a moment, and then sent another message. <Hey, who designs your costumes?>

<I design them myself> Viktor replied. <Though sometimes my sister helps me a bit. Why?>

<If I’m going to perform the Dance of the Black Swan at the recital, I’m going to need a costume . . . would you mind helping me figure one out?> Yuuri blushed, and hit send before he could regret what he had typed out. He gnawed at his lower lip, waiting for Viktor’s message to pop up.

<Of course! Once you have the whole thing choreographed, I’d love to help you figure out a costume!!>

<Thanks.> Yuuri smiled as he hit send.

Yuuri leaned back against his pillows again, and opened up his Instagram. He tapped the screen, taking him to Viktor’s feed, and watched the video he’d recorded again. The first few times, he watched it critically, mentally noting the mistakes he made and what he could have done to make his Ina Bauer smoother, or make his entrance into the Biellmann more graceful. He then watched it again, just for the sake of watching. He noticed he had a smile on his face while he skated. It had always been his favorite way of relaxing. Back home, whenever he was stressed about a production or recital, he would escape to Ice Castle and skate for hours on end. He was lucky Yuuko and he were such good friends; she let him skate whenever he wanted. Phichit’s voice soon echoed through his head again.

“Viktor never posts videos of himself or other people skating, so for him to post a video of you is a freaking big deal!”

Yuuri smiled to himself, then tapped the screen and left a comment under the video.

yuuri-katsudon: @v-nikiforov i’m flattered that you deem me worthy enough to post on your feed.

He’d barely posted the comment when Viktor responded.

v-nikiforov: @yuuri-katsudon of course you are! It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen on the ice!

Yuuri flushed, and read the comment a total of five times before finally bringing himself to reply.

Yuuri-katsudon: @v-nikiforov thanks :)
 

Chapter Text

Viktor and Tatiana sat side by side on the bench, watching Peter dance.  Since it was a longer practice, Tatiana had tagged along, bringing snacks for Peter to munch on during his break halfway through.  They watched, smiling softly as Yuuri walked the boys through some new technique.  They were working on their pirouettes that day, and many of the boys, Peter included, were so very close to landing a triple.  

“Remember to hold your core!” Yuuri instructed.  He was standing at the back to the room, leaning against the barre so he could see all of the boys in the mirror.  “Shoulders down, rib cage closed, tailbone pointing to the floor!”

He counted down again, and the boys all prepared for the turn in unison, and then raised up into their pirouettes, right leg at a perfect ninety degree passé.  Two of the boys barely landed their triples, but the rest of them fell out of it before they completed the final rotation.

“Luc, Damien, well done.” Yuuri complimented the two who landed their triples. “Now you need to work on consistency.”

The two boys nodded, and then Yuuri clapped his hands. They tried their triple pirouettes a few more times, and then Yuuri had them move to the corner of the room to run through their jumps.

“Yuuri seems to be working them pretty hard,” Tatiana murmured to her brother.

“He’d mentioned that this week's classes would be tougher than usual,” Viktor nodded in agreement. “Auditions are next week.  He wants to make sure the boys are ready.”

“Ah, right,” Tatiana murmured. “I’d almost forgotten about auditions since Peter is too young this year.”

“He could still get in,” Viktor said hopefully. “If he gets recommended.”

“True,” Tatiana nodded. “He really wants to be in it this year.”

“I know.”

~~~

At the front desk, Minako was filing away sign in sheets from the other day.  Whoever had been on front-desk duty the other day had neglected to do what they were supposed to.  She was about halfway done with them when a high-pitched bark caught her attention.  She looked up from the papers to see her future mother-in-law, her fiancé, and her future brother-in-law’s tiny poodle.

“ Hiroko! Mari! You made it !” She grinned.  She then leaned over the front desk to smile at the small poodle. “ Hello Vii-chan ,”

The poodle yelped happily.

“ Is Yuuri still teaching ?” Hiroko asked, looking around.

“ Yeah, I’ll take you to his room .” Minako put the papers away to file later, and had another teacher take over the front desk.  Minako pecked her fiancé on the cheek first, and then led them down the hall.

“ Minako !” Mari hissed. “ Isn’t that-- ” She pointed to the silver-haired man watching.

“ Yep ,” Minako grinned. “ He’s been visiting.  He and Yuuri have become quite close, actually .”

“ Seriously ?” Mari asked.

“ Yep, but don’t say anything.  At the moment, they are - frustratingly - still just friends .” Minako added, rolling her eyes.  They came to a stop, standing behind the parents sitting at the bench.

“ Oh look at him! This is my first time watching him teach!” Hiroko smiled proudly.

“ He’s really good with the kids, ” Minako told her.

Viktor and Tatiana both turned around when they recognized Minako’s voice.

“ Mari-chan, isn’t that the man Yuuri has on his posters at home? ” Hiroko whispered to her daughter.

“ Yup .” Mari nodded.  Her mother just giggled softly behind her hand in response.

“Hi Minako-Sensei,” Tatiana smiled.  Viktor just nodded.

“Hey there.” Minako switched to English. “And how are our boys doing today?”

“Yuuri’s working them hard,” Tatiana said.

“Auditions are right around the corner,” Minako sighed. “All of us teachers are working our students hard.”

“ Ah! Vii-chan! Stop! ”

Viktor’s eyebrows rose in surprise, and he looked down in time to have a small fluffy ball of brown fur jump onto his lap.  He yelped, startled, and then realized it was a small, cute brown poodle reaching up to lick at his face.  Viktor laughed, and patted the dogs head.

“Ah, he looks just like a tiny Makkachin!” Tatiana giggled, leaning over to scratch behind the dogs’ fluffy ears.

“Whose dog is this?” Viktor asked Minako.

“Yuuri’s,” Minako smiled.  One of the women said something to Minako, and then she translated.  “Hiroko wanted to bring him along as a surprise.”

Minako took a moment to briefly introduce the two women with her.  Viktor learned that Hiroko was Yuuri’s mother, and Mari his sister and Minako’s fiancée.  Hiroko had short brown hair, and a kind round face.  Mari was taller and slimmer than her mother, and had dark brown hair with blonde highlights.

“ Vii-chan, get down please!” Hiroko said, stepping forward to pat the dog’s head.  The dog whined, but did get down, opting to sit by Viktor’s feet and wag his tail happily.

“Vee-chan?” Viktor asked, repeating the strangely-pronounced word.

Minako and Mari started to giggle. “Yuuri hasn’t told you?” Minako asked the skater.  Their laughter only increased when Viktor shook his head.

“Oh this is too good.” Mari snickered.

“Um, should I be worried?” Viktor asked, glancing between the three women.

“Nah, but we’ll let Yuuri explain once class is over.” Minako grinned.

They didn’t have to wait for long.  Before they knew it, Yuuri was leading the boys through their final bow.  He thanked them for class, and then dismissed them, going to the stereo to put his things away.  By the time he had everything packed in his bag, most of the students and parents had left.  He stepped out of the classroom, and gasped.

“ Vii-chan!” He beamed.

He dropped his bag and knelt down as the poodle bounded over to him.  Yuuri laughed, hugging the dog tightly and cooing to him in Japanese as the pooch licked his face happily.  After receiving plenty of kisses from his poodle, Yuuri got up and greeted his mom and sister. Minako then went back to the front desk to finish up that paperwork, and Yuuri got to work with formal introductions.

“ Mom, Mari, this is Viktor Nikiforov, and his sister Tatiana.  I teach Tatiana’s son, Peter .” Yuuri introduced in Japanese.  He then switched back to English. “This is my mom, Hiroko and my older sister, Mari.  They're visiting for the weekend.”

“ It’s so good to meet you !” Hiroko beamed, bowing politely.  Mari just nodded.  Yuuri translated everything his mother said.

“Say, Yuuri?” Viktor soon asked.

“Hm?” Yuuri asked.

“What did you name your dog, exactly?” Viktor’s eyes landed on the dog in question, who was circling Yuuri’s legs, tail wagging happily.

“Uh, well…” Yuuri’s face suddenly reddened, and he began to stammer, trying to think up a quick explanation.

“Yuuri named his dog after you,” Mari said in heavily accented English, unable to pass up an opportunity to embarrass him.  She smirked as she looped her arm round her little brothers’ neck.

“Mari!!” Yuuri complained, burying his face in his hands.

“Really?” Viktor asked, his eyes widening.  He felt his cheeks flush a bit, feeling oddly flattered.

“ Ever since he was little, Yuuri’s always been a big fan of yours! ” Hiroko beamed.  Mari happily translated.

“ Mom! !” Yuuri whined, face flushing bright red.

“As soon as he found out you had a poodle, he practically begged our parents to get one too.” Mari added, grinning. “And that’s how we ended up with Vii-chan here.”

Vii-chan’s ears perked up upon hearing his name, and padded over to Mari.  Mari leaned down to scratch behind his ears.  

Okay floor, time to swallow me whole , Yuuri thought miserably.  He snapped something to his sister in Japanese, but she only laughed in response.  Hiroko smiled fondly at her children.

“Yuuri you need to go change,” Minako said as she rejoined them, blessedly breaking the silence. “We need to head out soon so we don’t lose our reservation.”

“Oh, right,” Yuuri nodded, thankful for an excuse to get out of there.  He kissed Vii-chan’s wet nose, then stood up. He went to the front desk, Viktor and Tatiana following so they could wait for Peter to finish changing.  As Yuuri signed off on class and filed the paper away, Viktor came up to him.

“Your family seems nice,” Viktor smiled.

“Yeah,” Yuuri smiled, nodding. “It’s really great for my mom to visit.  It’s hard for her to leave the inn often.”

“Inn?” Viktor asked.

“My family runs a hot spring inn.” Yuuri grinned. “Whenever my mom leaves to visit me, my friend Yuuko usually stops by to help my dad out if it gets too busy.”

“Interesting,” Viktor hummed.

“What about your parents?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor sighed softly. “My mother passed away when I was young,” He began softly.  He then looked down. “And I don’t speak to my father.”

“Oh,” Yuuri murmured, “I’m sorry Viktor, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

“It’s alright, you didn’t know,” Viktor smiled kindly.

“ Yuuri, hurry up !” Mari drawled. “ You can talk to your boyfriend later!”

“ Shut up Mari!” Yuuri snapped, his face flushing red.

Viktor merely chuckled. “Is she teasing you?”

“You could call it that,” Yuuri muttered.

“Don’t worry, Tati teases me all the time,” Viktor assured him, smiling brightly. “It’s an older-sister thing.”

Yuuri smiled, and shouldered his bag once again. “I’ll see you Tuesday?”

“I’ll be here.” Viktor promised.

Yuuri smiled, and then left the academy to hurry to his apartment.  He changed quickly, tugging his scarf and hat on as he walked out the door, and rejoined his family outside the Academy.  His mom had bundled Vii-chan into an adorable little sweater, since his tiny body wasn’t accustomed to such cold, Russian temperatures.  As soon as he spotted his owner, Vii-chan scampered over and practically jumped into Yuuri’s arms.

“Aw, I missed you too buddy,” Yuuri smiled, kissing the top of his fluffy head.

“So, you seem very friendly with Viktor,” Mari grinned as they waited for a taxi.  Yuuri blushed, but he was grateful that she at least had the decency to speak in their native tongue; less of a chance of someone overhearing and understanding their conversation.

“I’ve been helping him with his free program for this season,” Yuuri explained.

“You aren’t a figure skater though,” Mari noted, looking at her brother in confusion.

“No, but that’s not what he needed help with.” Yuuri shook his head. “He needed help with presentation.”

“Ah, you’ve always been excellent at that dear!” Hiroko smiled proudly.

“Thanks mom.” Yuuri nodded.

“So! Minako tells us you’re going to audition for the lead this year!” Hiroko beamed. “Are you nervous?”

“Not really,” Yuuri said honestly. “I’ve been practicing a lot, and my pointe is stronger than ever . . . I think i have a shot at it.”

“Well we’ll be cheering you on!” Hiroko promised. “You’ll have to call us right afterwards and tell us how it went!”

“I will, i promise.” Yuuri smiled, feeling very touched.  

Hiroko and Toshiya didn’t understand the technicalities of ballet very well, but they were always so supportive of his decisions and so proud of his successes.  When he had decided to accept the invitation to come to Russia with Minako, his parents had been overjoyed that their son had been picked to teach at and attend such a prestigious ballet academy.

The taxi soon arrived, and they bundled in as Hiroko went on and on, talking about Yuuri’s past performances with Minako and how much he’d improved since he’d started classes when he was six.  Yuuri let her have her moment, and settled in between his mom and sister while Minako sat in the front.

“Hey, Yuuri?”

Yuuri turned to look at his sister.

“So, do you really like Viktor?” She asked sincerely, switching their conversation to English to keep it semi-private.  This was one of the things he really loved about his sister.  Yeah, she teased him like there was no tomorrow, but at the end of the day, she genuinely cared about him, and made sure he knew she cared. “I mean, now that you’ve gotten to know him?”

Yuuri looked down at Vii-chan, who was sitting comfortably in his lap, and nodded.

“Have you told him?” She then asked.

“It’s only been three weeks Mari,” Yuuri murmured. “I don’t want him to think that I like him just because I’ve been his fan since i was a kid.”

“I understand,” She nodded. “Still, from the way the guy was watching you teach . . . I think he has a serious thing for you.”

“What?”

Mari laughed softly. “Until Vii-chan startled him and jumped onto his lap, his eyes were glued to you.  I thought he was going to break a hole through the glass he was watching so hard.  I think he really admires you Yuuri.  He obviously trusts you.  I mean, you’re teaching his nephew, and you’re helping him choreograph his own programs.”

“Him? Admire me?” Yuuri asked her skeptically.

Mari hummed and nodded. “I know it’s only been three weeks,” She began gently. “But . . . Don’t fall out of contact once he goes back home to prep for the season.  You deserve someone for yourself after all this time.”

“I’m only 22 Mari.” Yuuri muttered.

“Yes, you’re 22 and you’ve never had a relationship!” She pointed out. “He makes you happy.”

“How do you know that?” Yuuri demanded.

“Your attitude has changed since he started visiting and bringing his nephew to class.” Mari explained. “You’ve been sounding so happy and excited during our video chats . . . You just seem happier.” She then giggled softly. “And now I know why!”

Yuuri groaned, and pressed his forehead against Vii-chan’s head.  Hiroko glanced over at her children.

“Mari are you teasing him again?” She scolded.

“No, no.” Mari assured her mom, waving her hand. “Just giving him some sisterly advice.”

“Alright dear.”

Yuuri asked after the inn for the rest of the trip.  Hiroko assured him that business was doing very well, and that their regulars came back as often as they could.  

“Are you still going to come home after the audition results are announced?” Hiroko asked.

“Yeah,” Yuuri nodded. “There are more people auditioning than the academy had planned for, so the results will be posted later than originally scheduled.  They should be posted by Thursday at the latest, then we have usual class during the week and teacher meetings regarding the production.  I still have my classes to teach on Saturday and rehearsals if I get the lead, so i figured i’d leave Sunday afternoon and then fly back to Russia on Wednesday.”

“Why not stay longer?” Hiroko murmured. “I thought you said you have the whole week after the announcements off!”

“He does, but we have a staff meeting that Thursday regarding the production.” Minako joined in. “I’m covering his classes on Tuesday, but he has to be at the meeting on Thursday.”

“Yep.” Yuuri agreed. “Even though i might be in the production myself, i’m still required to attend meetings.”

“Ooh how exciting!  What will the meetings be about?” Hiroko asked excitedly.

Yuuri smiled at his mother's excitement.  “Whatever Lilia says it’ll be about.” He laughed. “We haven't been told.  That’s why I have to be there.”

“Ah i see.  Then that's okay.” Hiroko smiled.

The taxi soon pulled up to their destination, and Minako paid while Yuuri, Mari, and their mother climbed out of the back.  Minako had found a reasonably priced authentic Russian restaurant to take Hiroko and Mari for their first meal of their visit.  She gave the maitre’d their reservation, and they were seated in minutes.

“They’re okay with a dog in here, right?” Yuuri asked Minako as they were led to their table.

“Yep.  I made sure to check when i made the reservation.” Minako winked, smiling.

“You knew they were bringing Vii-chan and you didn’t tell me?” He demanded.

“What’s the point of a surprise if it gets spoiled?” Minako laughed.  Yuuri merely rolled his eyes, and sat across from his sister at the table.  Vii-chan settled happily on his lap, snoozing lightly.

They talked happily while they ate.  Hiroko eventually began to pester Minako and Mari to please finally pick a date to get married, but they were still undecided.

“Maybe sometime next year?” Minako said hesitantly, glancing at Mari. “After the recital in June, I’ll be able to take some time off at the Academy . . .”

“Are you guys gonna have a traditional wedding or a western one?” Yuuri asked them.

“Traditional,” The both said in unison.

“You’re going to willingly wear a kimono?” Yuuri asked his sister skeptically.

“Hey it’s for a special occasion!” She insisted, sticking her tongue out at him. “And you’ll have to wear one too!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Yuuri nodded.

“Oh I bet your father’s old formal kimono would fit you like a glove Yuuri!” Hiroko beamed happily. “You’ll have to try it on when you come home for your visit!”

“Mom they don’t even have a date yet!” Yuuri protested.

“Hey, we’ve already gone shopping for kimono,” Minako told him. “Better get your kimono early rather than late,Yuuri.”

Yuuri heaved a sigh and fought the urge to roll his eyes.  As he was outnumbered in the matter, he resigned himself to trying on the formal kimono when he got home.  He actually didn’t mind wearing kimono - he’d often lounge about at home wearing a casual yukata - just . . . He had to be so careful when wearing a formal one.  Those things were expensive!

When they finished their meal, they parted ways until dinner.  Minako took Mari to the heart of St. Petersburg for some sightseeing, but Yuuri and Hiroko remained local, just wandering around the nearby town.  Vii-chan trotted beside them.

“It’s very beautiful here, Yuuri.” Hiroko smiled.

“Yeah, but I still miss home.” Yuuri murmured. “I thought i’d be used to it here, since i’ve been here for a year now, but I still get homesick.”

Hiroko smiled at her son, and linked her arm in his. “It's easy to get homesick when you’re far away from home,” She agreed. “But it seems that you’ve found something, or rather, someone to make it a bit better?”

“Mom…” Yuuri mumbled.

“Does he make you happy, Yuuri?” Hiroko asked gently.

Yuuri merely nodded his head.

“Do you enjoy spending time with him?” She asked next.

Again, Yuuri nodded his head.

“Then why haven’t you told the boy how you feel?” Hiroko said kindly.

“It’s only been three weeks since we met,” Yuuri said. “I don’t want him to feel pressured or anything.”

“Nonsense,” Hiroko patted his arm. “Your father told me he liked me just a week after we’d met.”

“But mom it's different . . .” Yuuri trailed off.

“How so?”

“Viktor’s practically a celebrity,” Yuuri explained, talking faster and faster as he got his frustration out. “He's a champion figure skater with millions of fans all over the world.  He could have anything or anyone he wanted just like,” Yuuri snapped his fingers.  “How am I supposed to compete with that?  I’m just me.”

Hiroko tugged on her son's arm, pulling him to a stop.  She put her hands on his shoulders and turned him so he was looking at her.

“You are more special than you give yourself credit for, Yuuri.” She said gently. “You might not be able to see it, but I can, and I know Viktor does too.”

“How can you possibly know that?” Yuuri asked miserably.

“Because I saw it.”

“Huh?”

Hiroko smiled and patted her son's cheek. “While he was watching you teach, there was a special something sparkling in his eyes.”

“And what would that special something be?” Yuuri murmured.

“Love.”

Yuuri stared at his mother for a while, before letting out a breath and leaning down until his head was resting on her shoulder.  Hiroko laughed softly, and patted his hair soothingly.

“It’ll be alright Yuuri,” She comforted him. “It will all work out in the end.”

“Thanks mama.”

Hiroko kissed the top of his head, and then rubbed her hands together. “Is there somewhere we can get tea here?  I’m freezing!”

Yuuri laughed, and then scooped Vii-chan up before leading his mother to a nearby cafe that he often frequented.  He ordered them both tea, struggling with his rudimentary conversational Russian, and then they found a table to sit at, Vii-chan snuggling happily on Yuuri’s lap.    

When they finished their tea, Yuuri brought his mom and Vii-chan back to his apartment.  It was closer to the restaurant they were going to for dinner anyways.  They chatted about the academy, and Yuuri’s classes, and Yuuri showed off his new black pointe shoes.

Mari and Minako met them at the restaurant for dinner.  Both women had more than a few shopping bags in their arms.  Yuuri smiled to himself, but didn’t say anything.  The only person who could make his sister enjoy shopping was Minako.  They got a table, and chatted about everything while they ate.  Mari went on about this annoying customer they had at the inn a few weeks ago, Minako and Yuuri talked enthusiastically about the upcoming auditions, and Hiroko was excited that Yuuri would be coming home for a visit soon.

They parted ways after dinner.  Hiroko and Mari each had their own hotel rooms, so Minako was bunking with her fiancee that night.  Yuuri headed back to his apartment at the academy, after promising to take his mother on a sightseeing trip in the heart of St. Petersburg the next day.  When he made it to his apartment, he leaned against the closed door for a moment, taking a second to breathe.  Socializing was sometimes exhausting, even when it was with his family, and he was grateful for the solitude of his apartment.

As he shrugged his coat off and hung it in his closet, his phone chimed with a text message.  He sat down on the bed to remove his shoes and socks, and picked his phone up from where he had dumped it on the sheets.  He opened his messages, and smiled when he saw a text from Viktor.

< How did your day with your family go? >

Yuuri smiled, and typed out a reply. < It was really nice.  I’m taking mom sightseeing tomorrow .>

He set his phone aside as he removed his shoes.  He’d just tucked them in his closet when his phone went off again.

< That’s great! > Viktor had texted back, along with a short list of places Yuuri should definitely make sure to take her.  Yuuri sent a thank you, and then typed out another text without waiting for a reply.

< Did you practice today at the rink? >

< Just for a little while.  I had a costume fitting for my short program so i had to cut my practice short .>

< Ooh, what do your costumes look like??? >

< It’s a secret. ^_^ >

Yuuri snorted, and shook his head, smiling to himself. < Alright, I guess I’ll see them eventually .>

Yuuri debated on whether or not to take a shower, but eventually fatigue won, and he simply washed his face and changed into his pajamas.  When he returned to his bed, he had a text.

< Practice was a bit lonely...I’ve gotten used to having you there. >

Yuuri smiled fondly at his phone, something in his chest fluttering a bit.   Viktor missed me . . . He took a deep breath before replying.

< I’m sorry you were lonely .>

<You don’t have to apologize.> Viktor’s reply was quick.

< I know . . .> Yuuri sent the first message, and then followed it with another one. < I missed practicing with you too.  I love ballet, don’t get me wrong, but a change of pace is always nice .>

< You should come visit the rink in St. Petersburg sometime.  It’s HUGE compared to the one here. >

Yuuri laughed softly. < Alright, but once the production's over. >

< Fair enough. >

Yuuri smiled, and set his phone on his nightstand as he slipped under the covers.  He set his glasses aside, and then picked his phone back up, holding it close to his face so he could read the screen.

< It’s late.  Are you going to sleep soon? > Viktor soon sent.

< Yeah, soon .>

Yuuri plugged his phone into charge and set some music to play while he slept.  He lay his phone on the bed in front of him so he’d see when Viktor sent a reply.  It took longer, however, and Yuuri dozed off and was so quickly sound asleep that he didn’t hear his phone chime.

When he woke in the morning, Yuuri saw he had five texts from Viktor.  He flushed suddenly, realizing he’d fallen asleep on their conversation, and unlocked his phone.

< You should get your rest, lots to show your mom tomorrow. >

< Yuuri ?>

< Did you fall asleep ?>

< I think you fell asleep .>

< Goodnight Yuuri .>

Yuuri smiled at the messages, and typed two quick messages out quickly to Viktor before getting out of bed.

< Yeah, heh, i fell asleep.  Sorry. >

< Good morning, by the way :P >

He’d gotten dressed, brushed his teeth, and was halfway through cooking some breakfast when he got a reply.

< Good morning :) I figured you’d fallen asleep .>

Yuuri could practically hear the smirk while he read the text.  He finished making his breakfast and sat down at his small table to eat.

< Sorry.  I guess I was more tired than i thought .>

< Don’t be! I thought it was cute! >

Yuuri dropped his fork onto his plate as he stared at his phone.   Cute?  Viktor thought I was cute?  Wait, what? He took a few moments to restart his brain before typing out a reply.

<... you thought it was cute that I fell asleep during our conversation?... >

Viktor replied with the “eye-rolling” emoji before sending a written response. < No, i thought it was cute that despite you being so tired, you stayed up to talk with me. >

< Oh …>

Yuuri pushed his plate aside, no longer very interested in eating.  His cheeks felt warm, but he wasn’t embarrassed.  It was a different kind of warmth, one that he thought he wouldn’t mind getting used to.   He was pulled out of his thoughts as his alarm went off, telling him he had fifteen minutes until he had to leave to get to his mom’s hotel.

< I’ve got to go.  I’m heading out with my mom soon. > Yuuri sent before he dumped his dishes in the sink and went to get dressed.

< Okay, have fun! Let me know if she likes the places i suggested! >

< I will. :) >

Yuuri smiled at his phone and finished getting dressed.  He bundled up, and left his apartment, heading to the bus stop, and then to the train station.  He made it to the hotel right on time, and then he and his mother ventured to St. Petersburg for a day of sightseeing.  If Hiroko noticed an extra spring in her son’s step, she kept it to herself.

Chapter Text

The morning of the auditions, Yuuri woke before the sun had risen.  His auditions were at 10 AM, but he wanted to be there bright and early.  He turned his bedside lamp on, and got out of bed.  He set hot water to brew in his coffee pot for some tea, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.  This was his audition ritual.  Start making water for tea, take a shower, make a light breakfast, and then get dressed in his dance clothes.

When he stepped out of the shower, he dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist before using a washcloth to clear the condensation off the mirror.  He popped his contacts in, and gave himself a few minutes to let them settle into place.  He combed his hair back, and then grabbed the hair gel that he so very rarely used, and slicked his hair back away from his face.  Originally he’d decided to just leave his hair down, but Minako had convinced him to put a little effort into his appearance for the audition.

Once he was pleased with his hair, he washed his hands and brushed his teeth before tugging his plain blue robe on and moving to the kitchen.  The hot water had just finished brewing, and Yuuri made himself a cup of tea.  While he waited for his tea to cool a bit, he cooked himself a light breakfast, not wanting to weigh himself down before having to perform in front of a panel of judges.

By the time he finished eating, sunlight was streaming into his apartment.  His phone told him it was just after 7 AM, so he took a moment to finish his tea before going back to his bedroom.

For auditions, the academy required that all participants wear solid black.  Also, their clothes had to be fitted, so their movements could be easily observed.  Yuuri went to his dresser and pulled out a dancer’s belt, a pair of new, black tights, and his usual audition shirt.  It was high-necked, and the long sleeves tapered to a point, secured to the back of his hand with a loop of flesh-colored elastic.  

He set some music to play on his phone while he got dressed.  He put his usual tracksuit pants on over his tights, and shrugged into a comfortable jacket.  He plopped his dance bag on his bed, and made sure that everything he needed was in there.  He then grabbed his water bottle, wallet, keys, and phone, and left his apartment.

The academy opened every morning at 7 AM, so when Yuuri walked through the doors, he wasn’t surprised to see Madame Lilia at the front desk.

“Good morning, Madame.” Yuuri greeted her.

“Good morning Katsuki.” She replied. “Are you ready for today?”

“More than ready,” Yuuri smiled confidently.

“Good.” She nodded, pleased by his confidence.  “You may use your classroom to practice if you like.” She told him. “Just make sure you are in the hallway at least half an hour before the audition begins.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Yuuri nodded.

Yuuri walked down the hallway, and opened the door to his classroom.  He flicked the lights on, and dropped his bag down by the stereo.  He stepped out of his sneakers, and fished his ballet flats out of his bag.  He put them on, and then set an alarm on his phone for 9:20, giving him plenty of time to get into the hallway.  He then hooked his phone up to the stereo to play some soft music.

Yuuri stretched his arms above his head as he moved to the center of the room.  He warmed up his arms, neck, and ankles, and then began to stretch.  He took his time to stretch his muscles, getting sufficiently warm before practicing his technique on flat.  At 8:30, he switched into his pointe shoes, and did some barre work before moving back to the center of the room.

He practiced his pirouettes, his extensions, and in particular, his jumps.  By the time his alarm went off, he was pleased with his warm up, and began to gather his things together.  He kept his pointe shoes on, and went into the hallway outside of the Big Room, where auditions were being held.  Five other young men were there, warming up in the hallway.  They thoroughly ignored Yuuri when he joined them, but he wasn’t offended; he did the exact same thing.  They were all mentally preparing for the audition, and didn’t have time to socialize.

Yuuri found a place against the wall and set his bag down.   He continued to stretch, not wanting to waste the warm up he’d worked hard on.  At one time, his heart would have been practically beating out of his chest.  When he was younger, he got so nervous and worked up before auditions that he often crashed and burned during them.  His hands would shake, and he’d forget everything he’d ever learned in all his years of Ballet.  It had taken years, but he’d learned to overcome his nerves.

Now only felt excitement.

~~~

Early that Saturday morning, Viktor found himself lounging on the couch, a book in his lap.  Peter didn’t have class that day since it was the last day of auditions for The Nutcracker.  Though he had nowhere to go that day, and could have easily slept in, years of waking up for early saturday morning practices prevented him from doing so.  Therefore, he found himself awake at 7AM, settled on the couch with a book an hour later.  He was a bit disappointed that he wouldn’t be seeing Yuuri that day, since he had no reason to go to the Academy.  He thought about sending him a good luck text, but he didn’t want to distract him.

Viktor heaved a sigh, and returned his attention to his book.  A few pages later, he looked up to see his nephew standing before him.

“Peter, what is it?” He asked.

“Uncle Vitya, can we go to the academy today?” Peter asked.

Viktor cocked his head to the side in confusion.. “You don’t have class today,” he stated.

“No,” Peter fidgeted. “But . . . today’s the auditions for the lead in The Nutcracker , and I wanted to give Katsuki-Sensei a good-luck present.” Peter held up a small bouquet of paper flowers his mother had helped him make.

Well, perhaps I’ll get to see Yuuri after all.

Viktor smiled, and leaned forward to kiss Peters nose. “I think that’s a great idea.  Go tell your mother we’re going to be heading over there, okay?” He paused to check the time on his phone.  “If we leave soon we’ll make it to the academy before the auditions start.  Maybe afterwards, you and I will go have lunch out together as a treat before i go to practice, hm?”

“Yes!” Peter grinned, and ran off to find his mother.  

Viktor chuckled, and set his book aside and looked down at what he was wearing.  Not quite warm enough for going outside, so he went to his guest room and changed into something a bit more suitable for both the weather, and for practicing later.  He shouldered his skates bag, and tied his hair up into a ponytail as he walked to the entryway.  He tugged his coat on and looped his scarf around his neck as Peter got his own coat and scarf on.  Viktor helped him straighten his hat, and then made sure he had his flowers before they left the house.

The academy was buzzing with excitement and nerves when they arrived.  Viktor held tightly onto Peter's hand as they weaved through the hallways, stepping over dancers who were stretching and warming up on the carpet.  Peter looked around, completely focused as he sought out his teacher.  He finally spotted him, and let go of his uncle's’ hand to run to him.

“Katsuki-Sensei!” He called.

Viktor followed his nephews line of sight, and saw Yuuri sitting against a wall, stretching.  He looked just like he always did, until he looked up when he heard Peter calling.  Viktor nearly faltered a step, and he gasped softly.  Yuuri had his hair slicked back, away from his face, and he wasn’t wearing his glasses.  He wasn’t squinting though, so Viktor figured he was wearing contacts.  He was wearing all black – what everyone had to wear to auditions - and on his feet were shiny, black satin pointe shoes.

“Oh, Peter!” Yuuri chuckled as Peter ran into him, hugging him tightly. “What a surprise! What are you doing here?”

Peter soon let go of his teacher, and held out the bouquet of paper flowers. “I wanted to give you these for good luck, Katsuki-Sensei!” He beamed.

“Wow, did you make these?” Yuuri grinned, taking the bouquet.

“Mama did, but I chose the colors!” Peter insisted.

“I love them, spasibo, ” Yuuri smiled.  Viktor’s eyebrows rose a bit when Yuuri said the Russian word almost perfectly.  The dancer then looked up from where he sat to smile at Viktor. “Hey there.”

“H-hi.” Viktor said in return.

Yuuri smiled, and then turned to Peter. “Peter, could you do me a favor?”

“Yes?” Peter asked.

“I don’t want these flowers to get stepped on during the audition, would you take them to the front desk and ask Minako-Sensei to put them in my locker please?”

“Okay!” Peter grinned, and took the flowers back and walked to the front desk.  Once he had turned the corner, Yuuri stood up and shifted his weight so his hip jutted out just a bit.  He then grinned at Viktor.

“Like what you see, Viktor?” He asked, still grinning.

“You look . . . different.” Viktor stammered.

Yuuri giggled softly, and held onto the wall with one hand to stay balanced as he stretched out the arches of his feet. “It was Minako’s idea, actually.  The hair I mean.”

“It suits you,” Viktor said, stepping closer so he was out of the way of the other dancers. “It’s very Black Swan .”

“Is that so?” Yuuri smiled coyly.  He finished stretching out his arches, and lifted himself up onto the boxes of his pointe shoes. “Hm, we’re almost the same height now.” He murmured softly.

“Beautiful,” Viktor smiled, looking down at his feet.                                                      

Yuuri blushed softly, and overextended over the edge of the platforms to really stretch out the tops of his feet.  He then righted himself, and drew his leg into an extension at the side of his head, then slid his hand down and rotated his hip until his leg was perfectly perpendicular to the floor in a full arabesque.

“How are you feeling about the audition?” Viktor asked.

“I’m a bit nervous,” Yuuri said honestly. “But I think I have the skills to pull it off.”

“You’ll do wonderfully,” Viktor assured him.

Yuuri smiled, and set his leg down before lowering himself off his pointe shoes. “Thanks.”

“ Gentlemen, the auditions for the lead role will begin in five minutes !”

“Ah, I guess that’s my queue.” Yuuri smiled.  He bent down to gather his things into his bag, and then stood up again, facing Viktor. “Wish me luck?”

Viktor smiled, and then took Yuuri’s right hand and kissed his knuckles tenderly. “Good luck, Yuuri.” He murmured.

Yuuri flushed a bit, but managed to mumble a “thank you” before he was swept into the studio.  Viktor watched him go, and then just stood there until the President of the academy closed and locked the door.  Viktor sighed softly, and went to find his nephew.  He found him at the front desk, doing a puzzle with Minako.

“There you are, Petya.” Viktor smiled.

“Did the auditions start, Uncle Vitya?” Peter asked.

“They just locked the door.” Viktor nodded.  He then turned to Minako. “How long to these auditions usually take?”

“Hm,” she thought for a moment. “There’s about six men trying out for the lead role . . . so I’d say about half an hour to teach them the choreography, and then another hour for them to perform it individually?”

“I see.” Viktor murmured.

Minako smiled. “Thinking about waiting around to see him afterwards?”

Viktor blushed softly, and Minako laughed kindly.  Peter tugged at her sleeve. “Minako-Sensei, my mama says it’s not nice to tease someone if they have a crush!”

“Oh I’m not teasing sweetie.” Minako assured him. “And I’ll tell you a secret,” She waited until Peter leaned in close, but spoke loud enough that she was sure Viktor heard her. “I think Katsuki-Sensei has a crush on your uncle too.”

“Oh! Really?” Peter gasped happily.  Viktor felt his cheeks heat up even more, but he pretended not to hear.

“Uhuh!” She smiled. “But you can’t tell anyone!” she said in mock seriousness.

“I promise!” Peter answered just as seriously.

“Ah! There you are!”

Viktor whirled around to see his sister coming into the studio.  She tucked a few fallen strands of hair behind her ear, and tugged her scarf off.

“Tati?” Viktor asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah sorry Vitya, I forgot Peter has a doctor’s appointment today.” She said, looking down at her son.

“But mama!” Peter protested. “Uncle Vitya was going to take me to lunch!”

“Hey now,” Viktor knelt down and smoothed his hair soothingly. “I’m still here for a few more days.” He reminded his nephew. “We can move our lunch date to tomorrow, okay Petya?”

“Okay.” Peter nodded.

“I’ll see you later,” Viktor promised, kissing his forehead.

Peter reluctantly let his mother bundle him back up before leaving the academy with her.  Viktor watched them leave, and then turned back to Minako and leaned against the counter.

“You’re going to wait for Yuuri, aren’t you?” Minako asked with a smile.

Viktor felt his stomach flutter a bit, but he nodded. “I want to know how he did, how he felt about the audition.”

“That’s sweet of you,” Minako smiled. “He’ll really appreciate that.”  She then sat up and began to file some paperwork away. “I know you’re a skater, but feel free to use one of the private rooms if you want to just improv a bit to pass the time.”

“Oh, thank you.” Viktor nodded, and decided to do just that.  He was wearing his black, slim, track suit pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and he figured he could just dance around in his socks.  Minako told him which room to use, and then he went in and set his bag against the mirror before he tugged his coat and scarf off.  He set an alarm on his phone for one hour, and then scrolled through his music until he found his music for this season.  He plugged it into the stereo, and warmed up a bit while he listened to the two songs on repeat.

An hour later, Viktor unplugged his phone, and slid his shoes on before shouldering his bag and draping his coat over his arm.  He returned to the lobby of the academy, and Minako smiled at him.

“Have fun?” She asked.

Viktor just shrugged. “It was a good way to pass the hour.”

Minako nodded.  They chatted together about this and that, and Viktor learned that Minako was an avid figure-skating fan.  They were discussing the upcoming competitions when they heard voices coming from down the hall.

“Ooh they must be done!” Minako grinned.

Viktor smiled back, but forced himself to wait at the front desk.  Yuuri soon came out, still in his pointe shoes, wiping his face with a towel.  He had his phone to his ear, waiting for someone on the other end to answer.  When he saw Viktor was still there, he blushed a bit.  He was about to say something, but his dad finally answered.

“ Yuuri !” His dad answered happily.

“ Hi dad, ” Yuuri smiled.  He waved to Viktor, letting the skater knew he wasn’t ignoring him, then leaned against the desk. “ Is mom there? ”

“ I’ll just go get her! ” Yuuri waited for a moment, and then smiled when he heard his mom answer.

“ Ah Yuuri! Did you just get out of your audition?  How was it dear ?” She asked worriedly.

“ It was fine, mom. ” Yuuri assured her. “ There are six of us trying out all together. ”

“ When will you find out who got it? ” Toshiya asked.

“ About a week, Thursday at the latest, ” Yuuri hummed. “ So sometime before I come to visit .”

“ That’s not too bad .” He said. “ We’re really looking forward to having you home for awhile, son .”

“ I can’t wait to see you, and everyone else .” Yuuri said softly, smiling to himself.

“ When are you flying in again ?” Toshiya asked.

“ I wanted to fly out on Saturday, but I still have my two classes to teach and a possible rehearsal if I get the lead .” Yuuri sighed. “ So Sunday afternoon .”

“ And your mother says you’ll be flying back on Wednesday? ” Toshiya asked. “ That’s not a lot of time, Yuuri. ”

“ I know ,” Yuuri agreed. “ But I have a meeting I have to get back for.  After the recital in June I’ll be able to take a longer vacation and stay home for a month or so .”

“ That will be wonderful !” Toshiya exclaimed.

“ So for now, I just get a short trip home .” Yuuri smiled at his father’s enthusiasm.

“ I’ll make katsudon for you dear! As a treat when you get home !” Hiroko said with a giggle.

“ Mom!  I can’t eat that unless i get the part! You know the rule. ” Yuuri laughed.

“ I have total confidence that you’re going to get the part dear,” She said proudly. “So you’ll be able to enjoy a katsudon before you head back to prepare for the show .”

“ Thanks mom, ” Yuuri said fondly. “ Well, i need to take over the front desk for Minako, talk to you later! ”

“ Bye dear! We love you !”

“ Love you too. ” Yuuri then hung up, and slipped his phone in his bag before turning to Viktor.

“You’re still here,” He stated.

“I wanted to see how it went!” Viktor smiled. “So, how did it go?”

“Pretty good,” Yuuri smiled. “The combination wasn't as hard as I thought they would make it.”

“You didn't overextend over your platforms did you?” Minako asked seriously.

“Nope, kept the whole platform on the floor at all times,” Yuuri grinned.

“Good,” She sighed in relief.  She then gathered her things. “Alright, you’re on the front desk.  My students are being auditioned next.”

Yuuri nodded, and stepped behind the desk, dropping his bag on the floor.  He sat on the tall stool, and crossed his ankle over his knee and began to remove his pointe shoes.  Viktor leaned against the desk, watching him for a while.

“So what’s a ballet audition like?” Viktor asked.

“It’s kind of boring, to be honest,” Yuuri shrugged. “You have to warm up before it starts, then they teach you the routine in half an hour, then we have to perform it one by one while Madame Lilia, the president of the academy, and a few teachers judge you.”

“What are you judged on?” Viktor asked next.

“Technique, presentation, execution,” Yuuri listed off. “and overall performance.  There’s a total of 100 possible points, and whoever gets the most points gets the part.”

“Interesting,” Viktor murmured.

Yuuri nodded, crossing his right foot over his left leg so he could undo the black ribbons around his ankle. “Auditions were throughout this week.  Today’s the last day.  Hopefully results will be posted in a week or so.”

“I see,” Viktor nodded. “Did you have to be at any other auditions?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri nodded. “I was here on Monday and Tuesday.  The audition for the “Party Boys” was on Monday, and the “bon bons” on Tuesday.”

“Bon bons?” Viktor asked, barely suppressing a chuckle.

“Aren’t you familiar with the story of the nutcracker?” Yuuri asked, eyebrow arched.  He got his right pointe shoe off, and switched feet to begin undoing the ribbons on his left ankle. 

“Not really,” Viktor admitted.

“Well it’s basically broken up into two acts, Act I is the party, and Act II is the enchanted land.” Yuuri explained. “In the enchanted land, each routine reflects a different sweet and nation, like hot chocolate from Spain or a French bon bon.”

“Oh,” Viktor nodded in understanding.

“It will make sense, i promise.” Yuuri smiled.  He got his pointe shoes completely off, and put them away neatly before just sitting on the stool in his footed tights. “So, what are you going to do for the rest of the day?”

“I was going to take Peter out to lunch, but Tati forgot he has a doctor's appointment,” Viktor sighed, leaning his chin on his arms. “And I still need to go practice at the rink today.” He nudged his skates bag with his foot.

“And you go back home on Monday, don’t you?” Yuuri asked, trying not to sound too disappointed.

“Yeah,” Viktor nodded.

The two of them were silent for a while.  Yuuri fiddled with his phone as he stared down at his hands, but looked up sharply when Viktor suddenly gasped.

“Viktor?” He asked.

“When are you done working the front desk?” Viktor asked.

“Uh, as soon as Minako gets back.” Yuuri said. “I’m just covering for her while she’s overseeing the auditions.”

Viktor then grinned. “Why don’t we go grab some lunch together when you’re done?” He suggested. “Then maybe, if you’re up to it, we could go to the rink?  One more practice together before i go home?”

Yuuri stared at him for a moment, then his face broke out into a breathtaking smile. “I’d love to.”

Viktor beamed happily.  He and Yuuri kept chatting about the auditions until Yuuri’s phone began to ring.

“Ah, it’s Phichit.” Yuuri said. “Do you mind?”

“No, go ahead.” Viktor smiled.

Yuuri nodded, and then answered the phone. “Hey Phichit!”

“YUURI!!” Phichit screeched into the phone.  Yuuri winced and held the phone away from his ear as his best friend continued to shriek at him. “You didn’t call me!! How did the auditions go?!?”

“Stop yelling at me!” Yuuri snapped.  Viktor chuckled softly. “The auditions went great, actually.”

“How many people are going for the lead part?” Phichit asked worriedly.

“Just six of us total.” Yuuri said, leaning his elbow against the table top. “I think out of all of us though, i have the most pointe experience.”

“Good!” Phichit cheered. “I bet you’ll get the part no problem.  They’d be stupid to not give you the part.  You’re an amazing dancer Yuuri!”

Yuuri smiled fondly. “Thanks Phichit.  That means a lot.”

Yuuri heard a familiar voice calling to Phichit through their connection.

“Is that Ciao Ciao?” Yuuri asked. “Phichit are you at practice?”

“Heh heh,” Phichit laughed nervously. “Can you blame me?  I really wanted to make sure everything went alright for you!!  It’s a best friends’ duty!”

“Alright, alright.” Yuuri laughed. “Get your butt back to practice.  Send me a video of your short program.  I want to make sure you’re still good with the choreography I gave you.  And tell Celestino i said hi.”

“Sure thing!  I’ll send you a video after practice!” Phichit promised. “ Sayonara , Yuuri!”

“ Talk to you later !” Yuuri replied in Thai.  When he and Phichit had been roommates, Phichit had taught him some simple greetings in his native language.  Years later, he still remembered them.  Yuuri hung up, and set his phone down.  “I hope Celestino yells at him.”

“What?” Viktor asked, laughing.

“He called me during his practice,” Yuuri said, chuckling. “He’s not supposed to do that.”

“Ah, i see.” Viktor smiled.

Loud chitter chatter soon drifted into the lobby from the hallway, and they both looked to see about thirty teenagers leaving the Big Room.  Some of them were in pointe shoes, but most of them were on flat.  Yuuri smiled at some of the dancers he knew as they walked by, and then got up when Minako returned to the front desk.

“How did it go?” Yuuri asked her.

“Pretty good,” She nodded. “I spotted a few hopefuls for some of the solo parts . . . We’ll just have to wait and see what the higher ups decide.”

Yuuri nodded, and picked up his bag.  He let Minako know that he was leaving, and then hurried to his apartment to change quickly.  While he was changing, Minako spoke to Viktor.

“So, i hear you’re heading back home on Monday?” She asked softly.

“Yeah,” Viktor nodded.

“Have you told Yuuri how you feel about him?” Minako asked next.

Viktor didn’t answer, but he shook his head, staring down at his hands.

“What’s holding you back?” She asked.  “You care about him don’t you?”

“I do,” Viktor confirmed, “but--”

“But what?” She asked kindly.  Viktor glanced up at her, and was relieved to see that she looked genuinely concerned.

“I don’t know if I’m ready,” Viktor admitted. “I care about Yuuri, a lot actually.  That’s what’s holding me back.”

“You want to be sure,” Minako realized.

“Yeah,” Viktor mumbled.

“I think that’s a smart move, Viktor Nikiforov,” She smiled as she sat down on the stool.  “Yuuri’s special to me; I’m going to be his sister sooner or later.  I want what’s best for him.” She then paused before continuing. “Just don’t wait too long, alright?” She added with a wink.

“I won’t,” Viktor promised.

Their conversation switched to the topic of figure skating, and they were discussing the last Grand Prix Final when Yuuri returned.

“Ready to go?” Viktor asked.

“Yep,” Yuuri smiled. “See you later Minako,”

“Bye Yuuri,” She waved, and then settled in to watch a movie on her phone.

Since Yuuri was more familiar with the area near the Academy, Viktor let him pick a place out for lunch.  Yuuri picked out a sandwich shop he frequented whenever he didn’t feel like cooking.  While they ate, they discussed their plans for the coming weeks, both expertly avoiding the topic of Viktor’s return home in just a few days.

They soon finished, and caught the bus to the ice rink.  Viktor had already booked a three hour session for himself the other day, so they went to the lockers to lace on their skates.  They hung around the barrier of the rink while they waited for the public skate to end.  The people were soon asked to leave the ice, and they waited for the rink to be resurfaced.  Once they were given the all clear, Yuuri stepped onto the ice and made lazy laps around the circumference while Viktor set some music to play.  He then joined Yuuri as they eased into a warm up.  He noticed Yuuri seemed a bit preoccupied.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Viktor asked kindly, whirling around to skate backwards so he could face Yuuri.

“I was just wondering. . . What would have happened if I’d pursued skating instead of ballet?” Yuuri said softly.

“Hmm,” Viktor thought for a moment. “We probably would have competed against each other,” He said with a smile.

“Oh?” Yuuri chuckled.

“I’ve no doubt in my mind that you could have become a top figure skater in the Men’s division.” Viktor grinned.

“You really think I’d have been that good?” Yuuri asked.

“In these past four weeks, I’ve seen you skate at quite an advanced level without really having any formal training,” Viktor stated. “I’ve told you before: You would have been a formidable opponent on the ice.”

Yuuri chuckled. “Is that so?”

“Yep!” Viktor nodded, he then grinned. “Who knows?  Maybe, had you become a figure skater, I would have been so impressed by your skating I would have offered myself to be your coach!”

Yuuri laughed softly with Viktor. “Do you have what it takes to be a coach?” He teased. “It’s a lot harder than it looks.”

“I think i could do a decent job as your coach,” Viktor mused.  “But alas, you are a dancer, and not a figure skater.”

“Well, not a competitive one,” Yuuri corrected.

Viktor just laughed, and moved to the center of the rink to warm up his jumps.  Yuuri remained along the edge, just watching.  Once he felt sufficiently warmed up, Viktor asked Yuuri to queue up Stammi Vicino .  Yuuri glided over to the stereo and got the song ready, and then waited for Viktor to take his opening pose.

They went through his free program like they always did, going over every detail, or trying out choreography changes.  After two hours of tearing the routine apart and putting it back together, they stepped off the ice for a much needed break.

“You’re going to do great at the finals,” Yuuri smiled as Viktor took a swig from his water bottle.  “First place, no problem.”

“Thanks,” Viktor chuckled softly, and set his water aside. He was silent for a moment, and then looked up at the dancer.  “Can I tell you a secret, Yuuri?” He asked quietly.

“Of course,” Yuuri nodded and sat down next to him.

“Honestly, I’m tired of winning.” Viktor sighed, slumping against the back of the bench.

“What do you mean?” Yuuri asked, trying to not stare at Viktor like he was crazy.

“It’s almost expected of me now, to win the gold medal.” Viktor explained. “I don’t surprise people anymore when i surpass my own high scores.  They’re used to it.”

“Oh,” Yuuri breathed.  He didn’t know what to say.  There was silence between the two of them, and Viktor tugged the rubber band out of his hair, swiping a few loose strands back from where they’d fallen. Yuuri watched Viktor comb his fingers through his waist-long hair, and couldn’t help the question that bubbled to his lips. “Viktor, can i braid your hair?”

Viktor froze and glanced over at Yuuri. “Huh?”

“Um,” Yuuri flushed bright red, and ducked his head down. “N-nevermind, forget i said anything.”

Viktor stared at the younger man for a moment, and then smiled softly.  He got off of the bench, and plopped himself on the floor in front of Yuuri, holding his rubber band back to him.

“I’ve never braided my hair before,” Viktor admitted, shaking the rubber band until Yuuri took it with surprised fingers. “I could never get the hang of it.”

“It’s not that hard,” Yuuri murmured.  He slipped the rubber band around his wrist, and gently reached out to comb Viktor’s hair back.   Wow, it’s so soft , he thought.  He untangled the knots with his fingers, and then thought for a moment. “What kind of braid do you want?”

“What kind can you do?” Viktor asked in response.

“French, Dutch, I’ve almost mastered a fishtail . . . But they always fall out.” Yuuri thought.

Viktor turned to look over his shoulder. “How do you know how to do that many braids?”

Yuuri blushed softly, and chuckled. “My closest friend back home has three daughters.” He explained. “Whenever I used to babysit, their favorite pastime was braiding hair.  I learned a thing or two from them.”

“Ah,” Viktor smiled, and turned back around, presenting his hair to Yuuri. “Whichever kind of braid you like best is fine with me.”

“Alright.” Yuuri thought for a moment, and then began to divide Viktor’s hair into three sections for a classic French braid.  He began to weave the sections together, tugging so that the braid didn’t fall out, but not so tightly that Viktor winced in pain.  He soon had all his hair woven together against his head, and had Viktor scoot forward so he could twist the length of it together.  He finished it off, and secured the end with the rubber band. “All done.”

Viktor reached behind him to feel the braid, and then drew the end over his shoulder.

“Wow!” He grinned, his mouth forming an adorable heart shape.  He scrambled up and fetched his phone. “Take a picture for me?!?”

Yuuri laughed, and took his phone.  He snapped a few pictures from the back, and then handed the phone back to Viktor.  Viktor smiled, humming softly as he posted the pictures to Instagram.  Yuuri picked his phone up when he heard it ping with a notification, and saw that Viktor had tagged him in the pictures.  He liked the pictures quickly, and then set his phone down as he joined Viktor on the ice for the last hour of practice.

Viktor did a few laps around the ice, warming his muscles back up again.  Every now and then he would reach behind him, and pull the end of his braid forward, smiling to himself.  He found Yuuri to be so sweet and charming, and absolutely adorable whenever he blushed - which was often.  He couldn’t remember ever having this much fun while practicing.  He loved spending time with Yuuri.  Just thinking about the dancer made him smile at the most random times.

He whirled around to do a few laps backwards, glancing over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t about to run into the barrier or into Yuuri.  He waved to the dancer as he passed him on one of his laps, and his heart fluttered when Yuuri chuckled and waved back.  He wanted to feel that little flutter every day . . .

But I’m going home in two days . . .back to practice and competitions . . .

Viktor heaved a sigh, and tried to push the thought out of his mind.  He moved to the center of the rink to practice a few jumps and step sequences, and then glided over to the stereo to set up his music.  Once he plugged his phone in, he looked over his shoulder and watched Yuuri do a few easy laps around the rink, fiddling with the wrist of his glove.  He seemed preoccupied again, but Viktor didn’t want to push him to talk about something he didn’t want to share.  He skated over to Yuuri a few moments later, holding out the remote.

“Ready to go again?“ Yuuri asked, taking it.  He looked down at the remote, smoothing his thumb over the play button.

“Yeah,” Viktor nodded.  He moved to skate to the center of the rink, but then paused. “Yuuri, are you okay?”

“Hm?” Yuuri asked, looking back up at Viktor.

“You just . . . Seem a bit down all of a sudden.” Viktor murmured. “Is there something you want to talk about?”

“No,” Yuuri shook his head. He then smiled at Viktor, but the skater noticed it didn’t really reach his eyes. “It’s okay, I just have some stuff on my mind.”

“If you want to talk, I’m all ears.” Viktor smiled a little, and then moved to the center of the rink.  Before striking his opening pose, he tucked his hand underneath his chin and thought for a moment.  Yuuri had told him in previous practices that he felt like the emotion and the story of the routine was still a bit lacking, and he was right.  Viktor closed his eyes and thought back on what Yuuri had said a few weeks ago:

“ Who are you performing for?  Who is that one person you absolutely cannot live without? ”

Viktor took a deep breath.  His answer to that question hadn’t changed.  He thought about the first time he saw Yuuri dance, how beautiful he looked as he lost himself to the music.  He loved Yuuri’s smile and his laugh.  He adored the way his cheeks turned pink whenever he got a compliment or whenever he got flustered.  Viktor took another deep breath, and made his decision.  He would fuel this run through of his routine on the sadness he felt because he was going home and leaving Yuuri.  He felt his stomach twist uncomfortably, but despite that, he lowered his head and waited for the music to begin.

As soon as Viktor lifted his head, Yuuri knew this run-through would be different.  As Viktor glided through the routine, moving along to the music, Yuuri felt his heart clench.  Viktor’s movements were drenched in sorrow, in longing.  Yuuri let out a shuddering breath as he watched.  Part of him wanted to know who Viktor was thinking about while he skated . . . but part of him did not.

I want him to be thinking about me . . . I don’t think i could stand if if he’s thinking about someone else . . .

Yuuri shook his head, banishing those thoughts from his mind.  Right now, he was supposed to be helping Viktor improve his program, not wallowing in his own thoughts.  He forced himself to watch with a critical eye, but it was difficult.  He could practically feel Viktor calling out to a lost lover as he danced, and he felt most heartbroken.

Viktor executed his final spin combination, and stepped into his ending pose.  He stayed like that as the music faded away, his shoulders heaving as he stared up at the ceiling.  Three seconds passed, and then he finally let his arms drop.  He just stood in the center of the rink for a moment, catching his breath and collecting his thoughts before skating slowly over to where Yuuri stood.

“That was amazing, Viktor,” Yuuri finally said, his voice soft.

“How did it make you feel?” Viktor asked as he reached for his water.

“Honestly-” Yuuri hesitated for a moment as he fiddled with the wrist of his glove. “I almost started crying.  It felt like you were calling out to someone.”

“Hm,” Viktor merely hummed and nodded his head.

Yuuri was about to say something else, but one of the staff members came out and told them that their time was up.  They gathered their things in silence, and skated over to the exit, slipping on their skate guards before heading to the lockers.  The air between them was tense as they changed out of their skates, and it remained so as they walked to the bus stop.  When the bus arrived and they found their seats, Yuuri finally broke the silence.

“Viktor,” He began. “I know you’re going to be busy with practice and training, and I’m going to become busy too with the academy, but I’d really like to keep in touch.  Is that okay?” He watched Viktor.

Viktor’s eyes lit up, and he grinned. “That’s more than okay.  I’d love that Yuuri.”

“Great.” Yuuri smiled, feeling relieved, and happy at the same time.

They chatted easily for the rest of the ride, sharing their potential schedules for the coming week.  Yuuri’s wasn’t much different; just added meetings and extra teacher rehearsals around classes to get the choreography as smooth as possible before they began to teach it to the students.  Viktor’s schedule was quite busy; practice in the morning with Yuri for the teens short program, and then his own practices in the afternoon with his coach and rinkmates.  He promised to text as often as he could in between.

The bus soon approached Yuuri’s stop, and the dancer got up, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

“Well, good luck on your training Viktor,” Yuuri smiled. “Not that you need it.”

Viktor chuckled. “Thanks.  And good luck to you on getting the lead.  I’m sure you’ll get it no problem.”

Yuuri blushed a bit, but nodded his head. “Thanks.  I’ll text you later?”

“Later.” Viktor nodded, smiling.

Yuuri went to move to the door, but instead leaned down and hugged Viktor tightly.  Viktor was startled for a moment, but hugged back, pressing his forehead against Yuuri’s shoulder.  They let go of each other when the bus came to a stop, and Yuuri gave Viktor a bright smile before getting off.  Viktor watched as he moved to stand on the sidewalk, and Viktor waved at him through the window as the bus pulled away.  When the bus turned a corner, and Yuuri was no longer visible, Viktor slouched against his seat, and closed his eyes.

Once the bus was out of sight, Yuuri took a deep breath and returned to his apartment.  As he walked up the stairs and to his apartment, his phone chimed with a message from Phichit; the video of his short program had finally gone through.  Yuuri set the video to download as he took a quick shower.  When he was dry and in fresh clothes, he sat criss-cross on his bed and watched the video.  He jotted down some notes as he watched it a few times, and then texted the notes back to his best friend.

Text sent, he fell back against his pillows, staring up at the ceiling.  He’d become so . . . attached, to Viktor this past month; it was going to be strange not seeing him almost every day.  Of course, he reasoned with himself, it’s not like they lived very far from each other.  Viktor only lived about an hour or so away by train after all.  Still, with how busy they were both going to be, it would be hard to get away even for a short visit.

Heaving a sigh, Yuuri rolled onto his side, bunching a pillow against his chest and under his chin.  He was surprised at how much he enjoyed spending time with Viktor.  For the longest time Yuuri had put him up on some glittering pedestal, hopelessly out of reach, and yet, that wasn’t the case at all.  He was so comfortable around Viktor.  They worked amazingly well together on the ice, and they got along perfectly off of it.

Yuuri set his glasses aside, and set an alarm on his phone.  Between the auditions, practicing with Viktor, and his own swirling emotions, he found himself suddenly exhausted.  He set some music to play on his phone, adjusted his head on his pillow until he got comfortable, and let his eyes drift shut.  

I miss him already . . .