Chapter Text
“Yuuuuri, what’s this?”
“Yuuri! Look! So Cute!
“Yuuri, take a picture of me!”
“Yuuuuuri!”
And so the convention had begun. Friday was day one of three, and it always had a late start time. Most of their booth had been set up by the hired crew, and once they finished settling in, Phichit had waved them off, promising to hold down the fort while Yuuri showed his boyfriend the show floor.
His boyfriend. Who was currently fawning over yet another Makkachin fanart.
“Look, Yuura, they got the shape of her nose just right,” Victor cooed at the poster. Yuuri and Victor’s brainchild, Grand Prix , took their surprise shared love of ice skating and turned it into Next Level’s first dating simulator. A figure skater making his way through training and competitions, winning the hearts of his audiences and competitors. And he had a dog that looked a lot like Makkachin.
It wasn’t their usual game format, but his boyfriend had been churning out romance novel ideas and dropping them for better ones almost daily once the couple had officially met. Victor had tried to contain his dramatic heart, at least in the early days of their relationship, but then Yuuri stumbled across the stacks of legal pads, filled with plot lines and character outlines, and the cat was out of the bag. He joked that Victor had written enough romance protagonists for a choose-your-own adventure, and so Grand Prix was born.
His blue eyed angel had immediately produced a story line, once Yuuri had shown him how a dating sim functioned. He had been woken up one time too many by Victor stumbling out of bed to write down yet another idea, so Yuuri sped through the creation of the game just to prevent losing Victor from the lack of sleep. But he couldn’t deny, he was excited to create something with his favorite author.
The shared love of skating wasn’t the only thing the couple discovered. He didn’t read often, but when the occasional urge struck, he always checked the library for one particular author’s work. Okay, he used to pirate his books, but Victor was just as happy to hear that, if not happier. “Oh Yuuri, you would risk prison to read my books? So romantic .”
One lunch break, Yuuri was invited over to On Love Publishing to say hello to Makkachin. The second he stepped into the office, he spotted a bookshelf filled with his favorite novels, and actually, only his favorite novels.
A lot of explaining, crying, fanboying, and making out later, Yuuri came to terms with the fact that he was dating S. V. Aria. No. That was a lie. He hadn’t come to terms with it quite yet.
And so it was all the more endearing when, after hearing about the convention in Boston, Victor immediately declared he wanted to go. Before Yuuri could even fully react, his overenthusiastic boyfriend was searching for hotels with room blocks still available, for him and all of Next Level . Less than an hour later, Victor had booked several shared suites for the team, plus a private one just so he wouldn’t have to share his Yuuri, hearing none of the protest and bargaining.
Truthfully, Yuuri had already registered Victor for an exhibitor badge at the con with his team. After all the hard work that went into the game, the cheerleading from his boyfriend and Makka during their frenzied coding marathons, the constant phone calls during work to get opinions on character design– there was zero chance Yuuri would let him miss the experience. It was his first video game, and there was no way to prepare Victor fully for what he’d see at the convention.
“OMG, Yuuri, look! Wait, what are they doing?”
The lack of attention span was nothing new, but the shift in focus was quick, even for Victor.
“Oh, um, that’s a really big couch. Looks like they’re playing a couch co-op game, oh yup, I’ve played that one. It’s a cooking game, sort of.”
“Couch co-cop?”
“It’s the term for cooperative games you can play locally, like on a couch together. Couch co-op.”
“Couch co-op, so cute! What a cozy name. Can we play?”
Yuuri pulled Victor away from the booth gently, “The line’s a bit long, Vitya, maybe later. Let’s keep looking around.” He smiled fondly, smoothing a hand over the lanyard he had placed around Victor’s neck that morning. The shiny card hanging over his chest read “Exhibitor,” just like his, and the tips of his ears warmed if he looked at it too long.
“Yuuri, Yuuri!! Look, cosplayers! Who are they?”
Yuuri stifled a laugh with his sleeve, “That’s Mario and Peach, come on, you know who they are. We played Mario Kart on the plane.”
Victor’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Yes, the plumber? He’s French? No, from Spain.”
“Italian.”
“Oh,” Victor responded without looking away from the cosplayers, not even registering the correction.
He looked radiant; Victor had insisted on dressing down for the occasion. Instead of his typical suit, he donned a pair of rather tight jeans that drew Yuuri’s eyes more than once, as well as a t-shirt. Just a t-shirt. No buttons, no tie, no cufflinks. Naturally, Yuuri had seen Victor in various states of dress over the months, but he didn’t think he had ever seen the effervescent man ever go out in just a t-shirt. Not in public.
Alas, the chill of the convention center had gotten to him, and Yuuri had wrapped up his darling boyfriend in a Next Level hoodie, specially ordered just for him. The navy blue sweatshirt featured his name embroidered over the heart, just like the rest of the teams’. Tears had been shed in the hotel the night before, when Yuuri and the other developers presented it to Victor. But, as it so happened, he was one of them now.
So, yes. He looked radiant. And he wasn’t the only one that noticed. Yuuri saw the way other eyes strayed to Victor, who was looking more and more like an excited Makkachin. But his beautiful boyfriend didn’t register any of them. He only had eyes for Yuuri and the fluffy, pink decorated booth that he was drifting towards.
“Welcome! Would you like to make an origami heart while you wait to try our demo?” A cheerful blond held out a square of pink paper to Victor, who instantly snatched it up, hearts in his eyes. Yuuri watched fondly as he followed the instructions so closely, sticking his tongue out in concentration.
“Look!” he held out his slightly crinkled paper heart proudly to Yuuri.
“You did a great job, Vitya,” Yuuri responded, beaming back.
“Where’s yours?”
“Oh! Should I make one?”
“Duh! They’re so cute!” Victor picked up a blue origami paper from the table, handing it to Yuuri, already distracted by the puzzle platformer on the screen. “This is an origami game?”
Yuuri watched the gameplay as he folded his origami without looking, “Looks like a puzzle game. You have to get the couple back together again by folding the map.”
“How did they get separated?” Victor gasped, clutching his heart close to his own.
“I don’t know, Vitya, why don’t you go on and ask the dev? I think they’re right there.”
Yuuri watched as his boyfriend chattered excitedly to the game developer, talking with his hands, listening with intent eyes. His heart warmed, as it always did when he saw Victor learning more about his interests. Victor always walked into his world with wide eyes and an open heart; it was beyond what he could have dreamed up in a partner.
He thought back to the velvet box tucked away in his suitcase as Victor excitedly waved him over to a controller and leaned up to plant a kiss on the taller man’s surprised face.
Tomorrow.
-
“Yuura, can you get Makka’s leash, just in case? How’s my hair? Are you hungry?” Victor fussed from the hotel bathroom.
“We have Makka’s leash, Vitya. Your hair always looks perfect. We just ate lunch. Let’s go, it’s almost time for the panel.”
Victor stepped out of the bathroom, striking a pose, “How’s my outfit?”
Yuuri’s eyes sparkled with amusement, as they had most of the weekend so far. He knew he was being a bit… much. But to his relief, rather early on in their relationship, Yuuri impressed on him that he just wanted him to be Victor. And he loved him– all of him.
“It looks just like yesterday’s.”
“But was yesterday’s sexy?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Victor winked before pulling his lanyard back over his head. He whistled for Makka to follow him, and the sweet poodle fell in step between the two men.
The day before, Makkachin had spent their time away at a doggie spa, being pampered and groomed to ready her for her first public appearance. Really, Yuuri just felt guilty she would be alone all day while they were at the convention. Victor’s heart melted as he watched Yuuri set up the reservation for his poodle.
They held hands all the way back to the con, flashing their badges and making their way to the stage where Next Level’s panel was being held. Victor held back the urge to stop every time the con-goers excitedly pointed at his recognizable dog. They were on a schedule, though, so he just smiled and waved.
“Look, Makka, you have so many fans!” He squeezed his boyfriend’s hand, who always squeezed back, as he cooed at his dog. Victor had been so touched when Yuuri had wanted to put Makka into their first game together– first, because there would be more, he was sure of it.
Not for the first time, he cried at Yuuri’s thoughtfulness, something he had never experienced in his previous relationships. He and Yuuri never argued. Yuuri always brought him treats when they went a few days without seeing each other, a habit he reciprocated two-fold after the first time. Yuuri let him cry, made him laugh.
He was always looking at Victor with stars in his eyes, but never in a way that made him feel alone in the sky. More like he was something precious, someone he desperately wanted to hold on to. Victor was never letting him let go.
And Yuuri was always surprising him.
A shiver slid up his spine as he thought of the way Yuuri had surprised them when they returned to their hotel the previous night. And again in the shower.
“Okay, Vitya, so you and Makka can stay right here? Um, I’ll get you a chair, and then we’ll go through our thing, and then I’ll give the signal and you two can come out–”
Victor snaked his arms around Yuuri’s waist, tugging him closer as they stood backstage.
“Calm down, lyubov moya. We rehearsed this. Everything is going to be amazing. They love Next Level, and they love our game, and they’ll love you.” He hugged his anxious boyfriend tightly, resting his cheek on the dark head of hair, “And you won’t be alone out there. I know Phichit wants you to do all the talking, but you know he’ll help you if you–.”
Yuuri pushed away suddenly, a look of determination wiping away the nerves on his face. He grabbed fistfuls of Victor’s hoodie, leaning in real close.
“Don’t take your eyes off of me.” Victor let out a noise of surprise, muffled by Yuuri’s lips on his. He smiled into the kiss, wanting to coo at the display of confidence. But no, he held it in. It wouldn't do to make the man nervous again.
A wolf whistle sounded behind them. The two men jumped apart, though Victor held on to Yuuri’s hands as they separated. Phichit and the rest of the team were watching them, mischievous grins painted on.
“Sorry, guys. As much as I appreciate the free show, we have to get this panel started.” Phichit clapped his hands and led the way on stage.
Victor winced, laughed, and clapped along with the audience as Yuuri guided the panel through their company’s history. They had a clever presentation made by Minami, pointing out their successes and failures, their silly mishaps and their greatest victories.
“One of the best parts about our office is the location.”
Their cue was coming up.
Yuuri changed slides and quiet “aww”s slowly filled the room. Victor knew he was sharing the photos they had compiled of some of their window signs.
“Across the way, there was another office. It was a publisher, maybe you’ve heard of it, or maybe they’ll now become your new favorite. We became friends through the windows, and one day, a surprise pizza delivery changed everything.”
Yuuri pushed the presentation forward, revealing a video– one Victor had never seen.
A shaky cell phone video filled the screen, muffled audio coming in through the speakers. The shot panned over all the interns happily munching away on their free lunch, before zooming in on Yuuri, red faced and hunched over his desk.
“Yuuuuuuri, what are you doing?” Phichit’s teasing voice called out. Yuuri jumped in his chair, looking up like he was caught doing something he shouldn’t be.
“Eating pizza, like you should be.”
“Tell me again where you got that pizza?”
“The neighbors,” Yuuri responded, looking away from the camera.
“Uh-uh, Yuuri, that’s not what you said before,” Phichit slowly approached Yuuri, like a wildlife photographer trying to sneak up on a deer. “The daddy next door?”
Victor covered his mouth with both hands, smothering a laugh and half a sob. Phichit flipped the camera around as Yuuri on screen let out a squeak, getting up to chase Phichit.
“Yuuri gave him a ten, he’s never given anyone a ten. Stay tuned as–” The video ended abruptly, on a blurry shot of Yuuri’s blushing, but victorious face close behind his goofy friend.
The audience laughed along as Yuuri blushed on stage, taking a small bow.
“I thought I deleted that video, but lucky for me, Phichit automatically backs up everything twice over.”
“You’re welcome!” Phichit spoke into the microphone on the table before him.
Yuuri waved him off, laughing, “Um, so yeah, that day, I started participating in the window communication and ended up making a few very important friends, two of which we’ve brought with us today. Perhaps you’ll recognize the first one.”
Letting out a whistle, Yuuri reached into pocket for one of the treats he had stashed away. Makkachin obediently dashed out onto the stage, to the gasps and cooing of the audience. Just like they rehearsed, she ran through a few tricks, shaking Yuuri’s hand, waving to her fans, and giving a few spins before she settled at his feet.
“This good girl is Makkachin. She was the real life inspiration behind Mocha, Emil’s canine best friend.”
Victor watched lovingly from the wings as Yuuri explained the protagonist, Emil’s journey to find love and the ensuing shenanigans as Next Level teamed up with On Love .
“All of this was possible because of our next guest, the man behind the curtain. I’m sure many of you have heard of S. V. Aria,” Yuuri paused as the audience roused, murmuring and growing with excitement. “It turns out, he’s a really attractive man who lives for grand romantic gestures, like sending an entire office pizza, and buying toys for his dog, and I have the privilege of being able to out him to the world.”
Yuuri turned to Victor, holding out his hand, eyes shining in the lights of the stage. “Everyone, please meet S. V. Aria as I know and adore him, Victor Nikiforov.”
A smile so wide it hurt latched onto Victor’s face as he made his way out to join his boyfriend. He gave a bow to the audience, his stomach turning somersaults as he absorbed the fact that his pen name had just been revealed. He wondered how long it would take for the news to escape the convention and reach the rest of the world.
He waved to the applauding crowd enthusiastically, taking a slight bow, a mannerism he had picked up from Yuuri, who bowed even to the mailman.
Victor was in the middle of performing a trick with Makka when, suddenly, the audience hushed, only quiet gasps and whispers reaching his ears. He turned back to Yuuri to see what was wrong, and then he realized.
Kneeling before him, microphone still in one hand, velvet box in the other, Yuuri’s eyes glistened as a spotlight opened up on them and the rest of the room faded away.
“Victor, my Vitya, I don’t think I’ll ever eat a more satisfying pizza in my entire life,” Yuuri laughed, a thick, wet sound, like he was on the verge of crying. Victor instantly choked up at the noise, covering his mouth with both hands.
“You are the brightest light in every room, the most incredible author, the kindest partner, the best doggy dad.” Victor held back a sob as Yuuri continued, “One game with you wasn’t enough, one year being with you isn’t enough. I want this, us, over and over again, in every universe, in every lifetime. Stay by my side.”
Yuuri, juggling the mic in his hands, opened the ring box, a shining gold band staring up at Victor.
“Will you marry me?”
The room was silent as they watched on. It was silent as Victor sank to his knees in front of Yuuri, his precious, darling Yuuri.
Tears fought their way down Victor’s face as he desperately tried to keep it together. Yuuri watched him, still holding the ring box out hopefully. A fond smile grew as Victor looked at his soon-to-be fiance, kneeling before him. Yuuri always was good at surprising him.
He held Yuuri’s face with both hands, tilting their heads together until their foreheads touched.
“In every universe, and in every lifetime, my answer will always be “yes,” Yuura.”
And even though the microphone was able to just barely pick up the whispered response, the room burst into cheers as the newly engaged couple cried into each other’s embrace. Makkachin barked her way into their arms, and Victor, lips against Yuuri’s, wondered if all conventions were this exciting.