Chapter Text
“Yuuri, read this one!”
“No, not that one. Read this!”
“If you don’t read this one, I’m telling Mama!”
“Okay, okay,” Yuuri said hurriedly, placing his hands up in a placating gesture as the triplets crowd around him, shoving books in his face. “Why don’t you three lie on your futons while we decide on what to read?”
Axel, Lutz, and Loop took three seconds to consider his offer before they simultaneously said, “Deal!” and settled down on the futons near Yuuri’s bed for the night.
Yuuri sighed in relief. He couldn’t believe he was babysitting Yuko-san and Nishigori’s triplets. Well, he was glad for the opportunity. He loved these girls, although he couldn’t spend a lot of time with them; Ice skating and school at Detroit made trips back to Japan rare. But it was summer now, and the off season for ice skating. He had finally had the time to come home to Hasetsu.
When Yuuri had also settled in his bed and had opened his mouth to speak, Axel cut him off. “Yuuri, are you really planning to retire?”
He blinked at the suddenness of the question, but it was not the first time he heard it. The question itself had been repeated numerous times to him by his coach, the media, and Minako-sensei.
After having a lukewarm career in competitive figure skating so far, Yuuri was considering the idea of retirement. Although he was still young to retire, Yuuri couldn’t bear handling his nerves and disappointment anymore. He was done with it interfering with his skating, with his life. He knew he should quit.
But that didn’t mean he wanted to.
“Uh, I still haven’t decided.” He gave his typical reply.
Loop hummed. “Stop being indecisive already. You’re acting like you’re not twenty-two.”
“That’s right!”
Yuuri sighed deeply. He had a lot of expectations for tonight. Getting told off by five-year-olds was not one of them. “Anyway,” he started, veering the topic away from him and skating. “what would you like to read? Snow White?”
“No, we know that already.”
Lutz suddenly gasped. “Hey, I brought the book we won at the festival.” She quickly stood and rummaged her bag, pulling out a thin book.
“That’s a good idea. Mama hasn’t read that to us yet!” Loop said and Axel nodded enthusiastically.
Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief at his successful distraction attempt and at finally settling the bedtime story issue. “Okay, let me see it.” Lutz handed him the book. He read the title. “‘The Searching Prince,’ huh. I’ve never heard of this before.”
“That’s because they said it’s a rare book,” Lutz explained and her sisters nodded. Yuuri hummed. Glancing at the clock, he berates himself for taking too long because the girls should be asleep by now. He quickly turned the book open and went to read the lines on the first page.
“Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a prince. This prince was unlike any other for he possessed a one-of-a-kind beauty in the kingdom. When the queen gave birth to him, the servants were surprised to find a cherubic face and light, silver hair adorning the top of his head. It was the first time that a royal ever had that hair color before.
“Every person who laid eyes on the newborn prince was captivated by his beauty and unique hair. As a result, the king and queen took great care of their son and raised him within the walls of their castle, not letting the prince leave its premises.
“As the prince grew up, his beauty only magnified. Fond of his silver hair, the queen never once allowed her son’s hair to be cut. The prince’s long hair even became a legend in the kingdom, especially to those who had not once set eyes on the prince.
“On his eighteenth birthday, though, the king and queen knew it was time to stop hiding the prince in the safety of the castle. He needed to learn lessons and become familiar with the townspeople.
“‘Why do I need to become familiar with the people, Mama?’ the prince asked the queen.
“‘Because soon, you have to find your bride, my son,’ she replied.
“The prince’s brows furrowed. ‘How do I find my bride?’
“The queen smiled. ‘Why, you will do your best to court them.’
“The prince had never heard of courtship before. ‘How do I court them?’
“‘By doing a selection of things,’ the queen replied. ‘Learning how to fight for them. Cooking for them. It depends if they will like it or not, my son.’
“‘But, Mama,’ the prince said uncertainly. ‘I do not know how to do a lot of things.’
“‘You will, my son. In due time.’
“The queen realized that she spoke too early. The prince, having been cared for and served to for most of his life, struggled to excel in the tasks taught to him. His academic tutors failed. His sparring teacher failed. Even the horse’s master failed.
“Am I the only prince who cannot sword fight or even ride a horse? The prince thought sadly to himself. He was facing a big problem. Although, little did he know, a large part of his failure was not his fault. All his tutors were actually too captivated by his beauty or too busy trying to win his affections to teach him seriously. I must go out and discover the world and find something I can do. I must leave the castle!
“The king and queen were also at a loss about how they could help their once cheerful son. And so when the prince asked permission to travel outside the kingdom, they finally allowed him with heavy hearts.
“And so, the prince left, disappointed at leaving his parents, but determined to find the skill he could be good at.”
Yuuri stopped reading when he looked up and saw the triplets with eyes closed and even breathing. He smiled tiredly. Finally, they were asleep. He put the book down beside his bed and got ready for bed.
Then the unexpected happened.
There was suddenly a great deal of smoke in Yuuri’s room. Yuuri sat up quickly, heart lurching, and feared that a fire had broken out. He coughed and heard other tiny coughs beside him. The triplets!
However, before he could reach them, the smoke cleared off as soon as it appeared. Yuuri blinked at the sudden change. Were the last few seconds even real?
The triplets huddled together on their futons beside his bed, coughing madly, were real, though. He went to their side in an instant.
“Axel, Loop, Lutz! Are you okay?” he asked worriedly. His eyes scanned the triplets and he relaxed when they were unharmed, apart from the slowly ceasing coughing fit.
A loud thump and a low groan made them freeze. Yuuri turned and caught side of a shadow moving at the foot of his bed. He cast himself in front of the triplets.
“Who’s that?” he asked with a slight tremble in his voice.
A smooth, deep voice rang out. “Wow, what a classic, tiny room.”
Yuuri yelped at the unknown voice, and the triplets shrieked behind him.
“It’s a ghost,” Loop whimpered.
“It has to be!” Axel said.
At the triplets’ whimpers, his fear only intensified. Of course, his mind was telling him ghosts were not real. But what ifs started spilling out of his imagination. What if it was a serial killer? Yuuri did not want to die at twenty-two. He hid the girls further behind him, fearing for their safety even more. He didn’t know if he could face Yuko-san and Nishigori if something happened to their little girls.
Just as his mind started to fill with unpleasant thoughts, the serial killer stepped closer and the lamp from the table illuminated him, giving them a view of the face of their murderer.
The images in his brain certainly could not compare to this.
Long, silver hair. A handsome face. And a prince costume? Was this man lost on his way to a party or something?
Still, he was so…. beautiful. Yuuri forgot how to breathe. Distinctly, he heard the triplets stop their whimpering.
“That’s the first time anyone’s called me a ghost,” the handsome serial killer said, light and teasing. He smiled and Yuuri felt like the sun was shining down on him even though it was ten-thirty at night. “I’m Viktor of the Nikiforov royal family.”
“Royal family?” Yuuri and the triplets repeated simultaneously. They stared at each other, before the triplets started giggling.
“You’re hilarious, mister.”
“This is Japan. We don’t have a royal family here.”
“You must be out partying for a long time.”
Viktor cocked his head to the side. “Japan? Party? I don’t think I’ve heard about them.” Then he started looking around like he was in a museum and not a stranger in Yuuri’s room.
Yuuri finally sprang back to life. “Hey, hey! What are you doing?” He stopped Viktor from opening one of his cabinet drawers. Attractive or not, a stranger is still a stranger. “I don’t know how you got here, but please leave. You’re trespassing in my room.”
Viktor’s eyes widened in realization, and Yuuri almost felt relieved until— “Oh, this is your room? I thought it was a, well, nevermind. I didn’t know I was intruding, sir….?”
“Yuuri Katsuki.” Then Yuuri bit his tongue in frustration—because how could he give his name to stranger?
“Sir Yuuri Katsuki.” Viktor smiled blindingly at him again. “I don’t want to impose, really. But I hate to say I have no choice. Can I stay at your humble home for a few days? I’m a traveling prince, you see. I’m searching for a skill to woo my bride.”
Mouth opened and eyes wide, Yuuri struggled for words. “You’re staying here? What? What do you mean you’re a traveling prince in search of a skill?” By the last word, Yuuri’s voice had become a whisper. He knew this story. In fact, he had just read them to the triplets.
“Ah! He’s the Searching Prince!” Axel exclaimed before Yuuri could.
Loop and Lutz were turning over the pages, faces shocked. “He really is. Look at the last page. ‘The prince, Viktor, hopes to one day return to his kingdom in Nikiforov.’ Wow, Yuuri! You read him out of the book!”
“That’s impossible!” Yuuri shouted. He buried his face in his hands as he frantically tried to tell himself he was dreaming. Because reading fictional characters out of a book was wholly something out of a dream. But this guy has the silver hair and name and all. No. “This can’t be real.”
A weight settled on his shoulder and Yuuri lifted his head up. It was Viktor, beaming down at him again. “You know me? Does that mean I can stay?”
Yuuri groaned. He really wished he was dreaming.
The only things the book told about Viktor were his good looks and lack of a proper skill.
But the actual Viktor was more than that. From their first meeting, Yuuri could tell that the prince was kind of an airhead sometimes. He supposed it was a consequence of being cooped up in a palace all his life. Yes, he minded other people’s business and was too clueless in this world. But what could Yuuri expect from a fictional character?
Honestly, a part of Yuuri was still hoping meeting Viktor was all a dream.
Though there were times that he did not, surprisingly.
True to the book, Viktor’s ineptness wasn’t his own fault. The prince could be diligent if he put his mind to it. Once, when his family went out and Yuuri was left in charge of running their family inn, Viktor helped around a lot. Yuuri, albeit reluctantly at the beginning, asked for Viktor’s help in the kitchen when he couldn’t keep up with the orders. Yuuri carefully taught Viktor how to chop the vegetables and marinade the pork. Viktor listened with a serious expression, as if he was being told a big secret. It made Yuuri smile once he went back to his own work.
A few minutes later, Yuuri checked on Viktor’s work. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The ingredients were sliced immaculately and the pork was already out of the marinade and into the pan. The work area was clean and organized, just as Yuuri taught him.
Viktor wiped at his brow with a shoulder and asked nervously, “Yuuri, how did I do?”
Yuuri met his warm, blue eyes and grinned, proud. “It’s perfect, Viktor. Good job!” He gave a thumbs up.
Viktor cheered with Yuuri, making them almost forget the katsudon on the pan.
Seriously, sometimes Yuuri wondered how someone as handsome as Viktor ended up in his family’s kitchens.
One of Yuuri’s greatest mysteries was that Viktor seemed to always follow him. When Yuuri asked why, he said he wanted to know his savior; it might be useful in finding a clue on a skill he could be good at. How he became a savior, Yuuri would never know. But then, on their way to Ice Castle Hasetsu, Yuuri realized something.
“Hey, Viktor, didn’t you already learn a skill? You know when I taught you how to cook?” he asked curiously, ignoring the way his heart clenched. Yuuri did not know what would happen once Viktor learned a skill. Would he vanish as sudden as he appeared? Yuuri had grown too fond of Viktor to the point that it was scaring him.
I’m just dreaming. He’s a fairy tale prince. I’m just dreaming.
He’ll disappear.
Yuuri bit his lip at that thought.
Viktor hummed and kept his eyes on the sea beyond the bridge. “You’re right. But I don’t think it’s enough, though. I think I finally have an idea of who I want to marry. My current skill…. It’s not enough to impress them. Not anymore.”
Yuuri looked his way but Viktor was still gazing at the water. “Is that so,” he muttered, words almost drowned by the beating of his heart. Viktor already had chosen a bride? Wasn’t it too soon?
The somber atmosphere evaporated when Viktor excitedly asked, “So, where are we going this time, Yuuri?”
Yuuri mirrored the infectious smile. “It’s a place I love. You’ll see.”
When the music started playing, Yuuri knew something was different.
It wasn’t the song. He had heard this song on the radio and could visualize a program for it almost immediately. The song was fast-paced and lively and seductive. But when Yuuri first heard On Love: Eros, he swore it wasn’t this seductive.
Yuuri began skating to the rough program he had in my mind. Once the first strings of guitar played and he paused, he found Viktor’s eyes trained on him, all seriousness and heat. Yuuri didn’t know where it came from. Just minutes ago, Viktor had been enthralled at the sight of an ice rink, gushing about how these things didn’t exist back in his home. If it weren’t for Yuuri’s warning about the dangers of amateur skating, Viktor would’ve dived headfirst into the rink.
Now, he was gazing at Yuuri. And like a magnet, Yuuri was drawn right back.
He continued his choreography. After stopping, Yuuri cocked his head and smirked. He thought he saw Viktor’s eyes twinkle, but it could just be his imagination. He let himself immerse in the program. Some step sequences and spins needed to be revised. Many of them, though, worked so he went on.
By the second half, he started preparing for his jumps. His triple axel was okay. A gasp from the stands almost made Yuuri lose his focus, if it wasn’t for the swell of pride that washed over him. He suddenly had an urge to impress Viktor. It was foolish but, he thought, since it was only practice, maybe he could go ahead.
He added jumps on the spot. A quadruple Salchow. A quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination. Yuuri bit back a smile as he heard more gasps and exclamations.
By the time the music stopped, Yuuri only realized then that he had completed the program on his first try. Panting heavily, he relaxed from his ending pose and was met by enthusiastic clapping.
Yuuri grinned at the excited and overwhelmed look on Viktor’s face. He went towards him.
“How was that?” Yuuri asked breathlessly.
To his surprise, Viktor went to grab his shoulders, leaning over him. A smile was lighting up his face, although his eyes held a resolute gleam.
“You were wonderful, Yuuri!” Viktor praised in a low tone. “Why didn’t you tell me you become so much more beautiful on the ice?”
Yuuri’s face burned, heart beating too fast for him to hear his words. “Th-thank you.”
If it was possible, Viktor leaned even further to him. “Can you teach me how to skate, Yuuri?”
He blinked, not sure he heard that right. His mind was still in shambles. “Sure. But what for?”
Viktor grinned but didn’t reply.
He got his answer one month later, along with an engagement ring.