Chapter Text
Viktor sighed happily as he wheeled his suitcase through his front door, locking it behind him. Makkachin was panting at his side as he strode down the hall to the elevator.
He pulled out his phone and dialled Yuri Plisetsky, a small boy that trains under Yakov as well. He's fourteen years old though he looks about eleven and he's very short tempered and rude. Viktor knows that that's just his way of showing his love... maybe.
The phone picked up on Viktor's second attempt at calling, he heard a long groan from the other side. "What? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago, what's your excuse you old fucker?"
"Aw don't be like that. I'll call your grandpa again and tell him about your attitude. What happened to the sweet little boy with the bowl cut?"
"We do NOT talk about that! I'll skin you-" Before he could finish the phone was taken off Yuri and Yakov spoke.
"Why are you late?"
"Oh yeah!" Viktor exclaimed as he realised. "I forgot to tell you! I won't be at practise for a few days, I decided to take a holiday. Sorry Yakov."
"WHY are you like this!? What made you decide this so out of the blue?" Yakov's voice was slowly rising in volume as he spoke.
"Because, I've been so drained and I want a change. So I'm going to Japan for a bit to uh... chill."
"You know, you can't just go to Japan and hope to just come across your soulmate no matter how many times you try. How are you going to find one person out of one hundred million when you don't know what he looks like or where he lives? It's next to impossible."
Viktor was silent for a moment before replying, "Maybe I want to know his culture better and feel closer to him, work on my Japanese while I'm there. Because I doubt I'll be able to speak with him with Russian or English."
"You're an idiot. I'll let you go only because maybe you'll learn from your mistakes because you certainly don't learn from me telling you."
"Thank you so much, Yakov! Also can I ask another favour?" Yakov grunted and Viktor went on. "Can you or Yuri look after Makkachin? I don't want to take him on such a long flight and-"
"Fine. Drop him off at the rink." Yakov said curtly and then the line went dead. Viktor smiled and walked the short distance to the rink, dragging his suitcase behind him with Makkachin following on a leash. When he arrived, Yuri was standing near the doors, with his skates on and his arms crossed. He took Makkachin's leash.
"Thank you, Yuri! I need to be quick to catch my flight, is Yakov in there?"
"Yes, but he's helping Georgi with his triple salchow. Give me the keys to your apartment."
Viktor's eyes snapped from the rink behind Yuri to Yuri's face. "What?"
"You heard me. I want the keys to your apartment." He held his hand out.
"But why? Is it so you can watch my anime?" Viktor smirked and Yuri flushed bright red.
'N-no! So I can- can get away from those losers," He jerked his head towards the Russian skaters behind him who seemed to be forming a train and speeding around the rink while Yakov was preoccupied with Georgi.
"OH, okay. But you don't have to be ashamed of liking anime you know, I have all of Sailor Moon on disc, I know you like that one, so feel free to watch it. Just don't destroy anything in my home." Viktor handed Yuri his keys.
"I DON'T LIKE ANIME." Yuri all but screamed, earning a few glances from people nearby. He patted his leg to get Makkachin to follow him back towards the rink and Viktor rolled his eyes.
"Sure!"
Viktor had a great week in Japan, he got to taste things he's only ever heard about before and he saw almost everything there is to see in Tokyo and the surrounding area. He even went to mount Fuji on a tour bus with a whole bunch of other foreign tourists, a lot of which are fans. The news that he spent time in Japan had spread across the globe by now with all the selfies he had taken with multiple people. While he did run into a lot of fans, for the most part, his holiday was relaxing and nice.
He got back to his apartment at perhaps one in the morning to find the TV turned on but mute, on it was the credits to some show. There were takeout boxes on the coffee table and when Viktor looked into his spare room, Yuri was there on the bed, dead to the world. He had fallen asleep in his clothes with Makkachin draped across his back.
Viktor just smiled and went back to his room, he took a shower and went to bed. Even though he didn't find his soulmate, he was still feeling energised and ready for the Grand Prix final that was coming up. He wanted to make the most of it and make his sweet soulmate proud.
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Phichit was awake and waiting for Yuuri when he got home from a late practise. Yuuri came through the door, with his training bag slung over his shoulder and aching muscles, ready for a hot shower and some sleep, but instead was greeted by Phichit and some vanilla slice.
"Yuuri, sit down for a sec, I have some good news." Yuuri sat down and Phichit put the plate of cheescake in his lap along with a fork.
"What's this for? I can't eat this you know, I have to watch my weight." Yuuri said but picked up the fork anyway. Phichit smiled.
"Have you seen Viktor's Instagram?"
"No, he posted something but I haven't gotten a chance to look at it." Yuuri dug his phone out of his bag and unlocked it, tapping on the notification that says that Viktor Nikiforov posted. There was over forty photos of Viktor doing all different things in Tokyo, all posted at once and Yuuri grinned.
"He went to Japan! What a cutie." He beamed and Phichit smiled too.
"What a pity you were in America though, you could have seen him,"
"Yeah... Maybe I can see him at the finals, if I skate well enough."
"You can meet him at the finals regardless of how you skate there you know, it's a big thing just to GET to the finals, so I think you're on his level by now!"
"Pfft, no, I'd have to medal to even get the courage to go near him. He's probably never heard of me in his life."
When Phichit glared at him and opened his mouth to argue, Yuuri hastily changed the subject. "What's that news that you were going to tell me?"
"Oh yeah! I think I know who your soulmate is."
Yuuri paused, with a forkful of cheesecake halfway to his mouth. "Who?"
"Viktor Nikiforov."
"No."
"Really though, you've been getting things that Viktor Nikiforov would own. We've already deduced that he's a Russian figure skater. Who else could it be? And Viktor Nikiforov also just went to Japan for seemingly no reason, maybe he was hoping to find a certain Japanese soulmate?"
"Stop. It's someone else, it can't be him."
"Why?"
"He just can't. He's on an entirely different level and he deserves someone who's as good as him."
"But Yuuri, you're prefect-"
"STOP. I don't want to discuss this anymore. I'm taking a shower."
"Yuuri, please think about this."
"Goodnight, Phichit."
Yuuri closed the bathroom door behind him and tried to take a deep breath. It would be so nice to be Viktor's soulmate because it would be a dream come true, but Yuuri couldn't let himself hope, because he knew he'd be let down. If he was Viktor's soulmate, Viktor be disappointed because how could a mediocre Japanese skater ever compare to Russia's legendary gold medallist? Yuuri would rather have a different soulmate than have Viktor Nikiforov disappointed in him.