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“Katsuki Yuuri? I’m such a huge fan! I just wanted to say that I’m really glad that you won gold! You really deserved it!” a brunette, not much taller than Yuuri, practically sang, giddy and somewhat nervous. “Could you…uh…sign this for me?” they asked, handing Yuuri a photo of himself.
Yuuri smiled nervously, shifting his weight from foot to foot as his fiancé’s – No, soon husband’s – hand gently gripped him to help ease his unsteadiness.
“Uh, oh, sure! Wh-who am I making this out to?” His voice was shakier than his fan’s.
“You don’t remember me? Well, it has been some time I guess. Make it out to Chihoko.” A blue painted smile, slowly spreading across their face.
“To my…fan…Chi. Ho. Ko?” Yuuri froze in his writing as he felt the hand about his waist unconsciously grip him tighter.
A small giggle resounded from the person before them as they took the signed photograph.
“A fish, huh?” Viktor bit out heavily accented Russian, loud enough for only Yuuri to hear.
It wasn’t that he was angry. It was, more or less, that he spent the better part of a year assuming that the drunken night at the onsen with their fellow skating family was wasted jealousy. That he was angry at a ‘sachihoko', or the fish statue atop the ice castle.
'There is no Chihoko', and 'Who are you talking about, there was never anyone else’ being the reassurance that Yuuri fed him over and over again.
“Again,” the sweet voice rang out, breaking the somewhat uneasy silence, “I am so proud of you Yuuri! You really earned this! You’ve been working so hard!”
“Thank you for your support! It means a lot to him! I’m sure he would say the same if he could just find the words. Isn’t that right, Yuuri?” Viktor said with one of his patented, heart-shaped smiles.
To anyone else it read as happy for a fan’s adoration for his fiancé. To Yuuri, it read that Viktor was going to be at the pool with a bottle of wine and Instagram photos with Chris later.
Finally finding the strength to nod, “Mhm. Th-thank you!” he replies sheepishly.
“Please keep it up! I’m looking forward to more great things from you!” Chihoko chirped, as they ran back to their awaiting partner, giggling like a school girl.
Viktor just continued to stare down at Yuuri, not angrily, just… offended? Confused? Bitter? Yuuri bit at his lower lip as he awaited those ice blue eyes to release him. No such luck. A question, still in Russian, came to him about the fan.
“I seriously don’t know where I know them from! I didn’t know there was a Chihoko! I promise I was talking about sachihoko that night! Don’t look at me like that!” Yuuri huffed as the blue eyes grew wider, “It literally wasn’t anything! Ever!”
“And it was literally a fish a minute ago!” oh boy. He was sulking. Yuuri wasn’t going to live this down for a while.
“Yuuri! You see Chihoko! It’s been so long hasn’t… Viktor’s never heard about them has he?” Phichit practically shouted as he came to a halt in front of the couple.
“Phichit, please tell Viktor that there was nothing between us! I don’t even remember meeting them!” Yuuri pleaded, staring between his crestfallen husband-to-be and his hyper best friend.
“You don’t remember! Let’s go sit down at a table and I’ll remind you!”
+++++++
(Detroit 20xx)
“So if you can’t land this combo I do, flawlessly, you lose. And you have to do what I say!” the easily excitable Thai boy said pointedly.
“And if I do?” replied his friend.
“Then you give me something to try and land. We go until we get tired, the rink closes, or one of us, cough you cough, messes up.”
Yuuri crosses his arms and pouts dramatically, “Thank you for the vote of confidence!”
“Just being honest! Now try to pay attention!”
Phichit did a combination of jumps and skate patterns cutting to a halt just in front of his friend. His expression challenging the boy to do it better. Yuuri let out a small laugh, competition getting the best of him, and took off. It wasn’t long before his cockiness made him lose his footing, one skate clipping the other and causing him to land square on his bottom. Slowly sliding past Phichit, making him double over in laughter. When Yuuri finally finished his polishing, he sprawled out on the ice and groaned.
“So what is it this time?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing!” Phichit returned, extending a hand to the deflated boy.
“Because it usually is! Last time you made me state exactly how many Viktor posters decorate my wall in our apartment.”
“Harmless fun!”
“In front of the full rink?” Yuuri said, brown eyes narrowing.
“Not without it’s casualties.” He beamed.
“Just tell me what thing I have to do now!” Yuuri huffed.
“Well, you remember that one studio we passed a couple nights ago?”
“Oh no! No, no!”
“You said whatever I wanted Yuuri! This is what I want! Now, they’re doing a free week for new students. We just need to go for one week! If you wanna continue then that’s all you!”
“None of it is me.” Yuuri muttered. “Fine! When do we start?”
“Tomorrow. Tonight, we’ll just walk past and survey!”
Yuuri let out another defeated groan before making his way towards the locker rooms. His friend was fun and only ninety percent of the reason why he tried anything outside of his comfort zone. Yuuri was thankful for, and cursed with, having Phichit as a friend. Right now, Yuuri was sure it was a curse.
After cleaning up and getting changed, the two boys left the rink and made their way towards the studio they had passed a few times on shopping excursions. The studio sat on the corner of the street, snuggled in a row of various buildings. It seemed fairly large, being a two story building with a balcony. Inside seemed to be just as impressive. The floor to ceiling windows allowing passersby to glance in and watch whatever class was being taught that day.
'Great.’ Yuuri thought, 'Not only am I going to become a stripper, but it’s going to be at the expense of my pride.’
He shuddered a bit, which was ignored by a rambling Phichit, who was going on about why pole dancing was actually very classy and athletic. Yuuri didn’t have time to hear that. As they looked inside, there were a few students seeming to do warm ups. They were in various states of dress; sports bras and very short shorts, leggings and leotards, and crop tops with tights or shorts. Almost all of them barefoot. The nervous wreck of a skater just tried to convince himself that this was like the onsen back home, just…with more clothing. A few moments had passed before everyone stopped what they were doing and stood next to the poles they were previously stretching on. Someone was entering the room.
A slender figure, with long chestnut colored hair down to their behind, wearing a black crop top over a sports bra, and what looked like leggings from the eighties with bright, pink leg warmers. They began to tie their hair back and smiled to the class. Making their way to the pole, they grabbed it and did a couple of spins before stopping, facing the mirror, and sliding down slowly, one arm extended above them, into a split. After which, they swung their back leg around and sat, greeting the class with a bubbly expression, reflected in the large wall of mirrors.
They rose, turning to the class, and began to instruct, Yuuri presumed. Everyone following this gorgeous person’s lead. Although everyone was doing the same thing, there was one place where Yuuri’s eyes were currently fixed. The routine seemed like magic being performed by the instructor. His hand grabbed at Phichit’s arm as he gripped it tightly, resulting in a small chuckle from the boy.
“Yuuri, are you alright?” his worried friend questioned.
“I’m… I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“Because you’ve been staring like a love struck teenager, and I can’t feel my hand.” Phichit laughed.
Coming to, he turns his gaze to their hands and quickly releases his friend. A heavy blush creeps down his cheeks and into his neck.
“I wasn’t staring!”
“Yes you were Yuuri. It’s okay. The teacher is kinda cute if I do say so. But my question to you is, what will your lovely poster of Viktor think?”
A small, yet still audible, gasp pulls from Yuuri’s chest. “I am offended by the fact that you would so much as think that I would cheat on my… I mean…” he broke off as his friend simply giggled. “Don’t give me that!”
“I would never think that you would cheat on your husband-not-husband. But either way, they’re taking a break now. Let’s go talk to the teacher. And who knows, maybe they’ll think it’s cute that you’re already crushing!”
“I don’t have a crush!” came a frustrated squeak from the bespectacled boy.
-----
“So what made you two interested in taking this class? If I could ask?”
Even their voice was gorgeous. Keeping to his true fashion, Yuuri just short of squeaked, making Phichit take over.
“Well, you want the honest truth or a nicely fabricated reason?”
The pole dancing angel giggled, even that was unbelievable. “The truth sounds like it’s more interesting. Let me get that.”
“Whelp, my friend Yuuri here, made a bet with me that if he couldn’t copy my skating routines perfectly, I would get to make him do anything I wanted to. He lost. Here we are! Although, I’m not too opposed to learning a new skill!” came the sing-song voice of the Thai child.
“Well, I was right. That was an interesting story! You said you two are skaters? Like, professional figure skaters, or just for funsies kind?”
“It started as funsies, but we’re both pro! Best in our countries actually!”
“Oh wow! That’s pretty awesome! So you guys might actually make my other students jealous with what skills you must already possess.” Glancing at a clock on the wall, the instructor beams back at the boys, “Well, my break is over, you’re welcome to stay and watch the rest of the class. Otherwise, I’ll see you two tomorrow?”
“You’ll be seeing us tomorrow! Yuuri and I have to get some rest. Long day of practice.”
“Understandable! The best professionals need the best sleep. By the way, my name is Chihoko!”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Phichit Chulanont, and this is Katsuki Yuuri. I would have let him introduce himself, but he tends to be a little easily embarrassed when he’s around someone he thinks is—oof!” an elbow connects with his side, stopping his spiel.
“I-I’m sorry for being informal. I just… can be pretty shy. With new people.” A voice finally rang out from the ebony haired boy as he bowed deeply.
“No need to be so formal Mr. Katsuki. Please, I can understand being shy. A lot of my students are here to break from that. But, as to not keep you any longer, I will see both of you boys tomorrow. Please do dress comfortably!”
“See you then!” Phichit smiled brightly as he dragged his flustered friend from the studio. Making it further down the road, he spins in front of the other boy, “I saw that look! So what was it? The fact that they’re an almost exact body double of Viktor, or is it that long hair?”
“What are you even talking about?”
Still walking backwards, he laughs again, “You like Chihoko. Whether or not you’ll admit it, even to yourself, you like her! Or is it him? I didn’t pay attention. Either way! You like Chihoko, Yuuri!”
“I have no idea what you’re even talking about.” His cheeks heating up again.
“They are a brunette Viktor! Well, a green-eyed, brunette Viktor. But if you say that you don’t have a crush, I’ll believe you.”
“Good! Cuz I don’t!”
----
Yuuri had been in some fitted costumes before, but this was just humiliating! How did he let Phichit talk him into this? ‘I promise you look good! Better than good actually! I might have to fight people off of you with a stick!’ had been the encouragement his friend tried to feed him. Yuuri didn’t even feel remotely attractive. He was persuaded into black leggings that had a nylon panel across the thighs. As for his top, his friend chose a grey crop top that sat off of one shoulder, but that wasn’t the embarrassing part. What made it horrible was the fact that it had the word “Katsudamn!” scribbled across the front. Phichit had insisted. He spent fifteen dollars to make it for Yuuri to never wear it. And ‘now there was no excuse not to’! According to the boy spinning around wearing an oversized t-shirt and spandex bike shorts.
“So why do you get to wear more clothes than me?”
“Because I’m not the one who needs to...” taking a pause, he rethought his sentence. “Because you need to learn to flaunt what you have sometimes! Now come on, pretty up and let’s go!”
Finally arriving at the studio, Yuuri insisted staying as close to the back as possible. Rather not draw any more attention to himself than necessary. Phichit, however, thought this was just a terrible idea. How else were they going to show off? And how else would he show off how beautiful his friend is? These arguments fell on deaf ears. Chihoko arrived and greeted the class like normal, everything was going well until they turned to face the class.
“Okay, so today we have two new students with us testing the waters. Please welcome them kindly.”
++++++
“You should have seen his face, Viktor! I almost thought he was going to explode! But he managed to survive the classes. He even survived the outfits I made him wear each day.” Leaning across the table he adds with a wink, “I’m almost certain he should still have them in his wardrobe. If you ask nicely enough he may wear them for you.”
Shooting a sideways glance at his fiancé, still feeling a slight bit upset about this discovery, he gives a quick once over with a faint smirk, before having his attention turned back to the child across from them.
“Either way, we spent the whole week taking lessons. At the end of it, we managed to find a way towards the front. I had asked Yuuri if he wanted to call it quits, but he wanted to continue. So I stayed on about once a week with him, he went every day we didn’t have to practice. Even some days when we did. Chihoko was actually thoroughly impressed with how quickly he picked things up. But our final year in Detroit was coming to a close, so we ended up having to say goodbye. I’m just surprised to see him here!” Phichit sang, finally ending his story to slurp up a noodle.
“Is there any other piece of embarrassing information you’d like to mention?” Yuuri sighed, burying his face in his arms on the table.
“We text each other. She also follows me on Instagram! We’ve kept in touch since we left.” He drinks a bit of soup before continuing, “Oh! And she knows about the skills you used to woo Viktor with.”
“Wait! What!” Yuuri sat up so quickly that everything on the table almost landed on the floor.
A small giggle resounds from the boy across the table. “Well, I had Chris send me the pictures he took. And I…sent one or two to Chihoko. I figured that, ya know, the one who made it all possible would like to see those skills put to good use. He approved.”
This time, Viktor was the one to speak, finally breaking his vow of silence, and Russian. “You keep switching between he and she. Which one is it?”
The boy beams as he shoves a piece of sushi into his mouth. “It depends on the day honestly. Chihoko doesn’t really stick to one pronoun. But either way, Yuuri never did lose sight of his real goal. Even if his crush was your brunette twin.”
Viktor’s gaze slowly drifts to the raven next to him, resting his cheek to his hand, the one with his ring on it. “So then, I just have one question for you Yuuri.”
“Yes?”
Taking a dramatic, shaky breath, his eyes go wide and child-like, “Do you still think I’m not as flexible as Chihoko! I’ll challenge them right now! Right here! Tell me the truth Yuuri!”
With a heavy sigh, Yuuri covers his face in an (failed) attempt to hide his blushing. “Viktor, please! And I can’t believe you’re still on that! It was a literal year ago!”
“And there was a literal year between when I arrived at your onsen and when you gave me that adorable drunken invitation. What’s your point?”
Another sigh of exasperation leaves the boy as his head rests on the table once more. “I am too tired for this.” Blindly feeling around the table, Yuuri adds, “Someone put a glass of sake in my hand please.”
“You didn’t answer me! You liked someone else who was more flexible. I am hurt. I am truly hurt that I am just now finding out about this Yuuri. And I had asked you if there were any past lovers and you said—”
“There were never any past lovers!” came the screech from the boy being questioned. “I promise there was literally nothing more than a student-teacher relationship there! I admit, I might have had a mild crush at the time, but it’s as Phichit keeps saying, Chihoko looked very much like you! But I promise that even then I only loved you. I mean—”
“You said you loved me! Yuuri! You loved me even back then? I feel so special!” suddenly getting caught up in the emotions, Viktor raises to his feet and begins to shout into the restaurant, “YOU HEAR THAT CHIHO—”
“Viktor please!” Yuuri pleads, clamping a hand to the mouth of the excitable silver-haired male. “Please sit down, or can we go? Let’s go!”
He slaps down some money on the table, apologizing to Phichit, telling him that he’ll talk to him tomorrow as he drags his beaming and clingy future husband from the restaurant. Phichit ends his recording just as the subject of conversation walks over and takes a seat on the empty side of the booth, their partner standing next to them.
“That was adorable. I’m so proud that he was able to find someone who loves him with that much passion. I’m also glad it was his idol. He was so determined to at least get to know him and now they’re about to get married? And I know you’re going to be the best best man at their wedding, right?”
“Of course! I have to be! It’s against the law if I’m not.” Phichit laughed. “I’m glad I made him take your class. Who’d have known that it would one day help him catch the man of his dreams?”
Chihoko leans their head onto the arm of their partner and smiles wide, “All I know is I’ve earned my invitation to that wedding. And I also feel honored that the Viktor Nikiforov is jealous of a little nobody like myself. Well, Phichit, keep me posted on how you three are doing. I need dates and if I can’t attend I expect pictures, Insta-King!”
Another small laugh, “Of course, of course! We wouldn’t be here without you!”
Sliding out of the booth, Chihoko giggled more, fawning to their partner over how the Olympic gold medalist was jealous of their flexibility, and that Yuuri had had a crush on them in the past. Their partner just chuckled a bit, lacing their fingers together. Phichit was the last to leave, having posted a few pictures to Instagram first. One of Yuuri and Viktor with their medals, gold and silver respectively. Of he with the couple, Viktor and himself kissing Yuuri on the cheek as he held up his gold. As well as one of himself and Chihoko and one of the three of them from Detroit. Posting all four pictures with the caption ‘I can’t believe it! When a #tbt runs into you irl! So much fun tonight! Can’t wait for the wedding! #yuurigotgold #gonnabethebestbestman #whoischihoko ?’
Laughing at his post, he slips his phone in his pocket, places a few more bills on the table, and takes his leave. Tonight was definitely more eventful than expected.