Work Text:
Day One
"I can't believe we're the ones who have to go to this stupid supermarket." Yuri grumbled under his breath, irritation laced in his complaint as he kicked a loose stone on the pavement.
"I'm not particularly happy about it either, but we did lose." Viktor admitted with a pout, knowing that they had lost fair and square to the rest of the Russian skating team and had no excuse to refuse.
"It's a stupid game, I don't care if we lost or won - I'm still convinced Georgi cheated."
"Yuri, you can't cheat at last knee," Viktor rolled his eyes, despite the amused smile that was threatening to tug at his lips, "we were too slow to get to the ground, that's all."
"Whatever." He huffed, brushing his blonde fringe away from his eyes in annoyance, before smirking at the older man, "I'm surprised you can even still take part, aren't your joints too old? You'll end up breaking something soon."
Viktor's eyes widened considerably and he stopped in his tracks, abruptly halting their journey to the nearby shop; placing a hand to his chest dramatically, he drooped his eyebrows sadly, "I'm wounded."
"You're old." Yuri corrected with a sly smile, rolling his eyes when Viktor's lip began to wobble exaggeratedly, and he ran a hand through his silver hair, checking if it was thinner than it had been twenty minutes ago.
(It wasn't.)
"Come on." Yuri sighed, wrapping his small hand around the older man's wrist and pulling him forward, wanting to get back to the rink as soon as possible.
Viktor quickly dropped his act, remembering that they actually had a task at hand and followed Yuri through the streets; he wasn't exactly sure which way it was, and he didn't know whether or not it was the best idea to put all of his faith in a fifteen year old, but he didn't feel like asking for directions so he decided to just let him lead the way.
Before he knew it, the two of them were approaching the large supermarket and they hastily made their way inside, wanting to grab the items from the list and get out as quickly as possible.
"One litre or two?" Yuri asked with a bored expression, turning to face Viktor with a large bottle of soda in each hand as he balanced on a couple of crates.
He had many, many hates in life, one of which was having to climb to reach the top shelf; he didn't understand why the assistants thought it would be a good idea to put it somewhere no one could reach.
"One; maybe if we do a bad job they won't make us come back again." Viktor smirked, knowing that it was childish but he couldn't bring himself to care; not when he was missing valuable time to practise at the ice rink by being there.
"I like the way you think." There was a small trace of a smile on Yuri's lips as he placed one back on the high shelf and languidly dropped the other into Viktor's basket.
(Well, he tried to drop it in the basket.)
"Shit!" Yuri grumbled, watching as he completely missed and it fell straight to the floor with a heavy thud, the lid coming off and spilling its contents all over the floor.
"Yuri!" Viktor groaned, running a hand through his hair frustratedly as he watched the previously white floor become increasingly brown by the second.
"It was an accident." He glared at him defensively, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing at the ground with irritation. "I'll go get someone to clean it up."
With a sigh, he hopped down from the crate and bitterly stormed off, disappearing out of the end of the isle as Viktor shifted on his feet awkwardly, receiving several disapproving looks from other customers.
"Clean up on aisle five." The tannoy announced loudly and Viktor cringed as more people turned to stare at him and he tried to shrink into himself, thoroughly embarrassed by the mess that had been made.
After what seemed like a lifetime, Viktor heard the squeak of Yuri's new sneakers on the floor and his typical grumbling that some poor soul was being subjected to. As they came into view, he began to apologise profusely for Yuri's mistake, his eyes scanning across the shop assistant's uniform until he reached his face and his words faded out, somehow forgetting the entirety of his English vocabulary, because, wow.
Viktor was by no means a religious man, but maybe he would consider attending church sometime, because there was a real life angel standing in front of him and that was more than enough proof that there was a God above them.
Perfectly tousled jet black hair rested on the man's head, sitting comfortably as loose strands tickled his face and hugged his ears - which were becoming redder with each second Viktor stared.
Behind a pair of blue framed glasses, soft brown eyes gazed curiously at him, flicking between Viktor, Yuri and the large puddle of soda beside them.
The man cleared his throat and it only caused Viktor's attention to be dragged to his neck, where his Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he shifted from one foot to the other. He licked his lips to initiate a conversation and Viktor couldn't help but be amazed at the soft pinkness that they held, they looked so so soft-
"-excuse me?" He asked sheepishly and oh god, even his voice was perfect; gentle and calm and Viktor knew that it suited him, that that voice was made especially for the man in front of him who stood shyly, seemingly unaware of his almost unfathomable beauty.
"Viktor." Yuri hissed, roughly gripping the end of his sleeve and tugging him out the way of the shop assistant, whose cheeks were now dusted with a light pink. Stumbling slightly, Viktor shook his head and broke away from his daydreaming, rubbing the nape of his neck with a chuckle.
"Sorry, I was distracted." He admitted with a small smirk, hoping that he could deepen the red on the boy's cheeks but he only received a curt nod as he began to mop the floor nonchalantly, clearly used to this kind of accident happening.
Yuri shot him a look and pulled out his phone - most likely to use as a distraction from Viktor's admiration of the man in front of him. It was strange how even though he was doing such a mundane thing as cleaning up a spilled bottle of cola, Viktor was unable to look away, almost perplexed by how he could look so beautiful while doing it.
"Okay, I'm done." He said after a moment, biting hip lip in thought as he examined the floor for any splashes he'd missed, smiling in satisfaction upon deciding it was clean enough.
"Ah, okay. Thank you! I'm sorry about this." Viktor apologised again, his heart fluttering when the man flashed him a smile and his eyes glistened in amusement.
"Yeah, you said - quite a few times actually." He chuckled softly and Viktor wanted to scoff because how, how, could his voice sound so gentle and perfect?
(How?)
"I thought once more couldn't hurt." Viktor joked, a smile tugging at his lips as he held onto the eye contact between the two of them, not wanting to let it go because he would do anything to be able to study those eyes for a while, to notice the way the chocolatey brown melted into darker and lighter shades, the small freckles of gold that littered his irises, the -
"-alright," he offered a small smile, placing a wet floor sign over the scene of the crime, "well, I've got to get back to work, so try not to spill any more."
"Ok, thanks." Yuri said dismissively, pulling on Viktor's jacket so they could leave but he brushed him off.
"Wait," he began, not really sure where he was going with it, but not wanting to be separated from the man just yet; he racked his brain for an excuse, hoping that he could pass it off for something genuine, "should we pay for the bottle? I mean, you can't exactly sell it and I don't know how profits and stuff works."
"Ah no, it's okay it was an accident. Besides, it was only a cheap bottle so I doubt it's going to send the business crashing and burning if they lose one." He waved a hand and bent down to pick up his bucket, placing the mop inside it as he did so.
"Alright, have a nice day." The man waved shyly, beginning to turn around and Viktor almost whined because he didn't want him to go, not yet.
"Wait!" He cringed at himself, knowing that he must be getting on his nerves by now, but if he had a real problem then the man could refuse, after all he was a shop assistant, he was there to assist people, "I er, I'm having trouble finding something on my list."
He almost sighed in relief when the man's attention returned to him and he raised an eyebrow expectantly, "I'm sure I can help, what is it you're looking for today?"
Viktor pouted at the formality of his tone, feeling like just another customer - even though in reality he knew that's all he was. It took a bony elbow in his rib from Yuri to remember that he was supposed to actually have an answer, and he looked at the younger boy pleadingly, hoping he would pick up on his obvious pining and help him out.
"Tampons." He whispered under his breath and Viktor didn't have time to process it before he blurted it out desperately.
"Tampons!" He announced, he cheeks flushing a dark red as his hand covered his mouth and he turned to glare at the fifteen year old who was sniggering beside him.
"Tampons?" The man asked hesitantly, clearly trying to bite back an amused laugh as he saw the embarrassment that was radiating from Viktor.
"No, sorry, stamp on. For a letter? Maybe it's just a stamp." He lied smoothly, and even though he knew the man didn't believe him, he was decent enough to nod and offer a kind smile.
"We don't sell those here, you're better off trying to post office across the road." He explained, throwing a pointed thumb over his shoulder before fixing his attention to the handle of his mop and taking a few steps backward, clearly wanting to get back to work and this time Viktor let him, voicing his thanks as he strained to see the name tag that was pinned to the polo top he was wearing.
"I've been blessed." He announced once he was out of sight, turning to face Yuri who made a gagging sound and kicked at his knee, missing by only a fraction.
"Don't be gross, old man." He spat, rolling his eyes as he pulled on his jacket so they could finish the rest of their shopping.
"You guys took your time." Mila noted as the two of them reentered the rink, leaning over the barrier as she held out a hand expectantly.
Viktor walked over to her and placed a new bottle of water in her grip, smiling sweetly before jerking his head towards Yuri.
"Yura made a mess, so we had to get it cleaned up." He tutted patronisingly, shaking his head at the young boy.
"Whatever, more like you couldn't keep it in your pants."
"Yura!" Viktor exclaimed, his eyes wide as a scandalised look washed over him, "You shouldn't even know about that kind of thing, you're only a child. And besides, I was merely appreciating the free art show."
"You make me sick." He groaned, turning his gaze to Mila who was smiling fondly at Viktor, ignoring his teenage angst and focusing on the older Russian's love life.
"So? Who's the boy?" She asked, cutting straight to the chase, as her eyes glistened with curiosity.
"I say this, and I'm not exaggerating; he was an angel." Viktor put the back of his hand against his forehead as he pretended to swoon, leaning over the edge of the rink with a long sigh.
"An angel?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing as a smirk tugged at her lips.
"Yes, I don't think I've ever seen someone so beautiful in my entire life." He pouted, unsure of whether or not he would ever actually be anything more than an annoying customer to him.
Mila placed an elbow on the barrier, resting her chin against the palm of her hand as she gazed at Viktor softly, "Did you ask for his number?"
"His number?" Viktor asked, standing up straight with a puzzled look on his face.
"Duh, how else are you going to talk to him?" Mila raised the palm of her hand in a questioning gesture, her eyes squinting in confusion.
"Oh, I didn't even think to ask for it. I don't think we made a very good first impression, considering he had to mop up a bottle of soda." He laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck as a small blush painted his cheeks.
"Unbelievable." Mila shook her head, clearly unamused by his hopeless pining and reached over to flick him in the face, "Get a hold of yourself. Go back to the shop and ask for his number, because although it's cute when you like someone, I'm not in the mood to watch you pine over them for the next few weeks."
Day Two
"Last knee!" Georgi called the next day after practice, sweat dripping from his forehead after a long training session; the entirety of the Russian skating team gasped and quickly dropped to their knees, not wanting to be the last to do so.
(Except Viktor.)
He took his sweet time to slowly lower himself onto one knee, making sounds of annoyance as though his old joints were causing him pain - despite the fact that he was only twenty seven.
"You stupid old man." Yuri glared in annoyance, knowing that they were going to be sent back to the shop once again.
(Viktor didn't even pretend it was an accident.)
"I can't believe thanks to you I have to do this again, and all so you can stare at some random boy's eyes." Yuri grumbled as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, bitterness flowing out of him as they stepped into the supermarket.
"I have no idea what you're talking about Yura." He feigned innocence, pulling his eyebrows together in confusion as he led him through the different aisles, hoping to spot the person he so desperately wanted to see.
"Why don't you just ask for him at the kiosk rather than dragging me around?" He groaned, throwing his head back as they proceeded down another aisle that held shelves and shelves of different types of pasta, "You got his name, right?"
"Of course I did." He scoffed, turning his head as they reached the end of the aisle to see down the side of the shop where the fridges stood.
"Come on then." Yuri all but dragged Viktor towards the front of the shop, not wanting to deal with it any longer than he had to. When the two of them arrived, Viktor was relieved to see there wasn't a queue, and he didn't need to wait to make this any more embarrassing than it already was.
"Excuse me." He politely got the attention of the young boy sitting at the counter, noticing the red bright red streak that contrasted to the gentle blondness of the rest of his hair.
"Hello, how can I help?" He grinned cheerily and Viktor cleared his throat, shifting on his feet before beginning to speak.
"Erm, do you know if Phichit is working today?" He questioned hopefully, not even bothered by the way his tone was almost pleading.
He couldn't deny the wave of relief he felt when the boy nodded and confirmed that he was, "Do you mind if I ask why? He's on his lunch break at the moment so..."
"Oh, sorry! It's not too important, I was just hoping to talk to him about something." He chuckled nervously, unsure of why he had even done this in the first place, he had no right to ask to speak to someo-
"-I'm sure he won't mind, Phichit's always been very sociable; I'll call him over."
Viktor nodded and expressed his thanks, expecting the boy to send a text but when he leaned over the the microphone beside him Viktor cringed in advance.
"Can Phichit Chulanont report to the Kiosk, that's Phichit Chulanont to the Kiosk please. Thank you."
Viktor wanted to hide his head in his hands when a few shoppers turned curiously to where they were standing, before finally turning their attention back to their shopping with a shrug.
Viktor heard footsteps quickly approaching and turned happily, expecting to see the boy from yesterday but his face fell when he was met by someone who was definitely not him.
"Phichit! You have a customer here who wanted to see you." The blonde informed him, and 'Phichit' gave him a look of confusion.
"Umm, can I help you?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked him up and down hesitantly.
"You're not Phichit." He blurted dumbly, not understanding what was going on because the boy from the day before was Phichit; his name tag even said so.
'Phichit' glanced between Viktor and the blonde boy, his lack of understanding clear on his face as he laughed awkwardly and looked down at the tag on his shirt, pointing to it with a humorous tone.
"I'm pretty sure I am."
"No. Because I met Phichit yesterday, and it wasn't you." Viktor explained, feeling as though someone was playing a joke on him, the only thing he had to go off was the boy's name and apparently it wasn't even helpful.
Suddenly though, 'Phichit' seemed to understand and a small laugh escaped his lips, "I think I know what happened; what did this Phichit look like yesterday?"
"Like he was sent to Earth by God himse- ow," Viktor glanced at Yuri, rubbing his rib where he had been elbowed yet again, before sighing and continuing, "He had black hair and brown eyes, and these really cute blue glasses."
Viktor frowned slightly at the simplicity of his description, feeling as though he hadn't done him enough justice, but Phichit nodded and shot him a sympathetic look.
"Yuuri took my name tag by accident on the way out of the apartment yesterday." He explained, not missing the way Viktor's shoulders relaxed in relief, "If you want to talk to him I can go get him? He was just eating lunch with me and he was pretty much done anyway."
"I don't want to be a bother." He said sheepishly, glancing between Phichit and the boy at the counter who were exchanging knowing looks before he slipped back the way he came, promising he would return with Yuuri momentarily.
"He has the same name as me?" Yuri asked incredulously, his tone dripping with disgust and Viktor ruffled his hair with a laugh, deciding to test the boundaries of the fifteen year old who glared angrily at him in response.
"Phichit no!" Viktor heard that voice again, and looked around to be met with empty space; he realised that Yuuri must have been behind one of the aisles with his friends and wrung his hands together nervously.
"Yuuri, come on." Phichit chuckled, and a moment later Viktor saw him pulling a flustered black haired boy towards the kiosk by the arm. He was pushed towards Viktor and Phichit smirked at the two of them before winking at Yuuri and heading away, only turning over his shoulder to shout at Yuuri.
"Give him all the assistance he needs."
Yuuri's face was flushed red by now and he cleared his throat before looking up to face Viktor, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose and he feigned a confident smile.
"How can I help?"
"Ah, Yuuri - can I call you Yuuri?"
A smile. A nod.
"I was - we," Viktor paused, pouting his lower lip before gesturing between himself and an irritated looking Yuri, "were looking for some ingredients but we couldn't seem to find them."
"Oh?" He asked expectantly, a trace of a smile on his lips, "Are you sure we sell it this time?"
"Ah, no." Viktor lied smoothly with a chuckle.
(He was certain they sold them, in fact, he had looked up every single ingredient on the store's internet page the night before, not wanting to be sent away in embarrassment again.)
"I was hoping you could tell me, and help me find them." He smiled sweetly, flashing his pearly white teeth, before gesturing to Yuri once again, "You see, Yuri here - that's his name too, by the way - it's his birthday tomorrow, and I promised we could make pirozhki to celebrate. I'm a great cook you know, but of course, being as unprepared as I am, I forgot to buy the ingredients."
(It was September.)
(It was definitely not Yuri's birthday.)
(Viktor had never cooked pirozhki in his life.)
(For some reason, Viktor already had all of the ingredients at home.)
(But Yuuri nodded and smiled anyway.)
"If you show me a list, I can help you out..." He said helpfully, waiting for Viktor to supply his name.
"Viktor."
"Ah okay, Viktor, just let me know what you need." The way his name rolled off his tongue sent butterflies to his chest and he wanted to hear it again and again, but Yuuri was waiting and he pulled out his phone, enthusiastically showing him the recipe he had saved only five minutes before leaving the rink.
"Yeah, I think we have most of that here, follow me." He nodded, his eyes narrowing in thought as he motioned for them to come with him. He began to navigate his way through the aisles, stopping every so often to point the items out and Viktor put them into the basket without really paying attention to what he was picking up. He found that he was was more focused on the way Yuuri bit his lip when he thought where the next ingredient was; or the way he subconsciously brushed his hair away from his eyes as he walked; or the way his eyes crinkled as he strained to see the items on the higher shelves; or the way-
"-that's about it." He announced proudly, breaking Viktor from his admiration as he smiled at the basket that he held; confusion briefly flashed across his features as he spotted the odd items that sat in place of those he had been instructed to pick up, but he smiled nonetheless and shook his head in amusement.
"Ah thank you. You've truly outdone yourself." He complimented, placing a hand on Yuuri's shoulder and noticing the redness of his ears from the encounter.
"It's all part of the job." He said dismissively, although the warmth in his eyes made Viktor weak in the knees, "Anything else I can help you with?"
Ask for his number.
Ask for his number.
Ask for his number!
Ask! For! His! Number!
"Ah no that's all, thank you!" Viktor grinned, awkwardly patting him on the shoulder before heading to the till to purchase a basket full of items he really didn't need.
"You have got to be kidding me."
There were many, many, many things that annoyed Yuri Plisetsky in life - most of which involved things that Viktor did - but the thing that he was driving him insane that day was once again his hopeless pining.
"Please tell me you did not drag me around that shop for over an hour for you to leave without his number, but with coconut milk, four different types of pasta and gluten-free cereal - you're not even gluten intolerant!"
In lieu of an answer, Viktor just shrugged, continuing their walk back to the rink.
"Next time, you're going on your own."
Day Three
"Hello again, did we miss something for Yuri's piroshki?" Yuuri questioned, noticing the way Viktor's eyes were narrowed determinedly.
"Hi Yuuri! Haha funny story, so it turns out I picked the wrong thing up, can you show me where the flour is again please?"
Day Four
"Yuuri! I brought you a pirozhki to say thank you for all your help!" Viktor grinned, holding the paper bag out as Yuuri hesitantly accepted it, caught off guard by the gesture.
"Ah, thank you, it was really no bother at all though." He insisted, waving his hands in front of him, but Viktor just shook his head with a smile.
"It's the least I could do. Anyway, can you help me find cashew nuts please?"
Day five
"Yuuri! Where is the Mediterranean couscous?"
Day six
"Yuuri-"
"-He's got the next two days off Viktor, try again on Monday."
Day seven
"Mila, it's your turn to go to the shop today."
Day Eight
"Yuuri! I need a Black Forest gateau."
"Celebrating something?" He smiled, not even greeting him as he gave him a knowing look as Viktor walked beside him towards the freezer section of the shop.
"I'm not sure yet." He said vaguely, clenching and unclenching his hands nervously inside his coat pockets. If Yuuri found his phrasing vague, he didn't say anything as he stood beside Viktor, waiting patiently as he scanned his eyes over the variety of options, pretending that he had any idea on what he was doing.
"You might want to try the one that says gateau on it," he chuckled, stepping closer as he pointed to the lettering on the box Viktor held, "that's a cheesecake."
"Oh." Viktor bit his lip to stop himself from laughing, warmth spreading down his neck and cheeks as he realised he'd been caught out for being as clueless as he felt, "This is why I don't work at a supermarket, I don't think I'd be able to assist anyone; I'd probably end up selling someone washing detergent instead of shower gel."
A soft laugh escaped Yuuri's lips and it tugged on Viktor's heart as he turned to face him, he wanted to listen to it on repeat; he had never never heard such a wonderful sound and he doubted he ever would again.
"Yeah, maybe just leave that to me." Yuuri grinned, his eyes flickering up to meet Viktor's and he licked his lips, ready to say something when -
"Can Yuuri Katsuki please come to customer services, that's Yuuri Katsuki to customer services please. Thank you."
Whatever he was about to say faded out as he waved awkwardly at Viktor before turning on his heel, "Remember, the gateau is the one that says gateau on the box."
"Thanks!" He grinned, watching as Yuuri half jogged out of the aisle to where no doubt a customer was waiting to return something that they had broken for a full refund.
As Viktor stepped out of the supermarket with a cake in his hand, his phone buzzed with a text and he unlocked it to be greeted with Yakov's name.
[Yakov 15:42]
Vitya, if you're planning on coming back to the rink without that boy's number again, don't bother coming at all.
[Yakov 15:43]
I refuse to watch this childlike behaviour for a single more day.
[Yakov 15:43]
Yura says you are affecting his concentration, I will not let you distract my other skaters. I am an old man, Vitya, do not take any more years off my life with unnecessary stress.
[Viktor 15:44]
I'll try <3
"Yuuri!" After pacing the car park several times, Viktor had finally decided to just go for it and he walked up to the customer services desk, where a very bored looking Yuuri had his chin resting in his hand.
"Viktor hi," he smiled, glancing down at the bag in his hand with a smirk, "you didn't buy the cheesecake did you?"
"No, do you have a lost property section in the store?" He asked seriously, pulling his eyebrows together as he patted his pockets convincingly, as though he had lost something.
"Yeah, we do," Yuuri stood, disappearing through the door behind the counter for a moment and reappearing with a cardboard box in his hands, "have you lost something?"
"Yeah, can I have a look please?" He asked and Yuuri nodded, placing it on the counter and watching him curiously as he began to shift through the various items: hats, scarves, teddies, even a few socks - but not what he was looking for.
"It's not here." He whined, running a hand through his hair in frustration and closing his eyes, pretending to think of where it could be.
"What is it? Maybe I can help if I know what we're looking for." Yuuri suggested helpfully, looking at Viktor with concern upon noticing his slight distress.
"It's my number."
"Right okay, well if it's not here maybe it hasn't been found yet, where did you last see -"
A pause.
"Wait," Yuuri knitted his eyebrows together, his mouth parted slightly as he tried to process Viktor's words, "did you just...?"
"Yeah, I've lost my number." Viktor pouted, before his eyes lit up and he grabbed Yuuri excitedly, "I have an idea, can I have yours instead?"
"I cannot believe you just used one of the oldest pick up lines on me." Yuuri groaned, dragging a hand down his face as he let out a laugh in disbelief.
"But did it work?" Viktor asked nervously, and the smile that he was greeted with was enough confirmation as Yuuri nodded and held out his hand for Viktor to put his phone in.
With a few taps of the screen, Yuuri handed his phone back to him and he chuckled at the name.
New contact: NOT Phichit
"He told you about that, huh?" Viktor shifted on his feet, feeling slightly embarrassed, but the laugh that he received as confirmation was worth it and he sent Yuuri a text.
[Viktor 16:02]
Hey Yuuri, do you sell flowers?
[NOT Phichit 16:02]
You can literally see them from here?? turn around.
[Viktor 16:02]
Damn you're right, brb.
"You know, you could just speak to me." Yuuri bit back a smile as Viktor turned on his heel and walked towards the flowers.
[Viktor 16:02]
I've waited like eight days for your number, I want to make the most of having it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Viktor examined the variety of plants in front of him, hoping that he would know what he was doing this time - or at least look like it enough to woo Yuuri.
Picking up some that had not yet blossomed, he thought it would be a nice surprise for Yuuri to wait and see what the flowers looked like as they did so. He quickly bought them at one of the other tills before returning to Yuuri with his hands behind his back, trying to look nonchalant as he hid them and whistled casually.
"Viktor, I literally just watched you buy them." He scoffed, shaking his head with a smile as the Russian ignored him and held them out with a sheepish grin.
"Yuuri, these are for you." He noticed the blush that instantly rose on Yuuri's cheeks, and couldn't help but feel one too as said man leaned over the counter and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
He couldn't ignore the way Yuuri was biting the insides of his cheeks to suppress his laughter, his eyes glistening with mirth as he glanced between the gift and Viktor.
"Thank you, Viktor. I've always wanted a bean plant."