Work Text:
Victor can’t sleep. Yuuri is right there next to him, all pliant and sleep soft and Victor can’t enjoy it because they’re engaged but not really. Yuuri never really asked. He also never argued. Victor’s been imagining Yuuri’s surprised face at the dinner in Barcelona for months like some kind of mental air raid siren broadcasting the doom of his own happiness.
“Chris.”
“Victor it’s three AM here.”
Victor ignores him. “Chris I’m in the middle of a crisis.”
“We agreed that unless it was life threatening, you would reserve your crises for daylight hours.” Victor doesn’t remember making that promise, but then again, Yurio would argue that’s sort of Victor’s thing.
“It’s morning here, though.” He pauses, then, “Chris do you think Yuuri loves me?”
“What the actual fuck Victor.”
“Do you though?”
“Do I need to send you the Youtube playlist we made of Yuuri’s press conferences again?”
Victor had forgotten about it. It turns out that Yuuri's press conference declarations last season hadn't been the first time he'd brought Victor up in an interview. Or the twentieth.
In the early days of Victor's stay in Hasetsu—when Yuuri's skittishness meant he skirted every one of Victor's touches—Victor had called Chris in tears, asking if Chris thought Yuuri even liked him. After Chris laughed at Victor for a solid ten minutes, he texted Victor a flurry of Youtube links, supercuts of Yuuri's interviews with titles like "My Big Gay Crush: The Katsuki Chronicles, Vol.1, Directors Cut", "Katsuki Yuuri Supercut: A Thirst for the Ages", and "Touch-a Touch-a Touch me: Victor Please Love Yuuri!"
(Victor had even left a comment on the last one to congratulate them on developing psychic abilities. They'd reported him as a spam bot.)
Then Victor had repaid the favor by sending Chris an audio file of fake sex noises that he could play whenever Josef called and Chris didn't feel like talking. Of course, Chris had used Victor's own sex noises against him the last time he'd called too late. As though Victor wouldn't recognize his own moans like some amateur.
"Don't you dare play that file Chris. I'll ask Phichit to hack you. He's good with technology," Victor hisses into the mouthpiece of his phone. Yuuri's still sleeping next to him. He'd be playing with fire if he wasn't absolutely sure Yuuri could sleep through an inferno.
"There's a difference between Instagram and remote hacking. I'm disappointed in you, Victor."
Victor's known Chris long enough that he can hear him rolling his eyes. "And yet, I'm not the one on the phone at 4 am, worrying that my fiancé and I aren't engaged."
"He tried to end it in Barcelona."
"And where is he right now?"
Victor sighs, "sleeping next to me."
"I'm hanging up now."
"Unusually kind of you to warn me."
Chris ends the call and Victor stares at the ceiling as the St. Petersburg pre-dawn light filters through the gaps in the blackout curtains Yuuri had hastily drawn closed last night.
Yuuri sighs in his sleep, shifting so that his arm is draped across Victor's waist, his head nuzzled up to Victor's shoulder.
It's only been a week since Yuuri'd won his gold at Worlds. Victor had never been so proud, or excited. He had an entire binder on wedding ideas. But Yuuri hadn't brought it up, even when Victor had left the newspaper open to the engagement announcements, when he'd rented nothing but romantic comedies about weddings, or when he called Yuuri his husband the other day when they tried a new restaurant. Yuuri had just smiled at Victor from under his eyelashes and continued running the tip of his toe up and down Victor's shin.
On the nightstand, Victor's phone buzzes to life, screen lit up with a new notification. Victor stretches his arm to grab it without shifting Yuuri.
the love doctor [4:57]: come with us, it'd be good for both of you http://winesofeurope.com/spain/reservations
____________________________
Spain is beautiful. It's been four scant months since they were last here, but there's something incredibly perfect about Victor's decision to propose to his probably actual fiancé in the same country they got engaged.
("Nothing about that sentence makes any sense," Yurio had said, when Victor told him that he planned to ask Yuuri to marry him. "This is the dumbest conversation that we've ever had. And one time you talked about katsudon's earlobes for fifteen minutes."
"They're just so cute! And—"
"No. We are not talking about this again.")
Yuuri's at the table with Masumi, fiddling with a set of plush velvet drapes while he looks out the window. Victor wants to hire a painter to capture the way the light hits the side of Yuuri's face. Maybe they should—
"Victor, the drinks are ready." Chris tips his head towards the bar where two long stemmed glasses of 2005 Priorat are waiting.
Victor's gaze flicks towards the table. Yuuri catches his eye and his mouth blossoms into a warm smile.
"Chris I need your help."
"Oh no. Victor, what are you up to?" Chris squints, scrutinizing Victor's face as though his plan were written in invisible ink all over his forehead.
"Do you remember what we talked about last week?"
"Do I remember you asking if you should grow your hair out again, or if I think there's a parallel dimension where carrots grow out of the ground instead of into it, or if you should invest in a titanium cock ring, because my answer that last one is still—"
The bartender is not subtle about trying to hear the rest of their conversation. Victor shoots him a frosty smile, grabs his and Yuuri's glasses, and ushers Chris into a more private corner of the car.
"I want to propose to Yuuri."
"Victor. You're already engaged. You told me the story at least twenty times. I know the lyrics to the song the choir was singing. You're wearing the ring right now. What are you talking about?"
"He gave me a ring, but he didn't actually ask me to marry him! I just...told everyone we were engaged." Victor knows he supposed to savor his wine but fuck having a refined palate, he's going to drain the glass. "And he keeps ignoring all my hints! I left a wedding magazine on the coffee table three days ago and he just put his tea on it!"
Chris closes his eyes for a moment. "Did you ask him about the wedding? Or the engagement? Or anything other than trying to convince him to put jam in his tea?"
Victor waves his hand—a little wine splatters onto the floor. "After I propose I won't have to ask him if we're engaged or not!"
"Are you even listening to yourself?" Chris takes a deep breath, "besides, you can't proposed to him. Because I'm proposing to Masumi."
____________________________
Yuuri's not sure what Chris and Victor are talking about by the bar, but Victor's already finished his drink and has started on Yuuri's. He hopes Victor remembers to get him another.
____________________________
"That's amazing! I'm so happy for you two! Just let me go first and you can propose in a couple of days." Victor’s already finished Yuuri's glass of wine. He's a little tipsy.
Chris glares at him, "Victor. No. We're going back to out table and you're going to ask Yuuri if you're engaged. I'm the one who's proposing. Anyways, I'm going back to my future fiancé and you should go get another glass of wine for your current fiancé. Since you finished his."
Victor scowls at Chris's back and slumps over to the bar. He returns to the table with two fresh glasses of wine—sparkling this time, a regional specialty. He places a kiss on Yuuri's cheek and a shoots Chris A Look.
Masumi follows Yuuri's gaze, shrugs, and offers a wary smile.
The conversation flows better after a few glasses of wine. Chris and Victor share amusing stories about one another from their years in juniors—like the time they conducted a seance in Georgi's hotel room and spoke to the ghost of Judy Garland, or the time Victor dared Chris to change his exhibition skate to Ginuwine's Pony.
"That was two years ago," Yuuri laughs, flushed and far too lovely.
Chris flutters his eyelashes. Victor rolls his eyes, "that was when you met Masumi, wasn't it?"
Yuuri takes the bait. "So...how did you and Chris meet?"
"Victor introduced us, actually. I studied with Lilia when I was younger before joining the Paris Opera Ballet. Victor and Chris came to one of my shows and I watched Chris skate that exhibition program. A year later I was living in Switzerland, choreographing for figure skaters."
Victor heaves a theatrical sigh, "Paris is so romantic. You two should go back there. Really examine the progress you've made in your relationship. In a place that's already part of the big romantic moments in your lives."
Chris narrows his eyes, "yes, it's so important to communicate about where you are in your relationship. Really talk things through."
"Absolutely," Victor grinds out through his teeth, "speaking of which, I need to talk to you for a moment."
Victor pulls Chris out of his seat, through the main body of the train car, and into a cramped bathroom definitely meant for one person. Or maybe just half a person. It's tiny.
"You owe me for breaking you out of your embarrassing hipster phase."
"Yeah, well, you owe me for the concept of this entire trip."
"Okay, but I'm closer to getting married than you are, so I have to get engaged first!"
"That makes no sense!"
"You make no sense," Victor glares.
Chris rolls his eyes," You've been spending too much time with Yurio."
"At least he supported my plan!" He hadn't, but Chris didn't need to know that.
"You're already engaged! He probably just wanted to have your apartment to himself for a week!"
____________________________
"Do you have any idea what just happened?" Yuuri fiddles with the stem of his wine glass. Victor's been acting strange—well, stranger—than normal lately. Yuuri's been focused on making sure all the arrangements are in place once they get to Hasetsu. He probably should have been paying more attention to Victor but he's not great at splitting his focus.
Masumi shrugs, "I have no idea what's going on with Victor but I think Chris is going to propose."
Yuuri beams. The wine's started to hit him. His limbs feel a little loose, a little heavy. "Congratulations in advance!"
He shoots a look towards the bathroom. What's taking them so long?
____________________________
"I brought you that hair loss treatment that was only available in Switzerland!" Chris says, shoving Victor a little. His sweater rubs agains the bathroom wall. He can feel it wrinkling.
Victor shoves Chris back. If Chris wasn't his best friend he'd probably punch him from sheer frustration. "Well I told everyone you were buying lube instead of hemorrhoid cream when we were in Seoul.”
Chris gasps. "You told me you'd never speak about that ever."
Victor flicks the center of Chris' forehead, "Well you said you'd never tell anyone about what happened in Munich and yesterday Yuuri said 'Schildkröte'. You spilled."
"I was setting a good example. Because you should be telling your fiancé things. You know, communication? With words? And not skating? Do you expect to interpretive dance your way into resolving arguments now that it's the off season?"
"Yuuko will definitely let us use Ice Castle in Hatsetsu," Victor says.
____________________________
"Do you...like grapes?" Yuuri knows he's reaching for a topic but they've exhausted talking about Chris, Victor, how to treat your ballet shoes, and dogs. It's not like Yuuri thought he'd be left alone with Chris' boyfriend for such a long time. If he'd known this would happen, he would have prepared flashcards.
"Oh, yes. Grapes are wonderful. Especially when they're fermented. Apples too." Masumi takes a sip of wine. It's the last one in the glass.
Yuuri studies the brocade pattern of Victor's empty chair.
A racket erupts at the other end of the car as Victor and Chris stumble out of the bathroom, thoroughly disheveled and glaring at one another.
Yuuri looks at Masumi. He looks just as confused.
Victor and Chris stagger over to their table, lunging more than they're walking.
Just as Yuuri opens his mouth to ask what the hell is going there's a burst of applause from the other end of the car.
"She said yes!" A woman lifts her new fiancé in the air, spinning her around before placing her back on the ground and dipping her back into a kiss.
Yuuri turns towards Victor—who looks like someone just kicked Makkachin.
Masumi breaks the silence, "That was sweet. But I don't know that I'd want a proposal in such a public setting."
"I definitely preferred our engagement," Yuuri says, nudging Victor with his elbow. Victor flushes; Yuuri's never seen him so red. He glances over at Chris who's face is a strange mixture of smug and disappointed.
Once the congratulations have died down and Victor's settled into his chair, glass in hand, Yuuri leans in to whisper in his ear. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"
"It's nothing." It's definitely not nothing, but Yuuri will let it go. He's got a surprise waiting for Victor in Hasetsu.
“Alright,” Yuuri pauses for a moment before continuing, “I can’t wait to be married to you.” The marriage license should be ready by the time they get home.
____________________________
A week later, newly married and completely fucked out, Victor sleeps, utterly content.