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Phichit watched his best friend.
He didn’t think he’d ever seen Yuuri as happy as he was now, with the person he loved more than anything.
“Do we both wear black? Do we both wear white? Do one of us wear black and the other white?” Yuuri asked, looking up at his fiancé. "There's always half and half. There's too many options!" He pouted in that way that Phichit found irresistibly adorable. Phichit knew that Yuuri's fiancé did too.
Said fiancé, the Victor Nikiforov, only smiled. “White would look gorgeous on you in contrast to your dark hair and eyes,” he held Yuuri’s face in one hand, tilting it up to look at him.
“He’s not wrong, Yuuri.” Phichit smiled. It was genuine. He was genuinely happy that Yuuri had someone that cared for him the way Victor did.
He just wished it could have been him.
Phichit had been through so much with Yuuri. He’d been the first one he’d come out as bi to, the first person he’d lived alone with, the first person he’d truly, effortlessly fallen in love with.
“Vitya!” Yuuri squealed, laughing as Victor kissed him down the side of his throat.
That could be me, Phichit thought, suppressing a sigh. I could be the one making him squeal and giggle like that.
He and Yuuri had joked in the past about them dating, and even held hands and pretended to date when they shopped. Phichit was almost certain that the employees at at least a few of the stores they had frequented back in Detroit genuinely believed they were dating.
Phichit’s eyes shifted over to Victor. He could see how happy the older man was, and that Yuuri was the cause. Watching Victor before Yuuri had come into his life, anyone could tell that something was missing. Yuuri had brought light to Victor’s life after he had lost it who knew when.
They made each other happy, and that was all he could ask for for his best friend. There was no way he could run in and take Yuuri from the love of his life. Phichit wasn’t sure if Yuuri could reciprocate his feelings, and didn’t want to risk their friendship being ruined if he didn’t.
Most of all, he wasn’t sure he could make Yuuri genuinely happy. He couldn’t give random gifts like Victor could. The man was famous for his surprises, for goodness sake! How could he compete with that?
It didn’t help that Victor was the most selfless person in the world when it came to Yuuri. He told Yuuri everything, even if it didn’t concern Yuuri in the least. He told Yuuri where he was going every time he went out, and sent at least a text if he was going anywhere that he hadn’t told the other when he left. He’d let Yuuri know when they got a bill, and then he’d march in twenty minutes later, announcing that it was paid, leaving Yuuri to laugh, and reach up for a kiss, which Victor would happily indulge him in. There was even the time that Phichit had flown out to Russia to visit during the off season, and Yuuri had gotten a text from Victor while they were having lunch that he was adding dog treats to the shopping list. On one hand, Phichit liked seeing that they had great communication. On the other, he felt like certain things could probably wait a bit.
Phichit Chulanont was no Victor Nikiforov. He was just the loyal best friend. He was always there to keep Yuuri amused when Victor was training or coaching. That was when Yuuri called him, asking to go out if they were in the same city, or to just Skype if they were in different countries. As soon as Victor got back, though, Yuuri ran back to him in an instant with a quick, “Sorry, Phichit, Victor’s home. Talk to you later!” That was when Phichit was left alone again.
After all, who needed a best friend when they had their boyfriend?
The worst part was how obvious he could be sometimes, and how oblivious Yuuri was. He had a feeling that Victor was onto him, but if he was confronted, Phichit would be able to state with confidence that he couldn’t make a move on his friend. And he couldn’t. Yuuri’s happiness meant too much to him.
“Phichit? Are you okay?”
“Hm?” Phichit blinked at Yuuri a few times. “Oh, yeah. I’m good. Why do you ask?”
Victor chuckled softly. “You didn’t hear a thing either of us just said, did you?” His following smile was soft. He looked understanding, not pissed, as though he had just finished saying, “It’s okay. I know my fiancé is perfect. It’s impossible not to think about him, isn’t it?”
“Sorry, I zoned out for a moment,” Phichit admitted.
Yuuri laughed softly, reaching across the table to squeeze his best friend’s hand. “I said, if Victor is going to have Chris as his best man, I want you to be mine.” A bright scarlet blush rose on Yuuri’s cheekbones. “So will you? Will you be my best man?” Yuuri looked so hopeful as he looked over the blue rims of his glasses. His chocolate eyes were so dark and wide with pleading, Phichit could feel his heart threaten to break.
Phichit couldn’t do anything other than smile and squeeze Yuuri’s hand in return. “Of course, Yuuri. You know I’ll do anything for you.”
And he would. Phichit would do anything for Yuuri.
But who needed their best friend in the grand scheme of things?