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The doorbell at the front of the cafe trilled through the air, and Victor looked up quickly from the milk steamer as a blast of bitter Michigan winter wind blew in.
An elderly man held the door open for a woman and a couple of small children, bundled up so tightly that only their noses were visible.
Yuri, who was working the cash register, looked at Victor pointedly with an eyebrow raised. Victor sighed, shifting his focus back to the milk, which was just getting to the perfect level of frothiness. He turned off the steamer and poured the two shots of espresso into a large coffee cup, then started pouring in the milk on top, using the foam to make a design of a poinsettia. His designs had recently been featured in a regional magazine, and ever since then, business had been booming. He could barely keep up, and he’d had to hire more employees as a result.
The older couple and the two small children came up to the counter.
“Grandpop, can I get a hot chocolate? Peease?” the little girl asked, tugging on the elderly man’s coat.
The old man picked her up and held her on his hip. “Hmm, I don’t know, that’s a lot of sugar before dinner.”
“Peeeeeeeease?” the little girl pouted.
The man sighed. “Okay, fine, just don’t tell Mommy,” he said. “Four hot chocolates please,” he ordered.
“Whipped cream on that?” Victor asked, already starting to whip up the drinks.
The older woman smiled. “Yeah, sure, why not. We just saw Santa, which was so fun, wasn’t it, Bobby?”
The little boy, who had to be three at most, had a large winter hat pulled down over his ears. He stuffed his entire fist into his mouth and looked up at Victor with wide eyes, saying nothing.
“Yeah, great,” Yuri said blandly, not even attempting to sound interested. “That’ll be 14.87.” The old man handed over his credit card.
“I’ll have those out in a jiff,” Victor said brightly.
“Thanks,” said the older woman, smiling, before she led the children over to a group of chairs.
Just as Victor was finishing making a little snowman out of whipped cream on top of the last hot chocolate, the bell rang again.
Like one of Pavlov’s dogs, Victor glanced up quickly, but it was only a group of teenage girls entering the cafe, chattering away animatedly, enormous scarves wrapped around their throats.
“You’re pathetic,” Yuri said in sing-song out of the corner of his mouth.
“Am not,” Victor threw back.
“Are too.”
The group of girls walked up slowly, still chattering. They stood a few feet back from the counter, and two girls whispered to each other, both looking at Yuri
“Welcome to Stammi Vicino cafe,” Yuri said, smiling, but Victor knew that the smile was fake. “What can I get you?”
“Uhmmmmm,” one girl stepped forward. “What’s your favorite?” she batted her eyelashes at Yuri, and Victor coughed, trying to disguise his laugh.
“I don’t like coffee,” Yuri said flatly.
Victor snorted, and Yuri gave him a dirty look.
The girl chewed her bottom lip, probably trying to seem coquettish. “Uh, okay. I’ll, um, I guess, I’ll have a cinnamon cappuccino?”
Yuri punched the buttons on the register a little more vociferously than was necessary. “What else?”
The other girls shuffled one by one up to the register, each lingering, trying to flirt with Yuri, though Yuri couldn’t have seemed more disinterested. Finally, they had all sat down with their drinks, but they kept giggling and looking at Yuri over their shoulders.
The bell rang again, and Victor glanced up over the espresso maker, his heart immediately jumping into his throat as the new customer walked in.
It was him.
A huge scarf wrapped up around Yuuri’s nose, his cheeks and nose pinked from the wind, glasses fogging up. As usual, he carried a large gym bag over one shoulder, book bag over the other. He took off his hat, which was dusted with snow, and shook out his raven hair.
Victor straightened, beaming. Ever since Yuuri had started coming into the cafe a few months earlier, he’d looked forward to seeing him every day, but he hadn’t gotten the guts to ask Yuuri out yet. He wasn’t even entirely sure what was holding him back. Yuuri was adorable, a little dorky, and sublimely hot.
“Hi, Yuuri,” he called out, probably a little too loudly. He smiled, automatically tossing his bangs out of his eyes.
“Oh, hey, Victor,” Yuuri said, meeting Victor’s gaze, his grin lighting up his face.
Victor beamed even more widely, and he could swear that Yuuri’s cheeks reddened just a little bit more.
After the silence had stretched on for a couple of seconds, Yuri rolled his eyes. “What do you want,” he prompted. “There are other customers to serve.”
Yuuri’s gaze seemed to linger on Victor just a little too long, and Victor’s stomach swooped. “Uhm, I think I’ll just have a regular Americano,” Yuuri said.
“No, no, I’ll make you something special,” Victor chirped, already starting the espresso maker. “On the house.”
Now Yuuri’s ears were definitely going red. Victor couldn’t be imagining it.
“Oh, uh, okay. Thanks.” Yuuri’s phone pinged, and he hefted his bags over one shoulder to look at it.
Yuri crossed his arms, one eyebrow cocked, staring at Victor pointedly, but Victor ignored him.
“You go sit down, I’ll bring it to you,” Victor urged Yuuri, taking out the special chocolate--the one that he kept in reserve for special occasions.
“Thanks,” Yuuri said, giving Victor a shy smile, and Victor almost melted into a puddle on the floor.
Yuuri walked over to a loveseat in the corner, setting his bags down and taking out his laptop along with some books. He often came to study there at night, sometimes working until the cafe closed. He took out a large textbook, setting it on the table next to him.
Yuuri took out a pen and started chewing on the end as he flipped through the pages of large tome. He licked his bottom lip, then bit it as he kept reading.
Victor was trying really, really hard not to drool.
On top of the cup, he poured foam into the shape of a tree, then sprinkled colored sprinkles on top to make it look like a Christmas tree.
He checked his reflection in the mirrored espresso maker, floofing his hair up a little with his fingers. He tore off a corner of a receipt and wrote his number on it, with a little heart, then put it under the cup.
“I’m going to take my break,’” he said, ignoring the snigger from Yuri’s direction and picking up the drink. “Have Chris cover for me.”
“Like I said, pathetic,” Yuuri sneered.
“You’re one to talk, I saw how you were looking at that guy who came in yesterday.”
Yuri’s jaw dropped, and Victor swept off, taking advantage of the momentary silence.
He walked over to Yuuri, who seemed engrossed in whatever he was reading, but he looked up when Victor stepped in front of him.
“Ghirardelli chocolate peppermint latte,” Victor said, putting the drink down on the table next to him with a flourish. He sat down, in a way he hoped was nonchalant, on the comfy chair across from Yuuri.
The pen cap was still in Yuuri’s mouth, which of course made Victor think of…other things being in his mouth.
“Oh, wow, thanks, that sounds amazing,” Yuuri said, putting down his pen and picking up the cup. “Aw, a Christmas tree.”
“Yeah I, uh, didn’t really know if you celebrate Christmas, or if you do Christmas trees, or if you like, uhm… trees,” Victor was babbling, he was babbling so badly wasn’t he? “But..I hope you like it?”
“I love Christmas, and I love this a latte. Thank you,” Yuuri said, giving him a lopsided grin as Victor burst out laughing at the bad pun.
Yuuri took a sip. “Mmmm,” he hummed, licking his lips. “This isn’t even my cheat day, but I don’t care. This is so good.”
“Cheat day?”
“I, uh,” Yuuri blushed again. “I’m a figure skater, but I put on weight easily, so I have to watch what I eat.”
“Figure skater,” Victor mused, a bit breathless, imagining Yuuri flying over the ice, all clean lines and glittering costumes. That explained the gym bag, and how fit Yuuri was.
“So, what are you studying, Yuuri?” Victor’s tongue curled around the ‘r’ in his name like a caress. At least, he hoped that was how it sounded.
Yuuri tapped his pen on the giant book, which was titled Advanced Coding Techniques. “Computer science.”
“That sounds hard,” Victor said, resting his chin on his fist, and giving Yuuri his best eyelash-flutter.
Yuuri laughed, the sound like bells on a crisp winter morning, and Victor’s chest clenched.
“It can be, yeah,” he shrugged. “But I...I like...um.” he hesitated. “I like knowing a code that kind of, I don’t know, unlocks a whole other world, you know? I wish the rest of life was like that.” Yuuri bit his bottom lip, lowering his gaze which in anyone else would have seemed like some kind of coy or flirtatious, but Victor knew that Yuuri wasn’t like that.
“What do you mean?” Victor asked softly.
“Computers are…well. They make sense. If you type something incorrectly, the software doesn’t work. It’s simple. I create a code and the end product emerges from the text, but people...people are harder to read.” He shrugged.
Victor was pretty sure he’d never seen anyone sexier than this, Yuuri, with his fogged up glasses and overly-large grey sweater that covered most of his hands, his still slightly-damp hair swept to the side, just a little too long and curling around his ears. His amber eyes glowing in the warm light of the cafe.
His bad puns, the way he seemed shy but somehow self assured, the way he’d casually joke with Victor. It was almost too much. This was way more than a crush, wasn’t it?
“I’m pretty sure you could write the code to a lot of men’s hearts,” Victor said, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.
Yuuri stared at him for a moment, then let out a surprised laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Man, that would have sounded cheesy coming from anyone else,” he said, taking another sip of his drink. Victor’s eyes darted to the scrap of paper he’d stuck under the cup, but for some reason, Yuuri seemed not to have noticed it yet.
“I guess I’m a little cheesy, then,” Victor said, smiling at him, and Yuuri’s teeth sunk into his lower lip. They gazed at each other for a long moment, and Victor felt heat creeping up the back of his neck that had nothing to do with the heat coming from the gas fireplace nearby.
“What about you? What do you do when you’re not running this place?”
“Uhm, I have a dog, she’s a handful,” Victor shrugged.
Yuuri brightened. “Really? I love dogs!”
Happiness pooled in Victor’s stomach. “You should meet Makka sometime then,” he smiled.
“Makka?”
“Makkachin,” Victor explained. “It’s kind of based off of a word that means ‘Caffe mocha’ in Russian.”
Yuuri stared at him for a second, then burst out laughing. “Oh my god, you’re such a dork,” he said, still giggling. “You even named your dog after coffee.”
“Takes one to know one.”
“I fully admit that I’m a dork,” Yuuri quipped back.
Victor laughed with delight.
God, he was so adorable. Victor was so far gone. Yuuri seemed like the perfect man—not only was he hot, he was smart, funny, and an athlete. Victor’s heart had been broken more than once, and he was afraid that if he asked Yuuri out, he’d say no.
“Yuuri, I…” he started, but for some reason he couldn’t seem to form the words. Why was this so hard? It wasn’t like he was asking Yuuri to marry him, he just wanted to ask him out for coffee. Well. Maybe not coffee.
“Yes?” Yuuri leaned a little closer, resting his elbow on the arm of the loveseat where he was sitting.
“Um,” Victor licked his bottom lip, stalling, and Yuuri’s eyes followed the movement. “Do you,” he began, but he couldn’t quite seem to get the words out.
Just do it. Will you go out with me? It’s not that hard.
He took a deep breath, trying to get up the nerve to do it, and Yuuri’s gaze never wavered from him for a second.
Then Yuri called out: “Vitya, we need you back up here.”
Victor frowned, sitting back, the moment broken. There were a lot of customers waiting for their drinks, and Chris did look a bit harried, but Victor was annoyed nonetheless.
“I uh, I should get back to this, anyway,” Yuuri said, sitting back a little in his chair. Victor could have been imagining it, but Yuuri might have seemed a little disappointed.
“Oh yeah, of course. Uh, Good luck,” Victor said, standing up. He felt the sharp sting of regret as he walked back over to the counter, but he tried to tamp it down.
“That was more than a five minute break,” Yuri snarked.
“Last time I checked, you work for me, not the other way around,” Victor snapped.
“How was it?” Chris asked as he poured hot water over espresso in a to-go cup.
“How was what?” Victor picked up the next order and started the espresso machine. He rolled up his sleeves and got back to work, sneaking glances over to Yuuri’s corner as often as he could.
“Did you finally ask him out?”
Victor sighed. “I’m working up to it.”
“Do you want me to do it for you?”
“Shut up and steam something."
“Aye aye, captain,” Chris said, winking.
The bell rang again, and a young man came in, his dark hair swept back, wearing a tracksuit.
“Medium cinnamon soy latte, please,” he said to Yuri, handing over his card.
Victor whipped it up quickly, and the man took his latte and strode over to…Yuuri. Yuuri’s looked up, smiling when he saw the new arrival, and he gave the man a quick hug. Then the man sat down—very close to Yuuri—on the couch.
Victor frowned. Who was this guy? He’d never seen him before, and Yuuri had never come to the cafe with him before.
“Victor.”
Yuuri showed the man something on his phone, their faces close together, and they both burst out laughing. Victor’s heart sunk, looking at the way they were acting with each other, their casual familiarity.
“Earth to Victor.”
Then the man put his hand on Yuuri’s leg. And Yuuri didn’t seem surprised at all. In fact, he leaned in closer.
God, was that...was that his boyfriend?
“Victor,” Yuri prompted. “You have six orders waiting.”
“Do I need to remind you that you’re my employee,” Victor said, throwing his apron back on and letting muscle memory take over, and he tried not to look over at Yuuri and the man too much, but it was difficult not to. They were sitting very close, even when they were both studying. Every once in a while, the man would say something that would make Yuuri laugh.
Victor’s stomach twisted. This was obviously someone very important to Yuuri, and they were very touchy. Fuck. He’d made a complete fool of himself, hadn’t he? Yuuri was just being nice, because it was so obvious he had a hopeless crush.
They studied for another hour or so, then packed up their bags and left together. Yuuri smiled at Victor and waved, and Victor grinned and waved back, even though his heart hurt.
When Victor cleaned off the table, he took Yuuri’s cup. The number was gone.
A few days passed with no Yuuri.
Victor was feeling very Grinch-like by the fourth day, especially after the fifth time in one day that the loop of Christmas songs had repeated over the loudspeakers. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” isn’t exactly the best song to hear repeated for a fifth time in a single day. Especially when you’ve just been snubbed by your crush.
Luckily, it was a busy day since it was Christmas Eve, and last minute shoppers were bustling about in the district beyond the doors.
Victor couldn’t help thinking about Yuuri as he wiped down the counters.
What if Yuuri and his boyfriend had found the note, and they’d laughed about it? Or, even worse, what if they’d felt sorry for him, and now Yuuri would never come back to the cafe because it was awkward that he’d been hitting on him?
Then, nearing closing time, Yuuri walked in. No bookbag this time.
He looked adorable in a dark blue peacoat, his hair slightly more styled than usual, no glasses, and a button down shirt. He looked like someone who was going on a date, rather than his usual slightly bedraggled-student-athlete appearance.
When he saw Victor, his face lit up, and Victor’s heart did a little flip flop, even though it was tinged with bitterness.
Chris was at the cash register, thankfully, as Yuri was visiting his grandfather. “Hi Yuuri,” Chris said, giving Victor a pointed look. “What’ll it be for you today?”
Yuuri’s eyes flicked to Victor. “What do you recommend, Victor?”
Oh for fuck’s sake. Victor forced himself to grin. “I could do my Christmas specialty, an eggnog latte.”
“Oh, okay, I’ll, uh, I’ll have two,” Yuuri said, handing over his card. “To go.”
Two drinks.
Yuuri was meeting someone. Of course he was. It was probably that hot guy, and they were probably going on a date. Victor had to physically resist the urge to kick the garbage can at his feet.
Instead of going over to a chair to wait, like he normally did, Yuuri leaned on the counter next to Victor as he started to fix his drinks.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” started playing over the loudspeakers...because apparently, the universe hated Victor. He was glad it was almost time for his shift to end, because if he had to sit here and watch Yuuri on a date with someone else, it was not going to be the best start to his birthday.
“Where have you been the last few days?” Victor asked, trying to seem casual. “Busy with school?”
“Nah, I had to go back to Japan for a competition.”
The tension in Victor’s chest eased a little bit. Yuuri hadn’t been avoiding him; he’d just been out of town. But that still didn’t explain why he’d taken the phone number, but hadn’t used it.
Victor shrugged, taking the milk out of the steamer and starting to steam it, letting the steamer shriek a little more than was really necessary. “So how did you do?”
Yuuri chewed his bottom lip. “I uh, I got second?”
“In what?” Victor took out two to-go cups, and he wondered once again who the second cup was for. Was it the man from the other day? Or, even worse, someone else, someone even hotter?
Yuuri’s cheeks and nose pinked. “In, um. Nationals?”
Victor blinked at him. “You got second in…the whole country?”
Yuuri’s blush deepened. “Um. Yeah, I could have gotten gold if I hadn’t flubbed one of my jumps. But I’m glad Yuzu won, he deserves it.”
Victor put his palms down on the counter. “Like. So you’re…you’re not just a figure skater. You’re really good. Isn’t Japan dominant worldwide? Have you gone to the Olympics?”
Admittedly, Victor didn’t know a whole lot about figure skating, but he had seen it during the Olympics enough to know a few things.
“I… um.” Yuuri blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. Oh god, how adorable was he? He was an internationally ranked figure skater and he was embarrassed about it.
“You’re just full of surprises, Yuuri.”
Victor started pouring the milk into the cup, and without realizing it, he had designed the top into a heart. He frowned down at it. Luckily, Yuuri was still on the other side of the machine, so he couldn’t see it.
“Is your boyfriend coming?” Victor asked, trying to seem nonchalant, as he snapped lids onto the cups, covering up the embarrassing heart.
Yuuri’s gaze snapped up to meet Victor’s. “My…my what?”
Victor shrugged. “The guy you were sitting with the other night, the one with the great hair.”
Yuuri looked confused for a moment, scrunching up his nose adorably, which made Victor’s stomach flip. “Do you mean Phichit?”
“You guys are a cute couple,” Victor forced himself to add, even though he had to say it through gritted teeth.
Yuuri’s jaw dropped. For a long second, he stared, then laughed. Victor frowned, trying to swallow the bitter hurt in the back of his throat.
“Oh, no, no Victor, I’m...no, he’s just my friend. My roommate and rink-mate. That’s all. We aren’t...dating.”
Victor paused, stunned, as he absorbed this information. “Who is the second drink for, then?”
Yuuri paused, licking his lips. “It’s…it’s for you,” he said slowly.. “I was thinking maybe, since you’re about to close for the night, you’d like to go out with me? After this?”
“Like...on a date?” Victor’s heart soared, his voice suddenly seeming way more shrill than ever before.
Yuuri’s grin spread slowly. “Yeah, like a date.”
Oh, after all this, Yuuri was the one to be brave. To finally make the first move.
“I thought you weren’t...interested.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I left my number under your cup, but you never called or texted…” Victor felt his cheeks heating.
Yuuri barked out a laugh. “The end of it was smudged, so I couldn’t read it. This was the first day I was back in town."
“Oh. Oh,” Victor couldn’t quite seem to form a complete sentence. All the heartbreak of the last few days was melting away. Yuuri wanted to go out with him, and now.
“So, um,” Yuuri chewed his bottom lip. “Does that mean you’re up for it? Going out with me?”
“I can’t,” Victor blurted out.
Yuuri’s face dropped, and Victor immediately realized his mistake. Just as quickly as the elation spread through him, it came crashing down again.
“Oh,” Yuuri said, stepping away from the counter, visibly shrinking. “Okay, sorry, I...must have misunderstood—”
“No, Yuuri, wait.” Victor panicked, running around the counter to stop him.
“No, it’s okay, Victor, I shouldn’t have...I thought maybe.”
Victor took Yuuri’s hand to stop him. “I just meant I can’t right now. I have to take my dog out. In fact, she’s probably already super anxious that I’m not home yet.”
Yuuri looked at him for a long moment, then his shoulders slumped in relief. “Oh, okay. I thought—never mind.”
“That I was turning you down? Never,” Victor said with fervor.
Yuuri laughed, and Victor’s heart lifted. He loved Yuuri’s laugh. He hoped he could keep making it happen.
“So maybe, uh, I could take a rain check? If that’s okay?”
Yuuri shrugged. “I mean, or I could walk her with you.”
“You, you’d want to do that?”
“Of course,” Yuuri said, smiling.
“Okay,” Victor nodded, his heart swelling. “Let me just close up, and then we can go.”
Chris was grinning behind the counter. “So you both finally came to your senses, eh?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Victor rolled his eyes. “Can you—”
“Just go,” Chris tilted his head toward Yuuri. “I’ll close up.”
“Are you sure?”
Chris made a shooing motion, pushing him away from the counter. “Victor, you never take a break. Go. I can handle the stragglers.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. “Thanks Chris, you’re a lifesaver.”
Chris winked. “Have fun, boss.”
He grabbed his coat and strode back over to Yuuri, whose grin was radiant. He picked up their drinks, and Victor took a sip. Eggnog was his favorite.
“Ready?” Yuuri asked, taking the second cup.
“Yep,” Victor opened the door for Yuuri, who seemed surprised.
“Wow, chivalry isn’t dead after all,” he joked.
Victor’s apartment was just around the corner, luckily. It made it easier to go and let Makkachin out during his breaks.
“Here we are,” he said, walking up the steps of his townhome. Makkachin was already barking. “Hold on, hold on Makka, I’m coming.”
He fumbled with the keys, finally getting the door open. Makkachin bowled him over, licking his face, as if had been days since he’d been home rather than a few hours.
“Yes, yes, hi girl.” Victor laughed. “Down.”
Makkachin barked, then put her paws up on Yuuri’s chest, trying to lick his face as well.
“Oh god, Makka, get down,” Victor stood up, starting to pull her off of Yuuri, embarrassed.
“No, it’s okay!” Yuuri said, laughing. He ruffled Makkachin’s neck fur, letting her lick all over his face.
“I think she likes you.”
“She’s a sweet girl, isn’t she? Yes she is,” Yuuri cooed.
Victor’s heart melted, because Makkachin was the most important thing to him in the world, and it was definitely an added bonus that Yuuri liked her too.
“Shall we?” Victor said, grabbing Makkachin’s leash and clipping it to her collar.
“Yes, let’s.”
They started strolling down the side street and turned down the shopping district that was strung with lights for Christmas.
They walked along the glittering street, still full of bustling activity as people finished up the last of their shopping, bright frosted window displays on each side. It was beautiful, despite the frigid air.
“I love these kinds of displays,” Yuuri said, pausing in front of a toy store window, which was set up in an elaborate Christmas display. There were snowy, glittering mountains, with a train running around the outside, tiny houses with pretty decorations.
“Do you celebrate Christmas? I don’t think I’ve ever even asked.”
“In Russia, we don’t really celebrate Christmas on the day itself. It’s in January.”
"Really, that's interesting."
"What about you? Do you celebrate?"
Yuuri lowered his eyes. “In Japan, it’s, uh. It’s a romantic holiday. Like Valentine’s Day is here.”
“Really?” Victor grinned. Yuuri wanted to spend his most romantic holiday with him. There was a new lightness to Victor's step as they walked.
As they strolled, they talked about this and that, about Yuuri’s classes, about Makkachin, about being from other countries, and the alienation they both felt being expatriots. Yuuri had come to Michigan to skate; Victor had simply wanted to leave Russia.
“Why didn’t you choose somewhere warmer, then?” Yuuri nudged him with his elbow. “Not gonna lie, this wouldn’t have been my first choice for a place to live, if it hadn’t been for Celestino.”
Victor shrugged. “Maybe, but in warmer climates, no one wants to drink coffee. Also, my friend Chris was here, so I just…” he lifted his shoulders again.
Yuuri was a vision, his cheeks and lips pink from the air, his hair falling over his glasses. Victor longed to kiss him, but he wasn’t sure if it was too soon.
They came to the end of the shopping district, and there was a park where he often took Makkachin on walks.
“Would you like to walk in the park for a bit? Or are you too cold?” Victor asked.
“No, that sounds lovely.”
Feeling bold, Victor took Yuuri’s hand with his free one, and Yuuri ducked his head, smiling. Victor desperately wanted to kiss him, to taste that smile on his lips.
They wandered through the park, hand in hand, until they came to a grove of trees. There were lights strung up all over, making the light fairylike. Though they were still in the middle of the city, it felt like they were far away from the bustling shopping district, the plain arms of the trees reaching up into the black sky, lights twinkling against it.
Victor let Makkachin off her leash, and she jumped into a snowbank, barking.
Victor groaned. “Great, now I’ll have to dry her off when she gets home.”
“She’s a mischief maker, just like her papa.”
Victor gasped, clutching his chest in mock-shock, and Yuuri giggled.
The clock in the tower near the park chimed, the bells ringing twelve times.
“It’s midnight? We’ve been walking for a long time.”
Yuuri squeezed his hand. “That means it’s Christmas.”
Victor paused, licking his lips. “It’s also...my birthday, “ he said eventually/
“Seriously?”
Victor nodded. He hardly ever celebrated his birthday since he’d moved to the states, but for some reason, he felt like telling Yuuri. It didn’t help that this year, he was turning thirty one. That was practically seventy in gay years.
Yuuri bit his bottom lip, then moved closer to Victor.
“Well, then, Happy Birthday, Victor,” he said softly. “What do you want for your birthday?”
“I can only think of one thing,” Victor whispered, stepping closer, reaching up to cup Yuuri’s cheek. Victor wished, oh how he wished, that they weren’t wearing gloves so that he could feel Yuuri’s skin.
“What is that?” Yuuri asked, breathless. His eyes were a deep chocolate brown in the light.
“This,” Victor said, feeling bold, and he leaned in to brush his lips against Yuuri’s, just a bit, enough that Yuuri could pull back if he wanted.
Yuuri gasped, his body bending like a bow into Victor’s, pressing their mouths more firmly together.
The cold air stung their cheeks, but Yuuri’s mouth was hot against Victor’s, their bodies firmly pressing together as they both let the kiss unravel from a press of lips to something more.
Victor’s hand was still cupped around Yuuri’s cheek, but he slid the other one around Yuuri’s waist. Yuuri made a little whimper, his trembling hand slipping into Victor’s hair. His lips tasted of cinnamon, left over from the latte. Victor leaned into him, never wanting it to end.
After several seconds, Yuuri broke the kiss, and leaned his forehead against Victor’s. Their breaths were coming quickly, curling up into the cold night air.
“Was that really what you wanted for your birthday?” Yuuri whispered.
Victor huffed out a laugh, smiling. “If it wasn’t already clear, I really like you,” Victor said.
Yuuri’s smile was easy, open, his eyes lidded. “I like you too,” he said.
Victor couldn’t help but lean in to kiss him again, and Makkachin yipped behind him, putting her paws up on Victor’s back.
When that didn’t get their attention enough, she wedged herself in between their legs.
Yuuri broke the kiss and looked down at Makkachin, laughing, the sound airy and light. “I guess we should go, right?”
“It is pretty late,” Victor said reluctantly. He didn’t want this moment to end, this perfect first date with Yuuri.
Victor took Yuuri’s hand and Yuuri smiled up at him, interlacing their fingers. “Do you have any plans for tomorrow? The cafe is closed, right?”
“My friend Chris was threatening to take me out because I’ve been mopey lately.”
“Well, um.” Yuuri ducked his head.
“Yes?”
“Would you uh, maybe like to go out for dinner? My treat?”
Victor’s heart soared. “I’d love to.”
“It’s a date, then,” Yuuri grinned.
Victor pulled him close. “It’s a date,” he said, kissing Yuuri one more time.