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VityaSkates was waiting. Waiting till the light changed. He could see a sliver of light from the crack in the closet door, and when it got brighter it would be time.
When it got brighter his bag would be checked, nodded at, and put on his shoulder. Ahhh. VityaSkates liked being on Yuuri's shoulder. He could see so far, and he liked the bumping rise and fall of the ride.
But more than anything he liked what happened at the end. When they got to the cold place.
Yuuri would talk to some people and go to a quiet room and take VityaSkates out of the bag.
VityaSkates could hardly loosen his leather in anticipation, but Yuuri would gently work him open, pulling his laces and flicking at his tongues. Then, then, then! Yuuri's wonderful feet would appear above him and slowly dip into his opening.
VityaSkates could have died in pleasure each time, opened to his fullest and entered so completely by Yuuri's feet that fit him perfectly.
Then they would skate together and form beautiful movements. Sometimes Yuuri would fall but VityaSkates would help him get his footing again.
VityaSkates loved Yuuri.
And he was so excited, because it was nearly light.
But one day, VityaSkates was taken out of the gear bag he normally lived in. And he watched, horrified, as some shiny new, plasticky looking boots took his place. VityaSkates was put into the back of the closet, and the door firmly shut.
There he stayed, alone with the ache, the feeling of abandonment. How long had it been since Yuuri had last slipped his lovely feet into VityaSkates? It felt like years.
How could he abandon him like that? Throw him to the side as if their relationship was meaningless? All for that newer, younger boot!
VityaSkates wasn't really so old, was he? And his leather wasn't really peeling, was it?
And the new boots were so uncouth, so tacky. How graceless could they be? How unworthy of his Yuuri’s lovely feet.
And the new boots were made in Canada. Canada ! What did Canada know about skating anyway...
They didn't even fit properly and made Yuuri's lovely feet sore, VityaSkates could tell.
He knew the noises Yuuri made when tired, or exerted, or exhilarated, and those terrible occasions of pain from a fall.
His skates should not make him make those mournful sounds.
The JustJunk skates were too tight and gave Yuuri dreadful blisters. They didn't meet Yuuri in the right places or give him the support he needed.
VityaSkates would. He had. He could. If he was only given the chance again.
One day... VityaSkates was removed from the closet once more, pulled into the light from where he had been pushed to the back in the dark with the dustbunnies.
VityaSkates was held close to Yuuri's chest, cuddled and stroked on the softest, most beaten parts of his leather shell.
Then he was put in a plastic bag.
His laces trembled in fear, thinking he was about to be thrown away, put in an incinerator, or worse, put in some tabletop sale for some amateur teen to pick up cheap. Someone who was not Yuuri, and whose feet and toes and ankles would be all wrong and have to remould him all over again. He would prefer the landfill, at least there he could sit and talk to the flipflops about this warm thing called sand.
So VityaSkates let loose his leather, let his tongues flop and laces fall open, acceptant and ready for his fate. He intended to enjoy his journey with Yuuri, but instead of bouncing on his back he felt a sensation he had never encountered before. A smooth airy whizz with slight clacking and whirring. Yuuri laughing with someone else.
VityaSkates liked hearing Yuuri laugh if it was the last he would hear of him.
But then they entered a dark building, and VityaSkates thought it was the end. Yuuri took him from the bag and placed him down on a hard, hard table.
Here it would be then, he would rot here alone in the dark to gather dust.
But then someone else picked him up. Expert fingers touched his outers and uppers so gently. Calluses felt at his blades.
And a deep voice full of age and wisdom said, "Ahh, these have seen much love. Of course, I can patch them up for you. Be back this time next week?"
VityaSkates didn't understand what was happening. And when Yuuri left him, he cried, flakes of leather shedding from his toes.
Then it was very hot and very bright. There were odd sensations of sharpness and noise. This terrible tickle and so many pokes that he was begging to stop. He felt like he was being stretched and pulled and yanked in so many directions.
But then it stopped. And he felt strange. But good. And strong .
It was dark again, and he could feel himself cooling, growing firm. It was so odd, but somehow his stitching felt tighter... that had been bothering him for ages. And were his fastenings secured? Oh, wow, they were!
VityaSkates was beside himself with excitement, everything seemed to feel supple and taut and stable again, he hadn't felt this good in years! But a drastic, dark thought struck him. If he'd been fiddled with, altered, then Yuuri's feet wouldn't match him perfectly anymore!
It didn't even matter how perfect his body was if Yuuri wouldn't fit him! Nothing mattered more than that, they were two parts, meant to fit together. Solemates.
Then wizened, liver-spotted hands picked him up from the cool shelf, and brought him out into the light. And there was Yuuri!
Oh, VityaSkates was so happy to see him!
The elderly voice said, "Give them a try, just to see."
And Yuuri took a chair against the wall, sat down and held VityaSkates so tenderly, lifting his foot and hovering it over VityaSkates' opening. VityaSkates trembled with anticipation, would Yuuri no longer want him? He'd replaced him with those Canadian skates... JumbleJackass or something like that.
The toes breached him, clad only in the thinnest of socks, thinner than normal, and they only went up to those delicious ankles. VityaSkates couldn't handle this! The anticipation made his blades shiver. The ball nudged the padding beneath, and VityaSkate realised something. Although the structure beneath had been repaired, and the fabric touched up, the insole was the same. The place where foot met shoe was still the same. He was still perfect for his Yuuri! He knew it, just knew it! They could mould his uppers again, some thicker socks would help stop his strong leather rubbing. But he could keep Yuuri safe now! He'd wrap around his wonderful ankles and hold them steady in his embrace.
Yuuri's other foot entered, and he pulled on the new laces, perfectly shaped with no tears or tassels, no fraying or malformation at all. They wove neatly into place, pulled taut in Yuuri's skilled fingers, and oh VityaSkate's tongue lapped against the top of Yuuri's foot.
And then, Yuuri stood up. There was no wobble in his bolts. They stood tall, and powerful together. No sway or fear of stumbling. VityaSkates could hold Yuuri forever.
Yuuri hopped with delight, and for one brief moment of suspended time, VityaSkates was afraid. What would happen when they landed?
But he needn't have feared. They touched down together, safe as could be. And VityaSkates preened, twirling his aglets.
Yuuri spoke so quickly, with utter joy and amazement, and VityaSkates was overwhelmed with love. Yuuri had done this for him . Brought him here to this magician who healed him, fixed him, brought him back to life as good as new, like he was young again.
Take that JerkyJilters!
Yuuri removed VityaSkates, much to his disappointment, but wonder of wonders he wasn't put in a plastic bag! He was back in the gear bag with the soft clothes and water bottle that sometimes leaked on him. He couldn't believe how much he missed that bottle.
And ohh, the rise and fall as he ascended to new heights, held briefly above Yuuri's head as he emerged into the light and bounced up and down again, squealing.
Then he ran, with VityaSkates on his back as he should always be.
And they returned to the cold place, and skated together. There was no jumping now, only gentle flowing motions, slides and angles. Testing, checking, wary. VityaSkates hoped this wouldn't be for long.
Afterwards, they returned home together, and the gear bag went into the closet. But VityaSkates did not.
He remained out, on the table, to watch as Yuuri puttered around, changing clothes and doing things on his phone. When Yuuri dimmed the light, he picked VityaSkates up and slipped him on again, barefoot. VityaSkates remembered this. It was so long ago he'd nearly forgotten all about it. The divine pleasure of meeting Yuuri's skin directly with nothing in the way, the whole of his flesh. He curled around Yuuri's toes, cupped the arch and pecked at his heels. Then Yuuri went to sleep with VityaSkates holding him close.
It was sometime later when they had gone to the cold place many times over, and returned home, in this gentle warmup routine, that they started jumping again, and it was as good as VityaSkates remembered.
Then they travelled. He went in the cool dark place and felt the strange whoosh from all around. Then he came out the other side and he was reunited with Yuuri. He hated travelling. Hated the separation and how stressed Yuuri always became. Yuuri often cried, and he sometimes shook so hard VityaSkates struggled to hold him upright. VityaSkates was determined this wouldn't happen again. This was his comeback, stronger than ever, and he would look after Yuuri!
They went to another cold place, bigger than the normal one. There was a day of practice, he knew this by now, how it went. And then the next day there were so many people, and Yuuri was sweating. VityaSkates didn't let it faze him, he would hold Yuuri and not let go. They skated, and people screamed. And then after a day, they skated again. Yuuri's pulse was so fast on the top of his foot. VityaSkates made sure to hold his laces firm. Then they emerged from the ice, and the little plastic things that kept his blade sharp were snapped into place. Yuuri sat down, and VityaSkates breathed a sigh of relief at a job well done.
The world got noisy again, and Yuuri was lifted off the ground, feet kicked up behind him and VityaSkates was thrown by the angle change.
He hadn't done this! There was no kick, no force, no liftoff!
Someone was talking to Yuuri, and there was a racing pulse, and sweat, and Yuuri was spinning, and VityaSkates was dizzy but happy because Yuuri was happy.
A loud boom that seemed to come from everywhere announced, "And Katsuki Yuuri makes a tremendous comeback from last year, beating the Men's Singles Free Skate World Record!"
"Y'know it's amazing, from last year's injury with the faulty boot, to now. He looked so stable out there, his ankle really recovered amazingly didn't it?"
"A truly miraculous shift. You know what they say about having the right equipment for the job, well if it ain't broke don't fix it. Truly lucky skates if he does say so himself."
“His coach looks extremely pleased. Not often we see coaches pick up their skaters like that.”
"It's not many coaches rumoured to be sorcerers though is it? Don't you remember the gossip from last year? That he failed because he got rid of his magic skates?"
"You mean that nonsense about Viktor Nikiforov pouring some of his soul into his protege's skates to look after him? What drivel."
"Certainly an interesting one for people into feet, I'll give you that."
Viktor squeezed Yuuri, and they rubbed foreheads together, both beaming with pride and love.
And if Yuuri wiggled his toes when VityaSkates squeezed Yuuri's feet as well? Well, that was their business and no one else's.