Work Text:
Yuuri heard the incoming call jingle just as he started steeping their tea.
“Yuuri!” Victor called from the living room. “Mari’s calling.”
“Go ahead and answer it,” Yuuri called back. “I have just a few more minutes on the tea. I’ll be in as soon as it’s done.”
“Alright, lyubimiy!1 Mari-neechan! Konbonwa!2How have you been?”
Yuuri smiled as he heard Victor happily greet his sister in the other room. He half listened as he continued preparing tea for them. As he grabbed a plate for some pastries, he heard Victor protesting Mari’s teasing.
“Yuuri! Hurry up! Your sister is being mean!”
Yuuri laughed and carefully balanced the plate on top of the two mugs of tea.
“Hmm, that doesn’t sound like my sister at all,” Yuuri teased as he crossed from the kitchen to the living room.“Yuuuuuri, don’t you start too!” Victor whined, looking over his shoulder at his husband. “Oh! Yuuri!” he exclaimed, seeing Yuuri shuffling into the room with the precariously placed plate. “I could have helped!” Victor started to get off the couch.
“You were busy talking,” Yuuri responded with a half shrug. “Just grab the plate before I drop it.”
“I would have helped anyway,” Victor pointed out, deftly taking the plate and setting it by the laptop on the coffee table.
“You know Yuuri would rather die than ask for help,” Mari teased.
“Hello to you too, neechan,” Yuuri replied flatly, handing Victor his cup of tea.
“Oh Yuuri’s not quite that dramatic anymore,” Victor assured.
“So says you,” Mari replied. “I think Yuuri got much worse since he met you. Asking you to be his coach while drunk off his ass and pantless. Declaring his love publicly at a press conference. Stripping and then climbing Hasetsu castle-”
“Oh, would you look at the time,” Yuuri interrupted as he sat down beside Victor and placed his tea on the table. “Well, it’s been nice chatting with you neechan, but Victor and I are very busy.”
Mari smirked slightly. “With what? Making out?”
“With wedding planning,” Yuuri replied, hoping that if he was blushing, it was very faint. While he certainly had no qualms about being affectionate with Victor, it was still slightly embarrassing when Mari brought it.
“While making out!” Victor chirped cheerfully. Yuuri rolled his eyes and gently elbowed Victor in the side.
“Yuuri! My tea!” Victor protested. “I could have spilled”
“Good thing you didn’t then.”
“How is that going, by the way?” Mari asked. “The wedding planning.”
“It’s going,” Yuuri mumbled, picking up his mug and taking a sip to avoid elaborating.
“Hiring a planner has helped a lot,” Victor elaborated instead, gently squeezing Yuuri’s thigh. “She’s taking care of most of the hard work, but there is still so much we have to give our approval on. It can be a lot, at times.”
“Is it too late for you to just elope?” Mari asked. Yuuri wasn’t entirely sure she was joking.
“It’s not that bad,” Yuuri clarified, bringing his mug away from his face. “Elena has been helping a lot. Just,” Yuuri frowned slightly, trying to think how to phrase it. “Some of the decisions are harder to make than others. Most of them are simple enough, but then one comes up and it’s like ‘Huh, I never would have thought of that,’ and you aren’t quite sure how to respond.”
“Which is why I’m so glad we got a planner,” Victor added, directing a soft smile at Yuuri. Yuuri hummed in agreement.
“Well, I’m glad it’s going well then,” Mari said. “Did you figure out what you’re doing about the guest list yet?”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Yuuri grumbled. “I am dreading having to politely tell people that they aren’t invited.”
“Which is why Elena suggested picking a venue that has limited space,” Victor pointed out, “and we can cite that as the reason we can’t invite children and sponsors and neighbors and everyone who is tangentially related to our lives.”
“Clever,” Mari said approvingly. “Are you still planning on going to Barcelona to see the venues in person?”
“I would like to but Yuuri thinks we should have Elena video call us and tour the venues that way.”
Yuuri frowned. “Vitya, there’s no way we can tour before the season ends, and we need to have a venue solidified before then.”
“I still say that if you let Elena name drop-”
“And I still say that using our name before any contract is signed is a sure way to have someone go to the media-”
“Sorry,” Mari interrupted apologetically. “I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject.”
Yuuri sighed. “It’s fine. You didn’t know.”
“For what it’s worth, if you can’t find a venue you like, you can always get married in Hasetsu.”
Yuuri ran a hand through his hair. “It honestly probably would have been a whole lot less stressful to just stick with Hasetsu.”
“Why didn’t you?” Mari asked. When Yuuri didn’t answer right away, she added, “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. I was just curious. I sort of assumed that was more your speed.”
“You’re not wrong,” Yuuri mumbled, avoiding elaborating by sipping his tea again.
“We had decided to get married overseas so that the Japanese government would recognize the marriage,” Victor explained.
“I decided,” Yuuri corrected so softly that he was barely heard.
“We decided.” Victor took Yuuri’s hand in his own and squeezed it gently. “You suggested Barcelona, but we both agreed.”
Mari hummed thoughtfully, “I hadn’t realized that was the reason.”
Yuuri shrugged. “I guess it’s kind of dumb.”
“Not at all, Yuuri. If it matters to you, it matters to you. I’m not one for relationships and marriage and all that, so I’m the absolute last person who is going to tell you how you’re supposed to feel about all this stuff, because I certainly don’t know.”
Yuuri smiled slightly at that. “Thanks, neechan.”
“Anytime, Yuuri,” Mari replied with a slight nod. “So what else is new in Nikiforov-Katsuki land?”
“I’ve always thought Katsuki-Nikiforov sounded better,” Victor mused, tapping his lips with his index finger.
“Is that what you’re going to go by?” Mari asked with a raised eyebrow.
“We haven’t really discussed-” Yuuri started.
“I would love to!” Victor replied at the same time with a big smile.
Yuuri turned to look at Victor. “Wait, really?” he asked in disbelief.
“Why not? Isn’t that common for power couples?”
“We aren’t really-”
“Don’t even finish that sentence, Yuuri,” Mari interjected. “There’s no way you can still believe that at this point. You have how many medals between you?”
Yuuri fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve. “I mean, I guess you’re not wrong. But the term ‘power couple’ feels weird.”
“Doesn’t make it any less true,” Victor pointed out, placing a soft kiss to Yuuri’s temple.“
I mean, you can call yourselves whatever you want,” Mari pointed out, “but if you’re going through the trouble of getting married out of the country for government recognition, you’re probably going to have to stick with either Katsuki or Nikiforov. As far as I know, unless things have changed in the past few years, double last names like that aren’t legal in Japan, and married couples must have the same last name, so one of you will have to change.”
Yuuri directed his attention towards Mari. “Wait, why do you know that? When would that have ever come up?”
“Mari-neechan, is there something you want to tell us?” Victor sing-songed.
“Ugh, definitely not,” Mari replied with complete disinterest. “But there may have been people who looked into it early into your engagement.”
“Who?” Yuuri asked.
“I’ll give you three guesses,” Mari replied flatly.
“Why on earth would they have any interest in the legality of last names?” Yuuri sounded slightly baffled.
“I’m sure the girls saw it on some fanpage or something,” Victor reasoned with a slight wave of his hand.
“Probably,” Mari agreed.
“Well, if Katsuki-Nikiforov is out of the question, Katsuki it is then.”
“Hey now,” Yuuri began teasingly, “I have wanted to be Nikiforov far longer than you’ve wanted to be Katsuki.” He instantly regretted his words once he saw the gleam in Victor’s eyes.
“Oh you have, have you?” Victor asked, grin growing into something devious. “When you first proposed to me? Or was it long before?” Victor teased, leaning forward. “Were you writing ‘Nikiforov Yuuri’ on the pages of your spirals? Drawing little hearts over the ‘i’s? Or did you write it in Japanese? I’m sure there were still hearts, though. All over the page.”
Yuuri covered his face with his hands. “I am not having this conversation.”
“Yes we are,” Victor trilled gleefully.
“Both ways, depending on his age,” Mari declared.
“Traitor,” Yuuri grumbled from behind his hands.
“And it started after your Junior GPF gold, the one with the Eros costume,” Mari added with a smirk.
“Yuuri! That’s so cute!” Victor cooed, latching onto his fiance’s side.
“It’s embarrassing,” Yuuri countered. “Mari, you’re uninvited from the wedding.”
Victor laughed. “Mari-neechan, you can be on my half of the guest list.”
“Works for me. I like you better anyway.”
“Neechan!” Yuuri cried.
“Is that Yuuri and Vicchan?” Hiroko’s muffled voice asked from offscreen.
“Yes! Hi okaasan!” Victor answered cheerfully, waving at the screen. Hiroko came into frame behind Mari.
“Hi Vicchan,” Hiroko replied with a smile. “Hello Yuuri.”
“Hi okaasan,” Yuuri answered, lowering his hands to smile at his mom.
“I’m very sorry to interrupt, but I need Mari’s help with putting the job application on the Yu-topia website.” Hiroko turned her attention to Mari and added, “I know you showed me how, but I am having trouble finding the file.”
“Okaasan, I told you I would take care of it,” Mari said, turning towards Hiroko.
“I know, but I didn’t want to bother you while you were on a call.”
“Job application?” Yuuri asked. “You guys are hiring?”
“Yes, finally,” Mari replied.
“Mari convinced us to start stepping back from some of the onsen’s daily tasks,” Hiroko added.
“That’s great news okaasan!” Victor exclaimed. “You and otousan deserve to start relaxing more. You’ve worked so hard for so long. You deserve to retire.”
“I don’t know if I want to retire,” Hiroko responded with a laugh, “I don’t know what I would do with myself.”
“We want to make sure that we have people that know what they’re doing by the time we head to Spain for the wedding, so we’re starting to hire staff now,” Mari explained.
“That’s a great idea,” said Victor. “That way you’ll be able to enjoy the wedding without worrying about Yu-topia.”
“I’m glad you all will be able to come for the full week,” Yuuri added with a soft smile.
“Of course Yuuri. We wouldn’t miss your wedding for anything,” Hiroko assured, smiling back.
No one said anything for a moment.
“Alright Yuuri, we’ll let you two get back to arguing about names,” Mari teased.
“We’re not arguing,” Yuuri muttered with a slight frown.
Victor chuckled and squeezed Yuuri affectionately before turning his attention back to the screen. “Bye Mari-neechan! Bye okaasan!”
“Bye Vicchan! Bye Yuuri!” Hiroko replied with a wide smile, waving happily.
“Bye okaasan,” Yuuri responded softly.
“Talk to ya later Yuuri,” Mari added with a nod.
Yuuri returned her wave. “Bye Mari-neechan.”
Mari gave one last wave and ended the call. Yuuri stared at the laptop screen for a few moments before closing it with a sigh. Victor glanced at Yuuri, but he was looking at the laptop on the desk.
“It was nice talking to your sister,” Victor commented, switching to English. Yuuri hummed, but didn’t look up.
“Would it make you feel better to know I did it too?” Victor asked, taking Yuuri’s hand and squeezed it gently.
“Did what?”
“Doodled names in my notebooks.”
“Really?” Yuuri asked, glancing over to Victor.
“Yup!” Victor replied, popping the ‘p’ and turning his body towards his fiance. “It started while I was waiting to hear from you after Sochi.”
“That long ago?” Yuuri asked, side eyeing Victor and sounding unconvinced. Victor laughed.
“I was very much smitten after the banquet. You left quite an impression, and you know I’m a hopeless romantic. I didn’t make a habit of running away to live in a foreign country for just anyone, you know.”
“But you barely knew me”
“You barely knew me when you started writing ‘Yuuri Nikiforov’,” Victor pointed out. “Or was it Nikiforov Yuuri?” he teased gently.
“It depended on the daydream,” Yuuri admitted, finally turning towards Victor. Victor hummed in agreement, squeezing Yuuri’s hands again.
“It was the same for me.”
“Have you really been thinking about this for that long?”
“Well, not for the whole entire time. At first it was more wishful thinking, but it would cross my mind at different points in our relationship. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it more recently, as we’ve started making concrete plans.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“You were already overwhelmed with making decisions, so it didn’t seem that important.”
“Of course it’s important.”
“Yes, of course, but… Hmmm. How to phrase it?” Victor tapped a finger to his lips, which had turned down in a slight frown. “I know there is an expression for this, but it’s escaping me at the moment.”
“That happens when you know four languages,” Yuuri teased.
“Oh shush, you know three. But anyways,” Victor waved a hand as if regrouping his thoughts, “it didn’t need to be decided right away, so I didn’t want to give you more to worry about.” Yuuri hummed in understanding.
“That’s fair, I guess. There really isn’t a deadline on picking a name.”
Victor watched Yuuri chew on his lower lip. “We can talk about it now, if you want,” he offered.
Yuuri nodded slowly. “Okay.”
“Do you have thoughts on what we should do for a last name?”
“I dunno, I haven’t really thought about it,” Yuuri admitted. “I guess I just assumed I would take your name. You’re, like, synonymous with figure skating. I didn’t think you would want to lose your legacy.”
“What about your legacy, moyo zolotse?3 You are just as prominent a name in figure skating, you know.”
“I guess...” Yuuri’s tone was laced with doubt.
“I know,” Victor affirmed. “I’m old news. Katsuki Yuuri is who skaters are looking up to now.
“Maybe,” Yuuri conceded, “but not for long. You’re setting Yura up to outdo us both.”
“We’re setting him up,” Victor corrected gently. He opened his arms to Yuuri, who accepted the invitation and leaned into Victor. Victor pulled Yuuri closer and wiggled around to adjust their bodies into a more comfortable position. “Do you want to know my thoughts on legacies, my Yurochka?”
“What are your thoughts on legacies, Vitya?” Yuuri asked, cuddling up to Victor and resting his head against Victor’s chest.
“I have little interest in maintaining mine. I have a… ah, complicated relationship with the name Victor Nikiforov. On one hand, I am proud of my accomplishments tied to it. But there are just as many unpleasant memories tied to it.”
Yuuri tried to shift his head to look up at Victor, but Victor gently pushed Yuuri’s head down with his own. Yuuri nuzzled his cheek against Victor’s chest instead, respecting that Victor did not want eyes on him at that moment. Victor kissed Yuuri’s forehead before continuing.
“Many of those accomplishments were during bouts of depression, so I don’t remember those wins or records in the same light as others. They belong to a Victor Nikiforov who belonged to the public, and I don’t particularly care to be that Victor anymore.”
“You’re not,” Yuuri assured softly.
“But beyond that, my family situation is… strained, at best. I don’t have any desire to continue on that ‘legacy’. And if they can’t- I don’t want-” Victor paused, frowning as he tried to gather what he wanted to say. Yuuri began lightly drawing abstract shapes across Victor’s skin, trying to reassure him by touch to take his time. Victor let out a sigh. “I love your family,” Victor continued softly. “Okaasan and otousan and Mari-neechan. They love me. Unconditionally. And they always have. And that’s- that’s the legacy I want to continue. That’s who I want to be attached to. That’s who I want people to think of when I talk about my family. Because they are my family and I want to share a name with my family,” he emphasized, voice wavering slightly. Victor rested his forehead on top of Yuuri’s as he took a steadying breath. “I know the name ‘Nikiforov’ means something different for you, and that you’ve wanted my name longer, but I really, really want to be a Katsuki.”
Yuuri placed a kiss over Victor’s heart. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
Yuuri tried to look up at Victor, and this time Victor let him. “Okay. We’ll be Yuuri and Victor Katsuki.”
Victor stared at his fiance a moment with glassy eyes, before his lips started curling up into a grin. “Really?” he asked breathlessly.
Yuuri returned his smile, then placed a quick kiss on Victor’s lips. “Yes, really.”
Victor wiped at his eyes and murmured, “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Vitya. This means a lot to you, what kind of husband would I be if I were to deny you that.”
“But being ‘Nikiforov’ meant a lot to you too.”
Yuuri shrugged. “Not really. I mean, I thought about it a lot when I was younger, but not in the same way you have.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I am.” Yuuri kissed Victor again, “Though, it’s unrealistic to expect people to forget Nikiforov altogether, and just call you ‘Katsuki’.”
“Well, I won’t respond to anything else,” Victor countered.
“That’s fine for in-person, but that doesn’t do much in writing. Odds are most will still write ‘Victor Nikiforov’, or if they do use ‘Victor Katsuki’, ‘Nikiforov’ will be right after it.”
“Well, then I won’t-”
Yuuri silenced Victor by pressing his finger to the other man’s lips. “Vitya, hush, let me finish my thought.”
“Sorry,” Victor murmured, kissing Yuuri’s finger in apology.
“I was saying that, professionally, people will still see you as Nikiforov. So why don’t we hyphenate our names-”
“But Mari said-”
“Vitya. Stop. Why don’t why hyphenate our names professionally? Wait, that doesn’t sound right. Like, use our hyphenated names in a professional capacity. When we’re coaching, in press statements, things like that, we can be Victor and Yuuri Katsuki-Nikiforov. Then you’d still be Victor Katsuki, just with ‘Nikiforov’ tacked on, but on your own terms. If that makes sense?”
“It does. That’s a great idea, dorogoi.”4
“Plus, it makes the most sense alphabetically, so you can always use that as an explanation if reporters ask why you let me come first.”
“Oh, I love making you come first.” Yuuri groaned and dropped his head back to Victor’s chest. “It’s not easy, but I love a challenge.”
“Vityaaaaa.”
“Yes, that’s what you say when it happens,”
“That’s it, I’m leaving,” Yuuri declared, trying to pull himself off Victor.
“Noooooooo,” Victor cried, pulling Yuuri back into him and holding him tight. “You’re my prisoner. You can’t leave.”
“You’re a dork,” Yuuri huffed. Victor chuckled and kissed his head.
After a moment, Victor whispered, “Victor Katsuki.”
“Hmmm?”
“Nothing. Just practicing. ‘Hello! I’m Victor Katsuki!’”
Yuuri shook his head slightly and smiled. “Dork.”
“Watashi no namae wa Katsuki Victor desu.5” Yuuri inhaled sharply. Victor looked down at him, grinning. “Yuuuuuuriiiiiii, what was that?”
“Nothing,” Yuuri replied, burying his face in Victor’s chest.
“Nothing, hmm? It had nothing to do with me saying ‘Katsuki Victor’?”
“Nope,” Yuuri responded too quickly.
“I don’t believe you.” Yuuri shrugged as much as he could while wrapped around Victor. “Well, then there’s no reason for me not to keep saying it. Katsuki Victor. Victor Katsuki. Yuuri and Victor Katsuki.”
“Victor, stooooop,” Yuuri whined softly.
“Nope!
“Please? It’s embarrassing.”
“My name is embarrassing?”
“No! But-” Yuuri groaned. “It’s embarrassing that I kinda find it hot? When you say that?”
“When I say Victor Katsuki?” Victor clarified. Yuuri shivered slightly. Victor grinned. “Oh is it now?”
“And to know that other people will call you that, that everyone will see your name and say your name,” Yuuri glanced up at Victor, his eyes dark, “And they’ll know you took my name…” Yuuri bit his lip. “Like you belong to me.”
“God you’re hot when you’re possessive,” Victor sighed happily. “Of course I belong to you, moya strast.6” Yuuri pushed himself up Victor’s chest to kiss his fiance. As the kisses grew increasingly passionate, Victor gently pushed Yuuri back a bit and pressed their foreheads together. “Yurochka, can we pause for a moment?” he asked gently.
“Of course, Vitya. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong,” Victor brushed Yuuri’s cheek with his thumb, “I just wanted to thank you.”
“Thank me?”
“For letting me take your name. It-” Victor took a shaky breath, “it means a lot to me.”
Yuuri smiled softly, “Of course, lyubimiy.1"
“Yuuuuuriiiii,” Victor whined. “You know what that does to me.”
“You would think that it wouldn’t affect you as much when I speak Russian all the time,” Yuuri teased.
“But you don’t call me sweet things in Russian all the time,” Victor countered, moving his head to nuzzle at Yuuri’s neck.
“Let’s amend that now, moi dorogoi.3” Victor’s breath hitched. “Come show me how much you like belonging to me, moi krasivyi7,” Yuuri teased as he carefully extracted himself from Victor’s grip. Yuuri stood up from the couch and extended a hand to Victor.
“Always,” Victor breathed reverently, taking Yuuri’s hand and allowing himself to be pulled upright. Once he was standing, Victor leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on Yuuri’s forehead. “I love you.”
Yuuri tilted his head up to look into Victor’s eyes and smiled. “I love you, too. Now kiss me.”
Victor laughed, and then did just that.