Work Text:
September 6th 1891
Dear Victor
I hope this letter finds you well, and that you have settled into your new accommodations well. How is the housing? Does it live up to your expectations? I assumed it cannot be as your room in the east gable overlooking something as beautiful as an old apple orchard, but I hope the view is of something that will spark your imagination. Then again, you never needed any help with sparking it after all. I do think you even told me once that it was all the better when a room was bare, for the imagination would have much more room work. Whichever it is, I hope you are comfortable and happy and not too homesick.
It seems as if it has been dreadfully long since you left, even if it has only been a week. It feels rather hard to remember that I ever lived before we became friends, and yet I know that it is true. The majority of my life I have walked without you, but still the seven years since you did come into my life seems so much more rich. I remember so clearly still how Yakov and Lilia adopted you, and how you came down to ask me to be your friend. I was so nervous, but so happy, and happier still have I been each day since we became the best of friends. I sit here in my room, and look up at the Ashington Farm and its east gable, and my heart ache to think about how it is empty. I try not to however, for it makes me far too sad.
Let us not dwell on it further. Tell me instead of how you find it to be a teacher? Is it a large class and how is the faculty? How are the students? I want to hear it all, and I wish that we could sit side by side on the Jade Bridge and speak of the novelty of being teachers. I find it dreadfully difficult, and dashingly fun. Of course, most of my students were known to me before, and some used to be our schoolmates as you know. Those are the most difficult to teach. Is it different do you think, for you who have students whom you have not grown up around?
Let me tell you of the class at the Apple Valley school this year. There are of course those whom you are familiar with. The Crispino twins, now thirteen. Sara is of course as studious as ever, as is her brother. There is as you are familiar with something much more pleasant about Sara’s disposition than her twin brother, and if sharp gazes could kill, I am sure Michelle would have had me buried the first day I stepped into the school as a teacher. I am sure I will have my hands full with him. I think Sara could go to Queenstown, so I will have to consider putting together a study group to encourage her. There is also Emil Nekola, and Hikaru Fujiwara as well as Ketty Abelashvili who attended when we did, but the rest are new faces. Let me tell you shortly about them.
Yuri Plisetsky, who you are of course very familiar with, is as stubborn as we have always known him to be. I know he has a bright head on his shoulder however, and that if he puts his mind to it he will be able to learn a great many things. He does lack imagination however, as you would so put it. I do think it is in there however, but I have not found the key to open it. I dare say your adoptive family will not do the trick either, for I fear neither Lilia nor Yakov have much of imagination either. I am very glad they have him however, since I think they would be dreadfully lonely without you, had they not taken him in two years ago when we left for high school.
Next, we have Kenjirou Minami, who is a bright and very exatible child. He has large brown eyes which follow me wherever I go in the classroom, so much that I have had to tell him several times a day to focus on his slate. Phichit Chulanont says it is because he has a crush on me, but you know how Phichit sees such things in everything, so I do not believe him. He is doing well by the way, and I am sure he will write to you soon if he has not already. We all miss you dearly.
Moving on, in the class, there is a Satsuki Muramoto, who’s family moved in from the town just a month before school started. Minako has been gossiping to mother about it ever since the news became known as you know, so I will not go into it further. Satsuki seems like a bright little thing however, if a little shy. I know how that was, at that age. You were so good for me, pulling me out of my shell and into the world. Satsuki sits next to Min-So Park, who seems much more interested at making eyes at the boys across the aisle, Seung Gil Lee and Otabek Altin, but I have yet to judge if the interest is mutual, for both those boys are quiet and stoic. To be continued I suppose.
Then, there is the very interesting pair that sit behind them. They are but eight, but I do admit I might find them most interesting of all, and I am sure you will soon understand why. You see, the first one is Xie Lian, whose parents owned the large estate up by the Oaken Grove. I am sure you remember that not three years ago it was a splendid place, but once Mr. and Mrs. Xie passed, it was soon known they had little money, and high in depth. The estate and manor had to be sold piece by piece, leaving their son penniless and without any inheritance. He was taken in by Kanako Odagaki, and has been living there since. It seems however that Ms Odagaki worried he might feel lonely, and therefore adopted another boy - from the same orphanage as you were adopted from! The boy’s name is Hua Cheng, and I have never seen such a piercing look as when we locked eyes that first day. If Michelle Crispino’s looks does not kill me, there is a good chance Hua Cheng’s might. There has been little trouble so far however, and the resentment seems to have simmered down to a mere disinterest. Both boys are exceedingly bright for their age, even if Hua Cheng’s tongue is quite sharp and his handwriting is unreadable. He seems to treat Xie Lian with the utmost care. It is the most adorable thing to watch. I look forward to teaching them, even though I am sure I will have my work cut out for me.
I have blabbered on for ages. The page is completely full.
Write to me soon, will you? I miss you dreadfully.
Your friend
Yuuri Katsuki
________________________
September 12th 1891
Dear Yuuri
How happy I am for your letter. I have read it many times but I regret not having had time to answer you before now. Things are all well here at White Sands, even if it feels dreadfully lonely. Everyone one has been great kind so far, and despite not being from here I have been invited away for dinner every night since I came by some or other, so I have been quite busy. However sweet they have all been however, there is an ache in my heart for Apple Valley and all that is dear and known. It seems so odd to see you write that it has only been seven years since I came there, for even if I know it is true, it feels as if it is much more. How can I have lived longer away from Apple Valley than in it? It seems preposterous. It makes my heart ache too, to think of the east gable room empty, and that I cannot sit there and watch for you signals and run over over the Jaded Bridge to hear whatever news you may bring.
I do miss you dearly, as well as Phichit Chulanont and Christopé Giacometti. They have both written, as you guessed in your letter, but this is of course the first I answer. They both seem to be well, even if they too are settling in at their boarding houses for their teaching positions. Phichit Chulanont said he will come home every weekend, and I am dreadfully jealous. I too wish I could come home and see all of you often, but since we have made a pact you and I, I will have to hold back from my own wants and desires and stay put no matter how terrible the homesickness becomes. I suppose it will give me plenty of time to study for when we finally go to college. It will be two long years of saving up, but it will be worth it in the end.
White Sands is a pretty place, and in the spring perhaps you could come down for a weekend to see it? Please say you will Yuuri, for it will give me something to look forward to too. The boarding room is sparse and dull, but my imagination helps wonderfully with that. Though I must admit it is not as vivid as it once were. The landlord is a boisterous man named Celestino Cialdini, and he is kind but awfully loud. He seems to know everyone in White Sands too, and they all seem to want to come visit. There never seems to be a quiet moment in the house. It makes studying rather difficult unfortunately.
I agree that teaching is much harder, and much easier than I had anticipated. I am dreadfully nervous each morning, but as the class starts it all melts away and I feel as though I go through the motions as if I have always done it. Is that not odd? The class is not very big, but I do have students in each year which is a bit of a challenge but I make do. I think it may be easier not to know all the family history of the class, for it gives me the opportunity to get to know them all on even grounds. However, two parents have already been here to complain about my work - one about not sending their child home with enough homework, the other for the opposite. It will prove interesting as the school year progresses.
I love hearing of all of your students, and I will gladly listen to all of their adventures as you guide them through the field of knowledge. Please let me know if Yuri Plisetsky gives you any trouble and I will have a word with him. I expect him to be on his best behaviour towards you, even though I doubt that he will. It makes my heart warm to hear of all these familiar names, but the new ones as well. The last pair of boys you mention do sound incredibly interesting. Could it be that they remind you of someone perhaps?
I miss you too. Christmas seems awfully far away.
I hope to receive correspondence from you soon again.
Your best friend
Victor Nikiforov
____________________________
November 28th 1891
Dear Victor
How awfully long the months are. Horribly, terribly long. How can it not be Christmas yet? The snow is falling, and it creates the illusion that soon you shall be home, even if I know there is almost a month until then. I know I sound spoiled, for I have my family, and our friends so close. You are there, all alone, and you did it for me so I could stay and take care of my parents as Mari left to marry. I feel awfully selfish now, having so much that you have given to me and my family, and still wish for more.
Please forgive me?
My mind is frayed tonight. Today, a fight broke out among the boys at school and it was a dreadful time managing to separate them. None of the students would tell me why they were fighting, but you see I have an idea. Involved in the fight were Michelle Crispino and Hikaru Fujiwara, which seemed to be on one sigh of the argument. On the other - Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. Since I have grown to know these boys, I have realised one important thing. For Hua Cheng, the most important person is Xie Lian. He does not seem to care if anyone says or does anything rude or disrespectful as long as it is not about his friend. This makes me draw the conclusion that Michelle Crispino and Hikaru Fujiwara must have said something about Xie Lian which Hua Cheng did not like, probably about Xie Lian’s parents, for it seems to be what the other students tease him for. It is dreadful I think, for a child to be teased over his parents death. Do you not agree?
Now, you might wonder what Xie Lian was doing in the fight, for even if his parents are a sore point for him, it would not drive him to start throwing fists. No, I fully expect that he did it to protect Hua Cheng. They are quite the pair, are they not? I did feel hopelessly powerless to stop the teasing of him however, and when I finally managed to break them all apart, blood had been spilled and bruises are surely blooming now. I am very disappointed in myself.
Perhaps I am not cut out to be a teacher at all?
On a happier note, it seems Yuri Plisetsky has made a friend, perhaps even a connection like a kindred spirit as you would call it, thought I hardly expect that he would see it that way. I have seen him walk home with Otabek Altin every day for the last fortnight. I am very glad for it, and to see Yuri find his place here at Apple Valley. I know it has not been easy, just like it was not always easy for you.
How are your studies? I find that beyond my work at the school, they are what keeps me most settled. You shall have to help me with latin when you come home, for I am having the worst time with it. I promise to help you with geometry if you do. Mother says she promises to bake cookies for our study sessions when you return, like she did when we went to Apple Valley school. I worry she will not be able too, with her health, but it is a heartwarming thought.
Be well
Yuuri Katsuki
_________________________
December 6th 1891
Dear Yuuri
My best and most dear friend. It pains me so to see you write in such a way, and not be able to be there to comfort you. I too wish for the days to rush by, so I can be home with you soon. Teaching is so rewarding, but it is dreadfully difficult at times too. It makes you wonder how Mr. Kapisek did it, and where he found the patience for all our troubles that felt so large then, but seem so insignificant when looking back. Perhaps we do best in trying to remember how it felt then, even if we can see it with a clearer mind now?
Yuuri, do not dare to apologise to me for staying in Apple Valley and letting me go to White Sands. It was my privilege to ensure you could be with your parents at this trying time for them, and to give Mari the opportunity to wed without having to worry about your parents. It would have been lovely to be able to stay with Lilia and Yakov, but I still have them, and while I complain about missing home and missing you all, I will never be sorry for coming here and for aiding you in staying home. This way we can both grow and save money for college, and then go together. As is if I would ever be able to go without you.
It is so lovely to hear about your students, even if this was a darker story than it usually is. I wish I could have been there to help you, but I am glad that none for them is alone. It seems they have all found friends and confidants, and one can get through much if one only has that. Hopefully the resentment they students feel towards each other will fade with the bruises, but it is rare that they do. Let us talk it over properly during Christmas? I am sure we can come up with a good plan which you can come armed with when you return after the winter holiday.
It warms my heart much to hear that Yuri has made a friend. I shall have to ask him about it when I see him, even if I fear he will not tell me much. Maybe if I am lucky Lilia will know more of the newly sprouting friendship. I must admit I do not know much of the Altin family, since they did not have any children in school as we were attending it. What are they like?
What do you want to do during Christmas my friend? Please plan as many fun things for us to do as possible, even if I do know we too have to study as well.
I will see you soon Yuuri, even if it feels far.
Every day that passes means there is one less until we will meet. You will come and pick me up at the station, will you?
Your dear friend
Victor Nikiforov
______________________
April 6th 1892
Dear Victor
I hope you are well, and not drowning in grading papers as it sounded as you were in your last letter. Were you exaggerating or could you truly stack them from floor to ceiling? Sounds like far too much in my opinion.
I have the most funny story to tell you! Today after I had dismissed the class, I turned to clean the board as the students left. I did not think too much about it, for it had been a calm day and they all seemed to leave quietly. The plan we made during Christmas seems to have continued to work, and I have not had to break up any more fights. If they do fight, it is at least not on school time or grounds. I do not like to think they are fighting anywhere, but beyond the fence of the school there is little I can do.
Now, back to the story. So I had cleaned the blackboard, and I turned back to see the classroom empty. This was not the strange thing that happened however, but what my eyes then fell on laying on my desk. There, folded neatly, was a letter. Now, I was sure it had not been there before class ended, because I do try to keep my desk as tidy as possible to set a good example. Once the students have left I am much more messy. I do not need to tell you this however, you have seen my room.
The letter had a neat handwriting, and I did recognize it immediately as Kenjirou Minami’s hand, and it was addressed to me. For a moment I thought perhaps it was from the boy’s parents, but I figured their hand could not look so much as Kenjirou Minami’s. My curiosity only grew, and I carefully opened it and folded it out, only to come face to face with a three page love letter.
Yes, you are reading this correctly. My very first love letter, and it was written by a nine year old. One of my students as well! I know you will have a laugh about this, for I certainly have had several. It is very different from all the great love stories is it not? I cannot bring myself to say this to anyone but you however, for I know the teasing would be dreadful. Phichit Chulanont, as you know, would never let me forget it.
The letter was well written and very romantic, and was an exact replica of the letter Samantha writes to Lovis in Whispering Willows . I did not immediately realise it, but it was so familiar I had to go looking through my books and low and behold there it was, almost word for word. I must admit that Kenjirou Minami had added sentences here and there which were more connected to him and me, which feels ridiculous to write in a sentence, than those from the book.
The whole thing has given me an idea however. I do think that being able to write a good letter is a skill that the students should learn. So I will give them an assignment in letter writing! I shall give them a week to write it, and then they can hand their letters in. I will have to speak to Kenjirou Minami before, of course, about the indecency of copying another person's letter, even if it was from a book.
I hope this brought a smile to your face. I know that if you were home we would sit on your veranda and laugh over it together. I long for summer when we can.
Well wishes
Your friend
Yuuri Katsuki
___________________________
April 10th 1892
Dear Yuuri
It is always so wonderful to hear from you, and especially your stories of your students. I feel like I am there teaching with you at times. To think that being a teacher would bring you such admirers. Then again, you always had them, even if you always refuse to admit it. It is good that I have Phichit Chulanont and Christope Giacometti with me to vouch that it is indeed true. I should have expected one of the students to fall for you sooner rather than later. I was inclined to believe Phichit of course, but now well all have proof that he was right. I fear you will never hear the end of it. As you suspected, it did give me a good laugh.
Now, I hope you did not break the poor boy’s heart when you let him down. I must admit that using another letter, and such a good one at that, was rather clever. I wonder how he came by it. Did you ask him, when you rejected his affection? Nevertheless, hopefully this proved to be a good lesson of plagiarism for him. What will you do, if he hands in another love letter in the letter exercise you have given them? And ever worse, what if you get several more?
I will say that such an exercise is very clever of you Yuuri, and very useful too. The students need to know the art of letter writing, and if they can practice at school, all the better. I may even steal such a marvelous idea. Can I?
I have a surprise. You do not need to wait until this summer for us to sit on the porch together and enjoy each other’s company. I have been feeling dreadfully homesick, and while I know there is just a little over a month until I come home for the summer, I cannot stand it. I have decided to take a little trip back home next weekend. I have been good at saving up, and Lilia promised she would pay half the fare. Or rather, she offered to pay it all and I only accepted half. They have already done so much for me you know.
Will you come pick me up at the station? I plan to take the five thirty on Friday.
Your friend
Victor Nikiforov
________________________
April 14th 1892
Dear Victor
I am terribly excited for you to be home, and in just a few days as well! Of course I will pick you up from the station! I will be standing there waiting, and then we will take the buggy from there all the way to Ashington Farm. I am sure Lilia, Yakov and Yuri are all so excited to see you. What shall we do when you come home? Please think of everything you desire to do, make a list, and then we shall try to cram it all in. I know time will be sparse, but we will manage all we can. Do you already have plans, or how much time will I have with you?
Now, I know you will not have time to answer before you come, but I want to give you some insights to the assignment in letter writing. I have not gotten through all of them yet, so I cannot tell you about them all, but I promise that by Friday I will have read them all and inform you of the rest. I will not disclose what Yuri wrote, but I shall tell you of some of the others.
Michelle Crispino wrote only of his sister, and how angry he was over everyone who showed interest in her. He even demolished the need for friendship, so it was not only suitors he found troublesome. It found it oddly uncomfortable, but could not help but giggle from time to time. His sister wrote about a visit to a cousin she had made last summer, and of a girl she got to know when visiting. The girl’s name is Mila, and apparently they’re adamant pen-pals now. The letter was therefore, as expected, well written and Sara kept her subjects collected and her words neatly formed and easy to read.
Satsuki Muramoto wrote of a book she had read, and went into great detail to explain to me how she wished it would have gone instead of the actual plot of the book. It was very interesting to read. I may have to see if I can borrow the book from her, only to see if I agree. It is lovely to see them have imagination, and the changes she suggested was quite inventive. I have also read Otabek Altin’s letter, but because of the contents of it, I will not share it with you either. Do not be too cross with me please, some secrets will have to be kept from older brothers, even if they are adoptive.
My favourites of the bunch, as you might have already suspected, did come from the young Xie Lian and Hua Cheng. Now, of course I could not make out much out of Hua Cheng’s letter, but I did count (from what I managed to make out) Xie Lian’s name written one hundred and twelve times in the three full pages he handed in. It is the most adorable thing I have ever not been able to read. Xie Lian’s letter, unsurprisingly, was about Hua Cheng. Here is a small excerpt for you.
Dear Teacher
Thank you for this opportunity to write about something we want to tell you about. I very much want to tell you about San Lang (Victor, I have to tell you here that Xie Lian does not call Hua Cheng by his name, but San Lang instead. I have no idea why. No one else is allowed to do it.) . You see, many say so much bad about San Lang, but to me he is the kindest person I know. Whenever I am sad or lonely, he is always by my side ready to hold my hand. I am sure that teacher knows all about my parents, because everyone seems to. It makes my chest hurt when I see adults point and whisper, but San Lang always stands by my side. I know he sometimes looks very angrily at them too, and tells them rude things. I know he should not do it, teacher, but something very warm replaces the hurt in my chest when he does. San Lang has had a lot of troubles in his life too, but I am very happy that Kanako decided to care for me, and that she brought San Lang too. I do not know how I would have been able to get through, if I did not have him by my side.
Is it not the most adorable thing you have ever read? The letter goes on to talk about everything that Xie Lian’s San Lang is so skilled at - and the best part of it all is that he is very right. Being a teacher is so very fascinating, do you not think so? I wonder if I will miss it when we go to college. We can go back though, after we are done? Do you suppose we could be lucky enough to teach at the same high school? I think it would be a dream come true if we could.
I still have the letters of several students, such as Emil Nekola, Ketty Abelashvili, Min-so Park, Seung Gil Lee, Hikaru Fujiwara and the new letter from Kenjirou Minami left to read, but I shall do it tomorrow. I must admit I am dreading opening Kenjirou Minami’s letter after your predictions, so I am saving it to last.
Now I am going to go to bed, and think of how wonderful it will be to see you at the end of the week.
Be well.
Yuuri Katsuki.
_________________________
Yuuri sat down at the small desk in his chambers, looking out at his parents farm. It was a lovely place, and Yuuri had adored growing up there. It was so easy to let his mind wander, and remember all of the fun he had running around out there as a child. Now, he had assignments to grade, and tests to correct, and letters to read. It all needed to be done soon, for Victor would be home in two days, and Yuuri would not be spending even a moment of his time sitting at this desk while he was. They had gotten so little time together in the past year, and Yuuri wanted to savour it all. He was a bit surprised that Victor had decided to come home now, so close to the summer vacation. There was really only a month left, and he had been so good at saving up and staying at White Sands. Yuuri could not put his finger on it, but he hoped Victor would be able to explain it once he saw him. A thrill raced up his spine, familiar and unwelcomed. It was such a lovely sensation, but it was treacherous all the same. Yuuri had loved Victor for so long he did not know where his feelings of friendship had turned into those of romance, but they were deeply embedded into his chest.
Before Victor had come to Apple Valley, Yuuri had been lonesome and shy, having a terrible time finding friends. Victor, orphaned and then adopted by the old childless couple up on Ashington Farm, was bright as the sun and deep as a well. He had come and offered Yuuri the best of friendship, and accepting it had been the best decision of Yuuri’s life. He had been charmed by Victor instantly, and had never stopped since.
Yuuri let out a sigh and looked back down at the letters. There were not so many of them left, and it had been a great fun assignment. He just had to get through the last of them. He started off once more, and the first one left in the stack was written by Seung Gil, and it was short and to the point. Yuuri chuckled, as put the half page about parrots back into the envelope. The next letter had a neat handwriting on the envelope that Yuuri instantly recognized. He blinked in surprise, and hurried to open the letter, wondering if he had somehow missed it and how it could have ended up here.
The page was full, and Yuuri felt his heart jump at the sight of the words at the top of it.
Darling Yuuri
I know this is not how we usually address each other in letters, but this is a different one than the ones I usually send you. This is a letter I have wanted to write to you many times, over many years, but have never found the courage to. It contains words that have been longing to cross my lips for eons, but have been too frightened to voice. Please bear with me, as I bare my heart to you.
From the first moment I saw you, you had my heart. I remember so clearly that first day, both of us were so young, standing under the blooming apple trees of your parents' farm and promising life long friendship. Now, I am promising that now as well, but perhaps something more, if you will let me.
I promise to love you, and cherish you for all of my life. I promise to devote my life to always tell you the beautiful tales that spring up in my heart, and discuss intricate questions to feed your clever mind. I promise to stand by your side when your heart aches, and your mind roars. I promise to hold you close as you cry, and just as close when you laugh. I promise to worship your body as well as your mind, with my mouth, my hands, my gaze.
I love you so deeply Yuuri, that I could never even consider standing by anyone else's side for the rest of my life. There have only ever been you, and there will only ever be you. In my heart I am sure of this. If you think you could be happy spending your life with me, it will bring me the utmost joy that I could ever imagine. It would be a dream come to life to be allowed the honor of being your husband.
Darling Yuuri, will you marry me?
I am sorry I have not been able to tell you in person, and that I could not send this letter to you directly. I had Yuri smuggle it in with his own. It made it easier to write and send somehow, to have it delivered to him so he could give it to you, than for me to send it to you myself. Perhaps I was spurred on by petty jealousy, and respect, for a small boy who dared to tell you his feelings, even though it was not his own words.
I assure you that all of these are my own.
I will see you on Friday.
Until then, your devoted, Victor
A tear rolled down Yuuri’s cheek, and he hurried to caress it off from his cheek so it did not drip onto the beautiful words. Yuuri had never expected, had never even dreamed of receiving such a letter, and from Victor, who he loved so dearly, so deeply. Another tear rolled down his cheek, and with trembling fingers he placed the letter on the desk for he could not imagine ruining it. As soon as it was out of his hand, more tears flowed, and Yuuri had to push his glasses off his face. He leaned down, and pressed his forehead to his knees. A shuddering breath left his lips, and then he let the tears flow freely as the overwhelming sensation of joy, indescribable, rushed through his veins.
Could it be true? Could Victor truly love him in the way he had described? Yuuri did not feel worthy of it, of someone who was so bright and so filled with energy. Yet, Victor knew Yuuri better than anyone. Knew all of Yuuri’s faults, and the darkness of his mind. Still he loved him so? It was all but too lovely to be true.
For a moment Yuuri's mind plummeted, and he considered if this could be a joke. A jest because of the letter Kenjirou Minami had written. Victor was playing a prank, and did not know of Yuuri’s affection and only hoped to give him a good laugh. Yuuri knew it could not be true however. Victor would not toy with him so, for just as Victor knew Yuuri, Yuuri knew him by heart too. The words on the page were deeply sincere, which made Yuuri’s heart ache with tenderness for this man he loved so.
Yuuri let out a shuddering breath and slowly rose, a wide smile spreading on his face as he tried to wipe the tears from his cheeks, only for new to roll form his eyes.
How was he to wait until Friday day to see Victor?
__________________________
Yuuri’s entire body was tingling with nerves as he stood on the platform waiting for the train that would deliver Victor. His heart pounded insistently, hard and persistent in his chest as his eyes stayed glued to the bend in the road from where the train would come. He felt nauseous, from how much anticipation was drumming through his veins. He could hardly stand it any longer, for it had only grown more persistent. What was he to do? To say? What did Victor expect of him now?
The train finally became visible around the bend, and Yuuri’s nerves rushed again, so violently that he considered going back to the horse and buggy to hide. There were too many people there on the platform, known faces from Apple Valley and nearby villages. Yuuri did not want them to see this, for he did not know how to act or how he was to even face Victor with all of the raw emotions rushing through his body.
The train came to a stop, and people stepped off, greeted by those who waited at the station. Yuuri watched, his eyes flickering over the doors of the train as his heart began to beat a little faster. There was no sign of Victor. Yuuri’s heart started pounding even harder, and he shuffled in place. Had something happened to stop him from coming? There had not been any telegrams for Victor at the post addressed to Yuuri, for he had stopped there on the way to check. Could something have happened to Victor that were more serious, could he be ill or injured? Dread filled Yuuri’s body, and he shuddered from the mere thought of it. He barely dared to think the thought which worried him the most. Could Victor have changed his mind about proposing?
The platform was empty now, those boarding having stepped on and those stepping off having left with their companions. Yuuri was sure the train was about to leave soon, and Victor was not there. Yuuri let out a long sigh as disappointment filled his stomach, mixing souerly with his nerves. He was just about to turn away and walk down, when a familiar figure stepped off the train and onto the platform.
Yuuri’s heart stopped.
Victor’s blue gaze found his instantly, eyes bright but worried. His silver hair which he had been so teased for when they were growing up laid handsomely to one side, pushed away from his beautiful face. His high cheekbones were dusted with a flush, and his lips were pink and plush, as if he had been worrying them between his teeth.
He had always been the most beautiful person Yurui had ever looked at.
For a moment, all things paused, even time seemed to hold its breath.
They looked at each other, unmoving and unblinking, as the train started to roll out of the station. Yuuri took a deep breath, still keeping Victor’s gaze with his own as he let his feelings sink deep into his bones. What had been a fantasy had turned into hope, and now he needed to make it a reality. He could bare nothing else.
Yuuri moved forward. His feet carried him faster and faster, and he had almost started running as he collided with Victor’s still unmoving form, arms wrapped around Victor’s shoulders tightly. A surprised gasp left Victor’s lips and brushed Yuuri’s cheek, but Yuuri had built momentum. The nerves he had been carrying ever since he had received that letter rattling in his chest, and he ached. If this was how ownly chance, even if he desperately longed for a million more, he would seize it. Yuuri turned his head, and in one smooth movement, pressed his lips to Victor’s.
Arms came to wrap around his waist, and Victor pulled him closer still, his mouth presing insistently against Yuuri’s as everything seemed to fall into place. As if he had longed just as desperately as Yuuri had.
Yuuri’s heart soared. From now on, they would always be together, and they would always be each others.