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At six years old, after incessant requests, Yuuri's parents tell him a new bedtime story. Their story.
They tell him about their first meeting as children, when his dad was Crown Prince, "Just like you are." They tell him about growing up side by side and fitting together so naturally that happiness is as easy as breathing.
He decides he wants that.
At nine years old, Yuuri gets his device and learns the distance between himself and his soulmate. It shatters his dream of having what his parents had, meeting and growing up side by side. Heartbroken, he cries.
Mari is confused by his tears, but his mother is kind. She says, "You can't live our story, but you'll live your own and it will be just as beautiful. It's more interesting that way, isn't it?"
She takes the time to sit with her children and entertain them with different made up stories that grow more outrageous as she talks, until Yuuri is laughing.
By the time she leaves for a meeting, Yuuri is calmer. Her stories open up a whole world of possibilities.
From then on, Yuuri questions everyone he's allowed to, fascinated to learn about their soulmates. Best friends, adopted siblings, a distant connection to rely on when you need the kind of support only they can give. He doesn't stop asking until the different shapes of their relationships leave him dizzy.
At fifteen, Yuuri learns what true jealousy feels like. Mari meets her own soulmate, forming a meaningful bond that will last a lifetime, and Yuuri watches her and clutches at his chest. Even his happiness for her can't soften the feeling.
That evening, he orders the distance on his counter to be calculated, along with the direction that best reduces the number. He has his soulmate's location marked on a map and then, with a country and a region approximated, he gets himself a tutor.
He has a new language to learn.
At nineteen, Yuuri is deeply involved in his father's work and the responsibilities of his position.
His family is there by his side, always supportive, always willing to offer a hand, always making sure he's comfortable and confident at meetings and parties. They remind him he's still young, still learning, still expected to make mistakes and grow. But ultimately Yuuri's work and his studies are his own. He has no time for fantasies of a soulmate.
But at the end of a long day presenting the face of a prince, he retreats into his family's wing of the palace. He's greeted by smiles and eyes that see him and not his station. Every time, he gives the same silent prayer for his soulmate, whoever they are, to look at him like this.
At twenty, Yuuri experiences excitement and disappointment so harsh they leave him unsteady. His soulmate begins to travel, coming so close he expects them to visit, and then turning away and going somewhere else.
It happens over and over until Yuuri imagines them as a leaf, carried by erratic winds from place to place. When the realization dawns on him, it hurts so much he wraps a hand around his step counter, tempted to tear it off his wrist.
They're building a life. Finding a place. Going on a journey that Yuuri, bound as he is to the palace, can't ever experience. And their journey doesn't include coming to see him.
At twenty two, Mari gifts him a puppy.
"You gave up on companions," she tells him. "Here's one you can't refuse."
Yuuri blinks at her, accepting the wriggling gift with a confused frown. "Why would you say that?"
"Do you like him?" she asks, gesturing at the brown fuzzy puppy Yuuri is hugging to his chest.
"Of course."
"Then don't worry about it."
Yuuri realizes later that he knows what she means. He stopped talking about his soulmate. After all, Yuuri is building his own life too. He has work. He has a future, a duty, a responsibility over people's lives.
But as busy as he gets, as disappointed as he feels, Yuuri doesn't stop practicing their language. Now that he has a dog, Yuuri speaks it with him too.
The little pet awakens something inside him. Something deep and aching and warm.
"What do you think they'll be like?" he asks one night, when he can't seem to be upset with his soulmate's choices.
His sweet puppy can't answer, but Yuuri doesn't mind that. He just tells his dog a story, making up a soulmate for himself.
It becomes a habit he falls back on when it's hard to sleep. The stories calm him, offering the comfort of open possibilities.
There's no set gender, no set personality, no set role. They might be irritable or bubbly, the love of his life or his best friend. Sometimes they're a merchant, happy to come home to Yuuri from long travels. Sometimes they're a storyteller, collecting anecdotes to share with Yuuri when they're finally ready to meet.
But always, they're someone he can talk to freely, just like he can with his pet.
Mari calls him to their father's room with a little smirk that makes Yuuri squint. He goes, because he obeys the king, but not before sending her a look that hopefully shows her he knows she's up to something.
He knows what that smile meant as soon as he receives his new task. It won't be his first time leading a diplomatic trip, but it will be his first time in his soulmate's homeland.
"You speak the language," dad explains. "You don't need a translator who would just be an unnecessary set of ears. It'll put them at ease. It's important in this case."
Yuuri swallows, ignoring the weight of responsibility heavy enough to crush bones.
"Understood."
His dad sees right through him. "You will be fine. We'll send Minako with you. You'll have good advice."
Nodding, Yuuri lets the tension leave his shoulders. She's a good teacher. And her understanding of Yuuri's limitations is better than his own.
"Thank you."
He's about to leave and prepare for the journey, learn the details of his trip, when a thought occurs to him.
"Dad, how long do you think I need to be there?"
"Around a week. It's not difficult, just sensitive."
"And," Yuuri continues, "how long can I stay there?"
Asking feels a bit silly. He doesn't even know if his soulmate will be in the country. They could be anywhere.
The understanding smile he receives almost makes him blush.
"I'll see what I can do."
A ship prepares to sail, full of gifts for their hosts. Yuuri reads up on their customs and the purposes of this trip, and discusses everything he learns with Mari and mom and dad and Minako. He doesn't really feel ready, but he never does. He's used to this. He just watches the bemused smiles on the others' faces in response to his questions and breathes, knowing that they think he'll be fine.
No matter how much he prepares, though, he can't study up for the meeting with his soulmate. He wants to meet them, wants to know them, and the desire makes his chest ache, makes it hard to breathe.
When the excitement expands too big to fit under his ribcage, he makes sure to deflate it, reminding himself that his soulmate might not even be there. It only replaces it with hope and anticipation so strong he can't bear it.
Somewhere in the middle of the sail, Yuuri realizes the numbers on his counter go steadily down. Wherever his soulmate is, he's drawing closer to them.
He has the new distance calculated and finds out that his soulmate is home.
Oh no, he thinks. And then, Wait for me.
"You're nervous," Minako observes. "You're ready. You'll be fine."
Yuuri smiles and nods to thank her. "Yes. I know."
"Oh, it's not about the talks," she frowns. "It's about your soulmate, isn't it?"
His smile falters. The number hidden under his sleeve was just reduced to a mere four digits. "If they leave now," he explains, "it'll be like they're avoiding me."
Minako tilts her head thoughtfully. "I doubt you'll meet them so fast. You have work to do first. Keep your mind on that."
"Right."
They arrive and the numbers drop fast. Yuuri watches, breathless. They're so close.
Minako glances and her eyes go wide. She looks at him and she must see the longing on his face.
"Take a few guards," she says.
Gratitude surges so fast it almost drowns him. "But—"
"We'll go ahead. The cargo will slow us. You can join us at night. You know our route."
"Thank you," he manages, closing his eyes, taking a deep breath. As soon as he's steady enough, he goes to give the orders.
A man stumbles into his guard, so engrossed in his counter that he doesn't see them. Yuuri manages to keep his reaction in check until he sees the number. It matches the distance between them.
When Yuuri shows his own, finally closing the final steps between them, his soulmate looks at his counter with wide eyes.
A few words are exchanged, but they don't matter. Yuuri likes his soulmate's voice, likes listening to him speak, but his face says so much more. He tries to clumsily bow only once, before he knows who Yuuri is to him, and then he doesn't anymore. He stands tall, taller than Yuuri, and meets Yuuri's eyes. Drinking in the sight of him like he knows he's allowed. Like it doesn't matter if he's not.
Yuuri feels light under the scrutiny. Solid and real, but so light. He smiles.
"Shall we go somewhere more private to talk?"
When Yuuri teases, Viktor doesn't seem bothered. He just laughs and offers an insincere apology. He gives Yuuri some dramatic display that could be considered insulting, like Yuuri is just another person. Like Viktor already sees him.
When Yuuri offers for him to visit, he agrees without hesitating for a moment. No fear of the palace and not a hint of greed. He places a soft hand over Yuuri's and keeps it there, the touch making Yuuri feel like he might melt. He's nothing like any of the stories Yuuri made up, but he's also everything Yuuri wanted.
He's perfect.
"I'll have to catch up with the rest of my staff tonight," Yuuri tells him when they discuss the next couple of weeks. "I don't know where you live, but if you want to tell me, I'll come whenever I have a spare moment."
"Good," Viktor says. "I'll have to be home a lot, to pack."
"Pack?" Yuuri frowns. "Are you traveling again?"
There's a spark in Viktor's eyes that Yuuri immediately likes. "Does your ship not have space for one more?"
"Oh," Yuuri says. He thought Viktor would come later, on his own. With the new suggestion, disjointed and messy plans begin to form. "We have the space. For Makkachin too. I should send you my teacher."
"Your teacher?"
"As my soulmate, you won't be considered a commoner. You'll be treated a certain way. You need to prepare. She can teach you manners and customs and…" He trails off, the situation catching up with him.
Yuuri's own visit was a surprise. Can Viktor just drop everything to go back with him?
"Are you sure?" He asks, searching Viktor's eyes. "We only just met."
Viktor's smile is gentle and warm. Yuuri wants to keep it close to his heart. "Exactly," he says. "We just met. I'm not ready to separate yet. I want to know what we'll be."
Open possibilities. Endless paths they can choose from. Together.
Yuuri laces their fingers, watching their hands intertwine. It's almost overwhelming, being so happy.
In a quiet voice that barely sounds like his own, Yuuri says, "I can't wait."