Chapter Text
Being at the gala after the Grand Prix finals felt like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. Yuuri had almost won, passing Victor's world record. Even though he wouldn't come home with Gold hanging from his neck, silver was always a good colour on him.
His relief was short-lived. Chris had left him their table to grab them something to drink. He studied the crowd around him, some new faces, some already familiar but nothing managed to grab his attention.
Well, not until his eyes focused on a certain Japanese skater, standing by another one of the bars.
Yuuri was speaking to another figure skater. She was hitting on him in a quite obvious way, in his opinion. Unfortunately, she was beautiful, with long, brown hair curled at the ends, and a black dress held in place by thin gold chains that acted as straps.
From what he could tell from that distance, she was about a head shorter than Yuuri, even though she was wearing high heels.
He had been staring at his student for quite some time now. She looked good next to him, like she belonged there instead of him.
Victor Nikiforov was not a jealous person. He was secure in his skating skills, personality, and looks. So, why did Yuuri make him feel this way?
She played with her hair, eyes shiny and curious as she asked him yet another question. And Yuuri answered, more enthusiastic than he had ever seen him before, with the exception of the time he performed.
Yuuri gestured for the bartender. Soon enough, two drinks were delivered to them they clicked their glasses, not breaking eye contact as they took a sip.
,,I'm right on time, I see." Chris sat down next to him, placing two long islands on the table.
,,Who is she?" He hasn't touched his drink yet, only tracing the rim of the glass with his finger. He focused on the pair in front of him.
It was a miracle they hadn't picked up on it yet, since he basically drilled holes into their heads with his gaze. Victor gritted his teeth, and Christopher took a sip, his voice a bit raspy from the taste.
,,Alyssa Williams, Canada's gold medalist." Victor held his breath as he watched Alyssa purposefully throw one of the straps off her shoulder.
She shifted her body in a way that now most of her back was turned towards Victor, and he couldn't see her face anymore, but his student was perfectly in his field of vision.
Yuuri reached out and pulled it back up, grazing her shoulder in the process with such tenderness that it made his stomach twist.
He grabbed the glass and gulped down its contents in one go. He placed it back down with such force that he was surprised it didn't break.
Chris patted his back and grabbed his arm, pulled him up, and forcefully took him away.
,,You need to get a grip." He hissed into Victor's ear, carefully so that nobody else heard them. They ignored the curious looks following them as they passed by in a hurry.
Chris practically shoved Victor into an empty storage unit, and that's when all of it came to the surface. Victor leaned his back against one of the walls and slid down to the floor, face covered by his palms.
,,I feel so stupid." Chris sat down next to him, dropping one arm around Victor's shaking shoulders, bringing him closer.
,,I'm just as surprised as you are." Victor was so grateful that Chris took him away. If it weren't for his quick reaction, he probably would have drunk some more, broken down in front of Yuuri, and created some interesting topics for the tabloids all over the country.
The message was clear. Yuuri was straight, and it seemed he was genuinely interested in that woman, it was time he had finally found someone for himself.
Yuuri seemed so confident with Alyssa, not the stuttering, afraid boy he was with him. He obviously mistook his shyness for attraction.
,,What are you gonna do?" He stared at the shelves in front of him, his breath calming down slowly.
,,As we previously agreed, Yuuri and I. He will move in with me, and I will be coaching him as well as training for the Grand Prix."
,,Are you insane?" Chris got in front of him and gripped his shoulders in an almost painful clasp. ,,It's not his fault I imagined things."
,,You see this?" He grabbed Victor's left hand and raised it in front of their eyes, the golden band around his wedding finger mocking him with its shine. ,,This was NOT imagining things." He shrugged his hands off him and hugged his knees, curling in on himself.
,,The rings were my idea," Chris frantically paced around the room, he looked more stressed than Victor. ,,Nothing about it is his fault."
Chris clenched his jaw and exhaled in defeat. ,,You need to create some distance, Victor."
,,I will."
Victor knew exactly what he's going to do. He would push Yuuri straight to the top as he promised, and would be the most dedicated coach the world has seen.
And when Yuuri unbelievably tells him that he wants to part ways, he will let him go.
Because that's what you do when you love someone.