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Yuuri sleeps on the flight to China.
Viktor lets him. He’s rather tempted to prod him awake because the in-flight movie is all in Chinese and he doesn’t understand a word of it. But Yuuri has been practicing hard lately and deserves his rest.
Plus, he looks cute with his mouth hanging just a little bit open and his glasses all askew. Viktor reaches over to pluck them off the bridge of Yuuri’s nose and slides them inside his own coat pocket. No use in letting them get bent.
He likes Yuuri’s glasses. He’s never liked glasses before.
Then again, it’s probably less about the glasses themselves and more about the person wearing them. More and more, he’s found that he simply likes Yuuri. He wants to touch him and talk to him and spend time with him as much as he can. It’s a strange feeling for Viktor, not something he’s felt before.
Viktor taps the back of Yuuri’s hand affectionately and lets him sleep.
He spends the rest of the flight absently thumbing through the pictures on his phone. There he is with his mama and papa last Christmas and there is Yakov with a vein bulging in his forehead and there is Yuri glaring at him and there is the sky over Saint Petersburg...ah, he misses Russia.
He keeps scrolling through until he gets to the pictures from Japan. The ninja house, the rink, the onsen, Yuuri, Yuuri, Yuuri…
Viktor has started to take selfies and to snap pictures of sleeping Yuuri when the plane begins to descend. He slips his phone back into his pocket and looks over at Yuuri.
The normal thing to do would be to tap Yuuri on the shoulder to wake him up or maybe to shake him a bit if that didn’t work. But Viktor has never been able to keep to normal where Yuuri Katsuki is concerned.
He leans into Yuuri, sliding one arm around him and murmuring into his ear, drawing out the words, “Yuuuuurriii…we’re landing.”
“Mmm?” Yuuri’s eyes flutter open and he looks over at Viktor. His cheeks go pink when he sees Viktor so close but he doesn’t splutter and stammer like he used to.
Part of Viktor is disappointed because the sputtering was very funny, but mostly he’s pleased. Yuuri is getting used to Viktor touching him, to being in close proximity with Viktor. The implications make Viktor happier than they probably should.
Ah, well. He can think about all that later.
“We’re here.” He tells Yuuri with a smile, leaning back a bit but keeping his arm slung over Yuuri’s shoulder.
“Huh?” Yuuri flails a bit, “Already?”
“It was a three hour flight.” Viktor says, “And you slept for all of it. I’ll have you know I was very bored.” He pouts.
“Why didn’t you watch the movie?” Yuuri says, stretching but not making any attempt to wriggle out of Viktor’s grasp.
“I did watch the movie.” Viktor says, flipping the hair out of his eyes, “It was in Chinese. I don’t speak Chinese, Yuuri.”
Yuuri frowns. “You could have woken me.” He says, “I wouldn’t have minded.”
“Ah...no.” Viktor says. “You needed your sleep. You have a competition coming up.”
The plane touches down, jostling them. Viktor clutches onto Yuuri a bit tighter.
“Thank you.” Yuuri says softly as the plane taxis down the runway and comes to a stop.
Viktor just hums in response, touching the back of Yuuri’s hand with a few fingers. His skin is soft. “I am your coach after all. You’re my responsibility.”
“Am I?”
“You are.”
Viktor wants to hug him again, but he doesn’t. After their many photos together from the last competition and Yuuri’s speech about love, it might be best to draw back a bit. In public, at least. It’s no secret that Viktor is tactile with his affection, but he knows that where Yuuri is concerned his ordinary habits spiral out of control.
A few more pictures like the ones that are already out there and soon people will start saying things. There will be conjecture, curiosity and questions that Viktor would rather not deal with.
Viktor’s own reputation doesn’t concern him. At this point, his sexuality is the worst kept secret in the figure skating world, but he’s important enough, a big enough point of pride to his country, that no one would dare to call him what he really is. Viktor is gay and most of the world knows, but no one would ever be brave enough to actually say so.
But Yuuri isn’t like him. His career is still growing and bad publicity can ruin a skater’s future as surely as a busted ankle can.
Beside him, Yuuri yawns widely. “I’m tired.” He says softly.
“You can sleep once we get to the hotel.” Viktor says, reaching over to cup Yuuri’s jaw. “What do you say we get a room with one bed? We can sleep together.”
He should hold back, he knows. But at this point, he doesn’t know if he can.
That gets Yuuri to splutter and Viktor brushes the hair off of Yuuri’s forehead, laughing. “Come on. I want to see the Great Wall of China!” He gets to his feet and hauls Yuuri to his.
“We’re nowhere near the Great Wall of China and it’s nighttime!” Yuuri points out, but grabs his carry on bag and follows Viktor into the aisle and off the plane anyway.
Yuuri doesn’t seem to realize that his glasses are missing until they reach baggage claim. He’s leaning against Viktor a little bit waiting for his suitcase and yawning every few minutes, looking fairly adorable. Viktor takes a picture of him and posts it to his instagram with a caption that says, “Sleepy Yuuri! #yuurikatsuki #figureskating #china #herewecome!” accompanied by a generous number of emojis.
“Quit snapchatting me.” Yuuri mumbles.
“I’m instagramming.” Viktor says brightly. “It’s totally different.”
“Well, I…” Yuuri starts, but then he squints and seems to register that the world is blurrier than usual. He pats his head and then his pockets before turning panicked to Viktor. “My glasses! They must have fallen off on the plane!”
“Fear not, young coachee,” Viktor begins.
“Coachee?” Yuuri repeats, brow furrowed. “I don’t think that’s a real word.”
“Shush, I’m being impressive.” Viktor says, putting a finger on Yuuri’s lips.
“Aren't you always?” Yuuri says, words muffled by the finger.
Viktor leans in a little and smiles widely, moving his hand from Yuuri’s mouth to cup his jaw. “You think I’m always impressive? My, my Yuuri...such compliments~”
Yuuri goes red. “No! I...you always think you’re acting impressive...not that you aren’t sometimes, but I meant that...you were acting and I…”
VIktor cuts him off by sliding his glasses on his nose. “Tada.” He says softly. “Suitably impressive?”
Yuuri gulps. “I’d...admit to being a bit impressed.”
Viktor taps the end of Yuuri’s nose with a finger. “High praise, Yuuri.”
Yuuri smiles, cheeks still pink. “Thank you, Viktor. For holding them for me.”
“I like your glasses.” Viktor says, turning to look at the suitcase on the baggage claim. “It would be a shame if they broke.”
“You l-like them?” Yuuri stumbles over his words a bit.
Viktor just nods, reaching out onto baggage claim to grab his suitcase and then Yuuri’s. They’re both small enough to carry. They’re not staying in China that long, after all. “Here we go.” He says, handing Yuuri his suitcase. “Let’s go catch a taxi...I hope we can find a drive that speaks Russian or Japanese or English. I did watch that whole movie in Chinese...who knows, maybe I’ve learned the language by osmosis.”
Viktor feels a tug at his sleeve and he turns, surprised, to see Yuuri grabbing it.
“Yuuri?”
“Thank you.” He says, eyes focused on the space above Viktor’s left ear instead of on his face. “For what you said about my glasses.”
“I meant it, Yuuri.” Viktor says. “I like them.”
“People always say I look better without them.”
“I like you both ways.” Viktor says honestly.
Yuuri doesn’t answer, but he looks flushed and pleased. As they head down the terminal, Viktor reaches to grab the hand still clutching his sleeve and winds their fingers together. Yuuri starts, but he doesn’t pull away. His hand is warm.
Once they step outside, they do manage to find a driver who speaks one of the languages they know. Viktor directs him to the hotel where they’ve made their reservations.
Outside, the city is dark but Viktor watches it roll past anyway. He’s been to China few times before for competitions, but he doesn’t actually remember much about it. After a while, all the places he went to just seemed to run together.
“I really do want to see the Great Wall.” He tells Yuuri.
“Let’s just get to the hotel first.” Yuuri says. He’s still holding Viktor’s hand. It’s started to get a bit sweaty, but Viktor doesn’t want to let go just yet. It’s been a long time since he’s held hands, since he’s wanted to. It’s nice.
The hotel is thankfully close. They pile out of the taxi, paying the driver and dropping their clasped hands to retrieve their bags from the trunk. Viktor flexes his a few times. Holding hands...they’ll have to do it again soon.
Together, they go inside the hotel and check in. Their room, unfortunately, comes with two beds.
After the plane and cab ride, Viktor is desperate for a shower. “I miss the onsen.” He whines as they troop to the room, bags in hand.
“I’m pretty sure you make up half of my parent’s business.” Yuuri says with a yawn. His energy is flagging, his steps slow and sluggish.
They reach the room and Viktor unlocks it, stepping inside and dropping his bags by the door.
They both get ready for bed with little talking and lots of yawns. Viktor has started to get tired too, but he gallantly lets Yuuri have the first shower. He flops on the nearest bed and flips through the channels on the tv, sad to find that he has not, in fact, managed to learn chinese after watching half of an in-flight movie.
Yuuri comes out a while later, wet and flushed and dressed in soft-looking pajamas. Viktor’s gaze catches on Yuuri’s pale throat and his breath hitches. He wants to bite it.
“Shower’s free.” Yuuri says unnecessarily.
“Mmm.” Viktor pretends that he is very invested on whatever is on the tv and not in lowkey checking Yuuri out.
“What are you watching?” Yuuri asks.
“I…” Viktor squints at it. “I have no idea.”
Yuuri sits on the bed beside Viktor’s and Viktor fights a wave of disappointment. He has to be patient with Yuuri, he knows that and he’s more than okay with it, but sometimes he wants...well. He just wants.
“I’m going to shower.” He says, standing and stretching. “You should get some sleep.”
“Okay.” Yuuri smiles at him. “Thanks Viktor.”
Viktor smiles back before retreating to the bathroom.
His shower is blissfully long and warm, water washing off the grime of the plane and taxi rides. He hums contentedly, going over Yuuri’s routines for tomorrow in his head. He worries about the jumps and hopes that Yuuri will concentrate of his step sequences like he needs to. But at the end of the day, this is Yuuri’s competition, not his. It’s a strange feeling, one he’s still getting used to.
But he does like being a coach, particularly for someone hardworking and skilled like Yuuri. Sure, he might be stubborn and shy and nervous, but when he skated, really skated, Viktor could hear music.
He gets out of the shower and steps out of the bathroom to see Yuuri already sound asleep. He’s still wearing his glasses. Viktor clucks his tongue and takes them off to place them on the bedside table.
He wishes he could slide in beside Yuuri, but boundaries are important and he doesn’t want to force through Yuuri’s. He wants Yuuri to lower them himself, for him to let Viktor in because he wants to.
He clambers into his own bed, flipping on his side to look at Yuuri. In the darkness, he’s barely visible.
He flirted with Yuuri at first because he was cute and it was fun. He kept doing it because it made Yuuri splutter and blush. It never really meant much. Now, though, it means something. It means a lot.
“I think I love him.” Viktor says, soft but there.
In the next bed, Yuuri sleeps on unaware.
Outside, the stars shine.