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"Yuuri…" Victor knelt in front of him, and Yuuri hissed in pain when Victor pulled one battered foot into his lap. "How long have you been a skater, hm?" It was chiding, but Victor's hands were gentle as he inspected tender blisters and welts. "How are you supposed to skate your best when your feet are in such a poor state?"
Yuuri shifted uncomfortably. "It's nothing…"
Victor's hands stilled around Yuuri's ankle and his face grew serious. "Yuuri. If you're to win the Grand Prix Final, you'll need to be at your best." He gave Yuuri's ankle a light squeeze. "That includes this."
"Sorry," Yuuri mumbled.
One of Victor's hands smoothed up Yuuri's calf. "Are you lacing properly?" He leaned in, his voice dropping. "Is it the fit? Do you need gel socks?" His hand was resting on Yuuri's knee by now. "Tell me Yuuri. I'm your coach, it's my job to make sure you're taken care of."
Victor was close, so close, one hand braced next to Yuuri's thigh, the other coming up to tilt Yuuri's chin, and Yuuri couldn't help the deep flush spreading over his face. "V-victor, it's f-fine."
Victor sighed and dropped his gaze, releasing Yuuri's leg. His attention turned instead to Yuuri's skates, inspecting the leather of the boot, the blades, and the laces. "Yuuri~" Victor turned his face up again to catch Yuuri's gaze. "When was the last time you got new skates?" He held up one skate, the leather worn and soft, any support they might've given all but broken down.
Yuuri bit his lip, recognizing the deceptively sweet voice and matching smile.
Still smiling, Victor bit out, "These are useless."
"Ah, well, the thing is…" Yuuri's thoughts strayed to the previous season, and the uncertainty he'd struggled with. "I wasn't sure…I'd even be needing them…" his voice trailed off into a whisper.
Victor's hands thumped down on either side of Yuuri. "But you're sure now, aren't you?" Yuuri nodded emphatically. "Good! Then it's settled. Tomorrow we'll go get you fitted for a new pair!" He rocked back on his heels and stood in a fluid motion.
Yuuri blinked. "Wait. Wait, Victor!"
Victor smiled down at him. "Yes, Yuuri?" His tone held a dangerous edge.
"It's just, we'd have to go to Tokyo. The skates I wear, the only place that sells them in Japan is in Tokyo."
Victor waved a dismissive hand. "You worry too much about the small things, Yuuri. Hurry up and put your shoes on, Makkachin is waiting for us at home!"
Yuuri mumbled his assent and cast a dubious look at his skates. It was true, he did need a new pair, if he were to continue competing, and he'd need them soon, so he would have time to break them in. But—he did a mental calculation as he pulled on his sneakers—the skates, and Victor's coaching fee…Victor still hadn't said anything about that, but it was only a matter of time before it came up, and Yuuri wondered if he'd be able to pay for it all, in the end.
Yuuri huffed out a sigh. Victor was right, though. Those were small things, at the moment. It was more important to focus on the upcoming season.
Yuuko flashed him a grin as he approached, leaving off of her conversation with Victor. "You guys are going to Tokyo tomorrow, huh?"
Yuuri returned her smile with one of his own. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll be sure to bring back some souvenirs for everyone."
Yuuko shook her head. "No need. Just have fun while you're there, yeah?" She turned back to Victor, her mouth quirking a little. "Victor, take care of Yuuri for me!"
Victor draped an arm around Yuuri's shoulders. "Yes, of course I will."
"Hey!" Yuuri frowned. "Isn't Victor the one who needs to be taken care of, since he's a foreigner?"
Yuuko's grin widened. "Of course, Yuuri, you're absolutely right." Yuuko and Victor exchanged an inscrutable look, and Yuuri's frowned deepened, but Victor was already tugging him towards the door. Yuuko waved them off cheerfully. "Bye guys, have fun!"
"Bye-bye, Yuuko! Come on Yuuri~!" Victor bumped his head into Yuuri's affectionately.
O.o.O
Yuuri had come to the conclusion that his parents were entirely too accepting of Victor's presence at Yu-topia, and of Victor monopolizing their son's time. At Victor's announcement of their trip to Tokyo, they'd simply smiled and waved him and Yuuri off with the same enthusiasm that Yuuko had. They'd even promised to take care of Makkachin in Victor's absence without prompting, but Yuuri supposed that they missed Vicchan as much as he did, and were more than happy with the task.
Victor was already pulling Yuuri towards the platform, a grin on his face. "You know, I've never actually been to Tokyo! This is going to be fun, Yuuri!"
Yuuri offered him a small smile. Victor's enthusiasm was…kind of cute. It was a nice change from their training regimen. It was nice, to see this different side of Victor. Yuuri tucked his hands into his pockets and looked down the tracks for the train, despite the digital clock overhead displaying the arrival time. It gave him a warm feeling, every time he saw a different part of Victor, he'd realized.
It was still so strange, to think that this was the Victor Nikiforov. It was like seeing a famous painting in real life, after only ever having seen replicas of it. On the one hand, it was humanizing, to see man he'd idolized for so long, as just that: a man. And yet, as with a painting, the real thing had more details than could be captured in replication. Victor, in flesh and blood, had so much more depth than Yuuri had ever imagined when watching from afar.
Victor Nikiforov had become…just Victor. And Yuuri was pretty sure he liked it better, that way.
"Yuuri." Yuuri startled when Victor's chin came to rest on his shoulder, but he was soon relaxing into the contact. "Aren't you excited to go to Tokyo?"
Yuuri nodded. "Yeah. I was just thinking, is all."
"Yuuri thinks a lot. So serious."
Yuuri smiled, even though Victor couldn't see it. "Is that such a bad thing?"
Victor's breath was warm against his cheek as he let out a noncommittal "Hm." It was almost disappointing, when he pulled away, straightening as the hum of the tracks announced the train's arrival, moments before the cars were sliding to a stop in front of them. "Wow, so sleek! Yuuri, trains in Japan look so modern!"
Definitely cute, Yuuri thought, the corners of his lips tilting up. "It's just a train, Victor. There's trains in Russia, too, right?"
"Ah, but I've never been in one before! The trains in Russia are so big and noisy, like," he made a series of sound effects as they stepped onto the train, "Oh, like Yurio, you know?" Yuuri chuckled, imagining the angry kid. "But this, this is so quiet and elegant. Like Yuuri." Victor grinned.
Yuuri pursed his lips. "I don't know about all that…"
Victor only smiled, and tugged Yuuri to their seats.
They'd barely been traveling for an hour when Victor inquired after their arrival time, and Yuuri couldn't help but laugh at Victor's shock when he informed him that they were in for at least another four hours in the train.
Victor took a breath and fixed Yuuri with an intense stare. "That's good, then. It just means more time to have Yuuri all to myself."
Yuuri felt his face heat in embarrassment. "Victor…" He was still uncertain of how things stood between them, and the thought made anxiety start to crawl up his throat.
Victor studied him for a moment, the way he did when he watched Yuuri practice. With a small sigh, he sank back into his seat. "This," he gestured to the miles flying past the window, "another first with Yuuri. It makes me happy."
Yuuri hadn't thought it possible for his face to get any redder. He avoided Victor's gaze, in an attempt to avoid the directness of the statement, and Victor seemed content to let it rest at that. It did calm him, a little, though, and after a few quiet moments, he murmured his response. "Yeah. Me, too."
The ride was…comfortable, after that. They filled it with conversation—admittedly, Victor did most of the talking, with stories from his home town, and his family, and Makkachin's antics, but Yuuri found that he enjoyed talking, too, when he was with Victor. There were lulls, moments of quiet, but they were natural and unhurried.
At some point, they'd both drifted off to sleep, the motion of the train relaxing them until their eyes fluttered closed, and Yuuri woke to Victor's voice. "Yuuri, there's a snack cart." His voice was still soft from sleep, his accent thick around the words. "What should we get?" His breath fanned across Yuuri's forehead, and Yuuri tensed, realizing that he'd been using Victor's shoulder as a pillow.
He pushed to sitting up, and frowned at the absence of warmth at his side. "Uhm." He blinked some of the grogginess from his eyes and straightened his glasses. The woman in charge of the cart had a faint blush on her cheeks, but waited patiently until Yuuri pointed to a few items and Victor nodded in confirmation.
They passed the snacks between them, and Yuuri was biting into the end of a piece of Pocky when Victor's long fingers pressed against his cheek and turned his head.
Yuuri blinked as Victor bit down on the stick, closing the distance between them until their lips were pressed together in a chaste kiss.
Yuuri hissed and drew back, blushing. "Victor! What are you doing?" He cast a furtive glance around them, to see if any of the other passengers had noticed. No one was looking at them, but Yuuri sunk back into his seat with a pout nonetheless.
Victor had one of those sly smiles on his face. "It looked tasty!" Seeing Yuuri's pout, his expression lightened to something more playful, and he leaned in, his voice lowering. "No one saw."
Yuuri sulked. "Don't tease me like that."
Victor ran a hand through his hair and chuckled. "Ah, Yuuri…" Victor's eyes slitted. "I haven't even begun to tease you." He patted Yuuri's hand and leaned back in his seat, giving Yuuri space.
Yuuri sat in sullen silence for a few minutes, more embarrassed than angry. It wasn't exactly their first kiss, but he still couldn't help but question Victor's sincerity. Victor was a flirt, he knew that, and outside of skating, it seemed like the things he did was just to get a reaction out of Yuuri, pressing his buttons until Yuuri couldn't keep silent about it.
But, perhaps that was the point, after all, Yuuri thought, relaxing a bit. Since Victor had come along, he'd found himself speaking his mind more and more. Opening up when he might've stayed silent. Especially since Victor was a foreigner, not familiar with the social cues that Japanese picked up on, it was the only way to get through to him.
Yuuri wasn't sure what made Victor so different from the people he'd met when he'd been staying in America.
Well. Victor was Victor.
Yuuri let the rest of his tension out with a sigh. Victor was humming something under his breath, watching the world whip by outside. The buildings were getting taller and closer together, and before long, the train was slowing down, and then stopping.
Once they were off the train, Yuuri pulled out his phone, tapping the screen to pull up a map. "Okay, so we need to go…" He glanced up, realizing Victor was no longer at his side. His gaze darted around, until he saw the familiar blond hair parked in front of a food vendor.
"Look, Yuuri, what is this?" he called.
"Victor." Yuuri shook his head and closed the distance between them to look at what Victor was pointing at. "It's dango. Look, Victor, I don't want us to get separated, Tokyo is really big…"
Victor handed a skewer of dango to Yuuri. "I plan to stick close to Yuuri's side."
And Victor made good on that, at the expense of Yuuri's arm. What Yuuri had expected to be a simple trip to the skate shop turned into a sightseeing tour for Victor, pulling Yuuri along by the arm. It seemed that Victor's enthusiasm was endless, and he stopped frequently to post photos on Instagram, tucking Yuuri close for selfies in front of Tokyo Tower, and once he even dragged Yuuri into a store to buy something for Yurio. Yuuri joined Victor in chortling over the gaudy leopard-print hat, and agreed the kid would probably love it—after accepting it with a scowl.
Yuuri couldn't remember ever doing anything like this with friends, not even Yuuko, not even Phichit or any of his friends in America. He'd spent most of his time at the rink, or Minako-san's dance studio, and though he'd been invited to outings, it was never something he'd wanted to do.
But he was having fun. Smiling and laughing with Victor, and it all felt so natural.
He didn't ever want Victor to leave.
The thought made his chest tight when they finally reached the rink with the attached skate shop, reminding him of Victor's purpose in Japan. It was all business once they entered, Victor going into coach mode, and of course the inevitable conversation with the salesperson. About the upcoming season, and inquiries about their progress, all the usual, as the man measured the length and width of Yuuri's feet. The susurrus of blades on ice could be heard all the way to the shop, and Yuuri suddenly missed the quietness of Hasetsu Ice Castle.
"Victor." Yuuri swung his feet at his place on the bench. "We're going to have to come back to get the blades mounted. There's not enough time, the last train—"
"Nonsense, Yuuri, we'll make sure of the mount while we're here." He was smiling, that mischievous smile that meant he would brook no argument. "We'll stay overnight and come back in the morning when they're done."
Yuuri sighed and nodded.
And then froze, as the implication dawned on him, only an instant before Victor leaned down to whisper in his ear. "You'll sleep with me tonight, right, Yuuri?"
"Victor!" His tone was scandalized, though in truth he hadn't been surprised. Victor was always begging to sleep with him, was always teasing him. And, really, if it was like falling asleep together on the train, that wouldn't be so bad…right?
Victor chuckled, and Yuuri tried to ignore the curious look the salesperson was giving them when he returned a moment later, boxes in hand.
Victor paid for the new boots and blades with a withering look at Yuuri. "I told you, it's my job to take care of you, Yuuri. Besides, I want to. Consider it included in my coaching fee, yeah?"
Yuuri paled and tried not to think about how much that might be.
"Come, let's make sure the mounting is good." Victor urged Yuuri towards a bench near the entrance to the rink. Victor knelt in front of him, tugging the laces tight.
"I can lace my own skates," Yuuri muttered, staring down at Victor's blond head.
Victor looked up at him. "Yes, but I want to make sure it's done properly." When Yuuri opened his mouth to protest further, Victor stopped him, "But you didn't even tell me you needed new skates! So I want to make sure." He grinned and turned to the second skate.
"Okay." Yuuri sighed and gave Victor a single pat on the head.
The rink was still busy, despite the evening hour, and the two of them were both celebrities in the figure skating world. It was obvious they were attracting attention, though their audience gave Yuuri and Victor space as Yuuri took to the ice. He appreciated it. And Victor—even here, he wanted Victor's eyes only on him. It was like a switch being thrown as he made a circuit of the rink, warming up and getting a feel for the new skates.
He loved the feeling of freshly-sharpened skates, and with Victor watching, he could do anything. Jumping with a temporary mount was a bad idea but…he'd always excelled at presentation. He built up speed with a couple back crossovers and took his turns with deep knee bends, tested his inside and outside edges with tight circles. He wanted so bad to do more, to impress Victor with an elegant triple axel, but he would have to wait until after the blades were permanently mounted.
Victor was giving him one of his private smiles from his place at the boards as Yuuri made one last circuit of the rink, just to be sure of the blade placement. It was good, and though it would take a little time to break the new boots in, he could already feel the difference, to have the support that had broken down in his old boots.
"Good?" Victor handed Yuuri a pair of blade guards, and Yuuri nodded. "See, you don't have to work as hard for control when your skates support you properly, right?"
"I know!" Yuuri bit his lip at the small outburst. "I just…"
Victor wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed in understanding.
Victor bought them dinner at a restaurant after they left the rink, and the comfortable easiness from before settled between them as they ate, sipping sake with the meal. Yuuri was happy to see that Victor didn't overindulge in the alcohol, with just the two of them, and as they wound down, he felt warm and languid.
"Thank you," he murmured, when they were outside. He'd suddenly felt the need to say it, and at first he thought he meant for the skates, for the day out, but after a moment he realized, "For everything. Thank you for everything."
Victor's expression softened, and he looked at Yuuri for a long moment, before the expression changed into quirked lips and sparkling eyes. "You can thank me with a gold medal at the Grand Prix Final, Yuuri."
Yuuri wanted to say more. Wanted to ask Victor what would come after that, but the truth was, even Yuuri didn't know what he wanted to do after this year's skating season. He just knew he wanted Victor to be at his side. The words stuck in his throat, though, so instead he glanced furtively around them. It was dark, and people around them were preoccupied with each other, or their destinations, and his decision was made. He stepped into Victor's space and leaned into him, going on his toes, and kissed him.
Victor's eyes widened at the soft brush of lips, and leaned down to accommodate Yuuri, his hand settling at the small of Yuuri's back. It was brief, but from Yuuri, Victor knew it meant a lot. "Come on Yuuri, let's find somewhere to stay. I'm tired." Victor's voice was low and even, with no hint of suggestion or teasing, for once.
And yet, minutes later, when Yuuri spoke, his tone was accusatory and face red as he gazed at the hotel Victor was pointing at. "Victor! That's a love hotel!"
"Love hotel? But look, Yuuri, the rooms have themes," Victor pointed at the screen of his phone, which was on the hotel's website. "It's neat, right?"
"N-no! Victor," Yuuri took a deep breath, "love hotels, they're—they're not for sleeping, you know?"
Victor blinked once, twice, before his eyes widened in realization. And then he grinned. "But that's not a problem for us, right, Yuuri?" He stepped closer to Yuuri, but Yuuri evaded before Victor could pull him close.
"Victor."
Victor laughed and waved a hand. "Okay, okay! Yuuri, you're no fun, sometimes!"
Yuuri shook his head and pulled out his phone, tapping and swiping furiously until he'd found a passable hotel nearby. "Here," Yuuri pointed at his screen, "we'll go here, okay?"
Victor pursed his lips and followed Yuuri to the hotel, and watched wordlessly as Yuuri booked them a room with two beds and handed his card over to pay.
Once they were in the room, Yuuri sat on one bed, and Victor sat across from him. "Yuuri."
Yuuri looked up. Victor's voice was rough, and exhaustion was written on his face, along with an unfamiliar vulnerability.
"Can I sleep with you?"
Maybe it was the alcohol still warming him, or his affection that was growing with each passing day, or maybe it was the unguarded look in Victor's eyes. Or maybe because Yuuri was feeling a little needy, too, and there was no one else around to see this side of him.
"Yeah. Okay. But just for tonight, alright?"
Victor's face brightened, and he was already shedding his clothes. "Yuuri~! I'll shower first!"
"Victor!" Yuuri hurried to turn his head, and Victor laughed on his way to the bathroom. Yuuri supposed he should be used to seeing Victor nude by now, but it was different, like this. More intimate.
Victor was always like a dream coming out of the bath or shower, but Yuuri staunchly ignored him and went in for his own shower. He breathed a sigh of relief a few minutes later when he emerged from his own shower, to find Victor dressed in the hotel's robe.
And when they settled into one of the beds together—Victor's idea of 'sleeping together' was just that. He snuggled close to Yuuri, throwing an arm around his waist, and kissed his cheek, before letting his eyes flutter shut. He fell asleep quickly, and Yuuri, lulled by Victor's even breaths, soon followed.