Chapter Text
The apartment was well-insulated against the brutal St Petersburg weather, so much so that Yuuri could hardly hear the wind howling outside. It was doubly warm under Viktor’s quilted comforter. So how was it, Yuuri thought to himself, that he still struggled to fall asleep? It had been almost a month since he had moved in with Viktor, and yet the apartment still felt foreign and strange.
Speaking of his coach/fiancé… Viktor was snoring softly into Yuuri’s ear, head nestled on his shoulder. Makkachin was curled up at the foot of the bed, pinning Yuuri’s legs down. Yuuri suspected he was beginning to lose sensation in his toes. Which really would be a nice change of pace, now that he thought about it; his feet were still sore from the grueling training regimen Viktor was putting him through. (Yuuri had put on a little pudge during the holidays, and he was still trying to burn it off.)
And it wasn’t as if Yuuri wasn’t exhausted at the end of each day. But somehow, as soon as Yuuri got himself comfortable in Viktor’s bed, suddenly he was wide awake. It was turning into a real problem.
The only upside was that Yuuri got to pet Viktor’s hair as much as he wanted to. Usually, skating legend Viktor Nikiforov was embarrassingly self-conscious about his hair. (And this was coming from Yuuri, who was self-conscious about every inch of his body.) Viktor’s hair was just so soft and silky, though, and Yuuri loved to run his fingers through it.
Sometimes, the respective movement of stroking Viktor’s head was enough to put Yuuri to sleep. But even that little trick wasn’t working out for him tonight.
Yuuri didn’t understand it. He was used to sleeping in hotel beds, and Viktor’s bed was far more comfy than those tended to be. And while it did take him some time to get used to Viktor’s sleep snuggle death grip, that no longer bothered him. He found himself wishing he could sneak to the Ice Castle. Skating by himself always seemed to help, even when he didn’t know what his problem was.
The ice rink where Viktor and he used was always crowded. Yurio, Georgi, and Mila also trained there. For an introvert such as Yuuri, it got a tad unbearable at times.
Well, it didn’t look as though sleep was happening anytime soon. Yuuri decided to just give up and scroll through his Instagram. He fumbled around the nightstand, feeling around for his phone. He pressed the home button, and immediately regretted it. The blaring light blinded him temporarily. Yuuri scrambled to turn the brightness down, and then glanced at Viktor.
Viktor made a soft sighing sound, but otherwise didn’t stir from his slumber. Yuuri let out a quiet breath of relief.
Instagram was opened, and Yuuri began to scroll through his feed. He mostly followed other skaters, though he did occasionally seek out people who posted a lot of pictures of poodles. Most of the photos were from Yurio; it wasn’t unusual for him to stay up late, to Yakov’s never-ending chagrin.
Oh, a selfie from Phichit! It must have been early morning in Bangkok. Phichit was posing at the table with his breakfast. The caption simply read: Too early (-_-) zzz
Yuuri liked it without much thought. Not a minute later, his phone buzzed.
It was a message from Phichit. Yuuri prepared himself for Phichit’s well-meaning fussing, and opened his instant messaging app.
phichitchu: yuuri! ヽ(^o^)丿
phichitchu: its been a while
phichitchu: what are you doing up?
phichitchu: it must be ridiculously late there
Yuuri bit his lip. Phichit may have been his closest friend, but Yuuri really didn’t want to discuss his problems… especially since he didn’t fully understand them himself.
katsukiyuu: hey Phichit
katsukiyuu: yeah, I’ve been having a hard time staying asleep tonight
katsukiyuu: and sorry, I’ve been busy;;;
katsukiyuu: I’d say Viktor is working me like a dog, but
katsukiyuu: he’d never treat Makkachin like this
phichitchu: isnt viktor supposed to be training too?
katsukiyuu: yeah, but he multi-tasks（￣□￣；）
phichitchu: lmao
phichitchu: oh this is random but
phichitchu: i was thinking
phichitchu: we need to get you active on sns
phichitchu: so we can keep in touch even when youre busy
katsukiyuu: wait, like what?
phichitchu: well instagram for starters
katsukiyuu: I have an Instagram!
katsukiyuu: I follow you!
katsukiyuu: you only knew I was awake because I liked one of your photos!
phichitchu: having an instagram isnt the same as being active on it
phichitchu: tell me
phichitchu: when is the last time you actually posted something?
That was… a good question. Yuuri switched to his Instagram to check.
katsukiyuu: three days ago
katsukiyuu: that’s not too bad
phichitchu: (；一_一)
phichitchu: its not all that great either
phichitchu: im just worried about you yuuri
katsukiyuu: because I’m not on Instagram regularly?;;;
phichitchu: (-_-;)
katsukiyuu: stop it with the sad emoticon faces!
phichitchu: remember when we were roommates
phichitchu: and i had to always be the one to drag you out to socialize
phichitchu: because otherwise youd spend all day and night either in your room or out on the ice rink?
katsukiyuu: I certainly haven’t forgotten;;;
phichitchu: im just worried that youre reverting back to your hermit ways
katsukiyuu: I’m not a hermit (*￣m￣)
phichitchu: so youre making friends in russia?
katsukiyuu: what are you?? my mom???
phichitchu: no just your best friend
phichitchu: so are you?
katsukiyuu: ………………
katsukiyuu: my Russian isn’t exactly… perfect yet…
phichitchu: what about the other skaters? the other yuri? georgi?
katsukiyuu: (・_・;)
phichitchu: now look at whos using sad emoticons!!
katsukiyuu: they all already know each other and have inside jokes and such…
katsukiyuu: it seems rude to intrude on their conversations;;;
phichitchu: (^_^;)
phichitchu: oh yuuri…
phichitchu: tell you what!
phichitchu: lets set up a group chat so you can practice making friends
katsukiyuu: what!!!
katsukiyuu: no way, that’s ridiculous!
katsukiyuu: I don’t need to “practice” making friends
katsukiyuu: besides, I’m way too busy with my training these days
phichitchu: training with viktor?
katsukiyuu: well, yeah, he’s my coach
phichitchu: and what do you do when you arent training?
katsukiyuu: uhh
katsukiyuu: idk some chores or hanging around the apartment
phichitchu: with viktor?
katsukiyuu: yes, with Viktor! what are you getting at?
phichitchu: yuuri im just as happy as you are that youre living with and engaged to the man of your dreams
phichitchu: but its important to have a life outside your significant other
phichitchu: i mean
phichitchu: if you spend every waking moment together
phichitchu: wont you eventually run out of things to talk about?
katsukiyuu:（ ﾟ Дﾟ）!!!
katsukiyuu: are you saying you think Viktor will get bored of me?
phichitchu: of course not!!
phichitchu: you know i didnt mean it like that yuuri
phichitchu: im sorry
phichitchu: maybe im being a little too nosy
phichitchu: forgive me m(_ _)m
katsukiyuu: ……………
katsukiyuu: it’s alright, you kind of made a good point
katsukiyuu: I think I’ve been kind of homesick lately
katsukiyuu: and it sucks that I have to rely on Viktor for translations all the time;;;
katsukiyuu: maybe it would be a good idea to make some friends here…
katsukiyuu: but I feel like such an outsider!
katsukiyuu: (:_;)
katsukiyuu: I don’t know what to do
katsukiyuu: maybe I do need practice making friends…
phichitchu: (/◕ヮ◕)/
phichitchu: so i should make that group chat!
katsukiyuu: who would you even invite?
phichitchu: do you remember leo and guang hong?
katsukiyuu: yeah…
phichitchu: well i know for a fact that theyd like to be friends with you!
katsukiyuu: aren’t they kind of young?
phichitchu: leo is only a year younger than me…
phichitchu: and what does that matter anyway? (~_~)
katsukiyuu: I guess it doesn’t…
phichitchu: its not like theyre immature or anything
katsukiyuu: I didn’t say they were…
phichitchu: （;;￣ー￣）
phichitchu: yuuri i only say this because youre my best friend
phichitchu: but youre kind of a snob sometimes
katsukiyuu: (；一_一)
katsukiyuu: I know…
Yuuri let out a deep sigh, and then startled, surprised by how loud it sounded in the dead of the night. Or… really early morning, rather. It was almost 2:30 now. Phichit’s words rattled around in his head. He wished he could be as easygoing and charismatic as Phichit and Viktor were. This whole debacle was giving him flashbacks to the Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu Championship, when Viktor scolded him for acting so coldly towards Minami.
His phone began to buzz again, and Yuuri nearly groaned when he saw the onslaught of new messages. Reluctantly, he reopened the app.
phichitchu invited katsukiyuu, leoofthechurch, and guanghongstar to chat log friendship training
phichitchu: hello friends!
phichitchu: welcome to the group chat
phichitchu: (*^3^)/~☆
guanghongstar: hiiiiii~
guanghongstar: leo are you here
leoofthechurch: Yep!
leoofthechurch: Hey Guang Hong
leoofthechurch: Hey Phichit
guanghongstar: leoooooo~
guanghongstar: its been so long
leoofthechurch: I know :'‑(
leoofthechurch: Lets facechat soon
guanghongstar: okay~
leoofthechurch: Hey isnt Katsuki here too?
katsukiyuu: yeah, I’m here
katsukiyuu: and you can call me Yuuri, it’s fine;;;
guanghongstar: hi yuuriiiiiii~
guanghongstar: this is super late buuut
guanghongstar: congratulations on winning silver!!
leoofthechurch: Yes congrats :‑)
katsukiyuu: thanks;;;
guanghongstar: soooooo i have to ask~
guanghongstar: whats it like working with viktor?
leoofthechurch: Guang Hong is a big fan
guanghongstar: LEOOOOOOOOOO
guanghongstar: and to think i took a bullet for you!
katsukiyuu: ?????????????????
leoofthechurch: In Guang Hongs free skate he envisioned a version of shanghai blade where he took a bullet for me :'‑)
katsukiyuu: ohhhh
katsukiyuu: and, to answer your question,
katsukiyuu: Viktor can be overwhelming sometimes, but
katsukiyuu: he’s a great coach, and I’m lucky to have him
katsukiyuu: (≧∇≦)
guanghongstar: and i heard you two are engaged~
katsukiyuu: yes, that’s correct;;;
guanghongstar: SPLEEEEEEEEEEE
guanghongstar: how cuuuuuute~
phichitchu: thats right!!
phichitchu: i keep forgetting to ask
phichitchu: whens the wedding?
katsukiyuu: uhhhh
katsukiyuu: we haven’t really decided on one yet;;;
phichitchu: thats understandable
phichitchu: the two of you havent been engaged long
phichitchu: i doubt youve even chosen your best man yet!
phichitchu: (´･ω･`)
katsukiyuu: was that a hint of some sort?
phichitchu: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
katsukiyuu: you’re not very subtle, phichit;;;
guanghongstar: lmao
katsukiyuu: fine…
katsukiyuu: will you be my best man, phichit?
phichitchu: im offended you even had to ask
guanghongstar: LMFAO
guanghongstar: phichit stop teasing yuuri
katsukiyuu: ehh I’m used to it by now
katsukiyuu: he never stops teasing me
katsukiyuu: by the way, Guang Hong, what time is it in Beijing?
katsukiyuu: it must be super early there…
guanghongstar: oh im not in beijing
guanghongstar: im in vancouver
guanghongstar: canada~
katsukiyuu: what, really?
guanghongstar: yuuuuuuup
guanghongstar: this is where i go to train
leoofthechurch: And scour for celebrities :‑P
guanghongstar: that too!
guanghongstar: i want to meet a famous movie star someday~
phichitchu: leo and guang hong are actually in the same time zone
guanghongstar: stop reminding us ;_;
guanghongstar: were still twenty hours away from each other!!!
leoofthechurch: So close and yet so far away :'‑(
guanghongstar: soooooooo sad ;_;
leoofthechurch: Well have to meet up sometime soon
leoofthechurch: Like last summer
phichitchu: what happened last summer?
phichitchu: i want details (^_-)-☆
guanghongstar: phichiiiiiiiiiiiiiit
guanghongstar: ;///;
guanghongstar: theres really nothing to report
guanghongstar: leo took me sight seeing thats all
leoofthechurch: :-?
“Yuuuuuuuri.”
Yuuri nearly soared out of bed in surprise. He glanced over at Viktor, who was now very much awake, and also, judging by his expression, annoyed.
“S-sorry. Did I wake you?”
Viktor’s lips twisted into a frown. Just as Yuuri feared, Viktor began to nag him. “Yuuri, have you been awake this entire time? You know you mess up your jumps when you don’t get enough sleep,” Viktor grumbled, mouth half muffled by Yuuri’s shoulder, “What are you even doing on your phone? It’s not like you to get absorbed in social media. Or to stay up this late.”
“I was, uh, chatting with Phichit.” Yuuri bit his lip, guilt knotting his gut.
Viktor’s scowl softened a bit. “You can talk to him tomorrow,” he whispered, voice turning soft, less coach and more fiancé, “Come here, let’s cuddle if you don’t want to sleep.”
katsukiyuu: I have to go, goodnight everyone
It was difficult to type out a farewell with Viktor suddenly clinging to him like a koala, but somehow Yuuri managed. Then he closed the app, put his phone on silent, and put it aside. He had a feeling Phichit, Leo, and Guang Hong would be filling the group chat with messages for many more hours.
Closing his eyes, Yuuri rolled to his side so he could curl up in Viktor’s arms more comfortably. He fit his head under Viktor’s chin, and felt some of his homesickness ease away.