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Katsuki Yuuri had always considered himself a very patient man. Opening his own business at a relatively young age with a handful of employees depending on him, not to mention being a single father to a very boisterous teenage son, patience (lots of it) was something he needed to have. However, on a particularly chilly Tuesday morning such as this, Yuuri suddenly finds his patience running dangerously thin.
You see, Yuuri's day had started just like any other weekday. He woke up early and made breakfast, showered and got himself ready, then dropped off Kenjirou at school. Pleased that he had half an hour to spare before the Ice Castle had to open, he decided to make a quick trip to the local strip mall and pick up a Matcha Latte from his favorite coffee shop. His sister Mari couldn't understand his love for the hot beverage. "They're weird", she'd said. Yuuri didn't mind. It was sweet and creamy, with the green tea not too overwhelming - just the way he liked it.
Yuuri had made his way back to the parking lot with only ten minutes left til opening, car keys in one hand and cardboard cup in the other. No biggie, his skating rink was only a few minutes drive from here anyway. Yuuko and Takeshi must have been done making the necessary preparations by now. He was sure things would go smoothly as usual. That is, until he found himself in his current predicament.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Yuuri couldn't help but grimace at the sight. Someone actually had the galls to awkwardly park their car in front of his beat-up black Toyota SUV, and with the way he was backed up against the wall to begin with, there was no way he could maneuver out of this mess unless that stupid car moved.
That stupid car just wasn't just any regular car though, Yuuri thought. Nope. It just had to be a silver Porsche 918 Spyder - hailed one of the sexiest two-seater sports cars of all time. Not that Yuuri was into cars or anything. Not at all. He just happened to know that it was a hybrid car with a 4.6L V8 engine delivering a whopping 887 metric horsepower, and had a top speed of around 210 mph. Nevermind that it was a limited edition Hypercar with only 918 units in existence, with a starting price of no less than US$847,000. And nope, Katsuki Yuuri was definitely NOT drooling.
Whoever owned the ridiculous ride must have been extremely loaded. Probably some spoiled rich kid. Yuuri resisted the urge to touch its shiny hood and sighed, reaching into his navy blue jacket for his phone. He called Yuuko and apologized profusely, telling her that something came up and he was going to be late. She told him not to worry and take his time - she and Takeshi could handle things just fine, and hung up shortly after. If there was one thing Yuuri hated, it was inconveniencing other people. He felt extremely lucky to have such capable and understanding employees.
Finishing off his latte in one long gulp, Yuuri curses under his breath and reluctantly makes his way back into the mall. Rich kid be damned, he was determined to give the culprit a piece of his mind.
"Calling the attention of the owner of a silver sports car with plate number VKU-5N0, please proceed to the parking lot. Again, will the owner of a silver sports car with plate number VKU-5N0, please proceed to the parking lot." The PA system announced.
Yuuri had thanked the lady at the customer service desk for granting his request and was currently pacing the side of his vehicle. He was already rehearsing a long and angry speech in his head when he hears hurried footsteps coming his way. He turns to look, meaning to snap at whoever it was, but his breath catches in his throat.
Yuuri was clearly not prepared for what he saw. Seemingly endless pair of legs clad in tailored black pinstripe pants, and a lithe but well-defined torso in a light grey dress shirt underneath a fitted maroon V-neck sweater. Long silky hair in the palest shade of grey he has ever seen, tied back loosely in a low ponytail. Top it all off with impossibly blue eyes that he swears could pierce through his soul, porcelain skin, and a face that could make a thousand angels cry. In short, it was all of Katsuki Yuuri's wet dreams come to life.
“I'm so sorry!” The taller man bows repeatedly, sounding very much apologetic. “It really wasn't my intention to block your car. It's just that the lot was full and I was in a such a rush to pick up a few documents from the bank. I was so sure it was gonna be quick but it took a little longer than expected.”
Yuuri just stands there staring, slack-jawed.
The man sighs. “I understand if you’re upset. You have every right to be. After all, what I did was rude and inexcusable.”
“Uhm, no.” Yuuri replies, at last finding his voice, and waves his hands in front of him. “It's fine. Err. I mean, I- I wasn't in that much of a hurry.” What a big fat lie.
“Really? But you looked extremely uneasy when I got here.” The man says, tilting his head in confusion.
“Yes, it's alright." Yuuri clears his throat and absently pushes up his glasses. "I- I accept your apology.”
“That's great!” The man smiles brightly, and Yuuri never would have thought that he could possibly look any more beautiful. “I'm so glad. My name is Viktor, by the way. Viktor Nikiforov.” He says, extending his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Nikiforov." Yuuri shyly shakes his hand. Viktor Nikiforov. So the man really was a foreigner. Russian too, judging from the sound of his name and accented Japanese. Nikiforov. Somehow, it seemed awfully familiar. Wait. Yuuri gaped. "You're THE Viktor Nikiforov?! The new CEO and heir to the Nikiforov Real Estate Corporation??”
“Well, yes. That would be me. But please, do call me Viktor.” He grins sheepishly.
“O-Oh, sorry.” Yuuri blushes furiously when he realizes that he's still holding onto Viktor's hand and quickly lets go. His skin was incredibly soft. “I'm Yuuri. Katsuki Yuuri. I uhm, own and operate a public ice skating rink nearby.” Viktor's eyes widen at that.
“Wait. You mean the Ice Castle?”
“Eh? You know about it?” Yuuri asks incredulously.
“Of course, I do!" Viktor laughs and Yuuri almost forgets how to breathe. Damn it, even his laugh was beautiful. “Hasetsu is a small city. The Ice Castle is the only ice skating rink in town and my Yuri loves to go there during weekends to practice!”
“W- Who?" Yuuri looks up scrunching his eyebrows.
"Oh. Yuri is my son." Yuuri frowns. Of course he had a son. So Viktor was married. Why was he disappointed? Wait a minute. His son's name was Yuri?!
Viktor, sensing Yuuri's discomfort, only laughs again. That stupid, beautiful laugh. "I'm sorry! You should have seen your face just now!" He wipes at the corner of his eyes and offers him a comforting smile. "Yuuri is such a lovely name though. I'm not being biased at all."
Yuuri blushes and shuffles awkwardly on his feet, inwardly cursing himself for looking very much like a flustered school girl. "Err. Thanks."
“So, Yuuri...” Viktor begins, rolling his 'R' just enough for it to sound almost like a purr that it snaps Yuuri out of his daze. The taller man leans against his car slightly, a strange look on his face. “…are you free, right now?”
“Yes!" Yuuri replies almost too eagerly and winces at himself. He checks his phone briefly to see ‘5 missed calls’ glaring at him through the screen. Yuuko was going to kill him. He quickly sends her a text then shoves his phone back into his pocket before he could change his mind. "I uhh, I'm free for the rest of the morning." He had promised to buy his employees lunch for a week.
“Good.” Viktor smirks, pretending to not notice the action. “You should at least let me make it up to you, Yuuri.” He steps closer in front of him. A little too close. Yuuri tries not to think of how nice Viktor smells.
“Uhm, how?”
“Well, I know this quaint little coffee shop inside. Their Matcha Latte is to die for! You should totally try it." No freaking way. Viktor curls an arm around Yuuri's excitedly and begins to steer him back towards the building. "Cmon, it'll be my treat!"
Now how could Yuuri ever refuse this man anything?
“Sure. That sounds great."
They find a nice corner table and spend the next couple hours learning about each other. Once Yuuri gets over his nerves, he finds out that Viktor is incredibly easy to talk to. He finds out that Viktor is 38 - just three years his senior, and like him, a single father to a teenage son. Their sons even attended the same middle school (Kenjirou was a junior while Yuri was a freshman). They also learned that they had quite a lot in common. They both loved matcha lattes and katsudon. They both took up figure skating when they were younger. And, they both enjoyed living so close to the sea.
If at some point during their conversation both men seemed to lean a lot closer to each other across the small table, neither of them seemed to notice it. Nor did they notice the casual way their hands were touching, or the mutual stolen glances when one thought the other wasn't looking. Nope, not at all.
Yuuri drove away from the strip mall that day with a huge grin on his face, Viktor's number on his phone, and a promise to meet up at the Ice Castle that weekend. Viktor told him he'd make sure to drop by the coffee shop and pick up their favorite drink on the way.
Thank God for matcha lattes.
Christophe emerges from the kitchen of his coffee shop, a tray of blueberry muffins in hand, to find his cute barista leaning over the counter with his chin resting on his hands, grinning from ear to ear as he watched two men leaving the shop hand-in-hand. He carefully sets the tray down and steals a kiss from his boyfriend's cheek.
"You seem awfully happy, Phichit. Did anything good happen?" He quirks an eyebrow.
The barista only giggles and shakes his head, wrapping his arms around the taller man's waist.
"Say, Chris? Remember how we planned on pulling that matcha latte from the menu next month since only two people ever bother ordering it?"
"Yeah? What about it?" He asks, returning the embrace.
"Well..." Phichit replies, a playful tone Chris knows he uses only when he's up to something. "Let's just say I've found a really good reason to make it a permanent menu item."
"If you say so, love." The younger man squeals in excitement and pecks him on the lips. Really, how could Chris ever deny his adorable boyfriend anything?