Work Text:
The event had just ended. Congratulations had been given and exhibitions performed, and the gleaming silver medal sat heavily on the table in Yuuri and Viktor’s hotel room. Yuuri sat on the edge of the bed, two twins pushed flush together, and brushed his hair out of his face as the rush of shower water faded into the background. He remembered the night that had changed it all; the words that tumbled out of Yuuri’s mouth and plummeted like stones into the stillness of the air. A heartbeat of silence as the stones made their ripples that turned into waves, crushing them into the ground. Viktor had cried, then, delicate diamonds rolling down his cheeks and clinging to his eyelashes. Yuuri had never seen Viktor cry before that night, and he had been transfixed. Even when he was crying, he was beautiful. How was it possible for one person to hold so much beauty inside him? Surely it was selfish to keep such beauty chained by his side, surely the right thing to do was to let him belong, once again, to the eyes of the world.
But Viktor had been angry at him, and somehow this hurt him more than the thought of letting him go. Viktor had called him selfish, asked how he could possibly skate if Yuuri would retire… and Yuuri found himself wondering, for a moment, if perhaps he had made a mistake. They yelled at each other, the first time in many months, until their chests heaved and their faces were sore from frowning. In the end they had sat pressed together, ice thawing after a long silence, and Yuuri slowly curled into Viktor’s chest in apology. Viktor’s hands had twisted in the fabric of Yuuri’s shirt, residual anger and betrayal leaking through. His face pressed into the crook of Yuuri’s neck and he let out a long sigh, deflating. Yuuri could breathe again, but he knew this peace couldn’t last. The true decision would be made after the Free Skate.
Then came the last day. They had woken up entangled, but the tension remained. Yuuri poured his heart and soul onto the ice that evening, his blades cutting into the mess he’d made and engraving his question for the world to see. When he finished he was panting, broken shards holding themselves together by will alone. Despite his high score he still didn’t have his answer, and watching Yuri fly over the ice, he knew he wouldn’t win gold. Stepping up on the podium to receive his medal was bittersweet; he was proud of Yuri, of course he was, but in his heart he had wanted to give Viktor the gold he promised him. Yuuri was unsatisfied, and the churning in his stomach grew in intensity when Viktor had refused to kiss his medal. But then Viktor had come closer, (he was always coming closer) and Yuuri found hope where he had expected disappointment. In the glimmering of Viktor’s eyes Yuuri had found the answer he had been looking for.
So here he sat, having shown his and Viktor’s love to the world to the best of his ability, looking ahead to a future he hadn’t known he could have. Being coached by Viktor, competing against Viktor, one perfect year together… No, he hadn’t dare dream of this possibility. Yet there it was in front of him, and for the first time in a long while Yuuri didn’t feel anxious about the life ahead of him. Relaxing the hands that had clenched over the thighs of his sweatpants, Yuuri felt himself take a deep breath and let it out slowly. He felt lighter now, the heaviness expelled from his lungs and leeching out the tips of his toes. A small smile tugged up the corners of his lips.
“Yuuri,” his name sounded out sweetly in the air of the room, the letters generously elongated. Yuuri looked up to see Viktor, barely dressed in low-hanging boxer briefs. Droplets of water danced on his bare skin and Yuuri felt the heat in his face as his eyes met two pools of blue, glimmering in amusement. They brightened as they caught Yuuri’s gaze, and a smile stretched into a contented grin.
“Why were you smiling just now?”
“Ah,” Yuuri said, his gaze flickering downwards in embarrassment. “It was nothing, really.”
Yuuri heard the padding of bare feet against the floor and felt it as the bed dipped beside him, then as strong arms gathered him into Viktor’s warmth. His back was pressed against the planes of Viktor’s chest as arms curled around Yuuri’s middle. He could feel dampness seeping into his sleeping shirt but nevertheless Yuuri let out a small sigh of contentment and relaxed into Viktor’s embrace. He jolted slightly as Viktor’s lips brushed against the nape of his neck, and when Viktor spoke his words were slightly muffled by Yuuri’s skin.
“You can tell me, Yuuri.”
Viktor’s hot words faded across Yuuri’s skin and his breath hitched in response. He turned his head and leaned away to try to see Viktor’s face, something in his voice compelling him. What he was met with was a dark half-lidded gaze and a small smirk, and Yuuri snapped back to his original position, suddenly glad for the anonymity it provided. His heart beat louder in his chest.
“I-It really wasn’t important,” Yuuri mumbled.
“But Yuuri,” Viktor whined, and the contrast between his voice and the heat Yuuri had seen in his eyes forced a laugh out of Yuuri’s throat. The atmosphere lightened, suddenly, and Yuuri relaxed again, trying to find the words he needed. Viktor stayed silent as Yuuri gathered himself and Yuuri felt a rush of appreciation for the man behind him.
“I was just thinking about how… happy, I am, that you’ll be my coach for another year. And that you’ll be competing, too,” Yuuri began with slight hesitance. “And, really, that I don’t have to worry about it all anymore. Worry about… us. Anymore.”
This time it was Viktor who pulled away, slightly, but only to shift positions and nudge Yuuri so they sat facing each other. Those compelling eyes were softer now, and looked at him with an expression that Yuuri only recently allowed himself to believe was love. A graceful hand lifted to delicately cup the side of Yuuri’s face, thumb brushing across the smooth skin of his cheek. Viktor’s ring glinted in the light.
“Oh, luchik, I’m sorry you felt you had to worry at all,” Viktor said, the words a soft offering held out between them. “I love you, Yuuri. Everything else is just… above, and beyond.”
Yuuri closed his eyes for a moment, tears gathering in his eyes and blurring his vision when they opened.
“I love you too, Viktor,” Yuuri said to the blur of platinum and cream. He didn’t think he could ever get used to how loved and cherished Viktor made him feel, or how strongly he felt for the man himself. He blinked and the tears rolled slowly down his face. Viktor’s eyes flickered to the beads of water before he shifted closer, catching the tears with his kisses. His second hand lifted to the other side of Yuuri’s face so that it was cradled between his palms. Viktor looked at the man in front of him, eyes slightly damp, lips softly parted, a faint blush high on his cheeks.
“You’re so beautiful, Yuuri.”
The blush on Yuuri’s face deepened but his eyes glinted with something other than tears as he leaned forward, capturing Viktor’s lips in a kiss. A small noise of shock escaped Viktor and a soft smile curled at the edges of Yuuri’s mouth. They moved together, lips and tongues caressing, a give and take. Viktor’s hands roamed down Yuuri’s shoulders as he let Yuuri push them down so he was lying on his back. Yuuri’s fingers tangled in his hair and they parted with a gasp. Yuuri was sitting on Viktor’s lap, knees straddling Viktor’s legs, and his hands shifted to prop him up on either side of Viktor’s head. Through the frame of his falling hair Yuuri couldn’t help but think that the man below him looked like the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“You’re the beautiful one,” Yuuri said, and Viktor’s eyes crinkled in pleasure. He leaned up to press his lips against Yuuri’s before pulling him down flush against him and hugging him against his chest. He rolled them to their sides and leaned down to place little kisses underneath Yuuri’s jaw and over his neck, his eyelashes fluttering against his skin. Yuuri’s neck bobbed as he giggled, squirming and attempting to push Viktor’s head away. Viktor, taking pity on him, let himself be moved. He rested his forehead on Yuuri’s as the other man regained his breath.
“Come to Russia with me,” Viktor murmured, his eyes still glimmering. Yuuri, breathing regularly now, lifted his eyes to meet Viktor’s gaze. His lips were still quirked but his eyebrows tensed slightly in confusion.
“What?”
“Come to Russia with me, luchik,” Viktor repeated, his eyes fixed on Yuuri’s. “To St. Petersburg. I can show you my favourite places, we can train at my old rink, and I… I have an apartment, in the city.”
The crease in between Yuuri’s eyebrows smoothed out and he smiled, leaning back to let air flow in between them. It was rare to see Viktor so hesitant, so nervous, and Yuuri couldn’t help but want to drag it out, just a little. Tilting his head, he quirked an eyebrow teasingly.
“Are you asking me to move in with you, Viktor?”
Light pink dusted the tops of Viktor’s cheeks and Yuuri revelled in it, revelled in how he could affect the man in front of him who at first seemed so unreachable.
“The apartment doesn’t have to be a permanent set-up,” Viktor said, eyes flickering down and to the side, unable to meet Yuuri’s gaze. “It’s the easiest option for now but we can talk about it, of course. It doesn’t even have to be Russia. It just has to be you, Yuuri.”
Yuuri’s fingers combed through Viktor’s hair, pulling the strands away from his eyes, and Viktor looked up to see that a soft expression had overtaken the amusement on Yuuri’s face. Viktor reached up to grasp Yuuri’s hand, pulling it to his lips and placing a kiss on his knuckles. The metal of his ring was warm against his cheek. Yuuri’s breath caught in his throat.
“Of course I’ll move in with you, Viktor,” Yuuri said fondly. “Although, you know, technically we’ve already been living together for almost a year now.”
Viktor started, a warm grin slowly spreading across his face as his eyes widened in realization. His eyes crinkled at the corners and an amazed laugh bubbled out of his throat. Yuuri loved his laugh, loved the way his eyes narrowed and his lips stretched wide.
“I guess we have been, haven’t we?”
“Mhmm,” Yuuri agreed, shifting closer into Viktor’s warmth. Their faces were inches apart and Yuuri could feel Viktor’s breath against his cheeks. Yuuri leaned in once more, stealing a kiss that was supposed to be quick, but Viktor wasn’t about to let him go so soon. Brushing his tongue across the seam of Yuuri’s lips, Viktor deepened the kiss. He pushed them over and then Viktor was on top of him, his weight pressing deliciously onto Yuuri’s hips. Yuuri groaned into Viktor’s mouth, who took the opportunity to trail kisses down Yuuri’s neck and collar bones. He ground his hips into Yuuri’s thigh and Yuuri could feel the hardness nestled there. Gasping, he directed Viktor’s head back up to his face. He was flushed and wanting, needing, but he still had something he wanted to say.
“Y-you know, it’s the same for me, Viktor.”
“What is?” Viktor murmured, hungry eyes lingering on Yuuri’s lips.
“It just has to be you for me, too.”
Then Viktor was kissing him again, passionately, and Yuuri couldn’t think of much at all.