Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Otabek wasn’t one for using his social media accounts, such as Instagram, like other skaters he knew. He never saw the point in sharing so much about himself to people he didn’t know. He honestly hated it. The only reason he had the account in the first place, and occasionally posted a picture, was because his coach told him it would help with his public image. Otabek didn’t care about that. His skating should speak for himself so he hardly used it.

That was until he became friends with Yuri Plisetsky two years ago.

Yuri was always posting something from selfies at the rink to a new cat shirt he bought or just pictures of his cat. And because of that, Otabek found himself checking the app more often than he used to. It did make it easier to see what Yuri was up to while they were apart training.

Otabek sat down on a bench close to the rink to take a short break from practice. He grabbed his water bottle, taking a sip, before pulling his phone out of his bag. Out of habit, his thumb tapped the Instagram app as soon as he unlocked his phone. He scrolled through his feed with mild interest until Yuri’s face appeared in a post.

He smiled as he gazed at Yuri’s annoyed expression. He was at his rink in St. Petersburg and behind him, the cause of his annoyance, was Viktor making kissy faces at Yuuri while on the ice together.

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yuri-plisetsky We’ve only been here five minutes and they’re already all over each other. Can’t I just skate in peace?

Otabek chuckled as he shook his head. Despite his annoyance with the couple, Otabek knew Yuri still cared about them. As he tapped the like button, something else in the photo caught his attention; a blue scarf. His blue scarf. The same blue scarf he thought he left behind in the hotel after the Grand Prix Final last month. It was his favorite scarf and Otabek figured he’d never see it again.

Without a second thought, Otabek typed, “So that’s where my scarf went.”

After commenting, he took another sip of his water as he continued to scroll down his feed.

It didn’t take long for him to get a response back. Yuri must still be on his phone instead of practicing.

“You’ll have to come here to get it,” Yuri wrote.

Otabek smiled at the lack of denial Yuri showed for taking the scarf. “Maybe I will.”

“Try and take it back if you can.”

Otabek stared at his phone screen. Wait, was Yuri flirting with him?

Before he could put anymore thought into it, Otabek’s coach called him to get back to practicing. Otabek stuck is phone back into his bag and head back to the ice.

Yuri leaned against the wall of the rink as he stared at his phone, waiting for Otabek to reply. He got excited when a new comment appeared but was quickly disappointed it was only Mila.

“Get a room you two ;)”

Yuri’s head shot up from his phone as he glanced around the rink for her. His eyes soon landed on the redhead sitting in a chair over to his left.

“Oh very funny with that comment, Баба,” he shouted. No one played any attention to him. Yuri’s outbursts were just a part of practice.

Mila slowly glanced up from her phone, locking eyes with him and smirked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Yura~.”

“You don’t get to call me that,” he said, slamming his fist down. Otabek was the only person that could call him that.

Mila laughed as she stood up and walked toward him. “Oh, sorry. I forgot only your boyfriend can call you that.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” he fired back. “We’re just friends.”

Mila stopped in front of him, putting her hands on her hips as she leaned in close. She no longer had to look down at him since he hit his growth spurt. “Well, if you don’t take him, maybe I will.”

Yuri clenched his phone in his hand as his eyes narrowed. He didn’t know why the thought of Otabek dating Mila angered him but it did.

His reaction only seemed to make Mila smile even more.

“Yuri, Mila,” came Yakov’s voice. “Time for practice!”

“Yes, Coach Yakov,” Mila called stepping away.

Yuri shot her a glare before turning to put his phone away.

It wasn’t until after practice when Yuri was able to check his notifications again that others had noticed his exchange with Otabek and Mila’s comment. Yuri’s Angels had seen it as well. The fact that Yuri had Otabek’s scarf and their comments to each other was now the talk of his fans and it wasn’t just Mila who thought they were flirting with each other.

After skimming over some of the comments to see that some fans were starting fight amongst themselves on supporting Yuri in this supposed relationship with Otabek while others were against it; not that it was any of their business. They were just friends, that’s it. But this was a glimpse of what it might be like if they dated.

Yuri froze. Did he just think about him and Otabek dating? This was all Mila’s faults for saying the word “boyfriend” earlier.

Yuri did not want to deal with this right now and exited the app. He hadn’t intended to sound flirty in comments. He only wanted to play around with him. Had he crossed a line? Did Otabek interpret them that way and get uncomfortable by it? Or was it possibly Mila’s comment and the fans? Yuri hoped that wasn’t the case because he didn’t want something like this to come between the two of them.

*

When Yuri and Otabek had their weekly Skype call a couple of days later, Otabek didn’t bring up the scarf or what happened on Instagram. Yuri wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. He just knew he wasn’t going to mention it first.

As they talked, Otabek seemed like his usual self which eased some of Yuri’s worry. But since he was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn’t realize that he was the one acting odd.

“Is everything all right, Yura?”

Yuri stopped petting Sasha and looked back at the screen. “Yeah, why?”

Over the past couple of years, Yuri learned how to read Otabek’s expressions. It wasn’t easy at first but he eventually picked up on the subtle shifts in Otabek’s body language that helped determine his mood or what he was feeling. While the world saw Otabek as this stoic individual, Yuri enjoyed being one of the few people to actually know him.

As Yuri looked at him now, he could see the concern in Otabek’s ever observant eyes. Yuri always felt like an open book to him, never able to hide anything from him even when he tried. Just like right now.

“You’re unusually quiet tonight and I’ve done more talking than you. Usually you’re going on about practice or it’s ‘Viktor and Yuuri did this’ or ‘Mila this’,” Otabek said.

 Yuri bit his lip, not knowing how to respond. He had to admit he was feeling a bit distracted. Mila was the main source of his silence that evening as he kept thinking about what she said.

“Well, if you don’t take him, maybe I will.”

He knew Mila had been interested in Otabek at one point. Yuri saw the way she looked at him during competitions but this was the first time she ever said anything about pursuing him. If Mila saw someone she liked, she wasn’t afraid to go after them. How would Otabek react if she did? Yuri never heard Otabek talk about anyone he liked and Yuri never asked. But now he needed to know.

“What do you think about Mila?” Yuri eventually asked. He watched Otabek’s brow crease as he frowned at him.

“Why are you asking me about your rink mate?” Otabek wanted to know what was wrong with Yuri, not talk about someone else.

Yuri sighed. “Just answer the question, please.”

Otabek was struck by the added “please.” Yuri hardly used that word. He wasn’t sure what to say about her because they never really talked that much on their own if Yuri wasn’t around. He did remember at last year’s Grand Prix Final banquet, Mila warned him that if he hurt Yuri in any way, she would come after him. Otabek believed every word of it.

“She’s nice, I guess,” he said. “I don’t really know her that well besides what you’ve told me about her.”

“So, do you like her or anything like that?”

Without hesitation, Otabek replied, “No. Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?”

Yuri shrugged his shoulder as he dropped his gaze to resume petting Sasha. “No reason.”

Otabek knew he was lying but also knew if he tried to push the matter further, Yuri might snap at him. Yuri may have matured over the past two years, but he still had his quick temper.

“I’m feeling pretty tired, Beka. I’m going to call it an early night,” Yuri said as his eyes glanced back up at the laptop screen. He felt bad about lying to avoid talking but he didn’t know what else to do.

“Alright,” Otabek said, nodding. “Get some rest and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

After saying their goodbyes, Yuri closed his laptop and set it beside him on the bed. He flopped onto his back and stared up at the ceiling.

Sasha took the opportunity to climb onto his chest and curl up. Yuri absentmindedly ran his hand over her soft fur as his thoughts turned to Otabek.

He felt relieved to know Otabek didn’t have any feelings for Mila. He knew it wasn’t something Otabek would hide from him after directing asking. Otabek was always honest with him and Yuri liked that.

Well, that was just one of the many things Yuri liked about Otabek. There were a lot of things to like about the man. Such as the nickname he called Yuri. Or how effortlessly Otabek could calm him down when JJ riled him up at a competition.

And there was the gentle smile Otabek gave Yuri when they saw each other in person after weeks or months of separation along with the hugs. (The hugs were never long enough in Yuri’s opinion.)  

Then there was Otabek’s broad shoulders and firm chest and those warm brown eyes Yuri could stare into forever…

Yuri’s hand stilled on Sasha as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He liked him. Yuri liked Otabek.

Yuri never had a crush on anyone before, he was always too focused on skating to pay attention to anyone else, and so he had nothing to compare these feelings for Otabek to. Was that what he was feeling?

Mila’s words of “boyfriend” echoed in his mind and Yuri was starting to really like the sound of that.

He liked his best friend and he had no idea what to do about it.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t until the middle of February when Yuri got to see Otabek in person again since the Grand Prix Final. He accompanied Viktor and Yuuri to Four Continents so he could cheer on Otabek. At least with them participating separating at Europeans and Four Continents, they could support each other without being in direct competition with one another. Not that that really stopped them at the Grand Prix or Worlds. The competition never got in the way of their friendship and Yuri was thankful for that.

After the Men’s Short Program ended for the night, Yuri made his way out of the stands and out to wait for Otabek. He tried standing in the hall outside the arena but the crowds of people were becoming too much for him. So Yuri made his way outside. He waited close to the entrance as he leaned against the wall, hands stuffed into this Team Russia jacket. He hoped the cooler air and getting away from the crowds of people would help calm his nerves. He didn’t know why he was nervous to see Otabek. That was a first.

He felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out of his pocket to see a text from Otabek.

“Where are you?”

Yuri sent him a quick reply of where he was and stuck the phone back in his pocket. He adjusted the scarf around his neck before crossing his arms against his chest.

His eyes darted to the doors every time they opened, hoping to finally see Otabek but it was always someone else. JJ was first to walk out and Yuri was glad the Canadian was busy talking to Isabella to notice him standing there. Even though JJ didn’t tease Yuri as much as he did during his first senior year, Yuri still thought he was an annoying asshole.

Leo, Guang-Hong and Phichit passed by next, happily talking amongst themselves. Yuri was a bit surprised to see Phichit not with Yuuri but as he thought about it, he did notice the three of them spending more time together during competitions and their time off. He didn’t dwell on them too long as he saw Viktor and Yuuri exit the building.

“Yurio, there you are,” Viktor said, walking over to him with Yuuri right behind him. “What are you doing waiting out here? We were looking around for you.”

“I just needed some fresh air.” Yuri shrugged. “You did good out there tonight, Katsudon,” he said, glancing at the other skater. Yuuri was currently in second place after the short program and Yuri knew he would make it to the podium.

“Thank you, Yurio,” Yuuri said with a smile.

Viktor wrapped his arm around Yuuri’s waist, pulling him in close. “My Yuuri did so well tonight. Did you see the way he landed that quad flip?”

“Yes, Viktor, I was there,” Yuri huffed. Viktor was like this after every program and Yuri always had to listen to it.

Finally, Otabek stepped through the doors with his coach and Yuri no longer paid attention to what Viktor was saying.

Otabek’s eyes locked with Yuri’s and he stopped, a smile spreading across his lips. Yuri doesn’t realize he’s smiling back until he noticed Yuuri raise an eyebrow at him and turned to look behind him.

“Come on, Viktor,” Yuuri said, turning back to his husband. “We should get back to the hotel.”

“Alright,” he said with a smile. “Aren’t you coming, Yuri?” Viktor asked when he noticed Yuri wasn’t following.

Yuri shook his head. “I’ll catch up with you two later.”

Viktor opened his mouth to further question him but Yuuri was quick to stop him.

“Let’s go, Viktor,” Yuuri said, linking his arm with Viktor’s and practically dragged him away. He flashed Yuri a smile over his shoulder as the two of them walked away.

Yuri might actually have to thank Yuuri later for that. He turned back to Otabek and saw that he was now alone, his coach walking away.

“You didn’t have to wait out here for me. Aren’t you cold?” Otabek greeted as he approached.

Yuri pushed himself off the wall to let Otabek pull him into a hug. “This is nothing,” he said, wrapping his arms around the now slightly shorter man. Yuri was still getting used to be the taller one. “You were amazing out there tonight. I’m so proud of you.”

Otabek pulled away and Yuri instantly missed the warmth. Okay, maybe he had gotten a little cold standing out there for so long but he wasn’t going to admit that. Or the feel of Otabek against him.

Yuri quickly pushed that last thought out of his mind. This was his best friend and he needed to stop thinking like that about him.

“Thank you. I wasn’t expecting to get first in the short program,” Otabek said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. “I’m sorry again for not being able to come to the European Championships, especially with you coming here for me.”

“Beka, I already told you not to worry about it. You were sick and I didn’t want you making yourself worse when you needed to stay home and rest.”

Yuri had been sad Otabek had to miss the event only because it meant they had to go longer without seeing each other. But his health was more important.

“I’m glad to see you here. It was nice knowing you were in the stands watching me tonight,” Otabek continued.

A gust of wind blew through and pulled a few strands of Yuri’s hair loose from his side plait. Otabek reached out and tucked the loose strands behind his ear. Yuri’s widened as he felt his cheeks flush. If asked, he was blaming it on the cold.

“Thank you,” he mumbled.

Otabek’s gaze dropped down to the blue scarf wrapped around Yuri’s neck.

“Oh, you can have this back now,” Yuri said, pulling at the scarf. He hated to see the scarf go but he did feel a little guilty for taking it in the first place. Plus, it was a constant reminder of these growing feelings he was having for his friend and that only made things more complicated for Yuri.

“No, you can keep it.” Otabek held up his hand to try and stop him.

“I stole it from you and you should have it back,” insisted Yuri as wrapped the scarf around Otabek’s neck. “No more arguing.”

Yuri couldn’t decipher the odd look Otabek gave him. He looked a little sad as Yuri pulled away from him or was it disappointment? It was gone and replaced with a neutral expression before Yuri could figure it out. Should he not have given him the scarf back?

They stood there in silence for a moment as the wind whipped around them again. Yuri was beginning to think he messed up until Otabek spoke.

“Do you want to head back to my hotel room and watch a movie?” Otabek asked.  

“Can I pick the movie?”

“Of course.” Yuri was always picky when it came to what movie they watched and Otabek learned early on it was better to just let him pick the movie instead of listening to “no” after every movie Otabek suggested.

Yuri smiled. “Let’s head back then.”

He wasn’t going to see him again until Worlds at the end of March so he wanted to spend as much time with Otabek as possible.

Chapter Text

Time flew by after Four Continents and before Yuri knew it, it was his eighteenth birthday. He hadn’t planned on making a big deal out of it but everyone else seemed to have other ideas. Yuri was at least glad his birthday fell on an off day from practice this year since he’d spent the past few birthdays at the rink.

Getting to sleep in part was really nice. He laid in bed, looking over all the birthday wishes he had received so far from other skaters and fans. He noticed Otabek hadn’t sent him anything yet. Yuri didn’t think much of it as he got out of bed and headed for the shower.

After drying off, he heard his phone ringing. He wrapped the towel his waist and ran back into his room, hoping it was Otabek. Instead it was his grandpa.

Yuri sat down on the bed and answered the phone. It was great to hear from him since he wasn’t able to see him today. The call didn’t last too long as his grandpa didn’t want to take up too much of his time, figuring he had plans for the day.

Once off the phone, Yuri finished drying his hair, keeping it down for the day, and got dressed. He knew Mila would be there soon to pick him for their hang out. It was all her idea to get brunch and go shopping. Part of him just wanted to stay at home but Mila was pretty insistent on him getting out to enjoy the day.

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mila-babicheva out shopping with the birthday boy! #whosoldnow

While Yuri looked annoyed in the picture, he admittedly was enjoying their time out. He bought himself a new pair of black jeans, which Mila said made his ass look good, along with a pair of boots. But as they went from one store to the next, he couldn’t help but notice Mila on her phone a lot texting. It only stood out to Yuri since Mila usually wasn’t on her phone much when she was hanging out him. She often scolded him saying it was rude whenever he did anything on his phone while they were together.

“Who’s so important that you have to keep texting them?” he asks as they left a store.

Mila finished her text and slid the phone into her jacket pocket. “Sorry, Yuri. I don’t mean for it to seem like I was ignoring you. I’m just checking in with Yuuri on how it’s going for later.”

Yuri nodded. He almost forgot they were having a small party for him at Viktor and Yuuri’s apartment.

“But don’t act like I’ve been the only one on my phone,” Mila said. “I’ve seen you checking your phone every five minutes.”

“It has not been every five minutes,” Yuri huffed. He knows it couldn’t have been that often. “I’m just checking to see if I got any messages.”

Mila smirks and says, “And who might you be waiting to hear from?”

Yuri rolled his eyes. “Why are you even bothering to ask? You know who I’m talking about.” He no longer saw the point in trying to deny his feelings about Otabek to Mila because it did no good when he tried. That still didn’t mean he wanted to talk about his feelings with her.

“Because I like teasing you,” she replied, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

Yuri didn’t bother to pull away from her. “It’s just... I thought I would have heard from him by now. He’s always called me on my birthday and I haven’t even gotten a text from him.”

“Maybe he’s just busy?” Mila offers.

“Yeah, maybe,” Yuri says, half-heartedly.

Since Four Continents, Yuri noticed a slight change in the way Otabek was acting toward him when they spoke. He wasn’t ignoring Yuri, except for today, but Yuri couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Yuri knew Otabek was working hard, trying to perfect his programs before Worlds, but he seemed a little withdrawn. Another thing that stood out to him was how during a couple of their Skype calls, Otabek looked like he was going to tell Yuri something but ended up just signing off. Yuri didn’t know what to make of that.

Mila squeezed his shoulder, bringing Yuri out of his thoughts. “I’m sure you’ll hear from him soon,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Yuri casted her a side eyed glance. “What makes you so sure?”

Before Mila could respond, her phone rang. She pulled away from Yuri as she answered. “Hey, Yuuri,” she greeted.

While her attention was on the phone call, Yuri slipped his phone out of his pocket and checked for any messages. His heart skipped a beat when he saw a text from Otabek.

[Otabek: Happy Birthday, Yura. I’m sorry for not texting you sooner. It’s been a busy day for me.]

[Yuri: Thanks and it’s okay. I understand.]

[Otabek: How’s your day been so far?]

[Yuri: It’s been fine. I’m out shopping with Mila now and later we’re going to Viktor and Yuuri’s to celebrate.]

[Otabek: I saw her Instagram picture. I wish I could be there for the party.]

[Yuri: I do too]

[Yuri: I mean it would be nice if you were here too so I wouldn’t be stuck with those two all night]

Yuri quickly sent that second message, not wanting to be too obvious about wanting Otabek there. Maybe Otabek wouldn’t see it that way. It seemed perfectly normal for Yuri to want his best friend at his birthday party.

Yuri heard Mila’s conversation drawing to close and he stuck his phone back in his pocket.

“Alright, we’ll be there in an hour then. Bye.” Mila ended the call and looked over at Yuri. “They’ll be ready for us in about an hour. So that gives us time to drop this stuff off and change clothes.”

Yuri glanced down at his faded black jeans and his loose fitting tiger sweater underneath his jacket. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing now? It’s just Viktor and Katsudon we’re seeing.”

Mila wrapped her arm around his and started pulling back in the direction of his apartment. “Let’s just see what else we can find for you to wear.”

Yuri did give in to Mila’s request to change his clothes just to get her to stop bugging him about it. He slipped into the new jeans he just bought at her suggestion and a black and red striped off the shoulder sweater. It was his favorite, non-cat related sweater he owned. Mila gave him an approving nod after he stepped out of his room, his hair now braided.

It was after two p.m. when they left for Viktor and Yuuri’s. It seemed a little early to be having a party but then again, they did have practice in the morning and needed to get to bed early.

“I still don’t see the point in changing my clothes to go over there,” Yuri said.

“And I don’t see why you still have to complain,” Mila said. “I just thought you might want to look nice for your birthday.”

Once they arrived, Mila knocked on the door. The two of them stood there until they heard Viktor shout, “It’s open.”

“After you, birthday boy,” Mila said, smiling.

Yuri reached forward and turned the knob. As the door opened, he heard, “Surprise!”

He stood in the doorway, hand still gripping the doorknob as he took in the sight before him. There was a giant handmade banner saying “Happy Birthday Yuri!” hanging on the opposite wall, but more importantly was the fact that Otabek was standing in the middle of the room in front of Viktor and Yuuri.

“Beka, what are you doing here?” he asked after a moment, shocked to see him standing there.

“It’s your birthday, is it not?” Otabek simply replied.

“Yes,” Yuri said slowly. “But that still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

Mila nudged Yuri into the apartment, causing him to realize he was still standing at the door. He stumbled but quickly regained his footing and walked across the room to Otabek. Yuri barely registered the sound of Mila closing the door as he collided into him. It wasn’t until Otabek was in Yuri’s arms that he really believed he was there.

“I wanted to be here in person to celebrate your birthday with you instead of over Skype,” Otabek said, wrapping his arms tightly around Yuri.

“So, when you were texting me earlier, you were already here in St. Petersburg?”

Otabek chuckled. “I had just gotten here from the airport. I didn’t want you to think I’d forgotten.”

Yuri felt embarrassed for how he acted earlier that day, thinking Otabek wasn’t going to message him. “Well, this certainly was unexpected.”

As he hugged Otabek, Yuri glanced up to see Viktor, Yuuri and Mila smiling at them. He was going to have a little talk with them later.

Yuri soon became aware of the fact they were still hugging and quickly pulled away. He took of his jacket and tossed it on the couch. As he turned back to Otabek, Yuri thought he saw the other checking him out. That had to be his imagination.

He looked around at everyone and the decorations. He guessed the banner was done by Yuuri since it looked too good to be done by Viktor.

“You were all in on this little surprise?” he asked, looking the other three behind Otabek.

They all nodded.

“It was Otabek’s idea,” Mila said. “He contacted me last week and we started planning. It was so hard to keep the secret from you.”

Yuri was actually touched. This had to be the nicest things Mila had done for him.

“Who’s ready to eat?” Viktor asked. “We made pirozhki for you!”

Yuri scrunched up his nose as he looked at Viktor. “I hope you didn’t make them.” Cooking wasn’t one of Viktor’s strong suits.

Viktor chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Yuuri’s waist. “No, Yuuri made them,” he said proudly.

Yuuri smiled up at Viktor as Viktor leaned down nuzzle his nose.

“Alright, no, there will be none of that today,” Yuri said, pointing his finger at the couple. “This is my birthday and I do not want to see any of that from you two. You can survive a few hours without being all over each other.”

“Let’s eat before they get cold,” Yuuri said, pulling away from Viktor.

As they all entered the kitchen, Yuri bumped Yuuri with his shoulder. “Thanks, Katsudon,” he said, earning a smile from the older man.

“Your welcome. I just wanted you to have a good birthday.”

Yuri smiled back. This was already the best birthday ever in his opinion.

*

Presents came after they finished eating. Everyone gathered back in the living. Yuri sat in the middle of the couch with Mila and Otabek on both sides of him while Viktor sat in the chair, pulling Yuuri into his lap. All the presents sat on the coffee table in front of them.

“Open mine first!” Mila said as she grabbed hers off the table.

Otabek watched as Yuri took the small gift from her and tears into the paper. It was a CD of a band he remembered Yuri mentioning a few times.

“You got me their new album! Thanks, Mila,” Yuri said, smiling over at her.

“Your welcome!”

Yuri set the CD back on the table, going for the next present.

“That’s from me and Viktor,” Yuuri said. “I hope you like it.”

Yuri ripped off the paper and opened the box. Inside was an assortment of cat related items, such as plushies, a couple of shirts and other little items. “Where did you get all this?” Yuri asked as he looked over at the couple.

“We picked up most of it while we were in Japan for Nationals,” Yuuri replied. “Do you like it all?”

“I love it,” Yuri replied. He sat the box down and turned to the last gift on the table. “So, that leaves Otabek’s.”

Otabek watched with anticipation as Yuri pulled the gift bag toward him at sat it on the floor. The first item Yuri pulled out was a leopard print helmet and his face lit up as he looked at Otabek.

“You got me my own helmet?”

“Since we were talking about you visiting Almaty this summer, I figured you should have your own for when we go riding,” Otabek replied. “There’s still more in the bag.”

Yuri quickly reached in and pulled out a matching pair of gloves to go with helmet. “These are perfect. I love them. Thanks, Beka.”

As Yuri started to put the items back in the bag, Otabek said, “There’s still one last thing in there.”

Otabek held his breath as Yuri reached in and pulled out the blue scarf; the same scarf Yuri took from him a few months ago and returned. He was serious in wanting Yuri to keep it, hoping he would understand the significance in why he wanted him to have it. Not to mention, he thought it looked good on him. He figured if he gifted it to Yuri, he wouldn’t have an excuse not to accept it. But even then, Otabek was worried about doing this.

He was fairly confident that Yuri liked him but there was still the little voice of doubt in the back of his mind. What if he had misread Yuri? The last thing Otabek wanted was for his new romantic feelings for Yuri to ruin their friendship. When he approached Yuri back in Barcelona, friendship was the only thing on his mind at the time. But things began to change over the past few months and Otabek was realizing he wanted to be more than just friends.

Although, pursuing that was all up to Yuri and if he wanted that. Otabek wasn’t going to force anything on him that he didn’t want. If friendship was all that Yuri wanted then that’s what they would be, just friends. It might hurt later on if Yuri dated someone else but Otabek didn’t want to think about his life without Yuri in it in some way.

Yuri was quiet as he stared at the scarf in his hand and Otabek wished he would say something. He slowly looked over at him, scarf clutched in his hand. “Is this…?”

“Yes, it’s the same one.”

Without another word, Yuri leaned over and threw his arms around Otabek. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

Otabek felt a wave of relief rush through him as he hugged Yuri back. “I’m glad you like it,” he said.

Yuri pulled away and wrapped the scarf around his neck, not caring that he was inside.

Otabek was glad to see it back on him.

“Let’s take a group picture,” Yuri said, rising from the couch. Everyone else stood up and gathered around him as he Yuri pulled out his phone. “Everyone ready? One, two, three!”

*

Yuri entered the kitchen to refill his drink and was immediately joined by Mila. She set her cup down and leaned back against the counter, crossing her arms against her chest.

“I take you enjoyed your surprise?” she asked, glancing over at Otabek.

Yuri looked over at him as well, watching him talk to Viktor and Yuuri. “I did,” he replied, keeping his gaze on Otabek.

Mila turned her back toward the living room and placed one hand on the edge of the counter and the other on her hip as she leaned in close to Yuri. “So, when are you going to stop holding back and confess your feelings?” she asked, keeping her voice low so the others couldn’t overhear them.

Yuri filled his cup up before looking at her. “I thought you were interested in him?” he asked, keeping his voice low as well. He was glad he put his new CD on to play, hoping the music would cover up the conversation they were having.

Mila chuckled, shaking her head. “Not really. I mean, he’s cute but I’ve had my eye on someone else.”

Yuri raised an eyebrow at her, confused. “Then why did you act like you were a couple of months ago?”

“I knew you liked him and wanted to give you a little push towards realizing it.”

“Wait, how did you figure it out?” Yuri didn’t believe her. How could she know before he even knew?

Mila laughed, causing the others to look their way. Yuri momentarily panicked, not wanting Otabek to overhear them, and shushed her. It didn’t take long for the others turned away and go back to their own conversation.

“Yuri, I’ve known you for years and have never seen you act this way with anyone. It’s so obvious you like him. And that’s before the scarf incident,” she explained, a teasing smile on her lips.

Yuri dropped his gaze and picked up his cup. Had it been that obvious? Did everyone else know too?

“Have you not said anything because you’re unsure if he likes you back?”

Yuri sipped his drink to give him a reason not to answer. That’s exactly what he was worried about.

“I’ll take your silence as a yes.”

“What makes you so sure?” he asked, looking at her, even though it was useless to argue over it.

Before she could answer, Viktor popped up behind Mila. “So, what you are kids talking about in here?”

“None of your business,” Yuri replied as Mila leaned into him and whispered, “Yuri’s crush on Otabek.”

“Mila!” Yuri explained, neatly dropping his cup, which only caused her to laugh.

“Is that true, Yuri?” Viktor said, his eyes widening.

Yuri sighed as he set the up down and covered his face with his hand. “Don’t act so surprised. Apparently it’s so obvious.”

“I honestly didn’t know,” Viktor said.

The sincerity in voice made Yuri uncover his face and look at him. Yuri studied him for a moment and said, “Well, then that’s because you’re always too busy paying attention to Yuuri to notice anyone else.”

Viktor ignored that and asked, “Are you going to talk to him about your feelings then?”

Yuri crossed his arms against his chest and leaned against the counter. Viktor was the one person he didn’t want to discuss his love life with. “No,” he said, dropping his gaze.

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t think the feelings are mutual,” Mila answered. “Despite the fact of how close they are, the nickname or that Otabek flew five and a half hours non-stop to get here today, and gave him his scarf back. That guy has it just as bad for you, Yuri. You should talk to him.”

Yuri didn’t want to admit it, but Mila made good points. So why didn’t that give him the confidence to tell Otabek?

Yuri felt Viktor place his hand on his shoulder and he looked up at the older man.

“Don’t make the mistake I did and put all of your focus on skating. You deserve a life outside of the rink too while you’re still young,” Viktor said.

“I’m not having this conversation with either of you!” Yuri yelled, his annoyance at the conversation finally taking over. He was not taking dating advice from them.

Otabek and Yuuri glanced back at the kitchen when they heard Yuri yell.

“Do you think everything is alright in there?” Otabek asked, turning back to Yuuri.

Yuuri shook his head. “There’s no telling when it involves Yuri yelling.”

*

The afternoon passed by too quickly in Yuri’s opinion. The faster it went by, the sooner Otabek would be on his way back home. Yuri didn’t want this day to end.

As it came time to leave, Mila was the first to say her goodbyes.

She wrapped her arms around Yuri, pulling him in tight. “Talk to him, Yuri. I know it will go well,” she whispered.

“I’ll try,” he replied.

“Good and I expect a ‘thank you, Mila’ once you two are dating,” she teased.

Yuri rolled his eyes as he pulled away. “Now that won’t be happening.”

Mila gave the others a hug goodbye before leaving.

Once she was gone, the rest of them began making their way out of the apartment as well.

The car ride to the airport was filled with small talk between Viktor, Yuuri and Otabek while Yuri was too wrapped up in his thoughts. He kept debating with himself on whether or not he should talk to Otabek now while he was there. Yuri didn’t really want to have this conversation over the phone or Skype and there would be more important things going on at Worlds to try then. It would also give him time to convince himself not to tell Otabek.

When they arrived, Yuri made up his mind.

It was only Yuri and Otabek who got out of the car after Viktor parked.

“We’ll wait for you here, Yuri,” Viktor says with a wink as he leans out the car window.

Yuri gave the car door a harder push than necessary to close as he ignores Viktor. He walked around to the other side of the car and followed Otabek inside.

Yuri didn’t pay much attention to where they were walking once they were inside the airport. He just followed Otabek as he tried to figure out how to approach the topic. As they neared the security check, Yuri realized he had to say goodbye soon. It was now or never.

“Beka, can I talk to you for a moment?” he asked, glancing over at him.

Otabek nodded and lead them over to the side to be out of the way. He found a place for them away from the lines and crowds.

“Is something wrong?” Otabek asks, taking in Yuri’s nervousness. His shoulders were hunched over and he was barely making eye contact with Otabek. It was strange to see Yuri acting this way.

“No, there’s just something I want to talk to you about before you leave,” Yuri said, looking off to the side.

“Alright,” Otabek replied even though it started to make him worry more. He waited patiently for Yuri to speak.

Yuri looked at him for a moment before his eyes darted away again, finding a loose string on his jacket more interesting to look at. This was just Otabek, why was he having such a hard time trying to talk to him?

“So, we’ve been friends for a couple of years now and your friendship means a lot to me,” Yuri started, trying to find the right words to say. He doesn’t have a lot of time before Otabek’s flight but he can’t find the way to just say it. “You’ve always been supportive and I, uh, appreciate it a lot.”

His brows knit together as his frustration with himself grows. All he’s doing is rambling and wasting time now. Yuri took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After calming himself down, he opened his eyes and look back at Otabek.

“I like you, Beka” he says, voice going louder than he intended. He drops his eyes again, scared to see Otabek’s reaction as he continues. “But I’m afraid you don’t feel the same and didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to mess things up.”

Otabek is quiet and Yuri fears for the worst. He knew it was a mistake to say anything and he never should have listened to Viktor and Mila’s advice.

Yuri takes a step back, preparing to run, as he says, “I’m sorry. Forget I said anything.”

Before he can turn away, he feels Otabek grab his wrist and he stops. “Seriously, it’s nothing. I –”

His words are cut off as he feels Otabek’s lips against his cheek.

“Aren’t you going to hear what I have to say?”

Yuri is frozen in place as he feels his face heat up. He wasn’t expecting that.

“Yura, can you please look at me?” Otabek asks, his hand remaining on Yuri to keep him from running.

He slowly looks at him to see Otabek smiling. “You’re not mad?”

Otabek cocks his head to the side and asks, “Why would I be?”

Yuri shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he mumbles.

“I like you, too, Yura,” he says, rubbing circles onto the back of Yuri’s hand.

Yuri likes it and doesn’t want him to stop. “You do?”

Otabek nods. “I do.” He takes a step forward, closing the space between them. “I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t tell me. I don’t want you to ever feel you can’t tell me something.”

“It wasn’t that. I was just scared to mess things up for us,” Yuri replied. He didn’t want Otabek to think it was his fault at all.

“If it makes you feel any better, I had the same fear.”

“So, what happens now?” Yuri hadn’t planned this far ahead in the car and honestly didn’t know what to do or say.

Otabek was quiet for a moment, thinking it over. “We don’t have to rush into anything right now. We can talk it over some more once I’m back home and go from there.”

Yuri nodded, feeling a bit relieved. “That sounds good.”

“I probably should get going,” Otabek said although he made no intention of moving.

“Yeah, you don’t need to miss your flight.” Yuri doesn’t want him to go. He’s knows it’s selfish but can’t help it.

“We’ll see each other again at the end of the month. It’ll pass by in no time.”

Yuri nodded, knowing it was true. “Thanks for coming today. I was really glad to spend my birthday with you,” he said.

Otabek smiled. “It was my pleasure.”

Without a second thought, Yuri leaned forward and kissed Otabek on the cheek. “Let me know when you get home so I know you made it back safely.”

“I will.”

Otabek pulled his hand away from Yuri and slowly started making his way back toward the security line. He glanced back over his shoulder at Yuri one last time.

Yuri watched him for a moment, still processing all that just happened between them. Otabek liked him. He liked him. There was still a lot they needed to discuss if they were going to try and date. Yuri hadn’t been in a relationship before and wasn’t sure how a long distance one would work but he wasn’t going to worry about that just yet. He was just going to enjoy the fact that Otabek Altin liked him.

Yuri walked back to Viktor’s car and slid into the backseat, a smile still on his lips.

“So, how did it go?” Viktor asked, turning around in his seat to face to Yuri.

For once, Yuri couldn’t find it himself to be angry or even annoyed at the older man. “Shut up and drive,” he said, minus his usual biting tone.

Viktor smiled as he glanced at Yuuri before driving off.

Yuri leaned back against the seat. Yeah, today was the best birthday ever.

*

Otabek sat down in a chair, away from the other people waiting for their flights. It was after midnight at the Moscow airport and he still had an hour to wait during his layover. Otabek tried walking around for a bit to help stretch his muscles but he was too tired to walk anymore. He hoped he could sleep on the rest of the way home. Taking two flights in one day was ridiculous and vowed he would not be doing that again. For the next time he visited Yuri in Russia, he was taking a few days to do so.

Otabek was a bit surprised with himself over that thought. Next time? All they said to each other so far was that they like each other. Was he really already thinking of the next time?

Since he had nothing else to do, Otabek pulled out his phone and opened Instagram. He saw that he’d been tagged in a photo by Yuri. Yuri had been busying posting pictures from that afternoon while he was on the flight. He tapped on the one he was tagged in and smiled.

It was the group shot Yuri had taken of them after he opened his presents. Yuri was smiling brightly in the middle of them with Mila on the right and Otabek behind the two of them as Yuuri was on the other side with Viktor behind him. The blue scarf around his neck grabbed Otabek’s attention immediately and it still excited him to see it.

♥ mila-babicheva, v-nikiforov and 5, 336 others

yuri-plisetsky had the best birthday today with my friends #bestdayever

mila-babicheva you look so happy here ♥

Otabek couldn’t help but agree with Mila’s comment as he liked the photo. He’d seen Yuri happy and smiling on many occasions at competitions when he scored a new season’s best or won, but this was different. This was a happiness that Otabek helped make happen and he hoped he could continue bringing happiness to Yuri’s world.