Work Text:
It was a bright Saturday morning in early February and the streets of Hasetsu were covered in freshly fallen packing snow. The hot springs were closed for the weekend, because Yuri’s whole family was away on a wedding. The whole family except for the skater himself that is, because with his five-year absence during training he never even got to know the couple in question.
A few neighbors had gotten up at apparently ungodly hours of the day to shovel their pavements and backyards, but it was already past eight when Yuri and Victor set foot outside and gleeful children playing in the winter wonderland before them could be heard from afar.
Both men were clad in full winter attire. For Yuri that meant three layers of shirts under a heavy parka, thick woolen gloves with a matching hat and scarf and old, but functional snow boots.
Victor on the other hand had skipped the hat altogether and was only wearing his thin leather gloves, a flimsy scarf and brown ankle boots matching his coat.
“You should really put on some warmer clothes Victor. I don’t want you getting sick – again,” Yuri suggested in concern.
“Oh Yuri, then you could take great care of me again! Your soup and get well kisses are the best!”
The other dragged his hand down his face in disbelief and shook his head slightly.
“Don’t get sick on purpose though,” he exclaimed. “You can get those without all the whining that comes with you and bed rest.”
To prove his point, he quickly closed the distance between them and pressed a small kiss onto still warm lips.
“I’ll even make soup today if you work hard now,” Yuri added with an encouraging thumbs up.
“Oh, then ready your knifes and pots, because I’m going to work like a five-time shoveling world champion,” Victor replied enthusiastically and made the other chuckle as he quickly grabbed a shovel next to him and almost raced along the small path towards the street.
Yuri heaved a sigh and adjusted his glasses before grabbing a tool for himself and following his fiancé. Just like every year the Japanese lowly cursed his family for running such a huge inn, but soon he was also infected with Victor’s seemingly never ending cheerfulness.
To be fair, the pair was done quite fast, considering the sheer size of the property, but they did break a little sweat, not really used to such heavy clothing, even in the cold.
“Wow, I’m really getting old. This is hard,” Victor joked in between pants.
He watched his breath in front of him when he felt a gloved finger press on his head right onto the parting of his beloved silver hair.
“Now that you mention it, maybe it is getting a bit thin after all,” Yuri mused with an innocent grin on his face.
The Russian puffed out his cheeks, while his lips betrayed a small smile when his eyes landed on Yuri’s reddened nose and cheeks.
“Why are you so mean to me today? What have I done to you?”
Victor stood tall in front of the other now, looking down into warm brown orbs. Their eyes were locked and neither dared to look away as their faces drew closer. Naturally Yuri shrieked in surprise, when, instead of a warm kiss, a hand full of freezing snow was smeared across his cheeks. He had been so caught up in the intense gaze, that he hadn’t noticed the threat at all.
The Russian quickly shuffled away, laughing loudly and wholeheartedly at his fiancé’s dumbfounded expression. The left lens of his glasses started fogging up as his hand slowly rose to stroke along the side of his own face, jaw hanging open slightly.
“This is revenge! You brought this onto yourself with your mockery. I might be old, but I can still take you on any day, Yurka.”
“Oh, you’ve done it now Nikiforov!”
Yuri’s tone was challenging yet playful as the two scurried to opposite sides of the yard, determination in their eyes. They didn’t even explain themselves, as both knew immediately knew what was about to go down.
A quick pause followed as the two were concentrating on stacking up their snowball supply.
A heated snowball fight ensued, but with the athletic agility both skaters possessed, most of the cold bullets were dodged.
“Good thing you are a figure skater, Victor, you’d suck at playing ball,” Yuri chuckled as two more snowballs of his opponent missed.
“Are you sure, love? Didn’t sound like that at all last night,” the Russian retorted with his signature flirty wink.
The younger man’s cheeks flushed an even darker shade of red as they burned from the embarrassment from the implication. But the corners of his mouth betrayed him by stretching into a fond smile.
He loved the truly carefree side of Victor. The side of him that didn’t think about what he said. Yuri appreciated every loud and honest love from his fiancé and was always surprised by how melodic it sounded in his ears. And boy did he laugh when he saw Yuri’s intense blush, his voice carrying with it that infectious feeling of joy.
Yuri’s hands rose in a propitiatory gesture as he made small, careful steps towards the other.
“Let’s call it a draw,” he suggested.
“I guess I could be so nice as to overlook my grand win, dear, but only if I get a kiss in return.”
Yuri rolled his eyes at his fiancé’s antics, but happily complied nonetheless. Freezing, red noses touched before the two of them leaned in.
Looking up Victor spotted something across the road that made him break away and put a finger to his lips. He seemed to be quite intrigued, so the pouting, younger man turned his head to see what cost him the loss of soft lips against his.
“When was the last time you built a snow man?”
“Eh?” Yuri’s eyes squinted in thought. “It’s been ages. I think it was way back when we just got Vicchan.”
“Then let’s build one right now and call it Yurio,” Victor suggested spontaneously, grabbing the other’s hands, already dragging him towards a huge pile of snow. “Get it? Because Yurio is just as cold as a snowman,” he chuckled.
Childish delight filled their voices and eyes as they gathered snow for their project. Staying true to the classic image they rolled up three large spheres of snow, each just a tad smaller than the last. When the smallest one, and thereby the head, sat safely on top, they went looking for accessories. They looked through the garden shed and even back into the house to get everything they needed for an authentic Russian teenage punk.
The stick arms were directed upwards in a pose not unlike the last one in the Agape routine and even the stone eyes were looking skyward as an old pair of skates was neatly placed at the snowman’s feet. In the end snow Yurio even sported a ponytail and the youngster’s signature scowl.
“What do you think,” Yuri asked as they stepped back, his arms slung around Victor’s waist, whose own arm was resting comfortably on the other’s shoulder.
“I think Yurio will hate it and us. Quick! Let’s send him a picture!”
The Russian quickly jumped into a pose next to the figure, hand up in a peace sign and a sheepish, heart shaped grin on his face, while Yuri was still fishing out his phone.
A grin spread on the younger man’s face at the goofy scene on the screen before him.
“Yuuuuriiii,” Victor drawled. “Let’s take a selfie next!”
Victor dragged his fiancé over next to him and pulled him close, so the two of them could fit into one frame with snow Yurio. Both flashed a thumbs up as Yuri’s face was pressed into the taller man’s neck and then sent the pictures to the real Yurio, including one more with the pair kissing in front of the snow figure.
-
A few hours later they were already back inside, cuddling under a fluffy blanket over two cups of hot cocoa, while the soup was cooking on the stove, already effusing a strong scent throughout the whole house. Their cheeks were still rosy as they listened to the radio in comfortable silence, both having become quite drowsy, exhausted from the cold. The peace was only broken by a loud sneeze on the Japanese’s side. Turquoise eyes immediately shifted from the window to Yuri’s face in concern as Victor instinctively brought a hand up to the other’s forehead.
“Oh no, are you getting sick now? That’s what you get for teasing me about it earlier. The man flu spares no one.”
Thankfully the other’s temperature seemed to be normal, so he quickly turned his frown into a fond smile.
“I’m not getting sick,” Yuri said defensively. “Yurio’s probably just gossiping about me right now.”
And true enough Victor’s phone lit up with his former rink mate’s response in just that moment.
‘You two are disgusting, even my snow me must be melting…
Also I’m not that short!’