Chapter Text
Otabek appreciated his fans. It was nice to know that wherever he was competing, there were people out there cheering him on. Of course, there were always those fans who went a bit overboard (at 19, Otabek had already turned down three offers of marriage), but they were few and far between. Then, there were Yuri’s Angels, a group which seemed to attract people who seriously needed to chill. It seemed like most of them were struggling with the fact that Yuri was an actual person. Otabek didn’t know how else to explain the fact that a group of Angels was chasing him and Yuri down a snowy street, ignoring the fact that Yuri clearly wanted to be left alone.
It was the third time in as many competitions that Otabek had helped Yuri escape from his fans. Otabek had thought that on such a cold day, he and Yuri could go out without running into too many people. Clearly he had underestimated the determination of Yuri’s Angels.
They had made it to the restaurant Phichit had suggested when they were spotted. There was a group of about twenty people, all wearing cat ear headbands and leopard print scarves. They seemed to move as one, all turning to face Yuri.
In that moment, Otabek and Yuri had several choices. They could ignore the crowd and hurry into the restaurant, hoping not too many fans would follow them in. Yuri could give in and spend the next two hours taking photos and signing things. They could run.
Without giving it much thought, Otabek reached out and grabbed Yuri’s hand.
They ran.
Neither of them knew the city very well, but Otabek had been there once before, so he led the way. Yuri was silent as he allowed himself to be pulled in a winding path up and down side streets. He stuck close to Otabek, making no moves to free his hand or change the direction they were going.
They didn’t have the advantage of a motorbike this time, but they were both professional athletes while Yuri’s fans were definitely not. In a short time, the group of Angels was left far behind. So too were their hotel and the restaurant they had planned to eat at.
The street they stopped on didn’t seem to have much to offer. Otabek was warm from running, but he could feel Yuri trying not to shiver. It was at that point that he realised that he could feel Yuri shivering because they were holding hands.
He’d spent more time than he’d care to admit thinking about holding Yuri’s hand. Not once did he think the first time it happened would be when they were running away from fans. Right now, though, he needed to be thinking less about holding Yuri’s hand and more about getting Yuri someplace warm.
Spotting a café slightly further down the street, Otabek motioned to it.
“Want to get inside?”
Yuri nodded.
Now, as they walked, it wasn’t Otabek leading Yuri along. They were walking side by side, hands swinging slightly between them. Otabek couldn’t help but think about how nice it felt.
“Much better,” Yuri murmured as the door to the café swung shut behind them.
Now that they were inside, Otabek loosened his grip on Yuri’s hand, allowing Yuri to pull away. Instead, Yuri’s grip tightened and he was the one to lead Otabek to the counter to place their orders. Yuri didn’t let go until they both had their drinks and were getting settled at a small table in the corner. Even then, neither of them seemed to want to let go. Their hands lingered near one another as they separated to sit on opposite sides of the small table.
As they sipped their drinks, they fell into easy conversation. They hadn’t been friends long, but they talked like they’d known each other for years.
Otabek listened to Yuri talk excitedly about his plans to do his own choreography next season. Even as they talked, Otabek couldn’t help but occasionally glance down at where Yuri’s hands were wrapped around his coffee cup. He wanted to hold Yuri’s hand again.
Yuri apparently noticed, because in the middle of discussing jump combinations he suddenly fell silent. The silence only lasted for a moment before Yuri said, in a voice that sounded far less confident than usual, “Stop making it weird, idiot. You can hold my hand if you want.”
Yuri reached a hand across the table, and Otabek gladly took it in his own, entwining their fingers. He gave Yuri a small smile. Yuri rolled his eyes, but he was smiling too.
“Anyway, I was thinking about a triple flip, triple toe loop combination.”