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Ice. It was really all he had ever known. Or better yet, Yuuri had always known the cold.
It snowed the day he was born on, and the cold persisted months after. Years after.
While most things blossomed in the springtime, he flourished in the wintertime. During his childhood, Yuuri spent a majority of his time in an ice rink. Hasetetsu’s Ice Castle was his castle, and he was its faithful knight.
It didn't become clear to him until many years later that he was actually its princess.
Yuuri exhaled softly. Soft wisps of his breath swirled. His skin prickled to the familiar nips of cold. He drew his skate back, the sharp metal gliding across the freshly smoothed ice. The spacious silence rung like glass, and then the music began.
From the video his moves were precise and fluid, each spin and jump ending with a satisfying crunch of ice. The subtle mistakes were easily glossed over by the male’s face, which never ceased to be full of expression. Viktor couldn’t help but feel a peculiar well of emotion surge in his chest as he watched the mysterious skater recreate his entire program. He suddenly shifted in his seat, causing his poodle to curiously look up at him. Viktor tapped out of the video and scanned the brief description that came with it.
“Tried to Skate Victor’s FS Program, "Stay Close to Me."… Katsuki Yuuri…” His brows furrowed together as he whispered the name.
“The little piggy can’t enter the rink until he drops some body fat.” Viktor’s lips curled into a teasing grin as he glided across the ice.
Yuuri’s expression immediately dropped. A choppy laugh tumbled from his mouth while watching Viktor casually skate.
Are you really serious about making me win?
Training started in the late morning at first because Viktor still had not tuned himself to Japan’s time zone, but after a few days morning training began to start earlier and by the end of the week, Yuuri was being forced to wake up at six in the morning. Viktor could be kind, but he could also be cruel and even a bit sadistic. But even so Yuuri wouldn’t let his resolve fizzle. He wasn’t going to let Viktor down.
“Yuuuuuuuurrrriiii, don’t lock yourself in your room just because you’re tired.” Viktor rapped his knuckles against the door again and pressed his head against the wood.
No response.
“It’s already nine in the morning, you should be happy I let you sleep in for another three hours.”
Still no response.
Viktor frowned softly to himself and backed away from the door. He adjusted the scarf around his neck and then slipped his hands into his coat pockets.
“No training today, it snowed too heavily last night and I don’t want you training in such harsh conditions. I just thought we could go for a walk.”
The door clicked open and Yuuri opened it just an inch so Viktor could barely see Yuuri’s face through the crack.
“You made me jump into the freezing river yesterday. I’m sure that’s worse than today’s snowfall.”
Viktor offered a semi-apologetic look and chuckled.
“It was a joke! I didn’t think you were actually going to do it.
Yuuri immediately closed the door.
“Wait, wait! Yuuri!” Viktor took one hand out of his pocket and was about to try to turn the handle when it suddenly turned by itself under his grip and the door swung open.
Yuuri stood timidly in the middle of the doorway on the opposite. He already had on his waist-long, brown overcoat buttoned up to neck and a pair of gloves on hand. Viktor raised an eyebrow out of amusement and let his hand fall back to his side.
“You’re already dressed?”
“Yes…” Yuuri looked down at his feet with a flushed expression.
Half expecting Viktor to laugh at him and then actually force him to still train in the wintry weather, Yuuri was entirely taken aback when Viktor suddenly closed the distance between them and held him in a tight embrace. His nose tickled a bit from the dark maroon, cashmere scarf that Viktor had around his neck, but what distracted him even more was the pleasant fragrance the scarf had. The hug lasted for another five seconds until Yuuri cleared his throat and uncomfortably squirmed between Viktor’s arms.
“Oh.” Viktor released the other and laughed briefly.
“W-What?”
“I just thought it was cute how you were already ready to go. Shall we then?”
“O…Oh. Okay.” Yuuri replied almost in a mere whisper and allowed his gaze to fall to the ground. Viktor had called him cute.
“Watch your step.” Viktor warned and gently laced his arm around Yuuri’s waist to pull him closer.
“It’s really slippery with all the snow, so please be careful. Don’t want you falling down and accidentally hurting yourself.”
“Y…Yeah. Thanks.” Yuuri mumbled and instinctively averted his eyes to the ground. It wasn’t really helping that the frosty air had already made his cheeks and nose red, and now that he was so close to Viktor… Even with the bountiful layers of close he had on, it felt like he could feel Viktor’s hand directly on his skin. The sensation was like an intense burn, but like a burn from being touched by something incredibly cold. And it spread. From his waist and lower back, up his spine, down his thighs… Yuuri’s skin tingled in reaction to the phantom chill that diffused into his bones, and he felt like he wasn’t wearing any clothes to shelter him from the cold to begin with.
When Viktor’s arm slipped away from his waist, the chill immediately ceased and Yuuri thought he could feel the warm blood flow back into his body. So focused on keeping his toes and fingers from turning numb, the unexpected snowflake that landed on his nose caused him to jump.
“Is everything alright, Yuuri?” Viktor immediately laughed at Yuuri’s uneasy reaction and placed his hand on his upper arm.
“Y-Yes, I’m fine.” The icy chill began to spread through his skin again.
“Are you thinking about Minako?”
“What!? No!” Yuuri sputtered and abruptly stopped in his tracks.
Viktor grinned and turned around to face the other. More snowflakes began to fall and swirl around in the chilly air.
“Do you have any feelings for her?”
“N-No way!” Yuuri started to flail his arms in front of him as if it would help support his denial.
“Then… do you have a girlfriend?” Viktor nestled his hands into his pockets and remotely leaned forward as a gesture of curiosity.
“N…No.” Yuuri dropped his arms to his side and embarrassingly looked down at the snow-carpeted sidewalk.
“Any ex-girlfriends?”
“N-No comment…”
Viktor sighed loudly and slumped his shoulders.
“How are we supposed to get to know each other if you won’t answer my questions?”
“My dating life has no significance in getting to know each other! Shouldn’t we be talking about more relevant things like… like…”
“Yuuko? She’s quite cute, and your mother told me that she used to be the best female skater in the rink you two practiced in when you all were younger! She could’ve been a really good catch.”
“She’s married!” Yuuri exclaimed frantically.
“Ah, but that doesn’t stop some people.” Viktor smirked and narrowed his eyes, the playful gleam in his eyes dimming a bit.
“V-Viktor!”
“I’m joking! I’m joking!” Viktor burst out into laughter and instantly returned back to his former, childish attitude.
“It’s not funny!” Yuuri pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.
“You need to relax more.” Viktor teased and reached forward to flick Yuuri in the forehead.
“H-Hey! I’m not a kid, you know!” Yuuri cried out and tried to retaliate by flicking Viktor back in the forehead.
The Russian took several, effortless strides backward to dodge Yuuri’s counterattack. Yuuri quickly tried to follow suit and took a wide step forward. His center of balance was immediately thrown off when he brought his right foot down and suddenly slid forward on the icy cement.
“Wait, careful!” Viktor’s instantly expression fell and his eyes widened in panic.
“Wo…Woah woah!!!” Yuuri tried to bring his left foot forward in an attempt to catch himself and ended up stepping on another icy patch of sidewalk. He lost his balance entirely and felt the full force of gravity pull him forward.
“Watch your step!” Viktor closed the gap and swiftly stretched out his arms.
Yuuri’s forehead collided with Viktor’s and caused his glasses to slip further down the bridge of his nose. Viktor shoved his arms between the side of Yuuri’s torso and arm and took a single step back to try to stabilize the two of them out. Sliding just a fraction of an inch, Viktor fortunately held his ground and securely cradled the other as he crashed into his chest.
“Are you okay?” Viktor unconsciously squeezed Yuuri tighter in his arms and looked down at him with a concerned expression.
“Yefithinththofanoo.” Yuuri replied in a muffled voice, his face entirely enveloped by the royal blue coat Viktor was wearing.
“Pff… Sorry, what was that?” The Russian’s frown instantly turned into a grin at the sound of Yuuri’s ridiculous sounding response, and he helped Yuuri back onto his feet.
“Aah… I said I think I’m fine. S-Sorry about that…” Yuuri weakly adjusted his astray glasses before gently brushing himself off and then attempting to ruffle his messed up hair back into place.
“I’m just clumsy I gue—mmnnf?!!”
Viktor swallowed up the word with a kiss. His lips were on Yuuri’s for a fleeting second, and then he leaned back with a flushed expression.
“Ah…” Yuuri could still feel the cool kiss Viktor had planted on his lips, and his mind short-circuited.
A minute of uninterrupted silence passed and snowflakes continued to fervently spiral through the air. Viktor ran his tongue across his lower lip, glossing it with a thin layer of saliva. Yuuri continued to stare like a doe caught in the headlights of a car.
“It’s getter colder… we should head back.” The childish glimmer had disappeared from his impossibly blue eyes.
Viktor reveled in the delicate, minty taste of Yuuri’s saliva. Yuuri just opened his mouth wider in a dizzy stupor. He couldn’t even remember when they had returned back to his room, when they had both taken off their coats and gloves, or when they had climbed onto Yuuri’s bed with Viktor towering above and straddling his hips with his knees. Yuuri feebly tried to keep up and at least ground his mind back in reality rather by holding onto the fabric of Victor’s soft shirt. It had a muted, fabric softener color and put Yuuri’s mind at ease when Viktor broke his series of kisses and looked down at him with an equally soft expression.
“Are you okay?” Viktor molded the words gently in his mouth.
“Mn...mhm.” Yuuri faintly replied and inhaled sharply when Viktor dipped back down and pressed a string of electrifyingly, cool kisses along his soft jawline. The muscles in his face felt numb, and his skin tingled wherever Viktor came into contact with it.
A stifled moan tumbled down Yuuri’s tongue when Viktor began to suck on the sensitive parts of his throat. He took deep breaths through his nose and slightly arched his back up while Viktor pampered his throat with sucking and kisses and light nips. Bruise marks began to emerge on the surface of his neck, but Yuuri wouldn’t discover these until later when his mom asked him if he got hurt.
His whole body froze when Viktor stopped and moved lower so that he hovered just above his stomach. Yuuri craned his neck up to see what Viktor was up to and almost choked when he pushed his shirt up and pressed his lips against his stomach.
“W-W-Wait, Viktor!” Yuuri propped himself up on his elbows and shuffled just far enough until the wall prevented him from going any further.
“No, please.” Viktor muttered and followed, keeping his knees locked at Yuuri’s hips.
“N…No…” Yuuri turned his head to the side and closed his eyes when Viktor kissed his stomach again.
Please don’t kiss me there… I know I’m fat, it’s embarrassing… don’t laugh at me…
“So cute…” Viktor muttered under his breath and nosed Yuuri’s shirt further up, exposing more skin for Viktor to admire. Yuuri opened his eyes in shock.
“C-Cute?”
“Hmm?” Viktor hummed absentmindedly and leaned down to kiss his stomach a third time. Yuuri shivered.
It’s not cute… don’t make fun of me…
Viktor exhaled happily, his eyes fluttering to a close, and he kissed Yuuri’s stomach again. He brought his right hand up and placed in on the side of his belly. Yuuri shuddered at the cool touch and blinked until his eyes turned bleary. His throat had gone dry.
“Wh…What are you doing. It’s not cute…”
Viktor pressed another kiss and then rested his cheek on top of him.
“I think it’s cute.”
“Y-You…” Yuuri started but quickly silenced himself by biting down hard on his lower lip when Viktor lightly sunk his teeth into the chubby rolls of his stomach.
“So cute…” He muttered again. The tears swelled in Yuuri’s eyes.
“St-Stop it! I know I gain weight easily, but I’m trying my best to l-lose it!!” He started to cry.
“A..Ah… Yuuri…” Viktor stopped immediately and frowned.
“Wa…Wait.” He leaned back onto his heels and fisted his hands.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn't…” He cut himself off, heart suddenly aching at the sight of Yuuri crying, and then crawled to his left side with his own back against the wall.
“I’m sorry, Yuuri… I wasn’t making fun of you.” He hesitantly glanced over at the other and felt another pang in his heart when he saw Yuuri’s head hanging low with tears soaking into his bunched up shirt.
“Yuuri…” Viktor turned to face him and wrapped his arms around his neck.
“I’m not mocking you or anything… I genuinely think you’re cute.”
Yuuri hiccupped in response.
“I… I know it’s really unprofessional and selfish of me to be doing what I’m doing, but when I saw your video I was inspired by you and I wanted to come meet you in person so I could figure out what was inspiring you…” He hugged Yuuri firmly and could start to feel his shirt absorb up some of the tears.
“And then when I started to get to know you I discovered that you’re just a really unique and amazing individual and I… and I admire how hard you work and how much you put up with even when you’re suffering… I was actually nervous asking you out today because I was determined to figure out whether or not you were… well I just thought you…” Viktor paused and gently combed his fingers through Yuuri’s hair.
“I wanted to know whether you were single or not and whether you’d… I couldn’t help myself seeing you so cute and that’s why I kissed you so suddenly and I’m so sorry I pushed myself onto you but you’re just so… and I really…”
“I think you’re so beautiful. Everything about you. I could care less whether you weigh a little more than before and I actually really love that about you.”
“H-Huh?” Yuuri looked up with watery eyes.
“I…” Viktor turned his head to the side and blushed.
“I l-li…” He inhaled sharply and suddenly whipped his head so he was staring directly at Yuuri.
“I love your chubbiness and I love how shy you are about it even though it’s so deliciously cute and I… I’m selfish, Yuuri. I want you all to myself. I want every part of you. Every form. I don’t care if you’re fat or skinny or a Grand Prix Finalist or not… when I met you I thought I could get my own inspiration back so I could better surprise the audience and do more when skating but… I jus—”
“Viktor.”
The Russian jolted in his embrace at the sudden sound of Yuuri’s voice.
“O-Oh… I’m sorry, I was running my mouth ther—”
Yuuri muffled his word with a kiss. When he broke away, Viktor’s face immediately lit up into a vibrant hue of red.
“Th…Thank you.” Yuuri sniffled and wiped his face dry with his sleeves.
“I don’t think you understand how much it means to me that you like someone like me so much…” His cheeks started to glow pink and he leaned forward to rest his forehead against Viktor’s shoulder.
“I can’t even begin to explain to you how happy it makes me that you will accept me in any form even when I can’t do that with myself… s-so that’s why I won’t let you down.”
“Huh?” This time it was Viktor’s turn to be confused for once.
“I… It’s always been my dream ever since I was younger to win the Grand Prix Finale, even before I knew about you, and then seeing you just ignited my desire even more so… I won’t let that dream die. And… if you truly want m-me to yourself… I want to make myself worthy before that... but thank you. You’ve given me a lot of confidence these past few weeks of training and now I think I have something even more to help keep me going…” Yuuri exhaled slowly and looked up so he could kiss the other on the cheek.
“So I won’t let you down, okay?”
Viktor simply nodded and then cupped Yuuri’s face so he could kiss him directly on the mouth.
“Okay… I’ll support you all the way. So please… stay close to me.” He breathed the words into the kiss. Yuuri smiled against his lips.