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It had been a long day.
Victor had always promised himself that he would act on his instincts; it had yet to lead him wrong. This was the first bit of inspiration he’d felt in a long while, and he wanted to cling to it.
But. It had been a long day. This time yesterday he had been curled up on his couch in his apartment in St. Petersburg, pressing play on a video. Over seventeen hours of travel later - with two layovers surrounding a 9 hour overnight flight, and then having to find transportation to take himself, his dog, and all his belongings another hour and a half up the coast of Japan - had Victor drained of any excitement he’d started off with about his plans.
When Yuuri, the very man he had been obsessing over for the previous 20 hours, had burst out of the door in the onsen, Victor had been so relieved. Then his relief had manifested as exhaustion. His anxieties could be put to rest now that Yuuri was here, and his body reminded him that he had had very little of his beloved sleep in far too long. After climbing out of the onsen and eating whatever was being served to him, he had passed out on the floor of the common room.
Once Victor had woken up from his nap with a sneeze, he’d resolved to get to know Yuuri more. Yuuri’s favourite food was now Victor’s favourite food. He had followed Yuuri around and dogged him with questions all night. But Yuuri just ran away. He’d tried to be positive, to keep his flippant air about him despite the constant refusal, but when Yuuri barred him from his room, Victor gave up for the day. He was still so tired, and Yuuri avoiding him so much had whittled down his resolve and shattered his heart.
Why couldn’t Yuuri open up to him? Had it all been too sudden? Victor had been so excited, did that not translate to him? Victor felt lonely, suddenly. Home was far away, and his career hinged on an amazing stranger that wouldn’t let him in. Why wasn’t Yuuri as eager as he was? Maybe he had expected too much too soon.
Victor plugged his phone in and pulled up the video. He wanted Yuuri, he wanted to help Yuuri make music - and he felt fixated on making this happen. Yuuri was so close, right down the hall, but he wouldn’t open up. Watching the video again gave him an unexpected swell of emotion. When Victor had skated it, Stay Close To Me wasn’t about a person; it was about skating itself. His anxious desire to keep what he loved about skating close to his heart, even as he felt his inspiration slip from his grasp. Victor sensed the same when he watched Yuuri skate it. He was drawn to Yuuri, he knew they could be amazing together. He needed Yuuri to see that.
Setting an alarm, Victor put his phone down and curled up on his side. He would regroup in the morning, strengthen his resolve and start fresh. He was Victor Nikiforov after all. He would prove that he could still surprise people.
But for now, he just held his dog close and let the tears prick at his eyes.
It had been a long day.