Returning home, but thinking of a new one, far away...

As the end of the night drew closer, sleepy skaters and coaches started taking their leave.

Victor had never quite come out of his cerebral silence. He hadn't let go of Yuri either though. He just listened quietly to people saying their goodbyes all around him, trying his best to acknowledge those who'd waved or spoken to him, but not really feeling like it mattered anymore. What Mila had told him was sobering and unwelcome, but deep down, he knew it was true, and it gnawed at him terribly.

"Please come to Bangkok one of these days, Yuri!" Phichit asked, "I don't want to have to wait until Four Continents to see you again."

"I'll try. Victor can be a bit of a slave-driver." He joked, his tone slightly subdued given how his coach continued to cling on him, "He won't wait around and let me get fluffy on katsudon before then."

The two clapped hands in farewell, and Phichit vanished like the rest, meeting with Celestino along the way and heading back to the hotel. Chris winked in his characteristically sultry way, bidding his own farewells and poking at his long-time rival in an attempt to get the man's attention.

Victor glanced up briefly, and he managed a smile, but there was a sadness to it that he couldn't shake. For a brief moment though, he let go of Yuri so Chris could get a hug in, and felt the man pat his shoulder reassuringly. Chris whispered something into his ear, and the Russian nodded quietly, but said nothing in response. The blonde turned his attention then to the youngest amongst them, and reached over to give Yuri a farewell hug as well, using the opportunity to slide a hand down and playfully grab the skater's backside. Yuri squeaked and pulled his hands back, rubbing the spot after Chris let go, being chased off by Victor.

"Careful, there! That butt's engaged now!" The silver defended, though with a tease in his voice, "And I claim exclusive rights to it!"

"Oh, sweet Victor..." Chris pouted comically, "I'll always find a way."

Yuri waved nervously with his free hand, still feeling his heart pounding in his chest. His attention was grabbed rather abruptly by the feeling of a boot against his back though, which sent him flying forward in a tumble. When he landed, the butt that Chris has just groped was sticking up in the air, and his glasses were disheveled on his face, eyes swirling in dizziness behind them.

"Victor," Yurio's voice boomed defiantly, "If you really plan on being at Nationals then you shouldn't piss around in Japan for very long."

"I don't expect to be there for very long." Victor answered dryly, moving over to help pull Yuri up from the floor, "When are Japanese Nationals anyway?"

"...They'reintwoweeksjustlikeyours..." The dazed skater answered nervously, "We didn't sign me up because I thought I'd be done after the Final...remember?"

The Russian blinked at him, "Sure I do."

Yuri gaped at him, but suddenly it all made sense.

He forgot again ! No wonder he was so eager to say he was going to his own! He's never had to think about how Russia and Japan always hold their National Championships at the same time !

"Then which one are you going to?" Yurio demanded.

"You know as well as anyone that spots for later competitions are given out at Nationals, Vitya." Yakov added, "But you can't coach at one and compete at another at the same time. Katsuki is going to have to go without you."

"...Without...?" Yuri repeated, still sitting on the floor where Victor had flipped him over. He turned his gaze to the aforementioned Russian skater, looking for some sign of an answer.

"...Then I can't." The man said simply, rising to his feet before he helped Yuri up with him, casting slate eyes over to his own coach, "Maybe it's for the best. Two weeks isn't that long at all...I wouldn't really have time to get my shows and costumes together." He rationalized, much to Yurio's annoyance, "Euros then."

Yakov shook his head, "There are only three slots for Euros, and all three are taken by people going to Nationals. I can't cut one of them to let you go if you're not going to Nationals."

Victor just stared in annoyed silence, I'm the one who won those three slots though...

The back and forth was stressful to watch, and Yuri saw no alternative, "Victor, you should g-"

"No." The Russian cut him off and shook his head defiantly, then turned back to look into those hazel eyes, "What's the point of saying I'm your coach if I'm not there for you at competition? I'll just wait and go to Worlds. It's last year's scores that count the most for spot selection, so the RSF would be crazy not to send me, Nationals be damned."

"You're really just going to give up your spots because of the pig?" Yurio wondered, incredulous, "It might be your last year, old man. Why are you throwing it away like this?"

"I'm turning 28, not 60." Victor smiled bitterly, "But for now, I'm still a coach first, and a competitor second. Yakov is right...I can't just announce my return and then expect to get everything handed to me because I'm a five-time consecutive World Champion." He said, a slight taunt in his voice as he eyeballed the Russian Punk, "Better make the most of this opportunity, and get as many Gold medals as you can before I take them all for myself again."

"Try not to switch teams while you're loitering in Hasetsu, Vitya." Yakov grumbled, shrugging as he and his ex-wife strode past, "We'll see you when you're back home then." He said with finality, leading the small group towards the doors. Mila looked back quietly as they stepped away.

"We won't be long." Victor waved at them as they vanished, and soon thereafter, turned back to dust Yuri's shoulders off, "You need to learn to stand your ground against Yurio. He'll kick you off a pier one of these days if you aren't careful, and the waters of Russia are unforgiving. They're much further north than these are in Barcelona."

Yuri adjusted his glasses, hesitating a moment as he thought on the discussion about Nationals a while longer. He shook his head though, letting it go for the time being, "Yurio's so strange." He commented, "One minute, he's kicking me, then in the next, he's giving me pork-cutlet pirozhki that his own grandfather made...then he's back to kicking me."

"He's like that. You'll get used to him in St. Petersburg." Victor explained, "But stand your ground, even if he catches you off guard. He won't take you seriously otherwise."

Yuri noticed that Victor's eyes had returned to their mostly-normal affect, and he was glad for it. The entire previous conversation seemed to slip right out of his mind as he felt the Russian's hand sliding around the back of his arm, seeking for his own hand. Feeling a moment of bravery, Yuri helped the process along, splaying his fingers to let the others find their places between them.

When their fingers locked, Victor glanced over at him, seeing Yuri's cheeks going pink right before his eyes, and all the prior anxiety in his heart melted away. He learned forward to give a fond kiss to the younger man's forehead, and gestured his free hand towards the exit.

It didn't take long for them to get back to their hotel room; Yuri was ready to just flop on his face again and pass out without even changing. He could already hear the lecture about taking care of his suit though, so he made sure to change into his night-ware, the usual t-shirt and shorts, before doing so. Still, once he was changed, he took off his glasses and flopped face first on top of the bed nearest the window. It was only seconds before he was on the edge of sleep, despite the lights, only to be roused again by the sound of Victor climbing into the other bed right next to him. Quietly, Yuri turned from his right side to his left, and watched as the Russian tried to get comfortable, lying on his back and staring straight at the ceiling.

Without his glasses, it was nearly impossible to see if there might've been a bug or something that the man was so fixated on. Up close though, clearly able to see Victor himself since he was only a few feet away, Yuri could tell there was a nervous look on his face. He wasn't sure how or whether to ask what was on the man's mind though, since it could've been any number of things from just the Banquet alone, so he did the only thing he could think of...he reached across the cleft between their mattresses, where blankets and sheets were pinched between their beds, and nervously took hold of the hand nearest to him, pulling it closer and settling it over the gap.

Azure eyes turned towards him, and Victor seemed to take some solace in the gesture, "Sorry."

"Why?"

Victor turned onto his side as well to face the conversation, and let his head fall back down onto the pillow, silver hair flopping down all over the white fabric, "I made all these grand gestures about timing my come-back with Russian Nationals...but for some reason, it never occurred to me to wonder about the timing conflict with yours."

"You were excited." Yuri excused, "It's not your fault our competitions are held on the same weekend. I mean, of all the countries that could've done it, it had to be ours, just to spite us, right?"

"I should've known though. ...Rather, I should've remembered." The Russian lifted his head again, propping himself up onto the side of his shoulder as he looked at where their hands were clasped together, bridging the gap between their two twin beds.

"I could've made it easier by saying I'd go to mine a lot sooner than now." Yuri offered, "I'll bet the JSF will be annoyed enough to see my ultra-late, last-second entry."

"How can they say no to their best skater?"

"The same way Yakov did to Russia's earlier."

"Well..." Victor shrugged a bit, moving to slide his free hand nearer to clasp over top of where Yuri held to the first, "It's done. If they let me go to Worlds, then that'll be my first and only competition this year. If not, then I'll just have to do everything next year instead. Georgi can rest easy knowing that I won't just throw him off the Euros team even though everyone knows I score better than he does..." Victor lamented, "It's fine though, really. Like you said...I got excited."

"...Can I do anything? If not for me..."

The Russian's cool eyes peered over, and he huffed a smile, "Yuri, I chose to abandon Nationals...it's not your fault."

"...I'm already starting to cause conflict with your competitive side. Even if you freely decided to do this, you wouldn't have had to do it at all if I didn't have to go to my own Nationals. I was worried this would ha-"

"I'm the one that said you should go for five World Championships." Victor mused, cutting off that line of thought with a well-placed fingertip over trembling lips, "Let me accept responsibility for myself. I chose to come be your coach, I chose to take time off from competition...and I'm choosing to be by your side at Japanese Nationals. I'll go to mine next year."

Yuri wasn't sure how to contest it anymore, so he nodded quietly as the finger withdrew from his lips, feeling the warmth of the man's hands around his. He drew in a breath and twisted away, reaching far to click the light off on his side of the room before returning to where he'd been before. Victor did the same on his side, and the space plunged into darkness soon after. There was quiet for a while, though they hadn't let go of where their hands originally clasped together...and as their eyes adjusted to the lack of light, they realized they were still looking towards one another.

We're moving in together... Yuri thought to himself again, I'm going to St. Petersburg to be with Victor...

"It's a house, by the way." The Russian said, as though he could read the young skater's mind, "It's a small one...and I took over the second bedroom for my skating stuff, but it's still nice. All modern."

"...Then it seems like you'll finally get what you wanted since the beginning." Yuri commented, finding himself oddly relaxed with what was coming.

"...That's a long list." Victor purred, "You'll have to be more specific."

"You said right from the start that we should sleep together."

"We are. We have been...at least, as far as I meant it back then." Victor explained, watching quietly as the younger figure pushed up to sitting, and then withdrew his hand from the space above the gap, "Hard to avoid me when we share hotel rooms together at events."

Seeing the golden glint on Victor's ring-finger, Yuri drew in a breath, and resigned to his choice. The butterflies in his stomach started to flutter again, but for once, they were buzzing around in excitement and hesitant wanting, rather than because he was purely scared. All those 'near misses' floated through his mind; the unexpected kiss in China, the rink-side flirting in Moscow, and how close they'd become in the intervening weeks. He swallowed, and reached for where the blankets and sheets of their individual beds were still clamped between the two twin frames. He tugged them upward, and laid them down to weave them together, setting the thin flat-sheet of his bed down over the Russian's side first, then brought the second flat-sheet to lay across his own, doing the same with the thick fleece comforter that came next, and then finally with the thick blankets on top. When he was done, it looked like they were sharing a single King-size bed, but with ill-fitting covers. The butterflies were flitting around like wild horses in Yuri's stomach, but he saw where Victor had just quietly been watching him, and leaned down to his elbow again. Pulling the inter-folded sheets up to make room, Yuri crossed the tiny mattress-gap, and then rolled over onto his right side, putting his back towards the older skater's chest.

Victor blinked at him curiously. For once, he was nervous as well. He slowly nestled in against the curve of the younger man's body, deftly sliding his left arm over Yuri's side, curling it up to put his hand against the younger man's chest. He could feel that heart pounding thunderously even through the fabric of his t-shirt. For lack of being able to think of anything to say, Victor wedged his right arm under Yuri's waist as well as he could, and dared to pull him closer against his chest.

"There." Yuri said finally, curling his left arm so he could thread their fingers together where Victor's still pawed at his heart, "...See?"

"I do." Victor answered, trying not to sound over-excited. He nuzzled in closer and looked on adoringly, his heart soaring, "This is even better than what I meant back then."

Yuri's face was red, but it was impossible to see in the dark. He could feel his whole frame shaking, and he didn't doubt that Victor could feel it, too. Still though, like had been the case since 'Hot-Springs on Ice,' when he first felt his idol's arms around him, he felt secure and safe. The trembling gradually faded, and the feeling of the man's warm breath against his neck - and the slow stroke of a thumb against his chest - helped him to relax.

"Are you worried?" Victor asked suddenly.

"...Worried?" Yuri echoed in confusion, turning his head a little, "...Well, I mean...I don't think this is quite what you meant when you said we should do stuff that would excite you, but..."

"Oh, I'm excited." The silver purred, his tone entirely different at that point, making his partner's face even redder than before. Though he couldn't really see it, he could feel it in the way Yuri's entire frame tensed up, and he laughed quietly against the back of one shoulder, "Relax. I won't do anything. Not tonight, anyway. ...Back to my question though; I meant, are you worried about moving to St. Petersburg?"

"...Oh." Yuri blanched, trying to organize his thoughts again. He twisted slightly, rolling onto his back in the Russian's arms, and turned his head. The hand that went under him pulled back a little, and he felt fingers curling around his waist, holding gently as the hand on his chest continued the slow thumb-stroke, "...Well, it'll be weird training at the same rink as Yurio...it'll be easier to see what tricks he's planning, and he'll be able to see mine, too. Then, you'll be practicing, too...for your own programs, not just helping to refine mine... I'll get to see the creation of something new with my own eyes."

They were all valid points, but they were all miles away from what Victor had meant.

Still, that was an answer in itself.

"...I guess I'm mostly just worried about how things will change between us." Yuri admitted anxiously, "The scenery, the skating rink...the fact that we'll be on our own, rather than in the resort with my family."

Victor looked on him for a moment, but then smiled and settled in closer, resting his chin on the shoulder closest to him, "All good changes. I can't wait."

"You're that excited to go back to Russia...?"

"Only because I get to take you with me." He answered, bringing the hand up from Yuri's chest to settle it on the side of his jaw, tilting his face closer and leaning forward to give him the faintest of Eskimo kisses, "Home is where your heart rests. If you weren't coming, St. Petersburg wouldn't feel right."

The butterflies were back in full force at that point, but Yuri couldn't help smiling to hear the words. He twisted again slightly where he lay, facing the man evenly, and nuzzled in closer so he could get his head just under the Russian's chin. He kept his left arm folded against his chest, but slowly, nervously slid the right over his idol's side, letting his elbow curve around it. He felt that larger body settling in as well, both arms around him to hold him against that pale, bare chest. What surprised Yuri though was feeling where Victor had wedged a leg between his, practically hooking onto one to pull it forward between his own.

"All good changes." Victor purred again, rubbing his cheek affectionately across spikes of soft raven hair, "I think you're going to like it."

.

Their flight back to Japan was peaceful. Being an earlier flight, Yuri had no interest in sleeping again to pass the time. He even unbundled from his winter garb to get comfortable...and closer. With nothing to do for hours at a time except try to entertain themselves, finding things to do or talk about was somehow far more interesting than it had been.

Watching the in-flight movies, they leaned against one another over the seat-divider, and held softly to one another's hands. Fingers slid deftly past each other, slowly, savoring every moment of velvet-warm touch. Every so often, Victor would lift their hands up between them and press those fingers to his cheek, or kiss the ring on Yuri's finger. In one particular moment though, Victor kept his lips softly on that ring for a longer while than he had before. I nervous exhilaration, Yuri approached their clasped hands from his own side, and slowly neared to kiss his idol's knuckles.

Victor half-opened his eyes when he felt it, seeing those cherry-hazel orbits looking back at him from so near. They both looked up at one another, locked into each other's gazes for what felt like an eternity, all the while, lips pressed gently to the backs of each other's hands. For half a heartbeat, when they lifted up, Victor was certain Yuri would finally come to him...but at the last moment, got cold feet and recoiled into his seat, looking away with his skin nearly glowing red. Victor could feel the tremble, and though somewhat disappointed, he smiled anyway.

.

After a layover in Tokyo and another quick flight to Fukuoka, the end of their Grand Prix journey was almost in sight. JSF reporters and fans were waiting in a huge crowd to see the two athletes return from abroad. They both looked down to the public waiting area from the upper level, and though nervous, Yuri gathered the courage to wave. The throng of people cheered, and he showed them his shiny new Silver medal, lifting it up high before they finally came down to meet the gathered. Yuri answered a few questions, confirmed Victor's return to skating - and their plans to move to Russia - and after a thousand or so photos, they were allowed to head for the trains for that last leg to Hasetsu.

Arriving back home felt strange after being in Barcelona. With the revelations of the Sochi Banquet still fresh in Yuri's mind, not to mention the fact that he hadn't once let go of Victor's hand since they'd clasped them together on the plane...the air just felt different. Stepping off the train and onto the deck of the station, Yuri's fingers clutched a little tighter. He could feel the pressure returned, and he glanced up to that smiling face that had come back with him.

"There's nothing quite like coming home a victor." The Russian mused.

"Coming home a victor or with one?" Yuri asked back.

"Yes."

That brought a relieved smile to Yuri's face, and he started to head for the escalators that lead down into the main part of the terminal. He could hear the crowd at the bottom long before he saw them, but it didn't change his awe when his eyes beheld the sea of people waiting for him and Victor. Though, in its own way, just as Yuri had expected - and half-feared - Minako and the triplets were waiting with half the town to congratulate their local champion. There were dozens of signs with Yuri's name on them, and even though not many expected Victor to return so soon, if at all, there were a few signs for him as well.

It made Victor happy that there was a place in the figure-skating fandom that appreciated his pupil the same way he did. He'd worked hard to get Yuri back up from the crushing defeat at Sochi, and at least in Hasetsu, people recognized it.

But that made the competitor in him itch. The posters that had been on the walls when he'd first arrived were still there, some covered only by newer posters advertising the 'Hot Springs on Ice' event. So much about being there made him want to get back on the ice as fast as he could, but he knew he'd have to wait. Still, the anticipation of what would come next was ever-present, and his artist's brain simply couldn't sit still.

For once, Yuri was happy to be home. He'd spotted his family in the parking lot as they came outside the train station, and realized that they'd had to shut down the resort just to be there. His eyes welled up with tears, and as he moved closer to get to them, he couldn't help but drag Victor behind him, still holding to that hand.

Victor shuffled along with pride though, simply happy that Yuri wouldn't let him go, even to make a break for it like he had. They made their way through the glass doors and back to the outside world, and only then did Yuri finally slow down. Minako and the triplets caught up just in time to see the reunion...and the ballerina caught her first clear sight of that hand-holding that she'd missed earlier.

She blinked at it, almost as surprised to see that as she had been to see the kiss in China. She pointed at their threaded fingers, then looked to Victor, but he just shushed her with a smile and a wink. Even she blushed when she realized what it meant; the kiss could be written off as a celebratory moment of craziness, but not this.

"We're so proud of you, Yuri!" Hiroko chirped, clapping her mittened hands in front of her face as Toshiya and Mari nodded beside her happily, "How about some katsudon to celebrate?"

Yuri's stomach growled like a lion even just at hearing the word, but his father laughed and pointed at him before a thing could be said in answer.

"You just won a big competition!" The older man had said, "But don't sit on your laurels too long or you'll gain weight again!"

Clenching his eyes shut, Yuri could feel the blood drain from his face, but he had no come-back.

"We have to get ready for Nationals in two weeks," Victor said, saving him, "We get one katsudon per medal, but I think Yuri's earned it."

"Are you even ready for Nationals, Yuri!?" Minako asked pensively, finally approaching to join the rest of the group properly, "You'd been saying all this time that the Final might be your last competition."

He nodded nervously, "Y-Yeah... But Victor says he's coming back. How can I stay on the side-lines when he's competing again?" He pointed out, feeling a thumb-stroke gently across his own, "It's going to be complete madness when he steps out again for the first time, even if it takes until Worlds for it to happen."

"One step at a time..." The Russian interjected, "Let's get back to the resort. We've been traveling for 22 hours straight. In Economy. And the mention of katsudon is making my mouth water."

The ballerina pointed at him and laughed, "I got bumped to Business class for the trip between Paris and Tokyo! Bet you're jealous!"

Those blue eyes went wide, and practically looked to fill with tears. Victor dropped his face to his partner's shoulder, "When we start competing out of St. Petersburg, we're traveling my way. I'm never flying Economy again!"

"...I fit into Coach seats just fine..." Yuri mused, reaching up to pat the man's head.

"I'm taller than you are!"

"By like 3 inches."

"Three inches makes a world of difference in a lot of places!"

Yuri stared blankly for a moment, but then went bright red, much to Victor's amusement.

"Come along then," Hiroko called, starting to wander off already, "We brought the van to drive everyone and everything back to Yu-Topia!"

.

Makkachin bounced with excitement to see his human again, and just as he'd gotten done jumping at Victor, he made for Yuri and bowled him over. Victor was tugged slightly down as Yuri hit the ground, being mauled with poodle-love in a helpless heap of laughs and pleading for the pup to let him up again. Despite the chaos, they refused to let each other's hands go, and twisted however was necessary to keep holding on.

Hiroko looked back after taking her coat off, and saw the one ring on Yuri's finger where that hand was visible outside the fray, "The announcers were saying you had matching rings for luck." She commented warmly, "But these don't look like cheap good-luck charms."

Victor glanced up, but then back down again and bent to pull his dog off his partner, all the while holding onto that one hand.

Finally free to stand up again, Yuri's eyes went from where his mother was watching them from, and drifted over to his sister and Minako. Mari still had that 'wat' look on her face from the group dinner when the rings were first pointed out, but Minako had already confirmed what was going on, and smiled slyly without saying anything.

"They're real." Victor chimed in, setting his poodle down before raising his ring-bearing hand up to hold it on display. A moment later, he used that same hand to help get Yuri back up onto his feet, and once the man was standing, hugged him adoringly, "We're engaged."

Hiroko immediately fawned over the idea, both hands up on her cheeks in excitement. For the immediate moment though, Toshiya wasn't sure what to think, and just watched in surprised, yet confused quiet as his wife beckoned everyone through the empty resort. Food was on everyone's minds, so luggage was stacked up on the wall just around the corner from the narrow hall that lead upstairs. Once those well-anticipated bowls of katsudon were finally presented, the two skaters were like ravenous hyenas, gobbling everything up and making a mess in the process. Rice stuck to their faces, and the family around them marveled at how quickly they demolished their dinners. It was the one time they had to let one another go, but they pressed their sides against each other instead to make up for it as they ate.

"Since the resort was shuttered for the day, Yuri, the place is empty." His mother said in her usual happy way, "But I wouldn't expect it to stay that way. Ever since Victor promoted the town during the 'Hot Springs on Ice' event, there's been more tourists than ever. We might actually have to hire help soon!"

"That's great!" He answered, still somewhat famished, but feeling better since starting to eat.

"Would you mind signing some cards and banners before you leave for Russia?" Toshiya asked pointedly, "We could make a killing on Victor's autographs."

"That again..." Yuri grimaced, "I couldn't ask him to sign a bunch of things to make money for the family business..."

"I'd be happy to." Victor interrupted, reminding them that he was sitting there at dinner with them and not in some far off land where he couldn't hear the conversation, "I'll be family soon enough anyway, right? I want to help." He set his chopsticks down across the edges of the bowl in front of him and reached over to his partner's hand, setting his own gently over it, the gold glinting on his finger.

It was easier to reveal such things in front of a small group, especially since two members of it had been there when the whole thing had originally been revealed, but it still made Yuri a bit jittery to admit it in front of his parents. He looked down at the Victory Katsudon his mother had made, and then turned his hand to better clasp at the fingers curling around it, "No...you're already family."

"You must've gotten those sometime this past weekend." Hiroko said excitedly, looking at him from the other side of the table, "Or were you hiding them from us since China?"

"No...we got them in Barcelona." Yuri explained, feeling a bit anxious again, though supposing that moment was as good a time as ever to ask the question that had been bugging him since the whole thing happened, "I got one ring, to give to Victor as a Christmas-Birthday-Thank-You gift... At first, it was just my way of getting him some gold, in case I didn't win Gold...but then, he surprised me, and had the matching ring in his pocket. I'm still not sure how he managed it."

"That's easy." Victor laughed, leaning over slightly to rub their shoulders together, "I got it right after you bought yours."

"But...how did you do it without me noticing?"

"Oh! Tell the whole story!" Hiroko asked happily, "I want to hear all the details!"

Victor smiled, "Well... After Thursday practice, Yuri surprised me by suggesting we go sight-seeing. We spent the whole rest of the day being tourists around Barcelona, taking a thousand pictures, buying a bunch of interesting souvenirs and trying all the different local foods, and having a lot of fun. But then Yuri started looking around for something specific... At the time, I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but then we passed in front of this fancy jeweler's store, and he insisted on going inside."

"...It was a really impulsive thing..." Yuri admitted sheepishly, "I wasn't even really sure what I was looking for."

.

"I'll take this one." Yuri confirmed nervously, pulling out his wallet to hand over the credit card, "I'll pay in installments."

Victor watched quietly from behind him, a bit surprised, though not sure what the man had just done. When Yuri got the tiny black velvet box, it was placed inside a fancy tote-bag and passed across the counter, and he took the handles with a shaky hand, passing in front of the Russian to head back towards the door.

"I'm done...we can go now..." His voice said, though Victor barely heard it, a finger on his lip as he gazed back down into the glass case to see if he could figure out what was missing, "Victor?"

"I'll meet you outside." He said with a smile, "I want to look around a little bit."

"Oh...okay." Yuri answered, blinking once in surprise, but then turning to move towards the exit. He looked down into the bag, his cheeks red, but smiling to himself anyway.

When Yuri was outside, Victor turned back to the case, looking it over quite seriously.

"Is there anything I can help you with, sir?" The clerk on the other side asked, putting back the small red-velvet display cushion, one gold ring absent from it now.

Blue eyes opened wide in surprise, and the Russian glanced back towards the door, standing fully upright, "...Yuri...? You..." He turned back to the clerk and pointed at the small cushion, tapping his fingernail on the glass, "Miss, did my friend just buy the matching ring?"

"Yes, sir."

"Let me have this one." He said resolutely, smiling even more than before as it truly dawned on him was had happened. He pulled his own wallet out after that, and grabbed for the credit card inside.

"Victor, why are you taking so long?" Yuri's voice returned, the door chiming again as he came back inside.

The silver swiveled so quickly on his heel that his jacket and scarf flared out to the side, but he gave nothing away, "Sorry, Yuri! You know how much I like gold though! I'd kiss everything in this store if I could!" He feigned, hands behind his back, waggling the card between his fingers so it wouldn't be seen. The clerk took the hint and grabbed the card discreetly, hiding it behind the display as she walked away with it and the second ring.

Yuri gave a skeptical look.

"I'll be just a minute! Wait outside?"

"...Okay?" Another skeptical look, but the anxious skater let the door close again.

Victor slowly turned back around, signing the bill for the near-800-Euro gold band, and put the small black-velvet box into his coat pocket, "Spasibo."

.

"We went to the Sagrada Familia after that... Yuri pulled my glove off and slipped the ring on my finger." Victor explained, reminiscing fondly, "There was a freelance Christmas choir there, singing a hymn...it was all really nice."

Yuri's face was red at the memory of it, but he wasn't quite so nervous about the responses or judgment as he had been earlier.

"I wish I could've been there to see the look on his face when you pulled the ring out of your pocket." Hiroko mused, looking at her embarrassed son.

"His face was almost as red as it is now." Victor laughed, leaning his head over to rub the side of his forehead against the man's cheek and ear.

"Your face didn't go red at all." Yuri pointed out, "Do you blush?"

"Well, I already knew what was going to happen." The Russian explained, rubbing his thumb back and forth gently over those nervous fingers, "Why do you think I was so excited while we walked over there?"

"I thought it was just the hot wine you drank before..."

"Nope!"

The relief was something Yuri could feel in his gut, though the whole thing was still nerve-wracking. He glanced across the table to meet his mother's eyes, but was surprised to see tears there, and for an instant, he felt a pit in his stomach, "Mom...why are you...? Just a second ago..."

"When you came home from America and said you'd never found a girlfriend there, I was so sad for you. A young man like yourself, 23 years old and still single... For a woman, that would be a social catastrophe!"

Yuri blanched at his mother's explanation. Minako had much the same look on her face, sitting on the opposite side of the table.

Mari grimaced as well, "Mom..."

"You'll get there, honey, don't worry!" Hiroko reassured, "You just need to put yourself out there more!" She turned back to the couple on the other side of the family table, "After all the time you boys had been together, I was starting to worry that nothing would ever happen. But when Victor jumped at you in China, I thought that maybe you're not so hopeless after all!"

"I'mnothopeless..." Yuri sighed quietly.

It was only then that the 'prodigal son' realized that his father hadn't said a word about any of it yet. The topic had never really come up before. Coming home from a skating tour at age 24 with a fiancé would be one thing...but a male fiancé...that was something else entirely.

"How did this happen?" His father finally spoke up, almost too sternly, "He just came here to be your coach."

At that moment, Yuri was glad to have Victor next to him, still holding solidly to his hand. He adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly, "It just...happened. Over time. Victor helped me grow and be more confident in myself, and as the days and weeks went by, we got closer. At some point along the way, I realized I couldn't do all this without him, and when I told him to stay with me, he…"

"...It was a marriage proposal, don't be modest!" Victor mused, brushing back raven hair affectionately with his free hand, trying to lighten the mood, "The ring you got me in Barcelona just made it official."

"I see." The elder man said quietly.

"You're not...angry, are you?" Yuri's gaze remained fixed on his father, and he felt like he was being slowly crushed by the guilt, even though on the surface, he didn't feel like he should be guilty for anything. Being with Victor made him happy, and the thought of losing him...well...he'd already made his peace with that once before.

"I support you in everything you do." The elder finally answered, "Just don't fool around in earshot of everyone. I wouldn't want to hear that even if Victor were a woman. You're still my child."

"We won't, sir." Victor said all-too-politely, looking aside to see Yuri's face go bright red at the thought of it.

.

After finally getting away from the rest of the family, Yuri couldn't wait to get into the hot spring. Just as they'd been told, the place was entirely empty.

Victor was pulling off clothes next to him, sitting back on the bench to get to his socks, "Hurry up, Yuri! I want to get into the water!"

"Okay, okay...I'm going..." He answered, slowly reaching to pull at his own socks...but Victor suddenly took him by the shoulder. Yuri turned his head, cheeks flushed, and looked at the half-dressed figure in front of him, seeing the man stepping out of his slacks as he used his shoulder as a support. He turned quickly away again, looking at the floor.

"What's wrong? Why are you so anxious all of a sudden?" Victor wondered, giving the shoulder a gentle squeeze, "You've seen me naked a thousand times just because of the onsen alone. What's one more time?"

Yuri wasn't sure how to answer. He felt a little paralyzed, but he managed to shake his head and look to the side, seeing the edges of those pale fingers, "I don't know, it's just...different now."

"Why, because of your parents?" The silver mused, stepping towards the corner that lead to the main bathing room, "I don't see why that should change things. It's not like we're different."

"...No..."

"Well, don't wait too long to come out." Victor called, a hand already on the door to the next room, "I might fall asleep before long!"

Yuri glanced back, seeing the same fingers as before holding to the corner of the changing-room wall, and caught a glimpse of the gold as they pulled away. The door opened and closed again before Yuri moved, setting his eyes down on the band around his own right ring-finger. He held his hand up in front of himself, practically able to see his own reflection in the glinting metal.

Is he really serious about this engagement thing? He thought to himself quietly, lowering his hand, resting his elbows on his knees, Maybe he's just messing with me. Getting the ring was so spontaneous... It was just a present. It's not like I asked him to marry me. He didn't even suggest it until Phichit-kun mistakenly thought that's actually what we'd done. But, then again...

.

'We'll get married after Yuri wins the Gold Medal. Right, Yuri?'

'V-Victor...!'

.

But he way he's been explaining it to everyone...he can't just say he's kidding now. Yuri lifted his head, looking at the wall in front of himself, I wonder then if this is just some joke that got away from him? Maybe he only meant it to motivate me to try harder to win Gold. I won Silver though... He can say we're engaged all he wants since he doesn't have to follow-through with the rest...

By the time he'd gotten changed and stepped into the next room, the sound of the shower was off. Victor had already moved through to the onsen outside. Yuri moved into one of the open stalls and sat on the short stool in front of the water nozzle, yawning to himself quietly as he reached for it. The hand that covered his mouth brushed against his lips though, and he hesitated when he brought the shower-head forward.

...Victor openly wondered if he should kiss me to help me feel better in China, and then he actually did it... Would he really be messing with me now if he was able to do that back then?

He lowered the fingers away from his mouth and pulled the shower-head up above his hair, clicking the button on the handle to let the water gush down over him, trying unsuccessfully to wash away the thought.

He hasn't kissed me since though. Maybe he only did it for shock value...after all, he did say it was the only thing he could think of in the moment to surprise me. But then, the way we were last night...and all the way back home...

He could feel the nervous sweat rolling off his almost as thickly as the water, and he made a face at the shower-stall.

I really can't tell if this is serious or not! What should I do!? If I go to him and it turns out he's just messing with me, I'll die! Everything between us will be broken and shattered! Nothing will ever be the same again! I don't want to wait until I'm stuck in Russia to find out he didn't mean it!

The shower was brief, though it felt like a lot longer than it had been. When he was done though, Yuri reached for a small white towel to wrap around his waist, and headed for the last door to the outside, moving past the massive indoor bathtub along the wall. He could see the huge red demon-mask hanging on the wall just outside, and pushed through the slightly-foggy glass door, stepping onto the stone deck and out into the open winter air.

"There you are." Victor's voice spoke, gathering up his attention.

Yuri glanced up, seeing the man sitting in the water on the opposite side of the spring from himself; his usual spot.

"How did I say it before?" Victor wondered with a smile, reaching his hand out towards the younger figure, "Yuri...starting today, I'm your coach."

Hazel eyes watched, and he listened intently, keeping a hand around the towel clinging to his small frame.

"I'm going to make you win the Grand Prix Final." The Russian finished, giving him the wink again, but staying seated that time, "Maybe that all wasn't entirely true though." He brought his pale hand back to his lip in thought.

"...It wasn't your fault I didn't win." Yuri pointed out, slowly stepping into the water from his side of the spring. He gradually pulled the towel away before it could get wet, and quietly folded it to set on his head as he meandered through the mineral-bath to get closer.

"I've already told you that I'm happy with how things turned out." Victor explained, "I meant the part...about being your coach."

"You did that, too." Yuri said, gawking in confusion, pausing in front of the silver legend with just his head poking out of the steaming liquid.

"No...that's wrong now." The Russian smiled, "Yuri, starting today, I'm your fiancé."

Yuri could feel his hackles raising even under the water, though he knew he should confront it, "...Wouldn't that be true since Thursday though?"

"Yes...and yet, no," Victor pointed out, reaching a hand out to put a finger under the younger man's chin, "You've been playing along, but you haven't entirely been taking it seriously." He saw the nervous, worried look on his partner's face and smiled anxiously, "I've been watching you fidget and squirm every time it's come up in front of people you know, like you're scared of what they might think if you said it was true."

"...Victor..."

"It is true though, right?" The Russian wondered, nervously in his own right, "You're not just playing along to spare my feelings..?"

Cherry-hazel eyes opened wide at the idea, "...I've been wondering if you've been doing that to me!" Yuri said anxiously, rising up a bit out of the water, bringing his hands up to gesture at the man with one, the other hand on his chest, "Since this all started during competition...I've been worried that you were just doing it to surprise people... Every time we got back to Hasetsu, it was like things went back to before the Grand Prix started... I didn't..."

Victor blinked those blue eyes in hurt confusion, "...You didn't what...?"

"I didn't...want to get my hopes up..." He finished, looking away again as he sank back down.

"...Ah." The silver legend realized, "I see."

Yuri groaned quietly where he sat, all but blowing bubbles to distract from his embarrassment, "Even now, I'm just...not sure..."

"This whole time, I've felt like you were avoiding me." Victor explained, "I'd reach out to you, and you seemed interested, but then you'd back off again. Or you'd say things and then nothing else would happen. When I realized you'd gotten the ring, I thought that maybe this would be the moment where you'd finally stop running away...but you didn't even try to kiss me when you put it on my finger..."

"We'd planned since the start that you'd be going back to Russia after the Final though." Yuri explained, feeling guilt and shame all over like a dye that stained his skin, "The closer it got to the end, the more nervous I got. That's...why I said we should end things...so you could go back to focusing on your own skating, before it got too serious..."

"Yuri..." The Russian said quietly, reaching a hand out to touch a single finger under the man's chin, "Do you still have so little faith in me...? Do you really think I'd be able to just leave? After everything we've been through?"

"...I didn't want you to think that you were tied down by me." He answered, keeping his gaze averted for the shame of it, "I already took so much away from you. I just didn't want you to leave without some kind of gold from me...in case it wasn't the medal..."

"My plans started changing a long time ago." Victor said, reaching his hand up to run his wet fingers through that black, damp hair, "That's why I kissed you in China. That's why I asked you to never retire." He explained, brow furrowed for the worry of not being understood, "So I could stay close to you, even if only as your coach, if that's how it had to be. ...Stammi vicino..."

Brown eyes finally dared to look into blue, but Yuri didn't know how to answer to that.

"But it's okay now, right?" Victor went on, "Because you've agreed to come back to St. Petersburg with me. We can be together for real now, not just as coach and athlete. ...That's what you want, isn't it?" He paused, looking for some answer, but hearing nothing, "...That's why you finally let me hold onto you, right?"

"Isn't that what you want?" Yuri finally let himself ask.

Nervous lips offered a sad smile, "I've wanted it since Sochi."

"...Eh?" The words took Yuri aback, "...Why since Sochi?"

"You've refused to look at the pictures and videos, b-"

"I get stupid when I'm drunk." Yuri explained, cutting him off, and turned away in shame of himself, "I'd rather not know how stupid. Celestino dragged me to that Banquet against my will. I drank myself into oblivion so I'd get a break from feeling miserable."

"Yuri..." Victor huffed a dejected laugh, reaching for the pile behind him on the ledge of the deck where he'd kept his towel...and his phone hidden within it, "Sit next to me. It'll make more sense if you let me show you what happened."

Nervously, Yuri did as bid, sliding forward to sit on the submerged stone bench. He extended his legs out and crossed his ankles, not noticing at first as Victor slid an arm behind his back, a hand carefully setting onto the crest of his hip. His heart skipped a beat to feel it, but he let it happen, and allowed himself to be pulled in closer as his idol unlocked the phone. He fidgeted a little, watching as the Russian went through the huge photo gallery list until [SOCHI GPF] came up. That pale thumb clicked into it, and dozens of images popped up. Yuri looked away, even though he only saw the tiny thumbnails.

"People started taking pictures as soon as they realized you were drunk." Victor explained, remembering it all quite fondly, scrolling through a slideshow of the pictures; many were taken by other people, but as Yuri started to look over, he could see a few of himself apparently dancing with Yurio, and where it looked like Victor was slowly creeping into the shot from the background.

"...What...were you doing?" He wondered, intrigued now, "And why was I dancing with Yurio...? He'd screamed at me to retire after catching me in the bathroom the day before..."

Victor gave him a puzzled look, "He did...?"

"Yeah." Yuri nodded, "Said he didn't want there to be two Yuris when he got into Seniors, especially since I had bombed so badly."

"...Wow." The Russian gave an almost exasperated sigh, "Well, you challenged him to a Dance Off after asking me to come here and be your coach. I hadn't even answered yet, b-"

"Whoa whoa, wait...I...asked you to be my coach? Back then?"

"Yeah, actually. I have a video of it." Victor answered, much to Yuri's surprise, "Why do you think I came?"

"I don't know! It was three months later!"

"I was still on a winning streak at the time! And you yourself said to wait until after the season was over!" The Russian exclaimed, "Besides, we barely knew each other back then...and I was still kind of surprised by how insistent you were with your request. I didn't even realize the impact you'd had on me until after the Banquet anyway. Makes me really regret not trying to reach out to you somehow afterwards."

The video pulled up quickly, jumping into the middle of a situation that had already started. Yuri had lost his pants at some point, and his tie was around his head. Yurio was snarling in the background, unbeknownst to the Victor on the screen. Yuri was rubbing himself against him in the middle of the crowd, drunk as all get-out, and speaking with a drunken slur. Chris was next to him, naked but for his underwear, apparently calming down from some big exertion from moments before.

"Victor... After the season ends, my family runs a hot springs resort, so please come! If I win this dance-off...you'll become my coach, right? Be my coooooach, Victoooor!"

A moment of silence passed, and it seemed like Victor was about to answer, but-

"He's not going to be your coach, crybaby!" Yurio barked, smacking the man to get him off his rink-mate, "He already has plans for next year that don't involve GPF wash-outs!"

"That not nice..." Victor had tried to calm the situation.

Yuri had been too drunk to be embarrassed, or to even back down from this Russian Punk. He stood as tall as his inebriation would allow, "...Then how about it... You and me... Whoever wins, Victor will coach them!"

"I don't have to do shit!"

"Are you chicken!?"

"WHAT WAS THAT-"

The video went on for a half-second longer before being stopped by the presence of a crowd. Too many people were in the way to get a good shot. Victor clicked out of it and turned to look at Yuri's reaction.

"I had...no idea..." Yuri said quietly, "I...I didn't even..."

Victor smiled and held him closer, nosing at the side of the man's head fondly, "You were drunk back then, but it planted a seed. One that would haunt me for all the days and weeks to come." He said, opening another folder labeled [WORLDS TOKYO.] At the very end were two thumbnails that looked remarkably similar, except one was Victor in full 'Aria' regalia, and the other was Yuri in just his practice clothes.

Yuri recognized the thumbnail and watched in silence as the viral video of his imitation of 'Stay Close to Me' started to play. He was still confused though, "Minako-sensei told me that you'd seen this video of me, and that it sparked your imagination, so that's why you came to Hasetsu. But...why? I've wondered for a long time...how could I have done that? You're a genius... I'm just...Katsuki Yuri..."

"You bombed out at Sochi so badly, and no one could really understand why. It was hard to watch you after you'd made it into the Final Six." Victor explained, "I was already struggling with figuring out what to do moving forward with my own career. So when I saw your imitation of 'Aria,' and how perfectly you'd pulled it off while thinking no one was watching...I thought that, maybe, it was my perfect chance to fulfill your request from before." He laughed softly and clicked the phone off, setting it back down onto the towel behind him, "It was the most perfect excuse to see you again. I had hoped to run into you again at the next competition, so I was pretty heartbroken to hear that you'd cut Celestino loose and moved back home."

"...Why didn't you just call me then? We're both friends with Chris; you could've just asked him for my number."

"You blew me off during hotel check-out." Victor said quietly, "I thought you were mad at me for not agreeing to be your coach at the Banquet."

"...I did what...? I don't remember that..."

"Yeah." The Russian nodded, "I saw you leaving with Celestino to go to the airport. The sad look on your face reminded me of when you turned down the photo with me after the Free Skate..." Victor looked out over the steaming water, thinking back on it, "I tried to get your attention, but just like before, you turned your back on me without saying a word. That's when I realized I'd already started to fall for you...because my heart shattered to see you walk away."

"...I don't...remember hearing you say anything to me in the hotel lobby... I don't even remember seeing you." Yuri stammered quietly, "I was so hung-over from the night before that I just kept my eyes down, and followed Celestino around like a robot."

Victor hummed quietly to himself, "Yurio could tell you how miserable I was the entire way back to Russia after that. I was even worse after I heard you bombed again at Nationals and retired. I poured all my sadness into 'Aria' after that. The song became so much more personal because of you."

"...Because of...me?" Yuri felt like he couldn't keep up. The whole thing was too much.

"Yeah. Haven't you ever listened to the lyrics?"

"Sure I have..."

"And you know what they say?"

"Of course I do, I've looked up the translation."

"Not just the translation...the original Italian."

"I don't speak Italian," Yuri grimaced, "The original words didn't mean much to me..."

Victor smiled sadly at that, "Italian is a Romance language, like French or Spanish, so many words come in male and female forms, depending on who you're talking to." He tried to explain, "Anche tu, sei stato forse abbandonato?" He spoke the lines quietly, "You know it?"

"Yeah, that's from the beginning, but I still don't..."

"StatO and abbandonatO are masculine forms of the words. There'd be an A in place of the Os at the end if it were feminine." Victor went on, "Always do the opposite of what people expect you to do; that's my motto, right? So, I thought, with all the female fans I have, why not make a program where my song calls out for another man instead of a woman, like they'd all expect?"

"What!?" Yuri practically squeaked.

"The entire rest of the season, when I did 'Aria' at Euros in Budapest, and Worlds in Tokyo...even at my own Nationals in Moscow before all that." He was listing them off on his fingers, "I had switched the meaning around in my head. It wasn't just some faceless, nameless figure anymore...it was a lament for having lost you. I didn't know how else to deal with it. So...when your video went viral, and I saw you doing the same program..." Victor had to lower his eyes a little, and pinched his fingers over the bridge of his nose for a moment, "...I thought you were calling back to me...that you'd forgiven me. I watched the video on my phone, and made up my mind right then. I came to Hasetsu so fast, Yakov must've thought my ass had caught fire. He barely caught me on the way to the airport, too...even tried to stop me. I was on a mission, though."

"After Nationals, I quit watching figure skating competitions outright..." Yuri sighed, feeling his eyes and throat starting to ache, "Seeing all my friends competing without me, and seeing you...I just...couldn't stand watching it all go on without me. It was like I was dead." He could feel the tears starting to build up, seeing his reflection on the water starting to blur behind them, "And yet, all that time..."

Victor reached a wet hand up from the water and cupped it around the man's cheek, turning his head to face him evenly. Slate eyes were half-lidded, and he spoke softly, "Yuri... When I came here, I'd been heartbroken and in love with you for three months already. I had no idea if you'd reciprocate those feelings, so I vowed that, at very least, I would show you my love by being the best coach you'd ever had. I didn't even dare to entertain the idea that you'd meet me half-way until I saw the smile on your face after I kissed you. I got so many mixed signals after that though...I thought, maybe you were trying to reconcile things in your head, or were trying to talk yourself down from it...but the longer it went on, the clearer it became that I'd never be able to leave you. As your coach, as your friend...as your lover...it didn't matter...as long as I could stay with you, I could find happiness."

Tears flowed freely down Yuri's face, but he couldn't bring himself to look at the man next to him. He reached a wet hand up out of the water to dry his eyes, though that wasn't the greatest idea he'd had, since it just made everything even more wet than it already was.

Victor found the sight somberly endearing, so he reached for the towel on the ledge behind him, setting his phone down on the tile to pull the white fluff away in its place, "So...to answer your question from earlier about whether I actually want this..." He said, dabbing the towel against that sad wet skin, "...Yes, I really do."

"T-Then why...did you let me think you were going to leave...?" Yuri stammered, "If you kn-knew this whole time, that you weren't going to go without me... You c-could've just, said so...and avoided this whole thing..."

"You've never once kissed me back." Victor answered simply, catching the man off-guard. He gave a nervous smile, "And I didn't want to risk scaring you away by kissing you again myself...so I just went back to default, and decided to let you come to me instead. But you never did."

"I...I didn't...I don't..."

Victor just sighed, "Why are you still so afraid of me?"

Hazel eyes opened wide, "I'm not!"

"...Then...?"

Yuri could feel his heart throbbing in his chest, pounding so hard and fast that it practically vibrated inside him. His idol's expression was anxious, wanting but worried, but all Yuri could think of was all the lost opportunities, "...I've...wanted to, so many times..." He stuttered, twisting a little where he sat, feeling the man's hand sliding across his lower back as he moved, "Right after you knocked me over, I wished you'd kept on kissing me, so the whole world could see. I wanted to kiss you when you left in the middle of Rostelecom, but I got cold feet...so I thought I'd do it when I got home...only to fall apart again at the airport. The whole two weeks between Rostelecom and the Final, when we were trying to nail my quad Flip... At rink-side before my last Free Skate... In our room before the Banquet, then at the Banquet before Mila yelled at us... On the plane when we kissed each other's hands at the same time... I've wanted to..."

"Yuri...I'm right here. What are you still waiting for...?"

He squeaked nervously, noticing only then how close the Russian had gotten to him while he was busy babbling. All he could see was the one slate-blue eye peering at him, Victor's face already slightly tilted before him, but holding a few inches away. He could feel his lips tingling, even the warmth of every breath against his skin...but the noise in his mind was holding him back. He felt his hands twitch where he held them together in his lap, but then all the voices suddenly stopped. He felt clarity and peace, blissful silence in his anxious head, and he let himself lift the leg that had pressed up against his idol's, moving his knee just over that pale thigh so he could twist himself inward more comfortably. Water dripped from his fingers and wrist as he brought his trembling hand out of the water, hesitantly sliding it forward until he could feel the skin of the man's chest against his palm. He held still for a moment, looking on into that one visible blue eye...but when he saw Victor close it, he knew the moment had come. Yuri drew in a quick breath, and leaned that final inch forward, closing the gap between them...

...only to realize he hadn't moved his lips at all, and he'd effectively just squashed their faces together awkwardly. Embarrassed, Yuri pulled back again, keeping his eyes clenched shut to avoid the judging look he was sure to be getting, "I'm so sorry." He whined into the palms of his hands, "This is why I've always been single; I don't know...how to do anything right..."

"Yuri..." Victor said softly, "You're getting yourself too worked up. Is there something wrong...? ...Is it because it's me?"

Nearly sobbing but holding it in with every ounce of strength Yuri still had, he nodded and peered out between his fingers, "Everything about the idea of us makes me so happy, but I just... I can't...understand... Why me...?"

"Why not you?" Victor retorted, trying his best to soothe his terrified partner, "Are you too good for me?"

Yuri pulled his hands down instantly and gave quite the look, "Of course not! You're the one way out of my league!"

"If that's where we have to begin things..." Victor sighed, but tried to smile anyway, "Then let me reassure you. Whatever league you think I'm in, I've still been in love with you for a year now, waiting and dreaming that you'd come to me some day. Yuri Katsuki, you're the only thing I've been hoping for all this time. You'll break my heart if, after everything we've been through, you still think too highly of me to want me back."

Hearing those words broke Yuri's heart, and the tears let loose from his eyes, rolling down his cheeks.

The sight of it was startling, and at first, Victor felt a pit drop in his stomach. The personal fear he had, knowing he didn't know how to handle people who cried in front of him, made him worry he'd really messed everything up. However, even though it seemed like Yuri had been crying for hours in those few seconds, he watched one hand peel away from the younger man's face and reach for him. Victor took it gently in his fingers, and guided it over one shoulder, and soon, the other came with it.

Yuri kept his face down towards the water, but inch by inch, he made his way closer, until he could feel his side press against Victor's under the surface. He turned in place, feeling that continuing gentle guidance of fingers on his arms, moving down the lengths of them until he could feel palms cupping over his waist. He practically clung to Victor's chest then, keeping his head tucked under the man's chin, and swallowed the hard knot in his throat, "I wish...you could know how hard this is for me... To want something so badly, and be too scared to reach out for it at the same time, even when it's reaching back." He said, voice cracking slightly as he pressed his eyes to the crook of neck and shoulder, "To have looked up to you for so long, having always been too scared to even say hi to you...but always trying to catch up to you anyway..." He went on, digging deep for every ounce of courage he had just to lift his face, "...And maybe...it's because it is you... My hero, my idol, someone so precious to me that the idea of being with you makes me worry that I'd drag you down..."

"Let me lift you up then instead." Victor offered, "To take this further than just being your coach. You've impressed and enthralled me all this time... All I want is to spend the rest of my life with you... Is that too much to ask...?" He wondered, feeling a bit of hope as Yuri snuffled a laugh at that, even though he was still crying a little, "Let me be your first and only love. The one you share all of your firsts with; I already got your first kiss, didn't I?" He asked, seeing Yuri nod as he fought his tears, "Let me have all the rest then...and we can grow old together... We can share every sunrise, every sunset, as our bodies give out and we can't even skate anymore...we'll always have each other."

The pain in Yuri's throat intensified, but it wasn't from sorrow or shame anymore...it was from hope. He kept his hands on those broad shoulders and leaned back slightly, finally managing to look directly into those blue eyes, "I don't...even know what to s-say..." He stammered quietly, snuffling some, but smiling anyway, "Maybe I should...just ask you to..." He went on nervously, pausing for a moment to catch his breath before going on, "...Teach me how to kiss properly first...?"

Victor exhaled a relieved laugh, leaning forward to touch his brow to Yuri's, "It would be my pleasure." He answered easily, pulling one hand back from where he'd had it on the younger man's side that whole time, and brought it above the water. Thought it was dripping wet, he moved it closer, and cupped his palm over Yuri's cheek, using his thumb to gently wipe away the lingering tears. Those brown eyes with their faint reddish tint looked back at him, nervous but wanting, then closed, and Victor leaned in to close that last small gap between them.

Bliss.

The warmth of those lips was unlike anything Yuri had ever known. He'd gotten the most fleeting sample of it when Victor had bowled him over in China, but it was nothing compared to the moment he had now. Soft, patient, completely selfless; it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever known. All he wanted was for it to go on forever. Every slight turn, starting a new kiss from a different angle without ever really ending the first one; it was all so perfect. Victor backed off after a while just to give him a chance to catch his breath, but sitting in that warm water, with the feeling of velvet-soft skin brushing against his own, Yuri looked on that face with new eyes.

"Starting today...I'm your fiancé." Yuri said, his voice barely above a whisper, mimicking those words he'd heard nearly a year before.

Victor smiled brightly, his own eyes watering a little as the joy and relief of it all finally settled in. His hand went back under the water and maneuvered Yuri's legs over his lap to make the angle more comfortable, then replaced his fingers under the man's chin to draw him nearer, "That's just what I want to hear... But now," He said quietly, his trembling worry settling down finally, "Let me kiss you some more."

Yuri smiled, and all his nerves finally melted away...and he let himself become one with his fiancé's taste.