scribbling all day

“Everyone, I have some exciting news for you all today!” Yukizome announced to her class, getting most of the student’s attentions. She turned to the door to the classroom.

“You can come in now.” She said, presumably to whoever was standing outside of the classroom. The door slide open and in walked a male with brown hair and green eyes.

Wait, isn’t that… Chiaki had looked up from her game at Yukizome’s announcement, and her eyes widened as she realized who walked in.

“Everyone, meet your new classmate! Please, introduce yourself.”

“I’m Hinata Hajime. Nice to meet you all.” Hajime introduced himself.

“He’ll be joining us starting today. As for your seat, how about right next to Nanami-san?” Yukizome pointed to the seat right next to where Chiaki’s was. Hajime’s eyes widened slightly, but he nodded, moving to the seat and sitting down. He looked over at Chiaki and waved, smiling slightly. Chiaki returned his smile and wave.

I’m surprised he’s here but...I’m glad.

Once Yukizome had finished with her lecture, the rest of the class surrounded Hajime at his seat.

“You’re Hinata right? Nice to meet you!”

“It’s rare to get a new student at a time like this, but it’s nice that you’re here now!”

“You have a talent like us right? So then what is it?”

“Um...well…”

“Everyone! Not all at once, you’re overwhelming him!”

“Hey, Nanami. You know him right?”

“Hmm?” Chiaki looked up from her game to see the rest of the class staring at her from Fuyuhiko’s comment.

“Yeah, I met him on the first day of classes...I think.”

“You think?”

“Well...I’m not really sure about the day but it was around then, right Hinata-kun?” Everyone’s attention turned over to Hajime at her statement.

“Ah, yeah. It was around then. We meet when Yukizome was looking for the rest of the class, though at the time I wasn’t a part of the Main Course…” Everyone shared a look of confusion at the last part of the sentence.

“What do you mean?”   

“Well, I was part of the Reserve Course at the time, but they called me in a while ago and found out I had a talent and here I am now.” Hajime explained.

“So then what’s your talent?”

“Well, they don’t want me to tell you just yet. Something about them having to get all the paperwork and the like finalized before I can tell you all what it is. Even Yukizome doesn’t know what it is.” Everyone nodded in understanding at that.

“So you can’t tell them what your talent is?”

Hajime looked up from his game over at Chiaki. They were sitting at their usual spot by the fountain. He shook his head.

“No, I could, but I didn’t want to.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Because I wanted to tell you first.”

Chiaki looked over at Hajime at that statement, surprised. “Hinata-kun what-”

“Remember when we first meet here, and you told me that there’s more to life than just talent?” Chiaki nodded and Hajime smiled. “You were right Nanami. Talent really isn’t everything, since I had more freedom than any of you, but it allowed me the freedom to do this. And I’m grateful for that.”

Chiaki flushed at the comment, looking away a bit. “Hinata-kun...I didn’t really do anything you know, it was you that made the decision.”

“I only made it because of you. You were the one that said I have more freedom than the any of you, including our classmates. So I had the freedom to find what talent I have and to let it be known. Plus...I wanted to be someone you could be proud of…” Hajime trailed off at that last statement, cheeks flushed.

“Hinata-kun, I would’ve been proud of you no matter what, you know that, right?” Hajime nodded. “I am proud of you, for being able to find something you could do, and I’m glad you’re here now, with me and everyone else.”

“Nanami...thank you. I should tell you what my talent is now right?” Chiaki nodded.

“I’m the Super High School Level Counselor. Or something along those lines. Do you think it suits me?”

Chiaki nodded, grabbing one of Hajime’s hands.

Chapter 1: Wishing Too for Something New

“Detective Nikiforov speaking.”

“Ah, Victor. Good you’re there. Listen-”

“Chris, I’m not leaking police cases to you just because you need a new article.”

There’s something almost like a pout from the other end of the phone. “Why not? You’ve done it before, haven’t you?”

“Yes, and Yakov’s almost had my head from those times.” Victor sighed. “Plus there’s not much new happening around here.  It’s just the same old stuff.”

“Oh? Not even with that new kid showing up after Georgi left? What’s his name again... Leon or something, right?”

“It’s Leo, and that was nearly two months ago. Nothing’s changed since then! You would know this with how often you call, Chris.”   

“What, no new big cases or anything? There’s usually something like that happening around there, isn’t there?” Chris sounded like he was in disbelief.

“Yes, for once. The last one was the one that caused Georgi to leave the force finally. We all thought he would’ve left when Anya broke up with him, which was quite a surprise for how long he stayed.”

Chris hummed in agreement. “True, but surely something new has happened around the station, right? It can’t be as dead around there as you’re making it sound.”

“No, it’s just simple things that get taken care of in a day or two. It hasn’t been this dead since I joined all those years ago.” Victor sighed, running his free hand through his bangs. “What does it take to get something exciting to happen around here?”

Chris let out a chuckle at that. “Be careful what you wish for, Victor. You might just get something new to happen, saying things like that.”

“At this point, I’d take anything just so it wasn’t so slow around here.”

“Right. Anyways, my editor’s going to kill me if I stay on any longer instead of working, so I’ll talk to you later, hmm?”

“Of course you will. Who else is going to bug me for police cases to leak?”

Now that got a laugh out of Chris on the other end. “True, true. Toodles!”

Victor hung up once Chris had ended the call and sighed. Ever since the Henderson kidnapping case two months ago, it’s been simple cases like stolen cars or break ins that took little to no time to solve. Then again, said case had been stressful and took a lot out of everyone in the force; Georgi had finally resigned after it due to everything that went into solving that case. Thankfully, Leo de la Iglesia had joined the force shortly after Georgi left, and had inserted himself into the force quite nicely. He’d seen the boy talking to Mila on occasion and he appeared to be on nice terms with everyone else on the force, including Yakov. Then again, everyone was on good terms with Yakov, save for him it seemed. Possibly due to the older man being a family friend and had dealt with Victor’s antics for longer than necessary.

Though it was due in part to Yakov that Victor was a detective in the first place. Yakov and his father had been working together on the same police force since they were younger, so the two of them had been closer for quite a while. It was due in part to both of them that he had decided to go into the police force after all (to his father’s delight and Yakov’s displeasure, once Victor had gotten assigned to the same station as him). He’d been quite distant with his parents since arriving in the States, specifically Detroit. Technically, he could have been assigned anywhere, given his connections within the police, but there was just something about Detroit that kept him there since he arrived all those years ago.

Though what was keeping him here now? Considering how dead the department was since the last case had ended, it seemed like it was time to leave. He couldn’t just do that though, the people here were those he was close to and had known for years (plus Yakov would have his head for trying to leave without much of a reason), but it almost seemed too convenient to leave now. Besides, there was another reason he couldn’t leave.

“Victor!” His name being shouted, along with the accompanying slam of the door from the director’s office, pulled him out of his reverie. Standing there was a tall, older looking man with a grey fedora on his head, giving quite the glare at Victor. If he didn’t know any better, he would think he was in trouble, given how often Yakov was yelling at him, for one thing or another. However, this was different from the other times Yakov yelled at him, merely to get his attention.

“Ah, Yakov.” He said, looking at the man as he approached the silver haired detective's desk. “What is it this time? Surely not anything I’ve done, no?”

“For once,” Yakov huffed at him. “Yuratchka’s ballet class is almost over and Nikolai isn’t able to pick him up.”

Worry washed over Victor’s features. “Is he alright? It’s not his back again, is it?”

Yakov shook his head. “No, something about problems with his car. You’d be able to pick him up, wouldn’t you?”

Victor’s expression immediately brighten at that. “Pass out on seeing Yuri? As if I could say no to that!” He all but cooed out. He rarely got to see the younger teen who was practically family from how much they had seen each other, considering how close Yakov and his father were to Nikolai, Yuri’s grandfather.        

Yakov only nodded in reply. “Good, because I would’ve made you otherwise. You know what studio his lessons are at, right?”

Victor nodded, gathering his things and straightening up his desk. “Yes, you’ve only told me a dozen times or so. See you all tomorrow!” He called before leaving, earning a wave from both Leo and Mila.

Once outside, Victor unlocked and got into his car, started it and headed to the studio that Yuri took lessons at. He pulled up to the studio not more than fifteen minutes later, just as the first kids started to leave the building.

When he arrived inside, the studio seemed much bigger than it seemed from outward appearances. To the left side of the building was a hallway that lead to what seemed to be private rooms for either dancing or acting according to the signs there. To the right was a shop and in front was a hallway that lead to a main waiting area with open doors leading to actual rooms that looked like an actual studio. Many parents and young girls and boys were around in the main area, though peeking into one of the rooms revealed Yuri, changing out of his slippers to regular shoes. Said room was lined with many mirrors on one side, with bars on the other. Near Yuri was an older man, not too much younger than Victor, talking to him.

“Yuri! There you are!” Victor called, gather both the attention of Yuri and the other man, the former seeming annoyed and the latter appearing rather flustered as Victor approached them.

“Why are you here? Wasn’t Grandpa supposed to pick me up?” Yuri all but growled at, glaring at Victor.

“Yes, but he had some car troubles so Yakov asked me to pick you up in his stead.” Victor explained, to which Yuri only ‘tched’ at. Victor turned his attention to the man nearby, who seemed rather startled by him.

“Are you his instructor? I’m Victor Nikiforov, Yuri’s uncle of sorts.” He said, lips turning into a small smile, which the other returned, looking at him finally. He was Asian, having short black hair and brown eyes that seemed inviting.

“Ah, yes I am. I’m Yuuri Katsuki. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Nikiforov,” Yuuri introduced, holding out his hand in offering to Victor, who took it and shook it firmly; keeping eye contact with Yuuri.  

“Oi, don’t call yourself my uncle when you know that’s not true!” Yuri called, leaving the room to head to one of the changing rooms. Victor merely smiled at him, who only looked back in annoyance, before turning back to Yuuri.     

“I’m surprised to see you. Usually Yuri’s grandfather comes to pick him up from lessons.” Yuuri said, to which Victor only nodded at.

“He usually does, but like I said, he had car troubles today.” Victor replied. “They’re becoming more and more often it seems; he probably should replace that old car of his.”

Yuuri let out a small laugh at that. “Yes, he probably should. I’ve seen it a few times around here. It really is an old thing, isn’t it?” It was surprising to hear Yuuri laugh, but it was soft and comforting for whatever reason. Victor wouldn’t mind hearing it more often.

“Hey, Victor let’s go. I’m ready.” Yuri called from the doorway to the studio room, out of his dance clothes into a hoodie and jeans, tapping his foot impatiently.

“Just a minute, Yuri!” He responded back, turning over his shoulder to tell him, before turning his attention back to Yuuri. “Better go before he gets too angry, a grumpy Yuri is no fun.”

“Yeah, he isn’t. He gets that way sometimes during lessons, but he’s really a natural at it. Did he take ballet before this?”

Victor shrugged. “I think he did. Something one of his skating instructors recommended to help with his flexibility or something along those lines.”

“I see. He does have the makings of a skater, or a ballerina if he wanted to. It’s just something I’ve noticed from watching him during class.” Yuuri commented, to which Victor nodded at.

“Oi, Victor!”

Victor sighed, it was time to go. “I better leave now, lest he drag me out.” He smiled at Yuuri once more. “It was nice to meet you, Yuuri. Maybe we’ll meet again.”

Yuuri returned his smiled with a small nod and a soft look in his eyes. “Maybe. It was nice to meet you too.”

Victor nodded once more before turning to leave, Yuri following beside him in silence before getting into the car with him.

“Your instructor seemed nice, Yuri.” Victor commented, trying to get a conversation started.

“Yeah, he is.” Yuri replied, looking out the window. “He’s nice to everyone in class, even me despite the glares and yelling.”

Victor let out a small laugh at that. “Well, it’s nice to know that. Though we wouldn’t have you any other way, glares, yelling and all.”

“S-shut up!” Yuri yelled, his tone stubborn and betraying the small flush forming. Victor let the subject drop, letting Yuri go on about cats and tigers before dropping him off at his home and exchanging a few words with Nikolai before returning to his apartment, a large brown dog greeting him.

“Good to see you too, Makkachin.” He cooed to the dog, who happily barked in return. He moved to sit on the couch, Makkachin resting in his lap. Who would’ve thought the day would turn out like this? He was very much looking forward to meeting Yuuri again, whenever that would be. Maybe he should talk to Nikolai about picking up Yuri form his lessons more often.

Either way, it was something he was looking forward to; something new and exciting.

Later that evening, Yuuri was still in the studio despite having closed only a few minutes ago. He was running through some basic steps before the door to his room opened, a younger Asian man walking in, who smiled at him.

“Still working late, Yuuri?” He asked, to which Yuuri only nodded at.

“Like I do anything else, Phichit. I need it more than ever right now.” Yuuri responded, to which Phichit nodded to.

“Speaking of, Guang-hong’s almost done with the outfit. It should be done by tomorrow, if not the next day.” Phichit explained, while Yuuri continued through his movements.

“And the floorplans?”

“Already downloaded and examined. It should be easy since it’s only a basic layout. Plus, our prize isn’t that well guarded.” Yuuri only hummed in agreement.

“Everything seems to be going smoothly. We’ll be able to proceed according to schedule. Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be Phichit.” Yuuri’s voice was laced with confidence and determination. His eyes no longer held the softness and vulnerability that they did before, replaced with hardness and a sharpness that wasn’t there before.

“You do remember the risks with this, right? If this fails…”

“I know Phichit. But what other choice do I have? This is something I have to do, you know.”

“I know, I’m just worried about you Yuuri. Even if I have the utmost faith in this plan and everyone we have working with us on this. It’s only natural to be worried.” Phichit said, concern in his voice.

“It’ll be fine Phichit. I trust you and everyone else. We’ll do this and it’ll all work out. Just have faith in us, okay?”

Phichit nodded, a smile on his face.

“I’m here to protect you too, Yukiko!”

“...Thanks Chie. You really are my Prince after all…”

Was Yukiko being serious with her words? Sure, back when they had gone to rescue her from the TV World all those months ago, her shadow had called her a prince, a prince that could take her away, or something like that.

Truthfully, it had made her happy that Yukiko called her a prince. She was strong like one of them, and she had always been there for Yukiko when she needed it, so she wanted it to mean something.

It didn’t help that all those months ago, when Yukiko was kidnapped, Chie realized that her feelings for Yukiko went beyond those of friendship. She didn’t want to say anything, not until they had caught the killer, which they had done only days ago. Yukiko had said those words when they had been split up from the others, and Chie had felt so happy and proud that those words had been spoken to her. That her best friend and the person she cared about the most could say those words to her, and mean it. Well, at least she thought Yukiko had meant it, or at least there was more meaning there.

She’d gone to help from Souji when she was struggling with her feelings, and told her to trust herself and Yukiko. That if Yukiko cared for her in the same way, then she had nothing to fear. Still, the fear was there that Yukiko wouldn’t feel the same way, but since that day the two of them had become closer in a way than before. She’d been able to be more open with Yukiko, and she had been doing the same, so could it mean something more than friendship?

Chie hoped so. She really had hoped so.

So she had asked for Yukiko to come over, because she had resolved herself that after they caught the murder, that she would confess her feelings for Yukiko. There was nothing to fear, if what Souji said was right. And if not well, she didn’t want to think about what would happen otherwise.

There was a knock on her bedroom door and she moved from her position on the bed to open it, revealing Yukiko smiling at her.

“Hey Chie. You said in your text you wanted to talk?”

“Ah, yeah. Come in, make yourself at home.” Chie moved away from the door to let Yukiko in as she walked over through the room to sit on the bed, looking at Chie. She closed the door and sat next to Yukiko, who was looking at her expectantly.

“So what did you want to talk to me about Chie?” Yukiko asked.

“Ah, well about that…” Chie trailed off, feeling her cheeks heat up a bit. She could do this, everything was going to be fine, she was strong enough to do this.

“You remember how you, or well, your Shadow had called me your prince right?” A nod.

“And you’ve been calling me at as well, so…”

“Has it been bothering you?” Yukiko interrupted. “I can stop calling you that if you want me to.”

“No, no it’s fine!” Chie waved her hands frantically as if to clear up the misunderstanding. “It’s just…” She took in a deep breath before continuing.

“I want to call myself your prince for real. I want to be able to protect you and be with you.” She reached over and took one of Yukiko’s hand in her own and squeezed it. “I love you Yukiko and want to be by your side as your prince, for as long as you’ll let me.”

“Chie…” Yukiko squeezed her hand back and when Chie looked at her, she was smiling with flushed cheeks. “I’ve been wanting to hear you say that for a while now. I love you too, my prince.”

Chie smiled back, face flushed as she moved her other hand to stroke Yukiko’s cheek. “Can I kiss you?” She asked, voice light with a hint of nervousness.

Yukiko nodded and Chie captured her lips in a soft kiss, eyes fluttering shut. Yukiko’s lips were soft, pressing back against hers when she did, a bit tentatively, but gentle as well. The two broke apart, faces flushed but smiling at each other, with all the warmth in the world.

“I love you Chie.”

It’s surprising in some ways just how many people he realizes that care about him. Sure, he’s always known that his parents and sister cared for him, along with Minako, but it wasn’t something he could really say he knew just how much that meant until a year ago. Yuuko, Takeshi and the rest of the Nishigori family had been there was well and he was lucky to count them among the friends and family he’d gained. Phichit and the other skaters had slowly worked their way into that circle as well.

It’s funny, Yuuri muses, curled up to Victor one morning, that he’s gained so much over the past year. He knows that Victor feels the same, considering how little time it took for his family to warm up to him after he showed up that fateful day in April.

“Oi, lovebirds. Get your asses out of bed and start making breakfast, I’m hungry.”

Yuuri looks over to the doorway to see Yuri standing there, dressed and looking annoyed at them. The teen had been staying over with them since Yuuri had moved to St. Petersburg, albeit with some reluctance at first. Plus in some ways it made it easier for them all to get up for practice.

“Someone’s eager to start the day,” Yuuri teases as Yuri goes red with embarrassment.

“Well if I don’t tell you two to get ready, you never will,” Yuri retorts back. Yuuri laughs and nudges at Victor.

“Victor, wake up. We have practice soon.”

“Mmmhhh...Five more minutes Yuuri,” Victor whines, cuddling close to him. Yuuri laughs at his fiance’s antics and Yuri is making gagging noises.

“Tch, if you two aren’t going to make breakfast then I guess I’ll have to.” Yuri shoots them a look before sulking off to the kitchen. Yuuri watches him leave and snuggles in closer to Victor.

After dragging themselves out of bed and having breakfast courtesy of Yuri (who kept telling them to stop being so disgusting this early in the morning with a somewhat amused face), they all manage to make it to the rink in time for practice. Georgi and Mila are already there, along with Yakov.

Practice goes as smoothly as it can, even with Yuuri and Victor being so affectionate towards each other (with Yuri telling them to get a room already while Georgi and Mila looked on in amusement, they’ve gotten used to it already), their programs are coming together and Yuuri’s quad flip is only getting cleaner. Yuri’s step sequences have finally started to improve, one would think that Yuuri was helping him with that (to which Yuri denies, even if he is the reason they’re starting to look better), Georgi’s no longer mooning about Anya and even Mila joins in on teasing Yuuri and Victor about their relationship, much to Yuri’s cargin.

It’s one of those days that leads to all five of them gathering in Yuuri and Victor’s apartment for dinner, Yuri yelling at them every few minutes to keep their hands to themselves and focus on the food, laughing over bad jokes and stories from their years on and off the rink and maybe getting a little out of hand with drinking, though not too badly.

It’s funny how close they’ve all become in such a short time. A year ago Yuuri would have never thought he’d be in the place he was at, surrounded by his idol and fiance’s rink mates, all of whom cared about him albeit in their own ways. Yuri still yells at them when they get too affectionate, but there’s more often than not a smirk on his face when he does so, Mila teases them but with a look on her face that says she’s glad for them and Georgi seems to have moved on from his old ideas of love thanks to them.

“I would have never thought that we’d become this close, in all the years that I’ve know them,” Victor says to him that night after they’ve left, curled up to Yuuri in their bed, Makkachin asleep by their feet.

“Neither would I; I mean, I owe a lot of things that I have in my life to you right now.” He confesses, a smile on his face. “I never imagined that we’d be this close, and I’m grateful for it.  We’ve opened up each other into our families and become each other’s. I’m glad we’re where we are Victor.”

“So am I Yuuri, so am I.”

It’s a realization he only comes to after being in America.

While he loves Japan and his hometown, there are some things that they are a bit behind on. It’s only after he comes to Detroit that he realizes what that feeling had been, that weird discomfort of when people made sexual jokes or talk about anything involving the subject. The laughs and waving off of when others asked him if he’d do someone, showing him a picture of said person in question.

Yuuri was asexual.

It felt right. Back at home, he never could understand people wanting to be that close to someone (other than for the obvious reasons, he understood that it was necessary for reproduction reasons), even if people had said that he’d understand later, that he’d eventually feel that way in his life. Yuuri just couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that the main thing you could want in a relationship was to have sex. Even if he didn’t have that much experience with romance other than his one sided crush on Yuuko, he couldn’t ever see that being the most important thing with romance and relationships.

It was okay that he felt differently, there were other people out there that understood; Phichit had been the first person he told after looking it up one day in their dorm room. Phichit simply smiled and hugged him, saying he was happy for Yuuri, that he understood what he meant. While he hadn’t told his parents in person; he’d brought it up during one of his regular phone calls with his parents, his mother had cried but said she was happy for him and that no matter what she would still love him. Yuuko and the rest of the Nishigori family had been told by his family under his own request, and they understood as well. Minako had learned the same night of the rest of his family, and while she had wished to hear it from him, she was glad for him.

Thus he accepted it and told himself that everything would be okay.

That is, until one Victor Nikiforov had shown up naked in his family’s hot springs, declaring himself as Yuuri’s coach and things went from peaceful to chaotic.

Yuuri’s not exactly sure how things ended up like this, but suddenly having your childhood idol (and not to mention crush) show up like this, it’s a lot for the mind to wrap around.

One thing he’s learned in that time is that Victor can be extremely clingy and affectionate. The first time they really get to talk Victor’s running his hand down his arm to hold his hand, holding his chin with his other and looking straight at him. Yuuri can’t help but back away not only from shock and the level of intimacy, but for the other pressing issue.

Ever since finding out he was asexual, physical contact became a bit of a struggle. Phichit throwing an arm around him casually and the casual hugs was something that took awhile to get used to, and his family while they love him, keeps their distance. It’s something he’s had to accept as them trying to be understanding, plus he’s always been a bit hesitant with physical contact even before finding out he was asexual.

But with Victor, personal space doesn’t even seem to exist. He’s lost track of how many requests he’s turned down of asking to sleep together (besides the obvious implications, there’s the box of posters hidden under his bed and he’d rather die than have Victor find them), acted like he was burned every time Victor touched him and having to avert his eyes whenever they were in the hot springs.

It gets worse when Yuri Plisetsky shows up, Onsen on Ice is to happen and he’s been given the task to skate to eros, a song about sexual love. Yuuri wants to die right then and there on the spot, but if he’s going to have Victor as his coach, he needs to be able to skate to it. Even after he finds his inspiration in the form of pork cutlet bowls (he still can’t believe he said that, but it is one of the few things that causes him to stop thinking rationally), he just can’t get into the role of the story he came up with. It’s just not him, and probably never will be.

But he can act, pretend that it’s him, and with Minako’s help he’s able to get closer to how he feels and is able to pull it off. He can hide it, pretend like he understands it, play the role that he feels most comfortable with, and is rewarded with Victor staying to be his coach.

It doesn’t mean that Victor’s laid off with the affection, heck if anything he’s gotten more affectionate since Yuri left. It starts to become too much and he starts avoiding him if just to keep himself in check. That day at the beach, he opens up a bit about it, but not the full truth, but just enough that he hopes Victor will understand.

He seems to get it, the affection is still there, but it’s less and enough for him to manage. Maybe if things continue like this, it’ll all be okay.

Months later, Yuuri still hasn’t told him, even now that they’re in a relationship.

They haven’t had a chance to really talk about it, after the kiss in China all they had done was sleep, just sleep with each other due to Yuuri’s exhaustion from the day’s events. Even when they came back, they’d gone right back to training and while Yuuri’s gotten used to the hand holding and hugs, he’s scared to death if thing might come to anything more.

It all comes to a head one night after Rostelecom.

They’d started out sitting on Yuuri’s bed, talking and hold hands until Victor had placed his hand on Yuuri’s cheek, turn his head to face his and kissed him. Yuuri’s surprised a bit by it, but returns the kiss regardless and it’s when Victor’s got him pinned to the bed that things start to go off the rails. There’s a tongue prodding at his lips, which he lets in, a hand running down his sides and when it starts going towards his thighs does Yuuri jerk his head to the side breaking the kiss and trying to keep his breathing under control. Deep breaths, he tells himself, trying not to panic but it’s hard not to, he can’t break down like this, not in front of Victor.

“Yuuri?” There’s a concern in his voice that makes Yuuri just want to tell him to leave him alone so he can deal with this, but he’ll want to know what this is about. So he tries to get his breathing back to normal, mumbling out an “I’m fine” once he can feel like he can talk without gasping for breath.

Victor helps him sit up, giving his hand a soft squeeze, the other hand resting on his back. “Breath Yuuri, breath,” he says, “It’s okay, everything’s fine.”

Yuuri nods, counts in his head as he breaths, in out in out, and once he can breathing normally again he looks at Victor, who has a look of confusion and concern across his face.

“Are you okay?” he asks and Yuuri nods.

“Y-Yeah I just, freaked out there for a bit.” he replies, squeezes Victor’s hand back. “I’m fine, sorry for making you worry.”

“Yuuri...Did I do something wrong?”

“What? No, no you didn’t it’s just…” he sighs, he probably should have told Victor this from the start.

“It’s just that...I’m asexual so…” he trails off and looks off to the side, not trusting himself to meet Victor’s eyes right now.

“So it was too much for you right?” He looks back over at Victor, a look of understanding on his face.

“Yeah. I probably should have told you sooner but there was never a good time for it…” He pauses and takes a breath before continuing. “I’m fine with everything we’ve done up till now but that was...just too much. I can handle the hand holding, hugs and the like but the touching is...just a bit too much.” Victor bring his hand to Yuuri’s check to bring their foreheads to rest against each other, a small smile on his face.

“It’s okay Yuuri, I probably should have asked beforehand. We’ll go at your pace, and if it becomes too much we’ll stop. I don’t want to overwhelm you. Alright?”

It feels like a dream too good to be true. But he knows it’s true if only by the pounding of his heart. The Grand Prix Finals are over, he’s gotten silver, he’s staying in for another season at least (which could be more, if Victor has anything to say about it) with Victor as his coach still, Victor is coming back for another season, they’ve pair skated for Yuuri’s exhibition gala performance and most important is that he and Victor are engaged. It all feels almost too good to be true that all of this is happening.

Which is why he’s waiting for it all to come falling down.

He can’t help it; despite all the proof around him of all that has happened and is yet to happen, there’s still a part of him that’s waiting for reality to come crashing down. It’s irrational and he knows it, but his anxiety has always made it this way. He’s come to live with it, but right now with everything seeming so perfect, it feels like it’ll all fall away to nothingness and that the past year would have never happened.   

The sound of the shower being turned off pulls him out of his thoughts and he looks over at where the bathroom is to see Victor coming out, dawned in a bathrobe. Yuuri feels his cheeks darken, despite having seen Victor naked several times since they meet all those months ago he’s still not used to it, or it’s just a natural response to this situation.

“The bathroom’s all yours when you’re ready for it Yuuri,” Victor says, running a hand through his still drying hair and Yuuri makes a sound of nonchalant from his position on the bed.

“Yuuri?” Victor asks, coming closer to their beds that they’d pushed together since they got here and he can hear the concern in Victor’s voice. He doesn’t want to worry him, say that everything’s fine, but that’s not how this is supposed to work. They’re supposed to be open with each other -when I open up to him, he meets me where I am- rings in his head, it just their unwillingness to be honest with each other, that’s what had caused their falling out a few days ago. They couldn’t keep things like this, they needed to be able to just talk.

“Is this all really happening?”

So he just lets out what’s been on his mind, probably since Victor arrived.

“What?”

“I mean, this is real, right? The last eight months haven’t been a dream or something? I really got silver, you’re coming back to competitive skating along with being my coach, us pair skating, us being together and engaged.” It all comes out, all the worries from the past few days, months even, but it’s out there in the open and all he can hope is the Victor understands what he’s trying to say.

He feels the bed dip and turns to see Victor there, arms coming to wrap around him (his own come to wrap around in return), a small smile on his face.

“Yes, this is all happening moya lyubov. It’s all real, it’s all happened and there’s more to come.” The words are light and almost playful, but most of all reassuring. Yuuri snuggles a bit closer to Victor, the words ringing in his mind.

“I...I know that. I just...can’t help but think that this has all been a dream and that one minute it’ll all be done, as if it never happened, you know?”

Victor hums in understanding.

“I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t be thinking like this, but it almost feels too much, too good to be true. I just want this to be real and true, and not something  that’ll slip away if given the chance.”

A hand comes to rest of his cheek, turning his head to meet Victor’s, the smile from before slightly bigger.

“Yuuri,” he begins, voice soft with all the understanding in the world. “It’s okay, I know you get like this sometimes, all anxious and worried.”

Yuuri nods slightly.

“This is not going to go away anytime soon, I can promise you that.” The other hand comes to take his, the one with his ring and soon he feels Victor plant a kiss to said ring. “Everything over the past eight months has been leading up to this. This is only the beginning of everything else. Let us not speak of endings when we’re only beginning moya lyubov.”

Yuuri smiles at that, planting a kiss on Victor’s check.

“You’re right, I’m just overthinking as usual.” Victor hums at that, squeezing Yuuri’s hand slightly.  “I know this is real, that everything has happened and we have the rest of our lives to think about, on and off the ice.” He’s granted a chuckle at that, Yuuri’s not good at addressing their personal relationship that much. “Our rings are a sign of that, a sign to a hope of a future that both of us want, right?”

Victor nods.

“Yes, you’re right. No matter what’s happened, it’s happened and will stay that way. We can only hope that the rest of what we want will go as planned. You don’t regret anything that’s happened that’s lead up till now, right Yuuri?”

Yuuri thinks for a moment. Sure, there are some things that could have gone better (like their first meeting, he still can’t believe he did that, even with all the pictures), but is there anything he really regrets?

“Not really, other than telling you to go back to ice while I was going to retire. I shouldn’t have done that, I was being too selfish like you said.” Victor opens his mouth to speak, but Yuuri places a finger over his lips, silencing him. “It all worked out though, and other than that there’s nothing I regret. If anything, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant we’d end up right back here.”

Victor smiles at him, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“I agree. Now, rest up moya lyubov. We have only the hopeful future waiting for us.”

“Even if we’re apart, my heart will always be by your side.”

Those were the words that Victor had left him with before he left to go back to Japan to check on Makkachin. Even if he had told him to go back, it still did hurt having to be apart from him, even if it was only going to be for a few days. He would be able to do this, he could skate on his own, and he would get to the Grand Prix Finals. Simple, right?

Warming up had been fine, even if it was a bit awkward since Yakov didn’t really talk to him. He was probably more concerned with Yuri, his actual student and not playing coach via Victor’s request. He wasn’t supposed to skate till the end anyways. But the other skaters trying their best and after seeing how hard Yuri had pushed himself during his free skate, it was causing him to worry, thankfully not as much back at the Cup of China.

Still, he was used to having Victor there to reassure him before he went on, it felt like there was a void in his heart or something along those lines. He could feel his vision starting to wobble, it was just like before the Onsen on Ice competition all those months ago. No, focus, he told himself, trying to get himself back together. You can do this, you just need to end in fourth or higher you have a chance. Calm down and focus!

He had managed to pull himself together enough; enough to get to the Grand Prix even if it was by the skin of his teeth. Barely, but he was going. It felt like a huge deal of pressure was off of his back now, but there was no one around to feel that same amount of relief, even with his hugging spree from earlier (they’d all given him weird looks after he’d calmed down, but at least they could understand why). He missed him. He missed Victor, no matter how much he tried to tell himself otherwise. Even Yuri had noticed, who was still mad at him for his hugging spree from earlier.

He couldn’t help it, he’d grown used to the other’s presence in his life. To have that all removed from him even if he had told him to go back didn’t lessen that longing that had been there ever since they had parted ways. I want to be by his side, for as long as I can, Yuuri thought to himself as the plane had left Moscow. Maybe even longer if possible… The whole thought Yuuri had moved in and out of sleep, but all he could think about was what the future would hold for him and Victor, as student and coach and as lovers.

I have a lot I want to tell you Victor...What do I say first? Yuuri thought, walking through the International Terminal of Fukuoka Airport. Was anyone going to be here for him? It was late after all. Then there’s a bark, a familiar one at that. Makkachin… his mind registers, and if that’s true then…

He doesn’t finish the thought, all he can see is Victor, sitting on the other side of the glass, looking exhausted with Makkachin nearby and then they’re running, nothing daring to take their eyes off of each other. Once the doors open, he wastes no time particularly falling into Victor’s open embrace. It’s only been a few days, yet it feels like it’s been longer, but it feels warm, comforting and mostly like home.

“Yuuri. I’ve been thinking about what I can do from now on, as your coach.” he hears Victor murmur. At least he wasn’t the only one thinking about what would happen to them.

“Me too.” Before he can lose his nerve, he pushes himself away from Victor to look him in the eyes. “Please take care of me until I retire.” It’s the honest truth, it’s what he wants and he can only hope that the feeling is mutual.

Victor takes his hand, kisses it and Yuuri can feel his heart soar. “It almost sounds like a marriage proposal.”

Yuuri feels his cheeks get warmer and his eyes widen slightly in realization. Victor’s not wrong per say, but he wasn’t sure he would get what he was saying. He won’t take his words back though, it’s the truth after all.

They embrace again and when Victor whispers in his ear, “I wish you’d never retire.” Yuuri feels the tears well up and threaten to slip out. Victor’s implying that he wants to be by his side for longer than that, forever even. It’s almost too much to imagine, almost too overwhelming, but after only a few days apart it’s what he wanted to hear. There’s nowhere else he can imagine other than being by Victor’s side.

“Let’s win gold together at the Grand Prix Finals.” he manages to get out through his tears and he feels Victor nod in response. Makkachin’s whining pulls them out of their little world, and going back to retrieve their bags, they’re in a taxi headed back home.

Home. That place had been changing over the past few years, it was Detroit for a time and now it was back in Hasestu. Now more than ever it also meant being with Victor, home really is where the heart is they say. When they get back to his home, no one’s awake considering the hour so the two creep upstairs as quietly as possible.

“As much as I want to be with you, we need to get our rest, we have a lot ahead of us.” Victor says as they approach their rooms. Yuuri reaches out and grabs Victor’s arm as the other turns to his own room. “Yuuri?”

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

The request surprises the both of them, Victor more so than himself, but he smiles and leads Yuuri into his room, the two of them removing their coats and settling into bed. Makkachin rests at the foot of the bed as the two of them curl up to each other, not letting any distance remain between them. They’ve been apart for so long it seems that it feels almost natural how easy it is to be this close to each other.

The first surprise comes a decade before they meet.

It all starts when Yuuko puts on one of his performances after skating one day. Takeshi is ignoring them as usual, but he can’t bring himself to tear his eyes from the skater on screen.

“That’s Victor Nikiforov!” Yuuko exclaims. “He won the gold in the Junior World with the highest score in history!”

Victor Nikiforov...Yuuri can’t help but keep his eyes glued to the screen. There’s something about the way he moves, the way he jumps that captivates him. It’s enough of a feeling that causes a gasp of surprise and wonder to escape him.

From then on, Victor becomes an important part of his life. Yuuko and him spend hours copying his routines, they spend their allowances buying posters and magazines with articles about him; one of which causes him to get a poodle of his own which he names after said skater, Vicchan for short.

Yuuko’s not wrong when she says he really likes him. It’s been one surprise after another, and he’s enjoyed it all.

Someday, he’ll skate on the same ice as him. He’s looking forward to it.

The next surprises come hours apart from each other.

The Sochi Grand Prix Final arrives and the results are as expected. Victor wins gold yet again, with Christophe Giacometti getting silver and Jean-Jacques Leroy getting bronze.

As for Yuuri...it’s an utter defeat. Fifteen points behind the other finalists, all due to his usual anxiety, stress eating before and his dog dying.

Fate has not been kind to Katsuki Yuuri, and it only gets worse, or better depending on your sense of humor.

Sure, it’s humiliating to get yelled at by a fourteen year old Russian Punk, who has to stand on his tiptoes to yell at you, but it’s got nothing on how the meetings with his idol are to go.

Newscaster Morooka comes up to him as he and Celestino are leaving, telling him not to give up. After this season, that almost seems to be what he should do. How is he supposed to recover from a defeat like this?

“Yuri.”

He turns only to see Victor talking to the other Yuri. He shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up, today was already enough of a disappointment, he didn’t need another reminder.

Maybe I was just hoping for too much thinking I could catch up like this...but the chance was there… he sighed to himself. It wasn’t like this was the first time those thoughts had come up, but with his idol right there he couldn’t help but think like that. And said idol seemed to have notice him, turning around and with a smile on his face, “Commemorative photo? Sure!”

Yuuri couldn’t help but gasp and turn around, watching the other way. Sure he had wanted to meet his idol but not after what had happened. Not after a defeat like that, and not especially with the same intentions as a fan. He wanted to stand as equals with him. But that was too much to hope for wasn’t it?

Later that night at the banquet, while Yuuri drank to forget about the previous few hours (and everything else that had happened), Victor was socializing with the other skaters that were there and the sponsors, most of them congratulating him on his victory. He simply smiled and accepted the thanks. It almost seemed expected for him to win, and while it was nice to win, it didn’t seem to mean anything anymore. No matter what happens, no one’s surprised with what he does. He almost didn’t want to come tonight, the banquet’s are all the same.

Though when someone points out how drunk a certain skater looks, maybe it was a good idea he came.

He recognizes him, Katsuki Yuuri. He finished sixth and had walked away from his offer of a photo. His skating wasn’t bad, but he had stumbled a lot, but his step sequences had caught his eye; along with his offer of a photo being rejected.

Well this is certainly unexpected, he thinks with a smile as he takes out his phone. It’s not everyday that someone gets drunk at an event like this. Yuuri stumbles around before his eyes seem to fall on one Yuri Plisetsky (who was nearby on his phone as well taking photos; he might be a bit of an angry kitten but this had to have caught his attention as well) and challenges him to a dance off. Yuri looks almost offended at such a request, but complies anyways. They’re gathering much more attention, he can spy Chris taking photos as well, along with some of the other finalists.

The next couple of events happen in what seems like a blur, one minute the two Yuris are having a dance battle, the next Chris and Yuuri are pole-dancing half naked (apparently Chris had been challenged as well, or had wanted to get in on the action as well, when was there a pole in the banquet hall anyways?) and then Yuuri is latched onto him with Yuri looking mortified and Chris is looking on in amusement. He can catch a string of slurred Japanese coming from the other’s mouth, but the one thing he hears clear is in English as Yuuri jumps at him, a half-drunk and half-heartfelt plea of “Be my coach, Victor!”

Katsuki Yuuri is a man of surprises he can tell, if the forming blush and the gasp he lets out says anything.

It’s months later that the two begin to surprise each other yet again.

Nationals come and while Yuuri fails horribly and moves back to Japan as a result, Victor crushes the Russian Nationals, European and World Championships. Shortly after the end of Worlds, a video goes viral and everyone is telling Victor to watch it; his name was mentioned several times as the video spread over social media.

So one afternoon he watches with Makkachin curled up in his lap said video, and it then that he realizes that what he had thought after the banquet was true.

‘Katsuki Yuuri Tried to Skate Victor’s Free Skate Stay Close to Me’ is the video in question and it is an exact copy of his program. He knew that Yuuri hadn’t gotten to Worlds or the Four Continents, yet here he was, perfectly replicating his program even if he was slightly out of shape. Yet he was good, and this only proved it more. Yuuri had the skills needed, so why wasn’t he at either championship?

It was then and there that he decided he was going to Hasetsu; Yuuri had asked him to be his coach and he couldn’t forget that (plus with how utter enamored he was with him; Chris hadn’t stopped teasing him about that shortly after the banquet when Yuuri hadn’t tried to contact him)

Which had lead to Yuuri being greeted one April morning to snow in the beginning of spring, a very affectionate poodle greeting him when he was to snovel said snow and…

“Victor...why are you here?”

One Victor Nikiforov, naked in his family’s hot springs, declaring that he was to be his coach and help him win the Grand Prix Finals.

If this didn’t say that Victor would keep surprising him, then he wasn’t sure what else would.

Over the course of the next few months, that seemed to have been the understatement of the year.

Shortly after Victor had showed up, Yuri Plisetsky had arrived as well, demanding for Victor to come back to Russia to be his coach and then the Nishigori triplets had proposed a competition between the two Yuris to see which one of them could impress Victor more. Simple it seemed, yet Victor had assigned from him to skate to Eros (and Yuri to Agape) surprising him yet again. A program meant to portray sexual love could he even do that? If he was going to keep Victor as his coach, he was going to have to.

Even with his inspiration for Eros found, it still wouldn’t be easy. Yuri was more technically sound of the two and he was still having trouble nailing his quad salchow even with Yuri’s help. Yet Victor had said that he just needed to have confidence in himself and that was what he was here to do. He needed to win, he wanted to keep Victor around.

It’s a win by both equal parts skill and performance. He was worried that not landing the salchow cleanly would cause him to lose, yet it was enough. Declaring that he’d try to win the Grand Prix Final with Victor as his coach.

Even a week later the shock of winning and having Victor around as his coach hadn’t left.  It still felt like a dream in some ways that he was here teaching him, but he was going to take advantage of it for as long as he could.

Even then it’s still a surprise of how little the two know each other. It’s been a month since Victor arrived and sure, they’re learning about each other bit by bit but it’s a sore spot when Victor brings up the topic of lovers, which results in him shutting him out for the rest of the day and brings them to the beach the next day.

It takes a lot of courage to be able to open up about his doubts and shortcomings, and it’s just as much of a surprise to Victor as it is to himself. “You’re not weak Yuuri. No one else thinks that either,” is what Victor tells him and he’s surprised by both that statement and Victor’s offer to be his lover. He just wants Victor to be himself, he doesn’t need him to be anyone else but himself.

And if anything, the head poke is a surprise that he just did that. Maybe he just needed a physical confirmation but this is real and is happening.

The Chugoku-Shikoku-Kyushu Championships come and with more surprises such as the hug before his short program, cheering for Minami, his program having all the original jumps (even if he had gotten a lecture about that afterwards, especially for hitting his face in the barrier), Victor wordlessly signaling for a hug and dodging said hug, but by far the biggest one is during the press conference and announcing his theme.

It’s both equal parts a confession and admission to himself about how he feels about love. It was something he knew that was around him, but never could really realize until Victor had showed up. His family and friends were people he knew that he loved, but it was surprising to figure out that he could count Victor among them and perhaps even more than that. Maybe he was in love with him, but who could really say at this point if that was what this feeling was.

All he wanted at this point was to prove that he could win at the Grand Prix Finals, with Victor at his side.

The Cup of China comes with some of the biggest surprises.

Phichit getting carried away with social media and posting a rather risque photo of him and Victor the day before the Short Program is something he’s come to expect from his best friend and former roommate. It’s more amusing if anything in some ways (other than that people might be thinking they were fooling around the day before)  

Coming in first after the Short Program is the real surprise of that day. He was half-expecting Chris to catch up and overtake him but that doesn’t happen. All he knows is that he’s in first going into the Free Skate and that his anxiety and nerves are acting up more than ever. He can’t let them get the better of him now, lest it reflect on Victor as a coach, so he needs to keep it together.

It’s then that he learns just how inexperienced Victor is as a coach. Sure he tries to do everything he can to keep him from having a full blown attack, but even then he goes too far to the point of him crying and having to tell Victor what he needs. He forgives him anyways if the head poke before he goes out to skate says anything.

The crying planted a strange seed of calmness in his body as he begins his program. He feels a lot better after it, and the look on Victor’s face when he had cried causes a smile to creep up on his face. It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that Victor doesn’t know what to do as his coach when his mental health starts acting up, but it doesn’t mean that he can’t scold his coach a bit before he lands his quad salchow.

It’s when he does his triple flip that the thought pops into his head. What if he changed the last quad to a flip? How would Victor react? Even if he’s exhausted from his lack of sleep, he wants to be able to surprise his coach, to be able to surpass his wildest imagination that gives him the strength to push into a quad flip, even if he goes falling down afterwards.   

He finishes and all he can do is scan the rink to see Victor’s reaction. Was he crying, mad? What did he think? He spots him with his hands covering his face before he moves to run over to the kiss and cry. He skate over, his arms out, smile on his face. “Victor! I did great, right?”

One minute Victor is there, a smile on his face and the next he throws himself at Yuuri, arms coming to wrap around and their lips meeting in a kiss. He sees Victor’s eyes flutter shut beforehand but he can only keep his open and before he knows it they’re no longer kissing but on the ice, a hand protecting his head.

He feels Victor move on top of him to look at him and he’s still in disbelief over what had just happened. “This was the only thing I could think of to surprise you more than you’ve surprised me.” So he had managed to surprise him with that.

“Really?” Is all he can manage out, but by the look in Victor’s eye he knows he’s being serious. Even managing to get silver after his performance isn’t enough to out do the biggest surprise he’s had in a lifetime it seems.

Rostelecom brings along new surprises, but not as big as the ones from before.

It’s surprising how fast they fall into simple actions that speak about their relationship, Yuuri muses to himself as Victor ties up his laces before it’s his turn to skate. He pulls at Victor’s tie to get his attention before his Short Program, a reminder of what he said before at China. It’s embarrassing but it works and he’s surprised he had the confidence to do that. Then again, he’s changed a lot in the past several months.

Victor kisses his skate at the kiss and cry after his score was announced and he can’t help but let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a giggle of amusement.  Oh how he’d never fall to surprise him.

So when Mari calls to say that Makkachin is being hospitalized, it takes no time for him to tell Victor to go back to Japan. He doesn’t want him to go through what happened to him.

Getting to the Grand Prix Final by the skin of his teeth is a surprise in some ways, considering how his Free Skate had gone beforehand. But he’s going, and he’s going to prove himself there this year; he’ll make up for last year. Yurio surprises him with the katsudon piroshkis (and remembering his birthday as well) but the better one is waiting back home at the airport.

He doesn’t expect anyone to be waiting for him considering when he gets back to Japan, but that familiar bark tells him who is waiting for him. Yuuri doesn’t take his eyes off of him for a second as they’re running and as soon as they’re in each other's arms, all he knows is that he doesn’t want to be apart from Victor again.

The Grand Prix Final is here, and with it is the most important surprises that they’ll remember for as long as they can.

Barcelona is beautiful and Yuuri can’t help but ask for Victor to take him sightseeing after practice wraps up. They haven’t really had time for themselves with practicing and the like, so it’s a nice change of pace (even if he has another reason for wanting to go sightseeing; there’s something he has to find while they’re out).

That he does, finding a jewelry shop and even while trying to justify to himself what he was doing, he can’t help it. He loves Victor so much and wants to be with him for the rest of his life if possible and even if he calls it a good luck charm, there’s evidence that it means something more than that. Even standing in front of a church with a choir singing and slipping the newly purchased ring onto Victor’s finger, there’s no other explanation for what is happening. It takes almost all of his willpower to not jump at him to kiss him as he feels Victor take his hand and slips a ring onto his hand as well. It’s the best surprise from him, in the years that he’s known him.

Then he finds out about the banquet from last year and wants to die in the restaurant. He knew he could lose control when he got drunk but still. Though he forgets about that when the other finalists notice the rings and he’s surprised when Victor casually announces their engagement. He’s not wrong but he just...wasn’t expecting it.

The next few days are a blur looking back on it. All that mattered was the joy and thrill of performing his best and breaking Victor’s record for Free Skating (considering what had happened the day before and what he had said in the hotel room that night), Victor announcing that he was coming back for another season and staying on as his coach for the next season.

Sure, he might have only gotten silver but everything else that had happened made it feel like a gold one and it was perfect.

“Move in with me.”

It was the casual way he said it that it caught Yuuri off guard.

“What?”

“When I go back to Russia, I want you to move in with me Yuuri. Is...is that okay?”

Always, always this man had managed to surprise him, and he was able to do the same in return but this...this felt more important than the other ones. If he needed more of a confirmation that Victor loved him, then this was it, more than the kiss back in China, more than their reunion at the airport and even more than them exchanging rings in Barcelona.

“It’s...it’s more than okay Victor, I’d love that.”

The look on Victor’s face, much like the one from when he’d asked for him to stay with him for another season said it all. And that was enough.

Miles was never really was used to physical contact.

He could blame it on being raised in the von Karma household or that he was afraid of getting close to another person just to have them taken away from him again like his father. Franziska had been there to comfort him when Manfred tore into them, but he still didn't allow for anyone to get close to him. Even when he became a prosecutor and had many people that were after him, he still wouldn't let anyone in.

Then there was Phoenix Wright.

Phoenix...His childhood friend, the person who'd sent him countless letters, his rival in court, the person who saved him, the person he trusted more than anyone else..and the person he cared for more than anyone else.

It had taken him a while for him to realize he cared for the other man in such a way. Then again, he'd always been their for him; when they were children and there for him when he'd changed into the Demon Prosecutor, even going as far as to become an attorney to save him. And when Phoenix finally admitted his feelings for him after the Engarde case, it was a huge relief that the feelings he had weren't one-sided.

Though their relationship was still new in someways. Miles wasn't that used to physical contact, especially holding hands. He used to hold his father's hand all the time, along with hugs and the like. Then when he was adopted into the von Karma household, he only had Franziska to comfort him when Manfred tore into them. Phoenix seemed to understand this and promised to take it as slow as needed. He hadn't held Phoenix's hand since they were children (they did it all the time back then) and before they were in a relationship, after his trial in which Phoenix came up to him and grabbed his hands saying, "Miles you're innocent. You were always innocent." and all Miles could do then was nod and mumble a soft "Thank you Wright".

And when they did hold hands once their relationship started, Miles was shocked at how right it felt. Phoenix's hand was warm, but more than that was how he felt. It felt comforting and safe; like he could trust him with everything. Their hands fitted together just right, and most of the time Phoenix would give him a comforting squeeze, which Miles was more than happy to return.

And so it became a regular thing, something they were both happy about. Miles was a little tentative towards showing his affection in public, but Phoenix helped him with that. Most of the time it was after they were done with court or when one of them welcomed the other home.

And though he would probably never admit it to Phoenix, he always felt safe when his strong hands were around his.

Title: Lost and Found

Fandom: Ace Attorney

Pairing: Naru/mitsu [Phoenix/Miles]

Summary: They each took turns being lost, their directions in life being confused. But like everything else in life, there was something that could be found as well.

Rating: T

Notes: Woo hoo! Third day of Naru/mitsu Week! I'm pretty sure this is the most dedicated I've been to a shipping week, but it's only natural considering what pairing it is hehe

I'm not sure if this is what the prompt was asking for, but they are up for interpretation. Regardless, hope you all enjoy!

This should be an easy decision. It should be.

Yet things never were easy when it came to Phoenix, it seemed.

It couldn’t be helped. Phoenix was someone he loved dearly, and he still couldn’t believe that they had really been together for two years.

Two years almost didn’t seem long enough. Sure, they had known each other since they were children, but a lot had happened within those missing years.

And here they were, together after a long battle to vanish the dark age of the law, and to restore Phoenix’s badge.

Back to the matter at hand, he really was clueless as to what to do. Flowers weren’t something that he knew well, but today was an important day. After all, flowers wet one of the many ways to show affection.

“Excuse me, sir? Do you need some help?”

Miles turned at the sound of someone talking to him. A young woman with brown hair and eyes looking at him.

“Yes. I wish to purchase a bouquet, but I don’t know what flowers to get.”

The woman nodded. “I can help you if you wish. Are these for someone?”

“Yes, they are. For my…lover.”

The woman had a light in her eyes that he recognized. It was like the light in Phoenix’s eyes in court.

“I see. What’s she like?”

“He.”

“Hmm?”

“They’re…for a man.” He looked off to the side nervously.

“Oh, I didn’t realize! I’m sorry!” Miles sighed.

“It’s quite alright. Now, as for the flowers…”

“Ah, I almost forgot! So what’s he like? Your lover that is?”

Miles thought for a second. What exactly would describe Phoenix?

“He is…selfless and fiercely loyal. He always believes in people to the very end, always fighting to save people. In fact, he saved me many years ago. It was…probably then that I fell in love with him. It just took many years for us to realize that our feelings were mutual.”

“It sounds like, he means everything to you.”

Miles nodded. “He does. He means the world and more.”

The woman nodded and left momentarily. When she came back, she held in her hands a large bouquet of red roses.

“I know that they are cliché, but the way you talked about him clearly shows how much you love him. Will these do?”

Miles looked at the bouquet before nodding in agreement. “Yes, they’ll do nicely.”

The woman nodded. “Great! I’ve already rung them up, so all I need is for you to pay for them.”

Miles handed the woman his credit card in exchange for the bouquet. She left and returned with the card and receipt in hand.

“Thank you and have a nice day!” She smiled as Miles thanked her and left.A few hours later, Miles stood outside the restaurant that he had reserved for tonight.

Phoenix should be getting here soon, Miles thought to himself, holding the bouquet behind his back. After all, the flowers were a surprise for him.

“Miles!”

He turned at the sound of his voice to see Phoenix approaching him, smiling. He smiled back.

“Hello Phoenix. Did you get here alright?”

Phoenix nodded. “Yeah, took a little bit longer than I would have liked though. You ready?”

Miles nodded. “Yes but, I have something for you.”

Phoenix looked at him, surprised. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yes.” He pulled out the bouquet from behind his back and presented it to Phoenix, noticing his eyes widen slightly.

“Flowers? Miles you shouldn’t have.”

“I did. Happy anniversary Phoenix.”

He looked at Phoenix, who had wrapped his arms around him, smiling. “I love them Miles, thank you.” He placed one hand on Miles’ cheek and kissed him, and Miles responded back.

“Happy anniversary. I love you Miles.”

~ Prologue: Future Lament ~

If it weren't for her, I probably won't be here right now, standing in a world full of life and color rather than the dull and darkness that I'd seemed to live with for an eternity. Never would I see the vibrant forests full of flowers and trees, all alive with sunlight. Pastel sunrises and sunsets, proof that the world is alive and well, for the time being of course, but it means much more when you've been living in an apocalyptic hellscape for who knows how long.

She would've loved to see this for herself, as opposed to the images we had seen during our research. Always had her head in a book at one point, taking in the images as we searched for the truth to save our world. Would she ever be able to see this for herself…?

She's not dead, I know it. Rather...I can feel it. She's not the type to give up so easily. She always seemed to have some plan, being one step ahead of me at times, yet I'd be two steps ahead of her. We really did play of off each other well, as friends, partners, family and companions. Even when it seemed like the depths of despair would swallow her, she always seemed to have hope and saying that it was too early to give up.

A girl that knew of hope and caring, never giving up when things seemed to be at their worse. So full of innocence and youth, only being seven when I found her, or rather when I refound her. She's the reason I'm still alive here, not another doomed Pokémon in the dead world that was home. The only thing we knew for all of our lives it seemed.

I can still remember how I lost her, still haunting me. I'd failed her once, and more times after that. She always charged into save me or anyone else that was in danger. She wanted all of us to do our best. So then why had she done what she did? Take an attack that was meant for me, leaving her weakened and nearly unconscious, unable to hold on and tumble into an unknown fate through the void. She'd saved me yet again...and this time I wasn't able to help her.

How long had we been working together? Eight years we'd been working towards our goal, along with the others, but they left before us. We couldn't have left with them, since we needed to stay and figure some things out before we could leave. Constant companions for eight years, teaching each other, supporting each other, saving each other when needed. Working towards a common goal, one that we knew would require us to make the ultimate sacrifice for the better good of all Pokemon. It didn't matter to me, since that's what I had wanted, but it was even a more curious and astonishing, being a human living in our world. She choose to save a world that had stolen so much from her - her family, innocence, yet she choose to do it being only fifteen.

Eight years are impossible to forget. She was always the bravest and the one pushing us to our goal. She'd tell me to go on and carry out our mission and promise. I will not let her down this time, and hold onto the hope that she always had. She's out there somewhere, and I will find her again, reunited by our goal.

Even so, I will always remember her and hold onto hope. She was everything to me - my best friend, companion, little sister. My family.