#tk-a

OMG You guys it is time! This is the very first chapter of You Only Live Once, the story that I wrote for the @yurionicebigbang with the amazing art done by @tk-a. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me while I got this taken care of. A special thanks to @inlovewithyoi, @yoyoplisetsky and @shadhahvar​ for taking the time to look this over! 

Title: You Only Live Once Author: @ladyley​ Artist: @tk-a​ Beta: @inlovewithyoi​ @yoyoplisetsky​ @shadhahvar​ Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Summary: Katsuki Yuuri otherwise known as Agape is a world class MMORPG competitor on the Grand Prix Circuit. After a less than stellar performance at the finals for You Only Live Once Agape fades into obscurity much to the disappointment of the world’s top MMORPG competitor LivingLegend: aka Viktor Nikiforov.  While Agape fades, a new player with inexplicable talent emerges from seemingly nowhere: Eros. LivingLegend is drawn to the player after he saves his life in game. There is something vaguely familiar about Eros though... but he can’t quite put his finger on it.

Chapter 1: The Rise of Agape

Truth be told, the line was too long, the crowd too big, and Yuuri was beginning to feel the panic rise bit by bit. Knowing that his salvation was in the form of a door only a few meters away had him honestly toying with the idea of escape; but he had been waiting for far too long for this game to come out. He counted down the days on a calendar in his room as well as an app on his phone. The adrenaline from his excitement helped to temper the panic a little, but he would have been lost if it wasn’t for Phichit.

“Smile!” Phichit grinned as he threw his arm around Yuuri and smooshed their faces together so he could fit both them and the You Only Live Once banner in the frame. Yuuri gave a weak smile as he looked at the camera knowing there was no way he was escaping without at least one picture making it to Instagram.

He loved his friend, he really did, and Phichit was here specifically to give him moral support today, which was saying something. It wasn’t everyday someone traveled across oceans to stand in line with a friend for a video game. But then again it wasn’t every day a game like You Only Live Once came out either. If the only thing Phichit asked for during his stay in Japan was a few pictures to post on Instagram, who was Yuuri to deny him that?

“Excuse me?” A loud, vibrant voice called out and Yuuri turned towards the sound. He could see a blonde and red blob ducking around other people waiting in line and muttering apologies as he pushed his way forward. Yuuri was about to step out of the way when the teen stopped right in front of him and smiled maniacally.

“Um, I am sorry and I know this is random, but you are him right? I mean you have to be him.” Yuuri, to his credit, smiled at the enthusiastic man in front of him. “You’re Agape!” The young man’s voice screeched. Phichit hid a giggle behind his hand knowing how awkward it was for Yuuri to be noticed when he was in public.

The boy’s eyes grew ten times larger, if that was even possible, as Yuuri nodded his head in confirmation. “I am such a huge fan!” He went on waving his hands sporadically. “I watch your Twitch stream every other night. The way you play the Paladin in King’s Quest III…. I didn’t even know some of those combos were possible!”

“Th-thanks.” Yuuri said more as a question than a statement. The teen was bouncing up and down, his excitement apparently too much to be contained. Yuuri gave Phichit a glance that let his friend know he was trying to remain polite, but the fear that continued to bubble in his gut was threatening to burst out. He smiled fondly as Phichit placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder and took his attention away from Yuuri, if only for a moment.

Yuuri was not an average player; he never thought he was. He knew that there was a risk of people noticing him in public. He was after all living part of his dream. Yuuri was one of the players in the Grand Prix Circuit, and while he would never admit it out of fear of bragging, he was one of the top 10 ranked MMO players in the world. When King’s Quest III had been the biggest game around, Yuuri place 8th on the international circuit, just missing the cut off for the Grand Prix Circuit finals by two places. Out of thousands of players, he was 8th in the world. However, Yuuri liked to keep some measure of modesty, if he didn’t do it himself, his anxiety would be sure to do it for him.

“You know that if it wasn’t for me, Yuuri here wouldn’t be gaming at all?” Phichit said with a proud little pat to his chest. The boy looked at him in awe.

“YOU CREATED AGAPE?!” the boy yelled out and Phichit could only laugh.

“I don’t know if I would go that far.” Phichit waved a hand in front of his face, “I gave him a nudge. Yuuri here is the one that did all of the work!” Yuuri felt his cheeks go warm.

“Please? Can I have a picture?” he asked, pulling out his cellphone and opening the camera app without even waiting for confirmation. He pushed himself up to his tiptoes to make up for the height difference between them and clicked the picture before Yuuri even knew what was really happening. “Thank you so much! My name is Minami by the way. I really hope that I can play against you at some point! I am currently in the Junior Grand Prix Circuit but I am hoping to move up next year!” Minami’s words began to run together losing all semblance of the words that they were meant to be and forming a single long sound that Yuuri had to work hard at deciphering.

“Oh, that is a really big jump. What is your online name? Maybe we can do a raid or two together?” Yuuri asked politely. Despite the anxiety he knew that it was most important to cultivate relations with the younger generation of gamers. There were two reasons for this: first, the younger generation would be their legacy, so he always tried to take the time to help anyone who asked him, and second…. It would only be a matter of time before the next generation moved up and started to kick the current top players off of the podium. If Yuuri was being honest with himself he was looking forward to the challenge.

In years past, no one that Yuuri personally knew believed that video games would take off the way they had. No one expected they would become so wildly popular that they would spawn a whole new kind of sport - electronic sports. There were more leagues popping up every day for almost any kind of e-sport out there. While Yuuri did play a few first person shooters, massively multiplayer online games were his real passion. It was for that reason this game’s release was so exciting.

“I am lil’ Spitfire,” he proudly declared, body bouncing with the nervous energy that came with meeting an idol. “Are you serious? You would really raid with me?” Yuuri nodded with a smile. He had to give it to the kid, his enthusiasm was contagious and it was that kind of attitude that made e-sports fun. “Ohmygodohmygod! I mean….! You really inspired me to keep going when things got hard. It feels like the first person shooter circuits aren’t the only ones with really stiff competition! MMOs are getting harder and harder every year. You evolved your play style so much each year just to keep up with the rapid changes. While others are failing miserably at it you seem to be doing something amazingly right. It is really pretty incredible!”

Yuuri could feel his cheeks getting a little more red as the compliment passed easily from Minami’s lips. It was true, as technology developed the way MMOs were played became more and more complicated. At this point the circuit really was an adapt or die environment. He had been lucky that he had several play styles that seemed to work for him. Honestly, it was the only thing he credited to keeping him relevant in the sport.

“I don’t know if I would say all that.” He opened his mouth to say something else but a man at the front of the line bellowed out for the crowd to hush so he could give them directions on proceeding with pick ups. “Ah - well it seems like this is it.” Yuuri whispered, feeling excitement start to push away the anxiety, “I’ll be sure to look you up tonight and send you a friends request.”

Minami looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Phichit could swear he saw the moment the poor boy’s brain ceased to work at all. “Y-y-y-you want to play with ME?!” he screeched loudly causing a few people to turn and look at their group in annoyance. “I-I-I would be so honored!”

“Good, I am glad to hear that.” Yuuri whispered with a slight laugh. “Then how about we get these games and learn how to play them?” Minami nodded his head enthusiastically and Yuuri wasn’t sure if it was the idea of playing a new and groundbreaking game or the idea of playing the new game with someone he looked up to, but either way Minami looked like he could pass out with happiness and Yuuri felt warm with  the satisfaction of having done his job. A fan was happy, he was helping the next generation of gamers, and he managed not to have a total meltdown in the process. So far it was shaping up to be a pretty awesome day. Phichit threw Yuuri an all knowing smile and he couldn’t help but grin back.

Yuuri carefully unboxed his treasure when he got home. While VR gaming wasn’t anything new, the way this particular game was presented required a few extra components and boasted a whole new playing experience. In the past VR was more of a visual experience only. Games were presented in a way that allowed the user to have a 260 degree view of the field with the turn of a head rather than having to scroll with a mouse or a controller. Movement, attacks, spell casting, it all required the use of a controller. You Only Live Once was revolutionary in its design which allowed the user to BE the controller. The thought of it made Yuuri feel like a little kid on Christmas morning.

Gone were the stick controllers of the past, replaced with adjustable gloves that allowed the user complete control of their movement. Yuuri carefully placed them on giving a slight hum of approval at the feel. He was half expecting them to be stiff, maybe a little plastic feeling, but they fit nicely. It was almost like wearing a pair of gloves you would wear for winter except they breathed better.

“They are nice, I take it?” Phichit laughed from where he was lounging on Yuuri’s bed watching his friend with an amused smile.

“They are surprisingly comfortable!” Yuuri nodded as he took his VR set in hand and gingerly placed it on his head. He couldn’t keep the smile from his lips as the screen lit up and he saw the banner flutter across. You Only Live Once was proudly displayed in a beautiful flowing script. The music was low but heroic, an orchestra piece that brought to mind large battles and fights for glory. His heart started to beat a little faster in his chest as he waved his hand and the screen disappeared, leaving him to look at an old man dressed in simple brown rags. If Yuuri didn’t know better he would have sworn the man was right in front of him.

“‘Ello adventurer, I am Egered, what might your name be?” Yuuri knew instantly that this was everything that he was missing from every other MMO he had ever played as he progressed through the character builder choosing a tried and true Paladin.

You Only Live Once

Author: @ladyley Artist: @tk-a Beta: @inlovewithyoi Rating: Teen and up Warnings: None Summary: Katsuki Yuuri otherwise known as Agape is a world class MMORPG competitor on the Grand Prix Circuit. After a less than stellar performance at the finals for You Only Live Once Agape fades into obscurity much to the disappointment of the world’s top MMORPG competitor LivingLegend: aka Viktor Nikiforov.

While Agape fades, a new player with inexplicable talent emerges from seemingly nowhere: Eros. LivingLegend is drawn to the player after he saves his life in game. There is something vaguely familiar about Eros though… but he can’t quite put his finger on it.

Dinner that night was a rowdy affair with Yuuri’s family, Minako, and the Nishigoris stopping by to meet Viktor, the gamer that Yuuri had been infatuated with for a long time. Viktor was beyond flattered really, and some of Yuuri’s shyness around him suddenly made sense. However that didn’t keep them all from poking fun at Yuuri every chance that they got, using Viktor as ammunition. More than once Viktor wished he understood Japanese when a particularly red faced Yuuri would stutter, looking at Viktor in shock.

The food was unlike anything Viktor had ever tasted before. Breaded pork with egg, veggies, and rice. He considered himself a foodie in every sense of the word. There was nothing that he wouldn’t try, and given the fact that he was well traveled he had plenty opportunities to eat exotic dishes. There was something about this particular dish though that was beyond anything Viktor had ever experienced.

“It’s called katsudon.” Yuuri said quietly while his family chatted amongst one another, apparently leaving Yuuri alone for a little while. “It is my favorite, although I don’t get to eat it all that often.” He blushed a little, “I have always gained weight a little too easily.” Viktor smiled softly at him. This was nice, Yuuri actually letting him into his personal life, even if it was just a little.

“So, Viktor, have you gotten a chance to see our Yuuri’s shrine yet?” Mari laughed as Yuuri coughed up a piece of his food. He had no clue what she was talking about, but he was more than willing to find out.

“What shrine is this?” he said, genuinely curious as he turned to Yuuri who had been reduced to nothing more than a sputtering, tomato red mess.

“His shrine to you of course.” Her voice was so innocent and in such sharp contrast with the way Yuuri was acting that Viktor was beyond intrigued.

“Yuuuuuriiiii?” Viktor drawled, “what is this I hear about you having a shrine to me?” He placed his elbow on the table and rested his cheek against the palm of his hand. Yuuri just looked at him like he had asked Yuuri to solve the world’s most complex mathematical equation before jumping up and excusing himself. Mari fell into a fit of laughter that brought tears to her eyes.

“If you want to go see it, you may want to go now. I think, he is going to tear it down.” She said between laughs and wiping her eyes clear of tears. Viktor had never acted on anything so fast. He stood up so quickly that he just about fell over and almost took off without thanking his hosts.

“Katsuki-san, thank you for the meal it was delicious,” he said so quickly that it sounded like it came out in a single breath before he turned around and took off.

“He is in his room!” Mari yelled after him. It was only then that Viktor realized he didn’t even know where this so called ‘shrine’ was. He ran up the stairs as quickly as his legs would carry him and skidded to a halt in front of a door he remembered Yuuri pointing out as his. He stood there for a moment, knowing that all he wanted to do was throw open the door and catch Yuuri in the act of taking down… whatever it was that he would keep in this shrine. But Viktor also knew that Yuuri was a lot more private in real life than he was online. He had to be careful about how he stepped around Yuuri, because there was a good chance that he would act like a wild animal and run away if Viktor overstepped. He had already crossed an ocean for Yuuri. If the man ran from him while they were staying under the same roof, he wouldn’t know what to do.

He gently knocked on the door and didn’t even bother suppressing the smile as he heard Yuuri squeak in surprise and a bunch of rustling on the other side of the door. A few minutes later the door finally slid open to reveal a rather disheveled looking Yuuri who was breathing a little bit heavier than he should have been.

“Viktor.” He said casually, “I didn’t expect to see you up here already. Are you done eating?” Viktor was beyond surprised with Yuuri’s ability to get through his statement with a straight face. Then again two could play this game.

“Oh, yes, I am done.” He smiled. “I thought we could chat, just the two of us. Mind if I come in for a bit?” He watched as Yuuri wrestled with the idea in his head for a moment before finally sighing and stepping to the side allowing Viktor in.

The room was smaller than Viktor had expected it to be. The rooms that he had always lived in were easily two or three times the size of what looked to be a storage closet that had been renovated some time ago. Viktor could feel Yuuri’s eyes on him.

“Sorry it is so cramped.” he coughed, breaking the silence. “I find that when the world feels like it’s a little too big, having a small place to retreat to is nice.” He shrugged as he closed the door and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. After a moment of hesitation Viktor did the same.

“Does that happen a lot, the world feeling too big?” Viktor couldn’t say that he completely understood what Yuuri was talking about. But the differences between the two of them were evident. Viktor thrived off of attention, Yuuri was more subdued and seemed to enjoy his solitude. He could see how, for a person like Yuuri, having a small space would be beneficial.

“Often enough.” He paused and looked at Viktor with a look that made Viktor’s heart beat a little faster. He could see the inner turmoil, the tug of war between letting Viktor in or keeping him at a distance play out in Yuuri’s eyes. “Viktor,” Yuuri finally whispered and looked everywhere but where Viktor was sitting.

“I… I am not… mentally I… the thing is…” He sighed in frustration. Viktor shifted on the bed so that he was sitting right next to Yuuri. Reaching out he wrapped an arm around the younger man’s shoulders and pulled him into his embrace for the second time that day.

“Yuuri, take a breath.” He whispered into Yuuri’s ear, he could feel the tension start to fall away as Yuuri took a deep slightly shaky breath and release it. “Nothing, and I mean nothing, that you could tell me would ever make me think any less of you.” He made sure that his tone told Yuuri that he was adamant in that belief . He didn’t want to leave an ounce of doubt in Yuuri’s mind.

“I, I don’t talk to many people about it.” Yuuri whispered after a moment. “Most people outside of my family and close friends don’t know.” Viktor tightened his grip on Yuuri and smiled as he felt the man readjust to make himself more comfortable. His head resting on Viktor’s chest, one hand over his eyes so he didn’t have to look at the world, the other loosely wrapped around Viktor’s waist.

“Am I not a friend, Yuuri?” He asked softly. Yuuri shook his head and pushed away from Viktor suddenly to sit up and look him in the eye.

“Why would you think that? No, we are… we are.” He took a deep breath and started to twist his hands in his lap. “I have a disorder, an anxiety disorder. It makes it hard for me to think sometimes. My mind will start to lie to me. It tells me things that I know aren’t true but it forces me to believe that they are.” He paused, taking some time to compile his thoughts.

“Yuuri?” Viktor called out after a few moments, “Will you, I mean, it may help me understand a little better, will you tell me what happened at the GPC finals?” Yuuri slowly pulled out his phone, and for the first time Viktor noticed the poodle case and smiled. Of course Yuuri liked poodles, he was perfect in every other way.

“T-This, this is Vicchan.” he said turning the screen towards Viktor. A much younger, much chubbier version of the man before him was kneeling on the ground with a toy poodle that looked like a small version of Makka. Viktor smiled at the sight, it was pure and happy, and… why did Yuuri look so sad?

“Vicchan is… was my best friend growing up. I was painfully shy and had a really hard time making friends. But dogs, they just don’t care.” Yuuri smiled at the picture. “He loved me for me, anxiety, panic attacks, the good times, the bad, he was there through it all. The morning of the second day of competition, right before I left the hotel I received a phone call from my sister that Vicchan snuck past her that morning while she was getting deliveries. She called him but he was always adventurous and he ran out to the end of the drive. The car… the car didn’t have enough time to stop.” Yuuri’s voice began to get raspy as he held back the tears.

“Oh Yuuri!” was all Viktor said before he threw himself at the man and wrapped him up tight. Makka was everything to Viktor, the companion that he never really got to have before because of who he was. The dog went almost everywhere with him and he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose Makka in such a violent way. “And you still tried to play.” He whispered as his hand ran soothing circles around Yuuri’s back. “I don’t think I could have.”

“That night at the banquet, Otak, my sponsor, approached me and said that they were no longer interested in sponsoring me. In the end, I just… I couldn’t face anyone.” They sat together letting a silence linger between them. It wasn’t uncomfortable, rather there was a kind of relief in the unspoken understanding. Viktor smiled and rested his head against the crown of Yuuri’s.

“You really are something special.” His voice was so quiet that he wasn’t sure if Yuuri had heard him or not. The slight tightening of Yuuri’s arm around his waist told him that his words were appreciated though.

“Yuuri? What is that?” Viktor said with amusement as he pointed to a framed picture on his desk. The wooden frame contained a picture of none other than Viktor himself right after his GPC finals win last year. Yuuri jumped up so quickly that it almost knocked Viktor backwards as he lunged for the picture.

”No, LivingLegend flanks the left side, but keep an eye out for the death dealer. I’ll take the center with Lil’ Spitfire, and SexySwiss you take the right side. Once we get past the bridges we can group up again.” Yuuri sighed as he explained the plan to SexySwiss for what felt like the ten thousandth time that night. The Caverns of Morak were dangerous and infamous for giving people problems. Three bridges each with their own monsters on them that were capable of both short and long range attack. It was tricky, but far from impossible… If SexySwiss would just listen.

“This will spread out the fire from the ghouls in all three directions. Since LivingLegend can use a shield barrier that is strong enough to withstand the death dealer’s attack he should be fine on the left. Not to mention that my healing spell still reaches the left and center bridges.”

“Right, so that means that I am on my own.” SexySwiss said dryly. “You know as the healer of our little band of misfits you are supposed to keep the tank alive here, Agape.”

“Yes, however, as the tank of our little band of misfits, as you so eloquently called us, you have more HP and strength than the three of us combined. Then again if you think a few extra ghouls on the bridge is too much for you to handle…”

LivingLegend started laughing as Chris sputtered around Yuuri’s unintentional but scathing insult. He had been playing online with the Swiss man for just about as long as online gaming had been around. Most people didn’t know how to take him so they never really got to the point that they would joke around with him. Yuuri, however, had delivered his first blow as skillfully as a trained assassin.

“Sassy!” Chris exclaimed while Yuuri tried to sputter an apology for his insinuation. “I like him, Legend, can we keep him?”

Yuuri spent every spare moment he had on his ‘training’, leading up to the GPC finals. He was secretly thrilled that he could justify spending hours a day on the game. Not only was it bringing money into the house which helped his parents, but he got to do something that he enjoyed all while avoiding actual human interaction. It wasn’t that Yuuri didn’t like people so much as it was that Yuuri got nervous when he had to interact with people face to face. Online, however, things were different. He didn’t have the same issues interacting with people in the game so if the increased hours meant that he got to spend a little extra time with a certain Russian player, well, he wasn’t going to complain.

Competitive season was in full swing and he was actually feeling confident with his paladin. He knew all of the spells by heart and had even developed a rather unique set of combinations with his blade. Above all, he was having fun. This was everything that he had dreamed of; having a job that was doing something he absolutely loved.

Above all, he was good at it. Before qualifying for the international GPC, Yuuri had needed to fight his way through All Japan. Scoring within the top two there meant he would be chosen as the Japanese representative to go to the Asian VR championships. Placing in the top two there would be his ticket into the GPC finals and the chance to play against LivingLegend for real.

All Japan was a cake walk; he was the crowned champion with the next closest competitor missing the mark by over five minutes. After the competition he became an instant hit on twitch, quickly becoming one of the top 5 watched accounts for You Only Live Once. This was a phenomenon that he attributed more towards the increased playtime with LivingLegend than his own skill. It didn’t matter how many times his followers swore up and down that they were there for him and him alone, Yuuri refused to believe it.

Yuuri expected the Asian VR competition to provide a little more challenge, however it didn’t add up to what he was hoping for either. Yuuri made quick work of the competition and not only became the number one player for Japan, but was also named the man to beat for all of Asia. All along the way Otak was there providing him with everything that they could to support him. The only thing that they asked in return… he keep winning. Honestly, Yuuri didn’t have plans to do anything else.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at the GPC finals in Sochi, Russia. The excitement of being at such a prestigious event was only slightly outdone by the fact that Yuuri knew he was finally going to get his chance to meet his idol in the flesh. He was on cloud nine. While they hadn’t made any particular arrangements to meet up, Yuuri knew that it was highly unlikely for them to not at least run into one another while they were there. LivingLegend knew that he was there and had even told Yuuri that he would be more than happy to meet up at some point. The only thing they had to figure out was when this ‘some point’ was going to be.

Yuuri pushed himself hard during the first day of competition, almost mismanaging his time in the process. But as luck would have it he managed to make it to the Sun Temple, the halfway point of the game, in fifth place. It wasn’t the start that he was hoping he would have. LivingLegend came in first and had a twenty minute head start on the rest of the field the following day. Yuuri needed some kind of miracle to make up the lost time.

The morning of the second day dawned and Yuuri was surrounded by his own nervous energy coursing through his body. He hadn’t felt like this since the final competition last year, and that had not gone over as well as he would have liked it to. He looked at his phone as it lay on the bed side table. He knew that it was early, too early in Japan to actually call home… but if he didn’t he was in danger of letting his own thoughts swallow him whole. He needed his sister, he needed her reassurance, he needed her to talk him off of the mental ledge that he was sitting on. The pressure was mounting and at this rate it wouldn’t be long before it overtook him. With a sigh Yuuri dialed his sister’s cell number and placed the phone to his ear.

“Y-Y-Yuuri?” Mari’s voice questioned softly as she answered after the first ring. Immediately Yuuri could tell that something was off. It was far too early for her to be up, at least too early for her to be up and coherent enough to answer the phone immediately.

“Good morning.” Yuuri said filling his voice with false cheer rather than let his own nervous energy dictate the conversation. While Yuuri knew the way he felt was important it was more important at the time to find out what was wrong with Mari.

“Oh, Yuuri.” she almost wept into the phone, her distress startling Yuuri. He could hear the strain in her voice that spoke of hours being awake in worry rather than sleeping like he had assumed she would have been.

“W-What happened?” He whispered. There was a long pause as if Mari was trying to find her own words, his confident sister who was never at a loss for what to say or some witty comeback had been reduced to just unsteady breathing on the other end of the line. It made Yuuri feel off kilter. “Mom and dad are ok?”

“What? No… I mean yeah, mom and dad are fine, but, Yuuri…” there was another pause, “Vicchan,” her voice was quivering as she spoke the name, “Vicchan got out last night.” Yuuri sighed and sat down in one of the high back chairs in the room.

“Is that all?” Yuuri laughed, “You know he is always doing that. One of these...days…” The realization of what Mari was telling him suddenly slapped him across the face. It wasn’t ‘one of these day’ anymore, that day had come. “Vicchan.” his voice said in a broken whisper as the world around him began to narrow. No, no, no, no, no that couldn’t be the case. His family would have called him right away had anything happened to his beloved dog… right?

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The morning of the second day dawned with Viktor moaning in pain. One thing that he had noticed as he got older was that his body refused to let him get away with overindulging in alcohol. It was a punch to his Russian pride, but more importantly, it was a risk to his game today. A risk that he wasn’t wanting to take because he wanted, no, he needed to come in first.

Sure the additional money that came along with wining was nice, it would be another trophy in his case back home, but the prize that he wanted most would be coming from Yuuri. That kiss was something that he had been waiting for and he would be damned if he let something like a little hangover prevent him from getting it!

Yuuri seemed to be in much better spirits than he was the day prior, a small blessing. If anything Viktor had worried that Yuuri would be more anxious than he was before. But there was a calm about him that affected even the way Viktor felt. He wasn’t sure where this new confidence was coming from, but he wasn’t going to complain about it either.

All through breakfast the two of them kept making jokes about who was going to win. Viktor said he had a lot riding on this particular match. While Yuuri agreed, he believed he had more. Yuuri already knew what Viktor wanted from him, but Viktor didn’t know what Yuuri would ask for. For all he knew Yuuri would ask to be left alone forever. While an unlikely request, given the way they got along, it was still a possibility.

He tried to ask Yuuri several times about what he would ask for if he won. He always worded it that way… if… and when he was called out on it he merely stated that he was confident that Yuuri would take second, but first was a lock for himself.

“If you are so confident in your ability to beat me, what does it matter what I would ask for?” Yuuri pointed out over his cup of tea. Viktor couldn’t really argue with that logic, but it also didn’t make him any less curious about the matter. He knew, however, that there was no point in pressing the matter. He finished his breakfast in relative silence, mind running wild with the kind of things that Yuuri would ask him for.

Yuuri gave Viktor a quick hug for good luck before the start of the competition. If it was Yuuri’s goal to throw Viktor off his game, if even for just a moment, that was one way to do it! Yuuri just chuckled as he walked into his booth and looked over his equipment.

“Legend tells me that you have some kind of a bet going on against him! I hear the stakes are high. Can I join?” SexySwiss asked from outside his booth.

“Sorry, but this is a bet between him and me only.” Yuuri smiled.

“Buuuuuut…. Erooooos!” the older man whined. Yuuri knew that he had an overly dramatic streak that could easily rival Viktor’s.

“Sorry, this is between him and me.” Yuuri laughed, “Maybe next year.”

“Maybe indeed.” he sighed, “Either way, best of luck today.” SexySwiss threw a wave over his shoulder as he left to prepare himself. Unlike the All Japan tournament, where Yuuri had a major lead on everyone, here there was a mere few seconds difference between first and second and only three minutes difference between first and sixth. They would all be starting around the same time. While that was good for people like Yuuri, who were slightly behind, it also meant that it was anyone's game still. There was no clear cut winner, even if the odds did seem to be in Viktor’s favor.

However, Yuuri had one thing going for him that he certainly didn’t have last year… a real reason to win. It was always amazing how something simple as a promise could light a fire under Yuuri and flame his desire to win. It was like he was being sent into overdrive. He wanted his something special from Viktor and come hell or high water he was going to get it.

The game soon started and Yuuri felt his heart rate skyrocket. It wasn’t nervous energy that filled him at this point. It was something more akin to pure excitement and delight. It was a good natural high to be on and he hoped to ride that feeling all the way through the last few levels.

Where Yuuri was suddenly filled with confidence where he had none before, a player that was previously seen as so confident it was almost cocky started to fall behind. KingJJ was struggling. He mismanaged some of his items the day prior and was unable to keep up with the monsters as they came at him. An hour into the game Yuuri saw the name go red and fall to the bottom of the screen… dead. Yuuri felt for him; he had been there, he understood the emotions that KingJJ was going through better than most.

Seung-Gil seem to take one too many wrong turns resulting in a dramatically slowed pace. While he was no longer in sixth place, it was only because of the technicality that KingJJ had died. In fourth place was SexySwiss, but he had gotten lost on his way through the labyrinth on level 95. It was an unfortunate mistake, one that in the end really cost him the game.

Yuuri had moved up into third place and could see the ghost character of Viktor who had fallen to second. They were neck on neck but it wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t catch up to Otabear who had just cleared level 99 and entered Castle Blackwell while Viktor and Yuuri were still about two and a half minutes from the end of the level.

“Hey, Eros,” Viktor called from his booth, “we aren’t just letting Otabear make our bet null and void, are we?”

“I don’t know, what you are planning to do about it!” Yuuri yelled back as he passed Viktor and pushed towards the castle dodging fireballs being flung from the castle walls and jumping over pieces of the bridge as it tried to crumble out from beneath his feet. “I, on the other hand, plan on kicking this dragon’s ass before you!”

“You were saying?” Viktor called back with a laugh as his character sailed over the bridge past him.

“It’s ok, use all your mana trying to beat me to the castle, I am saving mine for the attack and we both know I am faster!”

Suddenly the crowd around them erupted into stunned cries. Yuuri and Viktor didn’t have time to stop and see what happened. “Did you hear a bell?” Viktor yelled out.

“Hey everyone, thanks for joining me tonight. For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Eros. Today I don’t have much planned so we are just going to be running around to see what kind of trouble finds us. Hopefully it will be something fun.”

Three weeks ago, Yuuri had decided to start a new twitch account. Phichit suggested that he give his online persona a makeover and that was just what he had done. Gone was the innocent, sweet, and shy character known as Agape; in his place stood Eros, a confident, sassy, and sometimes flirty character who was everything Agape was not.

The night that he came across LivingLegend in the Sweath Water Woods he just happened to be streaming. All it took was that kick in the butt to get him back into the game and start building a fan base again. Yes, Yuuri was pleased. Gone was Agape. He was weak, timid, and apparently caved under pressure. Eros though, Eros was everything Yuuri wished that he could have been and then some, and his new fans loved it.

One of the things that Eros got noticed for was the shameless way that he flirted with other players. Of course it was all in jest and he made sure that people knew that, but he had started to add words into his vernacular that he never really thought about using before; love, sweetheart, baby. It was outside his comfort zone and yet he seemed to flourish under the additional attention and the fake confidence that Eros loaned him.

It took a little time, however, and Yuuri found he was actually starting to have fun playing You Only Live Once . After the fallout at the GPC finals last year he had a really hard time even picking the game up again. Phichit had noticed how miserable his best friend was and told him that he could find that spark again, even if it meant that he had to create it himself. As he started to play Eros, Yuuri remembered what it was that he loved about the game. He found his way back.

This game was different than other MMOs that he had played in the past. The higher he made it in the levels the fewer people there were to fight against. However, unlike most other MMOs where leveling up meant that you just kept fighting your way through the same hordes of monsters over and over again, You Only Live Once made sure that there was some kind of variety. Each level had its own unique monsters living in their own environments. Some levels had as many as seven different environments which made it more intriguing as you worked your way through.

He had gotten his passion for the game back and with it came the desire to compete again. Without a second thought he entered into All Japan, one of the top matches in the country. All Japan was set up differently than other feeler tournaments. Most of the time you needed show that you had what it took to make it into a country wide competition by winning at divisional levels. However, All Japan gave everyone a chance to play on an even playing field regardless of previous track record. The result… the best of the best played against one another and Japan was able to choose their top representatives for the Asian VR tournament.