9

Viktor Redwood's apartment was quiet. The only sound coming from the television screen was the steady beating of bass lines, it would be relaxing if someone wasn't standing just beyond the doorway, a figure with eyes hidden under black rimmed glasses and long red hair was watching over him.

This isn't new. He has been doing this for years now. Every evening before he goes to sleep he sits on the sofa, legs tucked underneath himself as he watches whatever shows that are showing at this hour. It was a routine he had been keeping since he was young, one that didn't change even after he moved out of home.

After a while of this routine Yuuri Katsuki decided it was time to try something different. After seeing the videos of Viktor singing, dancing or even jumping around he thought maybe he could do something like that too. It wasn't exactly easy though, when you start with nothing but two people jumping around on top of each other, it tends to take quite some time until you get any results.

That was why tonight he made sure to bring his own headphones, something he usually didn't need since he already listens to music on his phone, but the night was cold, and it was getting colder every day by the day. He couldn't afford the extra layers of clothing he always wore to bed so instead he grabbed an old tshirt and boxers and went downstairs.

He hadn't been there that long, a few minutes at most, before he heard noises inside. There was a clinking sound and something hitting a hard surface before Viktor shouted, "Yuuuuri!! Come join me!!"

Yuuri knew Viktor liked parties, but he never really knew why they had to go. Viktor lived alone so it was unlikely anyone was going to see them and Yuuri didn't want to end up making things more awkward than they already were. Besides, no one really ever came home drunk at their place, especially since they rarely used it themselves.

But that was okay, right? No one had to know where they were, and if someone did come home, well... that was a risk he'd have to deal with. He pulled the door open to find Viktor sitting on the floor, a glass filled halfway with red liquid in front of him. The music playing was loud, but it seemed to be a mix between jazz and pop. From behind him stood what looked like a man wearing a bright yellow shirt. He had dark blue sweatpants on. He looked like he might be tall, or short, and probably muscular, which Yuuri wasn't looking forward to fighting.

He held out a hand, "Hi."

Viktor took it, then stood up, swaying slightly, "Hiiiii, kitty~! Come sit down and I'll get you one of these drinks, kay~?"

Yuuri didn't look forward to it, but he didn't really have much choice. He followed Viktor into the kitchen, grabbing one of the beers the other had put on the counter before setting it down beside a couple of glasses filled with clear liquid.

"What's this?" Yuuri asked.

Viktor grinned, "A piña colada!"

Yuuri raised an eyebrow, "You drink beer with a piña colada?"

The brunette laughed, "Of course I do! Do you think anyone in my family likes vodka?"

"I've seen better ones." Yuuri admitted with a shrug.

Viktor chuckled again, "Come, let's dance," he said with a wink.

With an exasperated sigh Yuuri accepted the invitation and joined Viktor on the floor. They spent hours there, dancing without pause. They danced to pop songs such as Love Yourself by the Week and BTS' All You Want for Christmas. Yuuri tried to hold back his laughter whenever Viktor would pull his hands to make a face at an overly dramatic line and Yuuri couldn't help but giggle along with him.

It felt good to laugh. After so many months of being locked away at home in his room with nothing except his computer screen as company, laughing was something Yuuri missed. As soon as he finished his second beer and had a slice of pizza he began to feel a little tipsy, but still alert enough to keep up with the other.

By eleven o'clock, they were both exhausted and the air in the room was heavy, filled with alcohol and cigarettes that smelled like cheap perfume and cigarette ash. Both of them stumbled through the living room, trying to balance on their feet and failing every time.

Viktor kept trying to push something toward Yuuri, a drink, a joint, but all Yuuri wanted was to crawl into bed. Finally, Viktor gave up, slumping against the wall, panting heavily. His hair stuck to his forehead in clumps and he patted his sweaty chest with a smile.

"Yuuri?"

"Hmm?"

"I had fun today. Thanks."

Yuuri smiled, "Yeah, me too." Then suddenly a wave of nausea overcame him and he quickly made his way to the bathroom, stumbling in and closing the door. His head hurt like crazy, and his stomach felt queasy like he had just eaten something bad. When the dizziness cleared enough to focus he opened the toilet seat, and bent over. Thankfully it didn't last long and his insides settled once more. By the time he was finished he was sweating buckets and feeling worse. He washed his hands quickly and walked back to the living room.

The lights were off, save for the light streaming through the cracks in the curtains, and there were several empty bottles strewn around the floor. Viktor was passed out next to the TV, snoring softly. Yuuri picked up the half full bottle of champagne they bought earlier and headed to his bedroom. Hopefully he'd be able to fall asleep without nightmares this time.

He slipped into bed and closed his eyes. Just before he fell asleep he thought he heard a low chuckle coming from outside his window.

Chapter 2

A week later, Yuuri woke up to a buzzing alarm clock on his nightstand. He reached up and swiped it off with a groan, squinting against the sunlight that streamed into his bedroom. Once he shut his eyes he realized that the buzzing wasn't coming from his alarm clock anymore.

His phone.

Yuuri jumped out of bed and nearly tripped over his shoes in the process. He scrambled for his phone and almost dropped it on the ground as he flipped it open. It was four thirty, which meant he had two hours to get ready. Normally he wouldn't bother, but his mother had called early last night asking him to pick up groceries. He needed to be there at seven thirty or else he'd get scolded.

He threw on some clothes and hurried out of his house before his alarm clock could wake the neighbors and he was late. He arrived at the supermarket fifteen minutes early, and he set to work stocking shelves. He wasn't the type to enjoy shopping, preferring to stay home and read instead but he enjoyed the job a lot. The customers always seemed to be in a good mood when they saw that Yuuri was working on their behalf. Sometimes he forgot how nice his customers could be.

As he waited for his turn to pay, a customer approached, holding out a package of eggs for him. "They should have delivered them yesterday." She sighed. She reminded him of his sister in a way, she had the same blonde hair and round features. "I was going to give those eggs to you this morning since your brother isn't here. My husband and I don't have any kids yet so we thought maybe you could give them to them."

Yuuri blushed a little. If his aunt had told him her husband wasn't pregnant then he would have been upset and confused but now that he knew she was joking about it it was easier to pretend everything was fine. That way nobody got hurt because he was being rude.

"No worries, I'll give them to them. Thank you! And happy anniversary." He said with a slight smile. The woman smiled back and left to check out. Once she was out of sight, Yuuri quickly finished counting the money and stuffed it all into his wallet.

Just as he made his way to the door he heard a voice shout his name from another aisle. "Mari! Wait up!" He turned, seeing his friend, Mari, waving at him excitedly. "Do you want to go grab a coffee with me?"

Yuuri blinked, thinking about the offer. Coffee was something he actually enjoyed and he was pretty tired after the day he had yesterday, "Sure. Let me get paid first."

Mari nodded, "Yeah, no problem. I'll wait."

He nodded back before heading toward the till. In the meantime, Mari made herself comfortable on the sofa next to the cash register, scrolling idly on her phone. He handed her his money a few moments later, and she counted it carefully. After she finished she turned to look at him. Her expression changed from casual to worried in a matter of seconds. "Did you have a nightmare last night? You can tell me if you need to talk about it!"

Yuuri shook his head. There was no point worrying Mari. She would only worry about him even more. Instead he simply waved her off, "Not really. Just a bad dream. Nothing new."

She stared at him for a moment longer, but eventually she shrugged, putting her phone away and smiling, "Well, if you say so… Are you going out?"

He nodded slowly. "Yakov's expecting us soon. Apparently we had forgotten about something while we were celebrating."

Mari frowned, shaking her head, "Oh no, that sucks. But you shouldn't stay cooped up in here all day; I know you're tired, but don't forget to go see Vicchan."

Yuuri nodded again, turning away and exiting the store. He grabbed his keys, wallet and cell phone before making his way down the steps. He pulled his helmet on and started his bike. He looked down at the map app on his phone and found where they needed to go.

"Okay, Vicchan, we're gonna stop at Makkachin's place, alright?" He said, starting his bike. The dog barked eagerly before settling down to sleep in his basket. Yuuri smiled softly at the sound, continuing on his way to Yakov and Christophe's apartment.

The trip took longer than usual due to traffic. However, it didn't take long until they arrived and he parked right outside the building. He hopped off his bike and unlocked the door, walking inside.

When he stepped into the entryway he could hear loud noises coming from the direction of the kitchen and immediately recognized what it was: the TV was playing. A grin crossed his lips as he remembered his conversation with Mari and how much Viktor loved American movies and television shows. Maybe he'd be able to convince him to watch one with them tonight. He headed toward the kitchen, not bothering with his boots first.

Christophe and Yakov both sat at the table, a large bowl of popcorn on the center. He smiled at them and they returned the gesture. "Yuuri, you're just in time, come join us," Yakov grinned. Yuuri took the empty chair next to him and picked up the bowl of popcorn. He started eating the sweet, salty treat and looked around for Viktor. He spotted him standing in the far corner of the kitchen watching TV, a mug of coffee in one hand. He was leaning back slightly with a lazy smile on his face. Yuuri couldn't help staring at him – it hadn't taken him very long to fall in love with Viktor.

It seemed to be inevitable. They both loved cooking and baking together, and neither of them ever cooked anything that was actually edible. At least not until recently.

Yuuri continued eating, listening to the voices coming from the tv and trying to make sense of the movie that was currently showing. Suddenly Christophe stood up abruptly and said, "I think I heard my wife call me, I better go check on her! I'll see you guys later!" He laughed and walked out of the room.

Yakov chuckled and looked at Viktor, "Your husband is always so considerate." Viktor just smiled and shrugged.

"He is."

Yakov took a sip from his coffee mug and studied Yuuri for a second. "How are things going between you and your family? Has anything happened lately?"

Viktor tensed up slightly at that question and Yuuri froze, unable to form a coherent reply. Luckily Viktor beat him too it. "Nothing major has happened at the rink," he answered for him, shooting him an apologetic look. His voice was careful, like he wanted Yuuri to tell him otherwise but was afraid to ask him directly. "It's been quiet. We were thinking we might take Makkachin for a walk soon to tire ourselves out."

Yuuri nodded absently, still lost in thought as he ate. Something must have shown on his face because suddenly he felt a pair of hands lightly grab his face and lift it upwards. He looked up into concerned brown eyes and tried to focus as he noticed Viktor frowning down at him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, brushing back a piece of hair that was stuck to Yuuri's forehead. "You look kinda pale and weird… Are you sick? Do you feel sick? Did you eat anything today? Does it hurt anywhere?"

Yuuri chuckled softly at Viktor's concern and gently pushed his arms off his face. He shook his head. "I'm fine, Vitya.