"Victor! What the fuck? Where the hell do you think you're going?!"

With his long, blonde hair flowing behind him as he stormed after his most promising student and his famous scowl plastered on his face, most people would've cowered in fear of the rage. But Victor prided himself on not being 'most people'.

"Yurio, you were the best coach I ever had, but -"

"Excuse you, 'Yurio'? No 'Coach Yuri'? Where are your manners?"

"But -"

"And I'm the ONLY coach you've ever had."

"But -"

"And what do you mean 'were'?"

"Well -"

"Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

"Ugh! Stop interrupting me old man, I am trying to tell you!"

"Victor..." Yuri growled.

"BUT! I need to learn more, expand my abilities! You've been a miracle worker for getting my jumps to where they are, but I feel like my performances are lacking. I need to connect with my routines more. And I know just the place to do it!"

Victor turned on his heel and started walking, pausing briefly to look back and gave his huge heart-shaped smile and wave.

"Bye Yurio~!"

* * * * *

"And now I'm here!"

Yuuri continued to stare at the younger skater as he bounced on his toes in excitement. Victor took the silence as permission to continue.

"You've always been the best at letting your emotions show on the ice, and it doesn't hurt that you're a 5 time champion of 3 different major international competitions, along with all the other things you've been a part of. You said you were gonna take students. I want to become even better and win on my Senior Debut. I figured this would be perfect!"

Yuuri finally pulled himself together enough to think. Victor's enthusiasm could be very contagious if he wasn't careful, and he wanted to be careful, for the sake of his time off.

"No."

Victor tilted his head, confusion etched on his face.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"Just what it sounds like. No."

Yuuri could see Victor's eyes start to water slightly. This! This is exactly what I was not looking forward to. I've felt let down before. I hate that feeling, and I hate that I'm now causing that feeling. Why couldn't he just ask before just showing up, like a normal person. Then he wouldn't be halfway around the world with his plans suddenly shot down.

"But...but you've been such a big influence for me. I've followed your career for as long as I can remember. I don't even know what color my walls are anymore because they're covered in posters and cut-outs and other Katsuki Yuuri merchandise. See, I even learned to say your name properly, at least in Japanese culture. Please! I've wanted to skate on the same ice as you for so long. I'm your biggest fan. Please, please let me be your student!"

Yuuri could feel his will bending to the powerful force that was Victor Nikiforov begging. But he tried to stay strong. Think of the time off. Think of the freedom. Think of the Vicchan cuddles.

"Look, Victor, I'm sure it wasn't easy, or cheap, to bring yourself, your dog, and what seems to be your entire household all the way here from Russia, but no. You say you're a fan and that you follow me, but with what else you've said, you're contradicting yourself. Yes, I said I would take students. But in a year, Victor, a year. I clearly stated at the press conference in Sochi that I wanted to take at least a year off to relax and adjust to life outside of the competitive circuit. Besides, I don't even know if I have what it takes to be a proper coach. I appreciate that you find me worthy enough for someone that's already a champion, even if it's in the Junior division, but you didn't even try to contact me to ask first. Heck, you didn't even wait to talk to me to see if this would work out before moving yourself in here. A bit presumptuous, don't you think? I mean, did you even tell anyone where you were going? That you were traveling all the way to Japan? Does anyone even know you're here?"

Yuuri found that begging Victor was nothing compared to sad, teary-eyed Victor in terms of crushing his will. Every time he had said something remotely not nice, he watched the young skater first drop eye contact then slowly bow his head in acceptance; his shoulders hunched over just a little bit more every time he said something accusatory. Yuuri could even see Victor's smaller frame quiver every now and then, as if trying not to cry. He knew if he wanted to follow the plan he had laid out for himself and not crush the soul of the young man in front of him at the same time, he needed to think of something, and quick.

"P-please give me a chance. I know what you said, but I was hoping I could change your mind. Which is why no. No one knows where I am. I'm confident in myself, but I didn't wanna tell anyone where I was going in case something happened. Like this, I guess. At least that way I could go back with my pride somewhat still intact.

Victor could feel his young heart breaking. It seemed like no matter what he said, Yuuri had no desire for him to be here. He felt the tears that had been building up in his eyes were now slowly streaming down his face. His words came pouring out of his mouth uncontrollably.

"It's just, I really, really do admire you. Like, a lot. And I understand that I'm imposing on your life right now. But I honestly do need help. Your help specifically. My coach, Yuri Plisetsky, has been great so far at getting me to where I am, but it's not enough. The geezer and I don't exactly see eye to eye. He's strict in training, almost militaristic-level strict, so my jumps are fantastic. But...I don't connect with my programs. I know I'm free with my emotions, but the ability to truly connect to the song, to feel it, to understand it, to create a story with my song and dance...I'm not quite there yet. I'm sure if I had stayed I could've still won medals, but I want to do better, to be better."

Victor was sure that if Yuuri sent him away, he would be seriously considering his future in the sport. If he lost the opportunity to skate on the same ice as his Yuuri first as a competitor and now as a student, he didn't know if he'd have the will to continue. He was aware that he was rambling, but in his desperation, he couldn't stop, needing to make sure that everything he wanted to say was said, no matter how long-winded it was.

"That's why I came here, to you. It's what you're known for. No one maxes out their presentation score like you. I want to learn from the best, and it just so happens that in this situation, the best is my idol. So please! Please let me stay. Please teach me! I'll do anything! Pleeeease?"

Unbeknownst to Victor, Yuuri had already felt his resolve crumbling, but he knew he couldn't just say yes outright. He had to think of something. Think...thiiink...thiiiiin-oh!

"Alright, I'll make you a deal. But you'll have to work for it. I have a song that I've been choreographing in my free time. I had considered using it if I had stayed in competitive skating. You and I will have a little competition. If you're a fan, then I'm sure you know who Yuuko-sensei is. She and her family own and run the local rink that I always trained at. She's got triplets who are total skating otaku. I'm sure they'd love to organize something."

"B-b-but that's not fair! The same music, with the same choreography? I've only ever skated with other Juniors! You're a Senior skater. You have so much more experience than I do. There's no way I can compare to you!"

"No, this piece has several different arrangements, and each will have a different program. I'll even let you listen to the music and pick which of the two you'd like to skate to. Besides, I thought you said you were confident in yourself?"

"I am, but -"

"Then here's my deal. I will temporarily coach you. Prove to me that you have the ability to learn how to connect, that you aren't just a robot going through the technical motions, and I'll not only continue to coach you for this season, but I'll let you keep the routines if you like them."

"And if I don't?"

"You go back to Russia and your coach. You said his name was also Yuri? Yuri Plisetsky?"

"Yes. I know I've been around him longer, but you've always been my favorite Yuri, so I actually gave him a nickname years ago. I think it's pretty clever. I was on the internet randomly scrolling through all things Japanese, because I liked you so much and wanted to learn more about your culture; still do, just to be clear. Anyways, I saw an idol group and one of the members had blonde hair that was cut and styled so it looked just like pictures I had seen of Russian Yuri when he was a teenager. His name was Takao; don't ask me why I've remembered that after so long. Anyways, from then on, to distinguish which Yuri I was talking about, you were Yuuri, and he was Yurio, because they looked the same and it rhymed. Clever, right? Anways, -"

"Victor. Focus."

"Sorry."

"As I was saying. If you lose, you go back, you apologize to your coach for just up and leaving, and you continue to train under him. No if's, and's, or but's. Deal?"

For the first time, it was Victor's turn to stare in silence. Can I do it? Do I really have another choice? I have to prove myself. I have to prove that this wasn't a mistake. Okay, I'll do it.

"Deal."

"And one more thing. Do not, at all, use social media while here. You can call whoever you want to let them know you're safe and whatnot, but this was supposed to be my time off, and I WILL NOT have it ruined because reporters flooded my hometown looking for a story with the last two Grand Prix Final champions. Got it?"

Victor nodded quickly.

"Okay then. Grab your gear and lets head to the rink. I want to see what you can do. Plus, you'll need to pick your music."

Victor jumped up and pulled Yuuri into a big hug. Yuuri stiffened under the sudden physical contact.

"Thank you so much! I promise you won't regret it!"

* * * * *

Apparently closeness was something that Victor was comfortable with, as he attempted to hold onto Yuuri's arm for the entire duration of their walk. Several times, Yuuri had peeled Victor off his side, only to have Victor grab him again every time he saw something new or exciting. For a moment, Victor had considered not re-attaching himself to Yuuri's side. But when he realized that every time he grabbed onto Yuuri, it made Yuuri blush, there was no turning back. He is adorable, and I will do whatever it takes to see that blush on his cheeks~! Walking into Ice Castle, Yuuri pried his arm out of Victor's grasp and walked over to the front counter.

"Victor, this is Yuuko-sensei and her husband, Takeshi. The three bouncing balls of energy you see are the triplets I mentioned, Axel, Lutz, and Loop. And before you ask, yes, like the jumps. They're a skating family, if you couldn't tell. Nishigori family, this is Victor."

"Hi everyone, my name is Victor Nikiforov. I'm hoping to convince Yuuri to be my coach."

Before he knew it, Victor was surrounded by the triplets and bombarded with questions and pictures.

"Wait, weren't you the Junior Grand Prix Final Champion?"

"Can I touch your hair?"

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Why'd you pick Yuuri?"

"What do you have to do to 'convince' him?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Takeshi sighed and put his head in his arms on the counter. Yuuko flailed and tried to contain the girls. Yuuri just giggled. Victor decided that Yuuri giggling was the greatest sound in the world.

"As you can see, they can be a bit overwhelming. They unintentionally helped me learn how to deal with the press when I was younger. Given, strangers are still harder to work with, but when you're used to being constantly swarmed by your own in-town groupies, it's not quite as shocking."

Yuuri's voice seemed to flip a switch, because all of a sudden they left Victor alone and decided to mob Yuuri. But they didn't just surround him, one grabbed his arm, another hugged his waist, and the third one jumped on his back.

"Yuuri, I thought you weren't going to be a coach for at least a year?"

"How do you two know each other?"

"Are you going to stay retired?"

"When did Victor get here?"

"Yuuri, will you help us now that you're back for good?"

"When are you gonna start dating someone?"

"Will you sign more stuff for us? We got new posters."

"Now that you're not training all the time, are you gonna get fat?"

Victor felt his eye twitch. On the way here, Yuuri didn't seem to be very touchy-feely kind of person. But now he is? What do they have that I don't? Why do they get to climb all over him? Why doesn't he brush them off? That's not fair!

Victor put on a fake smile and briskly walked over to Yuuri and pulled on his arm in the direction of the rink.

"Let's go! I have no time to waste and you have music to play for me."

They both pulled out their skates and started lacing them up.

"Victor, when you're done, I want you to do a few laps around the rink, get a little warmed up. I'll go grab the speakers. We won't do much today, but you are not to skate unless you have warmed up and loosened your muscles. Understood?"

"Yes Yuuri~!"

"Coach Yuuri. Or Yuuri-sensei if you're such a fan of Japanese culture."

"Only if you call me Vitya. It's a Russian diminutive for Victor. It would mean a lot to me if you'd call me that."

"Show me that you can address me properly and work hard on your skating, and I'll consider it."

Victor pouted. Yuuri stared.

"Go, shoo, warm up. I'll let you know when I'm ready."

As Victor warmed himself up, Yuuri put a speaker on the rink wall, grabbed the remote, went to join Victor on the ice.

"Okay, first things first, I want you to listen to the music. Both pieces have the same main subject of love, but both songs have opposing themes. You wanted to learn how to better connect to you music, right? Listen, and tell me what you think. Don't just hear the melody, try to understand what the composer was feeling when pen met paper."

As the music started, Victor listened intently. If he was correct, it was in Latin. It had a slow tempo and was purely orchestral. It was a type of music Victor was familiar with. After about 30 seconds, Yuuri paused the music and looked towards Victor.

"It's very ethereal and gentle, almost innocent. It reminds me of someone that hasn't been touched by Cupid's arrow."

Yuuri nooded in approval. "Okay, what about this second song?"

Whatever Victor had been expecting, it was not this. The music had a much faster tempo and no words. It was filled with a variety of sounds from different instruments that reminded him of a Spanish flamenco. Again, after about 30 seconds, the music was cut off, and Yuuri waited for Victor's response.

"It seems the complete opposite. There's more depth, more experience, more passion."