"So...that was bold..."

"Shut up Phichit. I couldn't help it. He had been so considerate of my feelings when Vicchan damn near died, and then out of nowhere, he goes and does a quad flip. I've never even seen him practice it! What if he injured himself while he was practicing alone? I'm pretty sure that was a completely spontaneous change to his program. And dangerous! What if he landed wrong because he hadn't practiced it properly? And I still don't know how the ISU will react to what I did. I believe you when you say they shouldn't have a reason to be upset if we start a relationship, but until I officially hear their opinion, I'm going to be nervous."

"All very good points to bring up. However, there is a far more important question here. Do you regret it? I mean, unless you've been keeping secrets from me, that was the first time you two kissed, right?"

Yuuri paused and blushed slightly.

"It was. And honestly? No, I don't regret it. I still don't know exactly how I feel about Victor, but thinking back, it felt right."

"Aw, you're all grown and falling in requited love. A rather fitting outcome considering Victor's theme this season, don't you think?"

"Shush Phichit."

*****

"Victor..."

"Chris..."

"Oh my god Victor."

"I know, right?"

"Victor...oh my god."

"I know, right?!"

"The one and only Katsuki Yuuri, the man you've adored for years, the one you stalked to Japan, the one that you got as your coach...kissed you...on the ice...on international television. How have you not combusted from sheer joy?"

"I honestly don't know. But I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I thought our moment in the hot pot restaurant when Yuuri was drunk was glorious. But that?"

Victor sighed and his eyes glazed over as he stared off at nothing in particular.

"Chris, I've never had a moment where I've felt so adored and cherished. I love him. I love him, I love him, I love him. I love him so much. How have I survived my life without the sheer goodness that is Yuuri until now?"

"I don't know, but I feel there is a more pressing matter. We both know he is super protective of his personal life, so doing something like that must have been a big deal for him. Are you just going to sit there and do nothing? Or are you going to figure out a way to show him that you care and that you acknowledge how big of a gesture that was?"

Victor pursed his lips in concentration. After a moment, his face lit up in clarity.

"Chris! We need to go shopping!"

*****

The next day found Phichit and Yuuri standing together while their skaters were getting in their last minute practices. After a while, they both called Victor and Celestino off the ice before they could get hurt by overworking themselves. While they were waiting for their skaters to get back, Phichit started bombarding Yuuri with questions.

"So, do you and Victor have anything special planned while we're here?"

"Nothing really. Just general sightseeing. He did say before we left Japan that he had planned a surprise for me, and this morning he said I'd get said surprise after practice, so I'm curious what it will be."

"Any guesses?"

"Phichit, this is Victor we're talking about. The master of loving to surprise people. I have no idea."

"Well, I guess you'll find out soon enou-"

Yuuri stared curiously at his friend as his words died and Phichit's face went from surprised to smug.

"Phichit, what's wrong?"

"Yuuri, first, keep calm."

"Okay..."

"Now look over there and try not to die."

Yuuri turned and saw Victor standing in front of them wearing Yuuri's old Team Japan jacket.

"Coach Yuuri~, look!! What do you think? It's perfect for me, right? I want to wear it out today and show everyone my admiration for you!"

Oh my god, it's so big on him, but it just makes it look that much more like he's all cuddled in it. I can't handle him. He's too cute. Yuuri felt his face heating up and immediately dropped to his knees so people couldn't see his face from the rink. Victor just smiled, having seen Yuuri's face before he crouched. Phichit glanced down at Yuuri, concerned at the sudden reaction.

"Yuuri...are you alright?"

"Yes...I'm fine..." I'm so not fine...

*****

"Yuuri~, take me to all the cool places! I've never been to Barcelona before! I want to see everything!"

"I don't think we have time for everything Victor. How about you tell me what kind of places you'd like to see, and I'll take you to the most famous ones. The only thing we're not going to is the Sala Hipóstila, or Doric Temple, in Park Güell."

"Why? That's one of the places I've actually heard about."

"Yuri never told you?"

"Never told me what?"

"That's where Otabek took him the first time they were in Barcelona as competitors themselves, and where they each proposed to each other. Whenever they visit, they always go back, and I'm not going to potentially show up at the same time and interrupt them."

"That's...absolutely adorable! I'm definitely going to ask one or both of them about that story later!"

*****

Yuuri and Victor ended up seeing several of the major sights. Yuuri even acted as an unofficial tour guide for Victor, making sure he was aware of all the famous buildings in their view.

"This is the Sagrada Família. Like so many other famous landmarks in Barcelona, it was designed by Antoni Gaudí, the face of Catalan modernism, and is supposed to be his magnum opus. Construction began in 1882, but the church still remains unfinished, hence the many cranes that still remain around the building."

"The building we're on is the Arenas de Barcelona, a former bullring that was turned into a shopping mall in 2011. The complex also offers a rooftop terrace and an observation tower, which is where we are now. The tower overlooks the Plaza de España and the two Venetian Towers. That impressive building in the back is the National Art Museum of Catalonia."

"This is Casa Batlló. It's located along the Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona’s most luxurious shopping street. Do you want to stop and get anything while we're here?"

"This is the Casa Milà, or La Pedrera, another famous building designed by Gaudí."

"Yuuri, you're a fan of his work, aren't you?"

Yuuri just laughed.

"Maybe. But they're all impressive, aren't they?"

"They really are."

"So, is your inner tourist satisfied? Are you ready to head back to the hotel yet?"

"Uh, no. There's one more place I want to visit."

"Oh? Where do you want to go?"

Victor smiled and grabbed Yuuri's hand.

"It's a surprise. You're just going to have to follow me!"

*****

Victor alternated between pulling Yuuri along and letting go to glance at the directions on his phone. Finally, after about 20 minutes of walking, Victor perked up.

"It's just around this corner."

As they rounded the block, Yuuri glanced up to see the Catedral de Barcelona. There was a choir singing carols in front of the steps, but Victor tugged on his hand once more. Yuuri followed until they were standing at the top, just next to the gate by the front doors. Yuuri looked around admiring the view, until he heard a small cough. He turned back and saw Victor with his hand scratching at the back of his neck and shuffling his feet. He's nervous. Why is he nervous?

"So. Um. I thought I was prepared for this, but the awesome speech I had in my head is now gone, so I'm just gonna talk and hope I don't sound too much like a babbling idiot. So, uh, just let me talk, and even if I pause, don't say anything. It's just me trying to think of what to say next. I'll tell you when I'm done, okay?"

"Okay." I want to say more to try and calm his nerves, but this is not the time. My best intentions in this situation might ruin his confidence to say whatever is on his mind right now.

"Okay, so. I have a lot I want to tell you Yuuri. What do I say first? Um, well, I guess I'll start with the fact that I wanted to get you something. Something to say thank you for everything up to now."

Victor reached into his pocket and pulled something out in his fist.

"I...I couldn't think of anything better..."

Victor grabbed Yuuri's right hand.

"And...I know this might be really presumptuous of me to ask, but..."

Victor opened his fist and slid a small ring onto Yuuri finger. He took a deep breath, squeezed his eyes shut, tilted his head down, and took a deep beath.

"Please by my coach until I retire!

Speechless, Yuuri looked down at the ring. It was a simple design, a small infinity-styled gold heart with a small diamond in the bottom of the heart. Yuuri smiled, his heart fluttering. He even put it on my ring finger. Well, it's my right ring finger, but that's where Yuri wears his wedding ring. Is it a Russian thing? Okay, I just won't assume anything right now. Yuuri waited, not knowing if Victor was done talking. The last thing he said wasn't specifically a question, so I don't know if I'm supposed to answer with something or not. Eventually, Victor tilted his head up ever so slightly and peeked at Yuuri with one eye.

"Yuuri~, say something..."

"Oh, are you done and saying it's ok for me to talk now?" Yuuri sassed and winked.

"Yuuri..." Victor whined.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I really am. I won't tease anymore. But you know...I don't know how familiar you are with older Japanese traditions, but that was almost like a marriage proposal."

Victor blushed.

"N-No, I didn't know that. But, um, there was one thing I wanted to talk to y-you about. Okay, um...I know I'm still a teenager, even if I'm on the older end of the teenage years. I mean, my birthday is almost here, and then I'll be 18. Yay adult age!"

Victor forced an awkward cough.

"Anyways, I know I still have a lot of growing up to do. But I really care about you. A lot. You have given up so much of your time for me, and have asked for little in return. Words cannot describe how much it means to me. I know I can be a bit much at times, and I'm not always the best at reading social cues, but you've never held that against me...even when I surprised you, naked, in your house, which in retrospect, was probably not my smartest moment."

Victor grabbed Yuuri's now ring-adorned hand and took another deep breath to steady himself.

"But with everything that we've been though, how far we've come, how much you've helped me, a-and what happened after my free skate in Beijing...oh god, I really hope this doesn't weird you out...b-but I was w-w-wondering if you would be willing to also consider this, um, a uh..." Victor closed his eyes and his voice dropped to a whisper "...a promise ring."

Victor sat with his eyes closed in the silence. Did I push too far? Please tell me I didn't push too far! Suddenly, he felt a hand cup his face. His eyes flashed open, and he looked up and saw Yuuri with the softest smile on his face.

"So this going on my right ring finger wasn't just coincidental?"

Victor nodded once, still unsure of how Yuuri was going to respond to everything Victor had just said and asked.

"If that's the case, I just wish I had something to give you in return."

Yuuri watched as Victor's face transitioned from blank as he processed what Yuuri said, to shock at not being rejected, and then sheer joy at being accepted. He's adorable...and I'm so gonna be screwed if I ever have to try and dissuade him from anything.

"Oh. Well, uh, I might've bought myself one too."

Victor smiled sheepishly and pulled out an identical small box. Not two seconds later, he visibly paled.

"Oh god, this makes me seem like I was totally planning all this from the beginning, doesn't it? I totally went about this the wrong way! Crap! I promise it wasn't originally a promise ring idea! That came later! I just wanted to have something I could hopefully consider a matching good-luck charm with you! I swear that's all it was! Oh god, oh god, please don't be upset!"

Yuuri couldn't help but chuckle at Victor's sudden panicky flailing.

"Victor, Victor! Hey, calm down. I know you don't have a malicious bone in your body. Don't worry, okay?"

"It's just...I was looking for something, and when I saw these rings, I really liked them, and it was something we could always wear and have with us, even when we skate, but wouldn't swing around and potentially break like a necklace. After I bought them, I realized what it might look like. And while obviously I wasn't opposed to the idea, I didn't want to make assumptions."

Yuuri held out his hand and motioned for Victor to hand over the box. Once he had it, Yuuri opened the box and pulled out the ring. He turned towards the light and held the ring up and moved it around, looking at it from different angles. He turned his face back towards Victor.

"So, let me get this straight. This is a good luck promise ring, with a request for me to continue being your coach? Till you retire?"

Victor looked down and kicked at the ground anxiously.

"Y-yeah."

Yuuri gently grabbed Victors chin and pulled so that Victor was looking up at him.

"Well if that's the case..."

Yuuri dropped his hand from Victors face, but immediately pulled Victor's right hand out in front of him. Victor watched as Yuuri's expression went from serious to affectionate as his slid the ring onto Victor's finger.

"...I wish you'd never retire."

Victor stood stunned before he launched himself into Yuuri's arms, blubbering a mix of laughing and crying as they hugged each other. I could stay like this forever. Eventually, Victor pulled himself together, and slowly leaned back a little, but not enough to be out of Yuuri's grasp.

"I know we have the rings now, and I'll try my absolute best from tomorrow on, but...would you still tell me something for good luck?"

"Sure. I'll say something you won't even have to think about. Tomorrow, show me the skating that you can honestly say you liked best. That's the only shortcut to a gold medal that I know."

"Okay! Let's win gold together at the Grand Prix Final!"

*****

After the Catedral de Barcelona, Victor and Yuuri found themselves wandering around looking for food. Soon they came across Yuri and Otabek in a small cafe, and the four of them decided to move to a larger restaurant. Phichit soon was messaging Yuuri asking what he was doing for dinner, and quickly took a taxi to join them. Victor messaged Chris so that he would have someone more his age and an actual competitor at the table. Once all six were gathered, they found a restaurant with some covered outdoor seating, and sat down for a final meal before calling it a night.

"Phitchit, where's Celestino? You didn't just up and leave him alone did you?"

"Oh Yuuri, you're so cute when you're concerned. He had already snacked on some food and just wanted to get a good night's sleep. So he's crashed in the hotel room. I know, so not fun and adventurous."

"Oh, ok. That's probably wise. Yuri, what about Lilia?"

"She's hanging out with Yakov and Georgi. Why, I don't know."