In a way, Yuuri had tried to forget about Detroit and his college years. It had been a difficult point of his life and a personal low in his skating career. His beloved dog had died, he'd been away from home for years, and had embarrassingly failed the Grand Prix Final, ending up in last place. However this time had also been a significant jumping point for the rest of his life. He had become best friends with Phichit, graduated college, and got to meet his idol and future husband Viktor.

Looking around the room, it was as if nothing had changed. It was a small, single-bed dormitory, with one large window overlooking the college campus. A well-worn wooden desk sat beneath the window and piles of homework and stacked textbooks were neatly organized on top. His bed was pushed up against the adjacent wall and had his suitcase shoved underneath. Next to the bed was a matching dresser and a small white desk lamp sat on top along with pictures of Hasetsu, his family, Yuuko and Takeshi and their three girls, and his beloved poodle Vicchan. The alarm clock, which had rudely awakened him, was plugged into the outlet by his desk and rested next to his laptop. The floor was a light brown wood, and a square blue rug was placed in the space between the bed and his desk. Hanging on the white walls were a couple of posters from when Viktor was young and had long hair, a modest mirror above the dresser, and a poodle calendar across from the desk. Overall, it was a neat albeit plain room that any average college student would have.

How Yuuri got here though was a mystery. He was supposed to be home, in Japan with his beloved, not in America. And what about this person saying that he was going to miss a plane?

It seemed as though Yuuri's mind was running a mile a minute. So he quickly scrambled out of bed and turned to face the mirror.

It was amazing. It was himself, but not the version he had grown to recognize… it was the face of a much younger Yuuri staring back at him. Thick black hair framed his face, replacing old and gray, his brown eyes looked youthful and awake behind his trusty blue glasses, some lingering baby fat that he still hadn't outgrown rested on his cheeks, and his skin appeared smooth and clear. Looking down, his hands were no longer worn and chapped from years of hard work and skating, and his body was lithe yet toned. He was wearing an old blue tee shirt and black and white plaid pajama bottoms. Yuuri continued to stare in awe at his new, or rather old, body, and his mouth hung slightly ajar. Tearing himself away from his image, he ran to the calendar to check the date. It was still December, but of 2015, the year he competed in his first Grand Prix. Today's date was circled in red pen, reading "flight to Sochi, 1 PM departure." It was the day he was leaving for the GPF!

Quickly he checked the clock on his desk. It was already 10:45 in the morning. Had he really slept that much? Considering that the drive to the airport alone takes an hour and once there he needs an additional hour to get through processing, he had only 15 minutes to pack and get ready to leave.

Yuuri began to fly around the room, grabbing his suitcase from beneath his bed, throwing in his toothbrush and toiletries, shirts, pants, jackets, gloves, his skating supplies, and everything else he thought that he'd need.

As he was packing Yuuri grew more and more worried, was his whole life with Viktor really just a dream? Or was he dreaming right now? Will he wake up to find Viktor safe? Or was this some strange punishment in the afterlife?

His thought process was interrupted when the voice from before sounded from behind the door, "Hey Yuuri, I'm coming in!"

It was Phichitto-kun! He was also young, just like back when they were in club together, with his dark hair and eyes, and tan skin.

"Come on Yuuri," he said, "One last picture before you go! I want to show this to everyone when you become famous so that I can say that I'm best friends with Yuuri Katsuki!"

Running up to his friend, Phichit threw his arm around Yuri's shoulders and extended the other out for a selfie. Still shocked, the picture was taken of a blushing and wide-eyed Yuuri and a beaming Phichit.

"This is going up on Instagram right now!" said the Thai skater. "You're all ready right? Celestino is waiting outside in the cab. You'll have to leave soon if you want to be on time."

Still in shock, Yuuri couldn't bring himself to reply. Phichit presence confirmed that he really was in college again. This was real. With this realization Yuuri felt as if couldn't take it any more and began to felt tears well up in his eyes.

'Viktor…. We haven't even met… all those years together, him being my coach, our wedding, winning the Grand Prix… all of it never happened,' thought Yuuri. He slumped down onto his bed, hiding his face with his hands as he began to cry harder.

Worried for his friend, but misinterpreting the reason for him crying, Phichit sat down next to Yuuri.

"Don't worry about it Yuuri," he said tenderly, "you'll skate amazingly, I know it. You've worked so hard and have come so far from when we first started training. I know that you'll do well. Plus you'll get to see Viktor in person, won't that be cool? How about that?"

Unbeknownst to Phichit, the thought of meeting Viktor again tore Yuuri's heart into two and he found himself crying even harder. After a few minutes of crying into his friend's shoulder, Yuuri felt as if he couldn't cry any more and was physically and mentally exhausted. So he slowly rose from the bed and removed his glasses to wipe away and straying tears. His face was flushed and his eyes were red. Phichit stood up next to him and offered to carry his suitcase.

Yuuri responded, sniffling, "No it's okay, really I'm okay Phichitto-kun."

"If you say so," his friend responded, and together the two skaters left the room, closing the door behind them. They walked slowly down the hall, Phichit acting as if Yuuri were a piece of glass about to shatter, but Yuuri never noticed. He was too focused on making it to the car so that he can sit and figure out what was going on. Eventually they made it outside to the street. A taxi was waiting outside with its trunk open for Yuuri's luggage.

Celestino rolled down the car window from his seat in the back saying, "Hey Yuuri, you okay?"

He had noticed the defeated look on the skater's face, a look he was very familiar to when they went to competitions. Celestino knew that the boy had low self-esteem and tended to make mistakes, but he knew that he was also an amazing skater and a determined student. The coach was confident that going to the Grand Prix Finales would prove to his student that he really was a great skater, and would boost his confidence.

Meanwhile, Yuuri turned around to take one last look at the building behind him, knowing that he wouldn't return until after his competition season ended. Phichit gave him one last hug and wished him luck, helping him with getting his stuff into the car.

Yuuri then opened the car door and sat down next to his coach, waving out the window to Phichit as they began to drive away. He then rolled up the window and continued to stare outside at the passing trees and buildings while Celestino talked in the background about their plans once they arrived at the airport.

It was in this moment that Yuuri had accepted his fate and started planning his new life, determined to find Viktor at the GPF and make him fall in love with him all over again.