Last Year: Night before the Grand Prix Final…

"Viktor, we need to talk," Yuuri called across the room, dropping his hotel key-card onto the miniscule desk by the door. He pulled off his coat, slinging it into the closet and pulling off his shoes, before tossing them in as well. He removed his glasses, wiping his eyes and his glasses' lenses before replacing them on his face.

"Yes?" Viktor's head popped out of the bathroom, his hair sopping wet and plastered to his face. Yuuri tried to suppress a laugh, but only succeeded in turning it into a gasping sort of giggle. Viktor looked extremely confused, but when Yuuri doubled over and pointed at his face, Viktor understood. He slipped back into the bathroom, and Yuuri heard a blow-drier turn on, but the sound only lasted a few moments. When Viktor popped back out of the bathroom again, his hair was perfect, and Yuuri was able to get control of his laughter.

"You said there was something we needed to address?" Viktor asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Ummm… yeah. The rings," Yuuri muttered, sitting down beside Viktor on the bed and casually wrapping his arm around Viktor's waist. Viktor looked towards Yuuri, curious.

"You… You DO understand they weren't meant to be engagement rings, right? And, umm… I don't think I'm ready for that yet." Viktor looked solemn, pulling away from Yuuri and placing his hands in his lap.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, eyes downcast.

"Viktor! It's okay… I'm just saying that I don't think I'm ready for marriage yet! I still want to be with you. And when the time comes, I probably will say yes, but… just, you didn't really give me a choice."

"What?"

"Well, at the restaurant. What could I have said, 'No, they aren't wedding rings, Viktor was just joking'? Do you think that would've played over very well?" Viktor just looked at Yuuri, tears in his eyes.

"Oh, crap. I LOVE YOU VIKTOR, AND NOTHING WILL CHANGE THAT. However, we have only known each other for around 8 months. That's too early for a proposal! Heck, IT WASN'T EVEN A PROPOSAL!" Yuuri said emphatically, throwing his arms up in the air. Viktor just looked him directly in the eyes, and Yuuri felt the tears in his own eyes before they even fell. Viktor's sadness was contagious.

"I'm sorry, Yuuri. I—I won't do it again." And with that, Viktor pulled on a coat, slipped on his shoes, and was out the door. As the door slammed shut, Yuuri couldn't help but wonder if that was a promise that he wanted him to keep, or if he even would be able to keep it in the long run.

Present Day:

"YUURI! YUURI!" called Viktor, terrified. Yuuri opened his eyes, pain etching his face as he reached for the backside of his neck. Yuuri could barely see; his vision was impaired due to the fall. Viktor held Yuuri's head in his hand, and Viktor's face was mere inches from his own. When Yuuri was finally conscious, Viktor leaned down and kissed him, hard, on the mouth.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" asked worried passerby, looking to the group as they clustered over Yuuri and Viktor. Nobody paid them enough attention to actually SEE if Yuuri was okay, but it's the thought that counts, right?

"Wha… happened?" asked Yuuri groggily. He tried to sit up, blacking out momentarily and falling back into Viktor's arms. When he turned to Viktor and saw the tears adorning his face, he realized that something was definitely wrong.

"You… um… fainted. I tried to catch you, and was mostly able to, but your head hit the ground. How are you feeling? How many fingers am I holding up?" Viktor held up three fingers.

"Four. I'm fine, Viktor." Yuuri, again, attempted to sit up, but this time Viktor held him down.

"Are you alright?" called a voice. A young woman stepped around the table, leaning down.

"I'm a nurse. Don't worry." She checked his blood pressure and pulled out a flashlight.

"Do you always carry one of those with you?" asked Phichit.

"As a precaution," she answered, flashing the light in his eyes and checking his pupil dilation. Yuuri turned, trying to avoid the light, but the nurse held him down firmly.

"Alright, he looks like he's suffered a minor concussion. You can take him home, you'll just have to make sure to keep him awake for the next few hours." She placed a finger on her lips pensively.

"Actually, do you mind if I come along? I want to make sure he's okay. I hate leaving a patient, even if he's not technically… you know… my patient," She smiled wanly, looking directly at Viktor.

"All right, but only because I don't really know what to do." Viktor leaned down, picking Yuuri up in his arms. The nurse called a taxi, and they were already in the car before Viktor decided to ask an obvious question.

"What is your name?" he asked her. She laughed, pulling out a business card.

"Katherine Kearsley, but my friends call me Kat. What about you?" Viktor looked positively taken aback.

"I'm Viktor Nikiforov. The five-time world champion gold medalist in figure skating. Do you honestly…?" He asked, looking to her. She looked awed.

"Oh, really?! I didn't know! Who's this?" She asked, pointing to Yuuri overenthusiastically.

"I'm Katsuki Yuuri, and I can speak for myself," he said grumpily, rubbing the side on his head. Viktor laughed at the state of his hair, making Yuuri extremely self-conscious. Kat started laughing, too, and they didn't stop until they reached Yuuri's house.

"Wow, your family owns an Onsen?!" she asked, taking a short look around. Yuuri still couldn't remain standing for long, and they quickly took him to his room on the far side of the house. Once they sat him down, they watched him like hawks.

Kat wouldn't let Yuuri sleep for almost 8 hours. They watched Tv, played games, ate, and talked. Finally, she let Yuuri sleep, but she checked on him every so often, just to see how he was doing. She and Viktor sat in two of the chairs around the room, sipping coffee from their respective mugs. They chatted a bit, watching Yuuri sleep. After about an hour, Kat's demeanor changed.

"Hey… so your friend seems really nice," she started, fingering the thin filigree designs on the outside of her mug. Viktor wondered how she could make such assumptions when she hadn't known Yuuri outside of this concussed state. She looked at Viktor.

"What made him fall?" she asked. Viktor looked over at her, surprised it took her this long to ask.

"Umm… I surprised him."

"Oh, is it his birthday?" she asked.

"Yeah. But that wasn't the reason he was surprised." Viktor said. He got up, changing the subject.

"Anyway, do you want some more coffee?" He left the room, taking Kat's mug as she held it out to him. Viktor refilled the mugs, taking as long as he could to do this.

It wasn't that Viktor was embarrassed or anything about proposing to Yuuri; quite the opposite, really. Kat seemed really quite nice; he didn't think she'd be disgusted either. The real reason was that he was still nervous about Yuuri's answer. Every moment without Yuuri's response was making Viktor more and more nervous, and he was new to the feeling. He put milk and sugar into the coffees, taking them both back to the room at the same time. Then Viktor heard something that made him stop in his tracks.

"So… um… do you want to get drinks sometime?" It was Kat's voice. Viktor placed the mugs on a small table by the door to avoid dropping them.

"That would be nice," said Yuuri. Viktor felt his heart begin to wither away in his chest, and he peeked inside of the room. Kat sat next to Yuuri, her arm draped around his shoulder. Then Yuuri sat bolt upright.

"Wait, you mean like on a DATE?!" he asked, turning towards her. She blushed.

"Well, yeah…" Yuuri squeezed his eyes shut, gripping the sheets below him.

"Um… listen…" he said, removing her arm from his shoulders. Viktor stared, unable to look away. What would Yuuri say?

"I'm getting married." Viktor's heart stopped in his chest. Did he just say…

"You met Viktor, right? He's my Fiancé." Kat sat back, shock slowing her movements. She looked up, finally noticing Viktor in the doorway. Viktor didn't think that she expected to see the enormous smile on his face though.

"Then you say yes?" Viktor asked, racing forward and holding Yuuri's arms. Yuuri looked directly in Viktor's eyes, smiling more brightly than Viktor had ever seen before.

"The surprise… you proposed…" Kat mumbled, finally making the connection. She stood, picking up her coat and standing by the door. Viktor and Yuuri didn't even realize that she had said anything before she was gone.

"Of course I say yes, Viktor. I love you, and this time, I'm ready." He leaned forward and kissed Viktor as Viktor slipped a sliver coiled ring on his finger. Then Yuuri leaned back, pulled the other one out of the ring box Viktor had pulled out, and he pushed it onto Viktor's finger. He smiled at Viktor, saying,

"I love you, Viktor. And this time, our engagement is real." They kissed, and Viktor realized that he had never felt happier in his life.