Hey mina,

It's already pretty late here in Germany, but I still wanted to get this chapter out tonight. It's basically the third part of their 'not-a-date' and I still couldn't finish it without going overboard with the wordcount. I always try to have 5-6k per chapter.

This time there's a little romantic as well as sexual tension coming your way, so beware. Nothing explicit yet, just Yuuri being affected by Victor *g*

Some of you already asked for interaction between Victor and Vicchan. Well, there's a little of that in here too, but I really want to write that part from Victor's POV and this chapter focuses on Yuuri, so the rest of it will be in chapter 5.

With that said, I really hope you guys are gonna enjoy this update! Have fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yuuri! on Ice All characters belong to MAPPA and Mitsurō Kubo.

Chapter 4 Melting Hot

Victor is everything Yuuri has ever dreamt of and more. His performance, breathtakingly beautiful and filled with overflowing emotions of attraction and seduction. And how much Yuuri wishes to be the person on the receiving end of Victor's efforts to seduce and win over. Yuuri would gladly agree to be Victor's if the man ever asked, but really, what are the odds of that ever happening?

Yuuri is nothing but a time a dozen vet like so many other people. Nothing special and nothing to be proud of, while Victor is a legendary figure skater with the world at his hands and more medals than he can probably count. The most desired bachelor of all. Lusted after by men and women alike. Victor can take every model or actress or athlete to bed with only a flutter of his long, perfect silvery lashes. Who is Yuuri compared to him?

But the moment his blades hit the ice, with Victor's warm hand curled around his own, Yuuri knows that today his childhood dream is coming true. It doesn't matter what tomorrow will bring, because he is happy right now at this very moment. Yuuri used to fantasize about skating on the same ice as Victor for years as a child and even after he'd decided to become a vet rather than a mediocre (at best) figure skater, he'd still watched Victor from afar, dreaming of meeting him and maybe skating with him just once in his life.

It is happening. Really happening.

Yuuri is gliding over the ice, blades sharp, cutting deep into the hard surface beneath his skates. There's a scratching sound filling the air while the music starts again, seductive tones floating around them while first, Yuuri skates a few laps to warm up and get a feeling for the ice again. He still skates often, but sometimes his schedule is too tough and his working hours too long for skating.

"Yuuri", Victor calls from somewhere behind him, drawing out the vowels in his name and curling his tongue around the 'r' in a way no one has ever done before. It makes Yuuri's skin prickle and tingle. "Wait for me! Don't just skate alone!".

It doesn't take Victor more than a few graceful slides until he reaches Yuuri, coming up behind him and throwing his arm around Yuuri's shoulders. "V-Victor! Don't surprise me like that!", Yuuri exclaims, blushing again.

Victor is so close. Too close. His arms are curled around Yuuri's shoulders and his forehead is touching Yuuri's neck. It's awfully intimate and Yuuri can do nothing but shiver and endure the close proximity while cursing Victor's affectionate personality. "Sorry. But you were so far away all of a sudden", he mumbles against the soft baby hairs below Yuuri's hairline; hot breath fanning over sensitive skin. It takes all of Yuuri's self-restraint not to jump out of Victor's embrace at the feeling. It's too good and yet the worst.

"I-I thought you… needed some space… for training and stuff", Yuuri explains, his tongue too big for his mouth and the words coming out a little slurred and not at clear as he hoped they would.

Victor just chuckles again, the sound warm and a little rough, but with all the right edges to make Yuuri's heart skip a beat and sent heat to his cheeks, as his traitorous mind wonders what this deep, melodic voice would sound like in bed. It doesn't help that he's fantasized about the man behind him for years. "Don't worry, Yuuri. I'm used to share the space of the rink with other skaters while training".

That's of course nothing new to Yuuri, who has seen every documentation about the St. Petersburg skating team at least thrice although all of them are exclusively in Russian and Yuuri's knowledge of the language ends with vkusno already. But instead of telling Victor that, he just nods and says: "Oh… in that case… ".

And Victor laughs in delight, before letting go of Yuuri to go through his step sequence once again, while Yuuri watches him, taking circles around Victor. He's glad that he used to spent so much time on the ice and his muscles still remember how to skate without him having to think about it. Leaves more of his attention for Victor and Victor alone.

Yuuri marvels in the other man's grace and strength. Every move is powerful yet beautiful at the same time and Victor's eyes sparkle in the dimmed light of the rink like liquid sapphires. It's hard not to stumble when confronted with such perfection.

But all too soon their peaceful togetherness is interrupted by a harsh, loud voice calling from the barrier when Yakov arrives at the rink and bellows something in rapid Russian that Yuuri doesn't understand, but has Victor stop in his routine and skate over to Yuuri to curl his right arm around the smaller man's waist protectively.

"He's here to support me, Yakov. He knows his fair share of figure skating, don't worry", Victor calls back at his coach. In English this time, because he must know that Yuuri doesn't speak Russian.

There's a vein pulsing on Yakov's forehead and he crosses his arms in front of his chest while he looks Yuuri and Victor over, taking in the scene in front of him. And Yuuri wonders what it must look like to the experienced coach to see his athlete with his arm around some nobody from the arse end of nowhere.

Yakov can't be too happy.

"I told you to focus on your program, not on getting into his pants, goddamitit!", Yakov yells, his face is going red and his accent is so thick that Yuuri has trouble understanding him despite having lived in Detroit for years.

This time Victor blushes as well and Yuuri thinks of a little boy cough with his hand down the cookie jar. It's adorable in a way only Victor can be.

"I… uhm… that's not what I want", Victor says, quieter this time and his cheeks are still red, but the words hurt nonetheless. They hurt because somewhere deep down Yuuri hoped that maybe Victor isn't just an affectionate guy, but feels attracted to Yuuri the same way Yuuri does to Victor. But he's been wrong. Victor is just a grateful pet owner.

"Then go on and focus!", retorts Yakov, his vein still pulsing and now he's tapping his foot on the ground impatiently.

Victor hesitates, Yuuri can feel it in the tension working its way through the other man's body. And for a second he thinks that Victor doesn't want to let go of him. But he has just said that he isn't interested in Yuuri that way, so why bother to keep his arms around him longer than necessary?

Yuuri doesn't get it. He's utterly confused by Victor's behaviour but he's too weak to tell him to let go, too. Being in Victor's arm feels good. Safe. Warm. Familiar. It's something Yuuri basks in and he doesn't want to ever let go of.

"Stay close to me", Victor suddenly whispers, leaning down a little to bring his lips on level with Yuuri's ear and his breath his hot against cool skin, forcing Yuuri to nod despite the storm raging inside of him – confusion fighting against hope.

It's so irrational to still cling to the few misleading gestures, when Victor's words tell so clearly that he's not interested, but Yuuri's a fool, always has been when it came to Victor Nikiforov, and being close to the man, who turns out to be a thousand times better than ever imagined, makes it hart to accept the painful truth.

Victor slowly uncurls his arm and lets go of Yuuri, but no matter what part of his Eros program he goes through, he's always just a few feet away from him and twice Yuuri feels the need to skate out of the way when Victor practices a jump. But the more time they spent gliding over the ice side by side the more confident Yuuri feels.

He's not a competitive skater, but he knows the basics and with taking ballet lessons all his life, he's still flexible enough to perform a trick or two. He's not even thinking about Victor or Yakov or anything in particular, when he finally gains speed, gliding in a large circle backwards though the rink before lowering himself to one knee, the other leg straightened out and crossed-over behind the bent one, still going backwards but this time only on the left inner edge of his skate, fingertips brushing ever so lightly over the hart, cold surface. The hydroblade had always been his favourite figure.

"Yuuuuuri", Victor's excited yell breaks the spell of Yuuri's concentration and he finally has to get up into a standing position again, to prevent himself from falling. He's not professional enough to perform an element like that without full focus. He turns his head towards the voice calling him and tilts it questioningly.
"Yuuri, I didn't know you could do that! A hydroblade! It's so hard to perform and your execution is flawless!".

It doesn't come as a surprise that Yuuri's entire face turns red again at the praise from none other than Victor Nikiforov himself. "Ano…", Yuuri whispers, falling back into his native language out of habit, but spotting his mistake before any more Japanese words escape his parted lips. "It's always been my favourite", he explains, fidgeting a little as Victor puts his beautiful hands on Yuuri's shoulders and squeezes slightly.

"Why don't you skate competitively?", Victor asks, his blue, blue eyes boring into Yuuri's with an unreadable expression that lingers somewhere between curiosity and incomprehension.

Yuuri licks his lips nervously. Yakov is yelling again, but neither he nor Victor register what is being said, both of them to absorbed with each other. "I wouldn't be any good at it. I… get too anxious. I tried a few times in middle school, but it never worked out. My nerves always failed me. It's better this way", he finally says, the words barely above a whisper. It's hard to admit his greatest weakness to his long-time crush.

"Anxiety?", repeats Victor, taking a step back and pressing his right index finger against his lips in concentration. There's still Yakov's voice somewhere in the background like a constant angry static from a radio. "Would you also be nervous if you skated just for me?".

It's strange, to have Victor of all people ask him that. He's the personification of figure skating, and it should mortify Yuuri it even think about dancing in front of him, but somehow the thought of just Victor watching Yuuri glide over the ice, has his heart beating in his throat with anticipation and thrill. "No… I don't think so", he admits, shocked by the fact that it's indeed the truth.

"Let me teach you Eros, Yuuri. Please! I want you to perform it for me", Victor says, almost hopping up and down in front of Yuuri with happiness. He's indeed like an overgrown puppy, only thing missing is a wagging tail.

"O… okay…", agrees Yuuri, his cheeks already burning, but he can't bring himself to regret his decision because Victor is throwing his arms around him again and pulling him into a tight embrace, going all octopus on him.

"Vitya! Get back to skating instead of flirting!", Yakov yells, his voice so angry that Yuuri fears he might suffer a heart attack if his blood pressure rises any higher.

Victor just sighs and lets go of Yuuri. "I'll finish my training and then you'll show me that onsen of yours", he says with a wink, lips crooked into a perfect, handsome smile. How can anyone be this attractive?

All Yuuri can do is stare stupidly while Victor skates back to the centre of the rink to run through his Short Program once again, despite being at the rink for more than two hours by now. It will open for the public soon and there's not much time left, but Yuuri figures that after two hours of intense training, Victor must be exhausted and ready to go home anyway.

After the last run through Eros, Victor meets his coach at the barrier to get some feedback, which is yelled in sharp, rapid Russian again, and obviously not meant for Yuuri's ears, but he doesn't blame Yakov. Victor is an international celebrity and Yuuri could, depending on what he hears here, hurt him by giving private information to the press. It's better to be safe than sorry, he figures.

The conversation is short, but intense and Yuuri busies himself with taking laps through the rink and practicing spins which Victor hopefully doesn't see, because his are way better, but Yuuri still likes the feeling of tense muscles and wind in his hair while spinning on his skates. He's always been better at the artistic parts than the jumps.

Some minutes later, Victor's and Yakov's voices die down and Yuuri looks over to them, only to find the Russian coach gone already and Victor waiting for him with that beautiful smile on his lips again. "I love your spins, Yuuri", he says, placing one hand on the small of Yuuri's back to guide him off the ice once Yuuri reached him.

"Thanks…", he murmurs, blushing again and taking his blade guards from the barrier to put them on. It's strange to be back on solid ground. His feet still want to move in elegant slides instead of normal steps, but he would look utterly stupid if he tried.

The drive back to Yu-topia doesn't take too long, but Victor uses the time to glance out of the car window and watch the sea and beach on their right-hand side, with waves crashing against the sand because the wind has picked up by now and it might even start to rain soon.

"The onsen is even better when the weather is bad", Yuuri suddenly says, eyes still glued to the road because he's not the best driver to ever walk the earth and doesn't dare look away, but he thinks he can manage to talk to Victor a little without causing an accident right away.

Victor turns his head, watching Yuuri with the full attention of his artic eyes, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Why is that?".

"Well, the water is usually pretty warm. Sometimes even hot and if the wind and rain are cold, they cool off the parts of your body that aren't under water. It feels great. Cool skin against hot water", Yuuri explains. He remembers his childhood days when he used to take baths almost every day right after school. Especially in winter, soaking in the onsen was pure bliss.

"Hmm… Your onsen sounds like an even better idea the more you talk about it", Victor says, all smiles and excitement and Yuuri hopes that indeed he hasn't made a mistake by suggesting to try a hot spring.

Inviting Victor to Yu-topia was a mistake Yuuri realises as soon as he enters the men's changing room. It's one thing to fantasize about your idol all the way through puberty (and maybe even a lot of years beyond that), but an entirely different to have them in front of you in all their naked glory.

And naked is what Victor is soon going to be. Naked and wet and all kinds of perfect that make Yuuri's heart stop.

He's just friendly because you're helping his dog, Yuuri tells himself, but his nerves won't stop bothering him. They'll both be naked in hot water and Yuuri can only wish for enough steam to hide what seeing Victor without clothes might do to Yuuri's libido.

"Hey Yuuri, I've never been to an onsen. Anything I need to know?", Victor asks, pulling his shirt over his head and folding it neatly to put into a small, flat basket he took from his locker.

"Well… most important thing is to make sure you don't bring dirt into the water. Dirt meaning any remains of the day like sweat and stuff, but also soap and shampoo. Wash thoroughly and make sure you rinse long enough. And don't ever put your small towel into the water. You're allowed to bring it, to put on your forehead or hair, but it mustn't touch the water", Yuuri explains. There's a lot more to Japanese bathing culture, but he thinks those are the most essential things one should know before going to an onsen.

"That doesn't sound too hard", Victor admits, hands reaching for the buckle of his belt and this time Yuuri really has to pretend to nestle at his own basket, because he needs an excuse to turn around and not look at Victor.

How is he going to survive sitting next to his 'wet-dream-come-to-life' if just being in the same room with him is making his knees so weak, he's barely able to stand?

Instead of looking at Victor, Yuuri decides to get undressed himself and focus on folding his clothes and fishing for his soap and shampoo. He knows that Victor will probably stick to him like glue, as it is his first time in an onsen, so there's no chance of them not ending up next to each other in the wash booths.

Outside, a slow, deep wind howls through the sky and Yuuri hopes that maybe it's a thunderstorm approaching and lightning will strike him before he can make a fool of himself in front of the one person he wants to impress. But unfortunately there's not sign of thunder so far.

Finally rid of his clothing, Yuuri turns to face Victor, deliberately keeping his eyes on level with the other man's handsome face, because he doesn't even want to know what else Victor has to offer that Yuuri can never have but will nonetheless dream about. "You ready?", he asks, his voice rougher than intended. He's painfully aware of Victor's gaze and the way those eyes don't stay focused on Yuuri's face, but take in his entire being.

Suddenly, Yuuri feels very conscious about the slight curve of his hips and that he wanted to lose a few pounds but hasn't been successful yet. But Victor just smiles and says the most ridiculous of all sentences: "You really are a beauty, you know?". And Yuuri of course flushes from his chest to his hairline and coughs at the praise, his brain obviously stopping to work.

Victor is going to be the death of him.

"Th- Thank you", he mutters, cheeks burning. He knows that somehow he should be mad at Victor for shamelessly ogling him while Yuuri does his best not to, but despite his embarrassment, there's warmth spreading through his chest. "Y-You are quite… handsome… yourself".

A gentle smile is spreading across Victor's lips as he reaches for his soap and shampoo. "With that established: Shall we go?", he says, eyes bright with mirth and his smile now wide enough to show his perfect teeth.

Yuuri can do nothing but nod and hurry through the glass door that separates the wash room from the locker room. He grabs one of the washbowls and hurries over to the closest free booth, sitting down on the low plastic stool in front of the mirror.

Aside from him and Victor there's only one other patron in the room, an elderly man who visits at least five times a week. He probably lives in one of the older, more traditional houses in Hasetsu, which don't have a bathroom included.

Victor of course takes the booth next to Yuuri, and glances over at him, eager to imitate him. Usually, Yuuri would go straight for warm water, but today he thinks it best to cool down his raging nerves and hot body. Cold water it is then, he decides and fills his bowl, emptying it all in one go over his head.

There's a yelp from next to him and Yuuri turns to face Victor, who's shivering all over. "Yuuri", he whines. "Why does it have to be so cold?".

"Oh no! It doesn't! You can use warm water, of course!" Yuuri exclaims, waving his hands in front of his face in a useless gesture. He should have known that Victor would imitate everything Yuuri does and therefore go for cold water himself. And honestly, the temperature is pretty freezing.

"What? But you…?", he trails off, watching Yuuri with a cute kind of confusion, head tilted to the side and once again Yuuri feels reminded of a puppy. He sighs and shakes his head.

"Yeah, I… uhm… I felt like using cold water today… but it's not necessary", Yuuri explains. It's not a lie. He's just hiding the reason why he felt the need for some cooling.

"Oh… so it's fine if I fill hot and cold water into the bowl?", Victor asks, turning the item in question in his hands.

Yuuri nods again and places his bowl right under both taps before pushing the lever for hot and cold at the same time to have two streams of water fill the plastic. "It's what most people do. You can't adjust the temperature of the water with the lever, but you can decide how much cold or hot water you want in your bowl and mix them".

"That's good!", cheers Victor, activating both taps at once now.

It takes the Russian man a while to get used to how a public bath works, but after some fifteen or so minutes, they are both thoroughly washed and rinsed without any more incidents of yelping or blushing, which makes Yuuri relax a great deal.

The other patron is currently sitting in one of the warm indoor pools, leaving Yuuri and Victor all alone as they exit the building and aim for the outdoor spring. The wind has picked up even more and brings a slightly chilly breeze from the sea, now that sun has completely sunken. It's not cold enough to be actually shivering, but with his skin all wet, Yuuri is quite grateful to sink into warm water again soon.

"Wow, Yuuri! This is so nice!", Victor chirps. He's standing waist deep in the water, and Yuuri now really can't stop his eyes from roaming over that toned chest, broad shoulders and ripped abs. Victor looks like a Greek marble figure come to life. Absolute perfection. "I'm so jealous you grew up with this!".

"Don't be. My life was pretty mediocre. You're the one who won medals and travelled the world", Yuuri says, leaning back against the warm natural stone basin to relax his tense muscles. Getting warm like this after hours spent on the ice has always been one of his favourite parts of skating.

"Don't say that Yuuri. You're amazing! You left your home and family to go to a foreign county to get the best education there is and come back to save injured pets like my Makkachin", Victor says, suddenly standing in front of Yuuri, blocking his path and placing his hands on either side of him on the stone.

It's too close and yet not close enough. Despite the warm water, Yuuri can feel warmth radiate off Victor and the air is filled with the alluring scent of the soap he has used. One step forward would be enough to kiss him, but Yuuri doesn't dare move. As it is, he's barely able to speak. "Do- Don't say that… there're a lot more experienced and talented vets out there. I'm nothing special", he disagrees.

"I don't think so. You're the best there is. The best for me", the words wash over Yuuri like liquid fireworks, settling deep in his belly and exploding into a thousand prickling lights within him.

This time, he doesn't blush. This time he feels warm and confident and lets the praise lull him in. It's so nice to hear those words from Victor even if there's no deeper meaning to them. Yuuri just wants to take them in and lock them away in some far corner of his heart and come back to the memory of this very moment when he's all alone again in his childhood bedroom upstairs and Victor is long gone.

"Thank you… Victor… you are… a wonderful person, did you know that?", Yuuri says, slowly raising one hand to place it on Victor's cheek. His skin is soft to the touch. A little damp from the water, but smooth and tender. It's daring, to touch his crush like this, but Yuuri can't resist. Not this time. Not with Victor to close and probably so far away again so soon.

"People say a lot of nice things to me, but they are never genuine. They all want something from me. My fame, my medals, my name on a product they sell. With you, that's different, Yuuri. You're not nice to me because I'm a skater, but for who I truly am", Victor's voice is low and his eyes, rimmed by long, silvery lashes, fall shut while he speaks and leans in to bring their foreheads together.

They're so close, their breaths mingle between them and for a second Yuuri thinks it's indeed going to happen. That Victor his going to kiss him. But instead of overcoming the small space between them, the Russian man pulls back with a smile so sweet it brings tears to Yuuri's eyes.

Disappointment is swirling inside of him, leaving Yuuri with half a mind to pull Victor back close and steal that kiss he's so desperate for, but he doesn't want to lose what he's already gained - Victor's trust and a possible friendship.

"I… just want you to be you, Victor", Yuuri says instead, his hand slowly gliding from Victor's cheek as to not invade the other man's personal space more than is appreciated. It's hard to keep his distance, when all Yuuri wants to be is as close to Victor as possible. But he's still not sure if that feeling is mutual and he doesn't want to take risks.

"Thank you, Yuuri", is all Victor says, before he finally pushes off the stone and settles next to the smaller man instead of in front of him. A bit of the tension between them slowly drains away as they sit shoulder against shoulder in the warm water while the wind is rustling through the foliage above their heads. It's peaceful and quiet and Yuuri wonders what it would be like to spent more than just one day with Victor like this.

He doesn't know how much time has passed with them just basking in the presence of one another, when Victor finally stretches next to him and asks for food. It's true that their lunch at the okonomiyaki restaurant was quite a while ago and skating isn't exactly helping when it comes to saving energy.

"We have an inn here in Yu-topia. If you want, we can just dress in light yukata and have my mum prepare something for us", Yuuri says. He's taking a risk by bringing Victor to his family's inn, but he doesn't feel like going out again.

"Really? What does your mum cook?", Victor asks, all excitement again and water is splashing around him as he moves his hands in energetic gestures.

"Well… mostly traditional Japanese stuff. Her katsudon is legendary".

"Katsudon? What's katsudon?"

"Uhm… a pork cutlet bowl with rice and egg. I can show you, if you want".

"Let's go have katsudon!", Victor exclaims, practically jumping out of the hot spring and towards the entrance, leaving Yuuri chuckling in delight. Victor really is something.

Twenty minutes later, Yuuri and Victor are sitting at a table in his parent's inn, with Yuuri's sister Mari across from them, eyeing them with raised eyebrows, when an energetic bundle of brown fur bounces into the room, headed for Yuuri.

"Vicchan!", he says, opening his arms to greet his dog, who runs in happy circles around them, linking Yuuri's elbow and fingers whenever he gets the chance to do so, until his daddy just grabs him and places him on his knees. "Victor, may I introduce, Vicchan!".

"Awwww", coos Victor. "He's so cute and small. Like a miniature version of Makkachin!". Vicchan makes a happy sound in the back of his throat as Victor finally scratches him behind his left ear and the puppy immediately tries to turn his head far enough to lick at the man's fingers.

"No dog slobber at the table, Yuuri. You know the rules", Mari says in Japanese, raising both her eyebrows at the strange display in front of her. Yuuri can already guess what she's thinking, and she would probably say something if her English was better. But fortunately it isn't.

"Sorry, Mari-nee-san. He's just so cute".

"The man or the dog?", Mari asks back, a grin spreading on her face that has Yuuri almost throw a pair of chopsticks at her.

"Stop teasing me and get lost", he says, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Mari just rolls her eyes at him, but gets up anyway and opens her arms for Yuuri to hand Vicchan over. The dog is usually not allowed into the inn when patrons are around and tonight there are quite a few families there who enjoy Hiroko's traditional cooking.

"Why can't he stay?", Victor asks with a pout on his lips. He's quite reluctant to give up on his new furry friend.

"There's food being served in here and some patrons don't want a dog near while eating. I'm sorry. You can play with him later, if you want to", explains Yuuri with an apologetic smile.

"Later sounds good. He's such a cute little guy. I would love to have him meet my Makka".

"That can be done, once Makkachin is all better", Yuuri smiles at him and raises his head a bit, because the mouth-watering smell of his favourite dish is already coming from the kitchen. It can't be long now until their food is ready.

"Is that katsudon, that smells so good?", Victor asks, obviously having seen Yuuri's change in position and connecting the dots.

"Yes, it is", says Yuuri, who's getting a bit nervous. His mother knows about his little obsession with Victor very well, and even if her English is worse than Mari's it's still possible that she will get the message across despite the language barrier. Maybe Yuuri should have told her beforehand, but he didn't dare leave Victor's side once they'd entered the inn. Not with the looks his father was giving him while taking their order.

"It smells delicious. I'm so happy to have you show me all these things! I mean, there's a restaurant in my hotel as well, but it stays a little on the western side, which is quite sad I think", Victor chats happily, long fingers tapping against the wooden surface in what Yuuri thinks is a rather impatient gesture. But who can blame a man waiting for katsudon?

"Back when I still skated, I asked my mum to only serve katsudon after a good performance", Yuuri tells him with small smile. "As you can guess, there weren't exactly much occasions for me to have katsudon back then. My anxiety kept me from winning or performing my best far too often".

Instead of laughing at him, Victor throws his arms around Yuuri and coos into his ear: "Oh, poor Yuuri! I wish could have been there to cheer you up and help you".

It's so sweet of him and Yuuri is absolutely smitten by how kind and lovely Victor is. How in the world is he supposed to keep his distance, when Victor himself initiates so much physical contact and whispers the sweetest things into Yuuri's ear?

"It's okay, you know? I'm happy with the life I have. And I got to meet you anyway", Yuuri answers, and blushes again when he sees his mother exiting the kitchen with two bowls of katsudon in her hands and walking over to their table, where Victor is still draped all over him, face pressed against Yuuri's collarbone.

"Don't stop, Yu-chan. I'll just leave your food here. There's enough time for you to explain everything to me later", Hiroko says with a wink, as she sets down two bowls of delicious, steaming food in front of the two men.

Yuuri just nods and swallows the thick lump in his throat. He really has to make sure to properly introduce Victor next time they come to the onsen. Things just didn't work out the way he planned them to go, but so did almost everything in his life. It shouldn't surprise him. "Victor, our food has arrived", he says, and the taller man disentangles himself from Yuuri, but not without blowing what feels like a small kiss against Yuuri's throat.

Or did he just imagine it?

A groan escapes Yuuri's parted lips. He totally needs to call Phichit once Victor is gone. He needs his best friend's advice now more than ever.

Done for today! I have to admit, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, especially because of the onsen scene. Really, if you ever go to Japan, go to an onsen! Onsen is best! I never felt this clean and relaxed at the same time XD It's pure bliss! Other than that, there's not much to say for now. I hope you liked the chapter and I'd be more than happy if left me a short comment on what you think or want to read in the chapters to come.

Thank you all for reading and commenting. I love you guys!