Notes: I got the idea for this AU while I was on a cruise back in January. There was a beautiful art gallery on board, and I had the idea of Victor being an artist.

This is going to be the first time in a while that I post anything that I've written, so I'm a little nervous and excited! Hope you enjoy this story as much as I've loved to write it!

Also, I don't have a beta for this story so if there are mistakes let me know.

"A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke."
― Vincent van Gogh

No matter how many times Yuuri did the math, he was screwed. He knew his bank account would be worse for wear, but he didn't think it would be this bad.

"This can't be right!" Yuuri shrieked at the laptop in front of him. Coming in sixth at the Grand Prix final and placing poorly at Nationals was not a part of Yuuri's financial plan.

"What is it?" Phichit asked without looking up from his phone.

Yuuri groaned. "I just got my deposit for competing in the Grand Prix."

"And? Was it more than you thought?" Phichit sat up from his bed and walked over to Yuuri's side of the dorm room. The sports dorms were rundown and dingy, but it was home.

The ten-minute bus ride to campus was only a slight disadvantage considering it was the cheapest housing option around. Detroit Sports College was famous worldwide for its amazing dedication to athlete's education while providing top-notch training facilities. What they don't advertise is their subpar housing options.

"No," Yuuri huffed, "Less. Much less."

"Ouch." Phichit placed a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder. "At least your tuition and coaching fees have been paid already. Will you be able to make it till the sponsorship grants get released?"

One of the benefits of going to a sports college meant that students in need were more likely to get a grant or sponsorship while studying. Coach Celestino worked hard to make sure all of his students had income from both since winning competitions was not the most reliable income.

"I don't think so. After I pay off my rent and textbooks for this semester, I'll only have a few hundred dollars left." Yuuri worked his ass off in school and at the rink to ensure he kept his scholarship and bursaries.

His parents ran the last hot springs resort in his hometown, Hasetsu. If it weren't for his mother's amazing cooking, Yu-topic would have closed down years ago.

It was Yuuri's dream to move to America to further his figure skating career, but his parents could barely afford to lose his help running the inn. They sacrificed so much over the years to support his dream, and now that he was at the end of his degree he choked.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Phichit said while making himself comfortable on Yuuri's bed. "Maybe talk to Celestino? He may know of some part-time work through the school!"

"Phichit," Yuuri could hear the defeat in his voice. "I can barely keep up with school and practice as it is. I can't have a repeat of this season, and there's no way I can afford to lose my scholarship. Adding a job to the mix would only make things worse."

Yuuri could feel the panic rise in his chest. Breathe. Deep breaths.

The words of his councillor echoed in his head. Yuuri's anxiety has plagued him since he was young. When he started college in Detroit, it was his coach that pushed him to see a counsellor in his first year. Dr. Carter has been able to help Yuuri for the last four years managing his anxiety. Without her, he wasn't sure how he'd be able to handle the stress of maintaining a 4.0 average while competing as a professional athlete.

"Hey, it's going to be ok." Phichit inched closer to put a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder. "Email Celestino. I'm sure he'll be able to help you think of something."

"Okay." Yuuri breathed and pulled up a blank email.

TO: ccialdin

FROM: ykatsuki

DATE: January 3rd, 2013 2:14 pm EST

Subject: Any Suggestions?

Hi Celestino,

I was talking to Phichit, and he suggested I reach out to you – are you aware of any part-time student positions through the school? I'm in need of some extra money before our next sponsorship comes in. Are you aware of anything that won't interfere with school and practice too much? Maybe something on campus? If you have any suggestions, let me know…

Thanks,

Yuuri

It wasn't until later that evening while Yuuri and Phichit were watching The King and the Skater for the thousandth time that Yuuri heard back from Celestino.

TO: ykatsuki

FROM: ccialdin

DATE: January 3rd, 2013 8:59 EST

Subject: FW: Are you still looking?

Hi Yuuri,

See the below emails.

C

TO: vnikiforov

FROM: ccialdin

DATE: January 3rd, 2013 2:26 EST

Subject: Are you still looking?

Hi Victor,

Are you still looking for a student to fill a position for your figure drawing class? I know you asked before the winter break, but I didn't think any of my students would be interested then. It's recently come to my attention that one of my skaters is in need of a job that won't interfere too much with his busy schedule. He's in his 5th year, and I remember you mentioned you were looking for an older student to fill the posting? He has my highest recommendation. Let me know ASAP.

Regards,

Celestino Cialdini

Detroit Sports College: Sports Coordinator – Figure skating

DCR room 102A

X24601

TO: ccialdin

FROM: vnikiforov

DATE: January 3rd, 2013 8:33 PM EST

Subject: RE: Are you still looking?

Hi Celestino,

Happy New Year! Hope you had a great holiday and that your break was a relaxing one!

I just finished my interviews today. However, if this student of yours is interested, have him drop by my office tomorrow! I'll be in my office from about 10AM-1PM. I have to let the candidates know before classes start on the 7th.

Professor Victor Nikiforov PhD

Detroit Sports College's School of the Arts

Living Arts Building room 203

x27564

Professor Victor Nikiforov… where have I heard that name before? Phichit was a third-year art major. If anyone would know who he was, it would be Phichit.

"Did Ciao Ciao get back to you?" Phichit asked, pausing the movie.

Yuuri reread the email thread on his phone before answering. "Yeah, it looks like some arts prof is interviewing to hire a student?"

"Ooo which one! I know all the profs. Is it Professor Kim or maybe Professor Coleman?"

"Umm Professor Nikiforov?" Yuuri hesitated, hoping he pronounced the name correctly. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't place a face to the name. Yuuri's thoughts were cut short by Phichit's giddy shrieks.

"You never listen when I talk!" Phichit shot up nearly knocking the laptop between them off the bed. "He's the sexy Russian prof I told you about in first semester! I didn't want to take figure drawings while boring old McDonald taught it, so I took an extra sculpting course instead, but boy did I regret that! When Professor McDonald retired they hired Professor Nikiforov as his replacement, and figure drawings went from the most undesirable elective to the number one waitlisted course in the art department! Half the program goes to his 8:30 lecture just to stare at his beautiful face! You have to go super early for a seat."

"Oh, that's the class you get up crazy early for. But I thought you were in the class?"

Phichit blushed. "No, I'm not. But when I'm in a rut for my masterpiece, I sometimes go the figure drawing lecture for inspiration!" Phichit was always working on a "masterpiece." Sometimes he'd stay up for nights on end to work on them. Half the time though something went wrong, and he'd end up scrapping the project and starting over from scratch. It drove Yuuri nuts, but despite his roommate's crazy quirks, Phichit was his best friend. "Professor Nikiforov is the definition of male beauty. Better than Michelangelo's David."

Yuuri sighed. "Okay I get it he's good looking, but what kind of position would he be hiring for?" Although Yuuri appreciated Phichit's enthusiasm, he was more concerned about job posting rather than the man he'd be working for. The email was fairly vague which didn't sit well with Yuuri.

"Probably models for the sketching portion of the course. Half that course is theory based; the other is in the studio."

There's no way any sane person would pick you to be a model. You're an athlete technically, but other than your skating physique you're exceptionally ordinary looking. Crap! I wonder if Celestino could find something else…

"I know that look, Yuuri Katsuki, and I don't care what you think! You have to try! Maybe he's not looking for a model? Maybe he needs a teaching assistant for something like grading tests. But for my sake, please go!"

"Even if he was looking for a TA, I know nothing about art. I'm a business major!" Yuuri hoped that by getting a business degree, he'd be able to help the hot spring do better as a thank you to his parents for their constant support.

"It doesn't matter! Most of our tests are multiple choice and short answer anyways. A monkey could mark those. When's the interview?"

"He didn't give a specific time, but it says in the email that he will be in his office from 10 AM to 1 PM tomorrow and for me to stop by."

"Want me to come with you?" Phichit was still overly excited by this situation panting in short quick breaths. Yuuri was starting to wonder if his friend was going to pass out from the exertion.

"No, it's fine. Don't you have to work on your masterpiece before that art gallery deadline anyways? I thought the supplies you ordered online were arriving tomorrow." Phichit had been stressed about this project for weeks. Since the Grand Prix ended, Phichit had dedicated all his free time to his piece. He was really hoping that one of his works would be chosen to be displayed at the student art gallery. Only twenty new submissions were selected for display each year, and Phichit was determined to get one of his masterpieces chosen.

"Gah, I hate it when you're right." Phichit pouted making Yuuri smile. "But if it comes before you go to your interview, I'm coming with you!"

At 10:30 AM the next day Yuuri was on the bus to campus alone. Phichit begged him to wait a little longer for the post, but Yuuri wanted to make sure he'd make it in time to see Professor Nikiforov. Yuuri realized that even if Professor Nikiforov was hiring a model he had to at least try for the position. Realistically a few hours of mindless work between classes and practice wasn't that hard to manage, and Yuuri could really use the money. If Celestino suggested it, it meant he thought he at least had a chance at the job. Right?

When Yuuri got off the bus, he took a moment to admire the snow-covered campus. Most of the students were still on winter break, so the grounds were quiet without the hubbub of people rushing to and from classes. Although the sports college was small, it had been home for the last four years.

Since the campus was technically still closed, the walkways on the grounds had yet to be plowed, forcing Yuuri to walk on the streets instead. He regretted not wearing his winter boots. Yuuri thought it would be best to dress in his suit and dress shoes for the interview. He could at least try to look the part of a model even if he knew he could never pull it off. However, trudging in the snow with freezing wet feet was slowly shattering his confidence. He'd been trying to exude confidence, even though he had none of late.

You can do this Yuuri! Just relax and do your best to sound impressive in this interview. You won't get frostbite from this little exposure. Just keep walking and do your best to avoid the slush. His counsellor taught him this trick in his first year when he was stressing about exams. So long as he kept telling himself, he would do well and stay calm all his studying and hard work would pay off. This interview was no different. Right?

Yuuri could see the art building approaching, and he tried to get his nerves in check. Alright, just a few more steps Yuuri. All you got to do is climb up those steps, open that front door, and find office 203. The Living Arts Building was the only arts building on campus. It was nicknamed the LAB even though no science ever took place within its walls. It was one of the largest buildings on campus at seven stories high.

Yuuri climbed the steps slowly so not to fall from a hidden ice patch. Taking a moment to collect himself Yuuri attempted to tame his windblown hair in the reflection of the window before reaching for the door handle. When Yuuri met the resistance of the locked door, his heart sank. This door can't be locked!

Trying not to panic Yuuri looked around for another entrance, but he didn't want to get his dress pants anymore wet from the snow. After knocking on the glass for a few minutes, Yuuri gave up. Not seeing any other option, Yuuri hiked up his dress pants and went in search of a side entrance. He knew Phichit had a key card to the side entrance in order to access the studio after hours, a privilege every art major had access too. Crap! Why didn't I think to ask him for his key card!

When Yuuri got to the side entrance and found it too locked, he began to panic. This time instead of just knocking on the window Yuuri tried kicking the door while yelling for help. Just when he was about to give up, Yuuri saw a figure walking towards him from the other end of the hallway. A middle-aged woman, possibly the custodian of the building, opened the door with a smile. "No need to break the door down my dear. I may be slow, but I'm not deaf."

"Thanks." Yuuri blushed while brushing past the woman. By now his leather shoes and were completely soaked and full of snow. He was freezing and shaking from the cold and from the panic of not being able to access the building. "Would you be able to direct me to room 203?"

With a nod, the woman gave Yuuri directions to the stairwell that lead to where he was going. He had been in the Living Arts Building before with Phichit on occasion, but he never really paid attention to where they were going. The building was set up like a maze with so many twists and corridors that seemed to lead nowhere. The architect seemed to take into account that the building would be used for the arts program and made it as modern and difficult to navigate as possible.

Taking two steps at a time, Yuuri rushed to find room 203. A minor setback, but that's okay. You can still do this! It didn't take long for Yuuri to find room 203. Yuuri took a moment to collect himself. He took off his jacket, adjusted his hair one more time, and with more confidence than he felt, he knocked on the door.

Victor was staring at the empty sketch pad below him. It had been almost a month since he was able to sketch anything that wasn't Makkachin or worth keeping.

Not that his beloved poodle wasn't worth sketching. Victor already had about eight sketchbooks dedicated to his poodle alone but if he was to go anywhere with his career as a painter he needed more than just his dog as inspiration.

The custodian that worked on his floor complained daily about the amount of crumpled paper and disposable coffee cups that littered the floor around the overflowing garbage bin under his desk. No matter what he tried, nothing seemed to work.

Victor had expected his move to Detroit to be just the change he was looking for. After finishing his Ph.D. in Moscow last April, Victor found it hard to start a new project. Everything he started ended up in the garbage for one reason or another.

Painting was his passion for years, but there seemed to be a block where his creative juices flowed. He accepted the teaching position at Detroit Spots College since it was a secure job that his friend Chris had helped him land.

Chris and Victor were roommates in Victors third year of University. Chris had been in Moscow on an exchange, and the two became best friends within the first week. With a flair for the theatrics and a love of travel, Chris decided to do his masters of Sociology at a small sports university in Detroit. It had a fantastic skating facility that allowed him to practice and compete while working on his degree.

So long as Chris stayed in school, his parents would wire him a generous monthly allowance to spend on whatever he wanted. When Victor told Chris about his rut, he encouraged Victor to apply for an open teaching position, and the rest was history.

Leaving Russia was tougher than he thought it would be. His younger brother Yuri was furious with him and refused to talk to him in the weeks leading up to his move. Victor knew it was the right decision as St. Petersburg held too many bad memories for him, but it was hard to see Yuri so upset. He was often a broody teen, but not with Victor.

Despite being over ten years apart, the two were extremely close. Before he left, Victor made sure to shove all the sketches he made of possible costumes for Yuri's next competitive year. Their adoptive father Yakov was a figure skating coach by trade and insisted both his sons practice the sport upon adopting them. Victor was fifteen at the time making it impossible for him to compete seriously. Yuri, on the other hand, was only four and fell in love with the ice. Yuri always had Victor design his costumes for him, and with his senior debut on the horizon, he knew his leaving was not ideal for his younger brother.

Suddenly a knock at the door kicked him out of his thoughts. It only took Victor a few seconds to close the sketch pad in front of him and force a polite smile. "Come in!"

Before glancing at the door, Victor looked at the time on his phone to see that almost an hour had passed since he had tried and failed to start sketching. Trying to hide his frustration with the situation that had become his life, Victor made eye contact with the man standing in his office.

For a moment both men simply gawked at one another in silence. Victor forced himself to exhale the breath he didn't realize he was holding upon seeing the man in front of him. He had dark hair and cute blue glasses that were falling from the bridge of his nose. His eyes were brown and blown wide, and his face was flushed from the cold. It took him only a few seconds to collect himself, but in that time, he could feel the dam blocking his artistic flow shatter.

"H-How can I help you?" Victor had no idea why this awe-inspiring man was standing in his office, but he hoped he stay long enough for him to memorize the angles of face to sketch later. He was too old to be one of the first or second-year students he was scheduled to teach this semester, and he didn't recognize him from any of his classes.

"Um hi Professor Nikiforov, I'm Yuuri Katsuki, I'm here for the interview?"

Yuri… Victor wasn't sure if it was because of the cold outside, but there was an adorable flush upon this man cheeks that dipped all the way down his neck. He allowed himself to give the man a once over. It was obvious that Yuuri was not dressed for the weather outside. The jacket he clutched in his arms still had snow clinging to the fabric, and his pants and shoes were dripping water onto the floor where he stood. The suit he was wearing was a simple off the rack style, and the blue tie he wore was hideous. Despite all that, Victor thought he was stunning.

"Please, call me Victor. Professor Nikiforov makes me feel old," Victor said as he reached to shake the man's hand. "I know I had a bunch of interviews yesterday, but I don't think I had anyone booked for today?" Upon letting go of Yuuri's hand, Victor could feel his fingers twitch with the excitement to sketch. It had been a long time since he felt the rush of inspiration course through him simply from meeting someone. It warmed him in a way he didn't realize he was missing. Like when you've been out in the cold for so long, and you don't feel the temperature difference until you go back inside and thaw your bones.

"Um, my coach emailed you yesterday. Coach Celestino?" Yuuri looked like a deer in headlights standing in front of Victor's desk.

"Oh right! Sorry, I'm pretty forgetful sometimes. Please have a seat. Is it still snowing out there?" Victor gestured to one of the empty seats in front of his desk. His office wasn't small, but the large L shape desk did take up most of the space in the room.

Yuuri seemed to hesitate a moment before he dropped his gaze and sat in the chair hugging his jacket like a lifeline. "Yeah, I mean yes! Not as bad as yesterday though."

"Excellent! I didn't want to have to dig my car out again to get home! Although this snow is nothing compared to the snow, we get back home. I'm from Russia if you can't already tell by my accent." The more Victor talked, the more Yuuri seemed to relax. The sight warmed Victor, so he kept talking. "You know, my younger brother's name is Yuri too. This is him." Victor turned the framed picture on his desk. Yuuri leaned closer to view the picture. "I know. Before you ask, its true we look nothing alike, but trust me were blood-related."

"Oh." The silence dragged out for a few seconds. Realizing he probably wasn't going to get a response Victor decided to get down to business.

"So, you're interested in the position?" Victor said while opening his laptop to pull up his interview questions from the day before.

"Oh. I mean yes. I am." Yuuri met Victor's gaze. They lock eyes again, and it took Yuuri a moment to continue. "But um, Celestino didn't exactly tell me what the position was for exactly."

Victor laughed and raised an eyebrow. "But you're interested?"

"Um yes?"

"Well then, let me give you more information, then let me know what you think." Victor pauses before diving into his pitch. "I teach first and second-year figure drawing. That means I need a live model in order to lead the sketch portion of the class. I have four classes. Two are beginner level, and two are advanced. You would be required to attend all the studio classes for each session. That's about four to six hours a week. In the first week of the class, you would be required to model for a portrait only. All you have to do is show up and smile. After that, we hit the ground running with gesture drawings for a few weeks. Before each class, you will receive an email containing a PDF of the different poses expected to be modelled that week. You'd be required hold those poses for about 5-10 minutes while the students sketch them. The point is for them to capture as much of the human form as they can in that short amount of time. Since they need to capture the essence of the human body in these poses, you would be required to have as much skin exposed as possible without being fully nude. You with me so far?" Yuuri nods his head but doesn't say anything his eyes never leaving Victors.

"After a few weeks of this, we move on to more advanced figure drawing which would require you to pose nude in the same position for the entire class. You will have a ten-minute break in the middle of the class to move or stretch, but I will need to mark your body with tape to ensure you resume the same position. For instants, if your right hand is resting on your hip, I'll put some tape on your hip so that you can go back to the same pose after the break. I also have to mention that the best of these drawings will be showcased at the end of the year in our student showcase. You'll be paid 300 dollars a week which equals to $75 a class. Since you would be the only subject for the class, it is imperative that you do not miss any of the classes. The studio classes don't start until the second week, so I haven't booked the time yet. I'm flexible with your schedule so long as you can commit to the same times every week. Each student has to sign up individually for the studio time, so we don't have to worry about working around the student's timetables. After all that, are you still interested?"

It was only after he heard the word nude that Yuuri thought he felt the blood drain from his face. I don't think I can do this.

It was the mention of payment that kept him rooted to the chair. $1200 a month for only 24 hours worked? There's no way you'll ever get that much money for so little effort. Plus, he said I can make my own schedule. I have to land this job even if I have to sing and dance naked while wearing a fedora. "Yeah, it sounds like the perfect job for me."

Victor raised an eyebrow. "Good. I could tell most of the people I interviewed weren't fully comfortable with the job, but you didn't cringe or leave the room, so you're doing better than most."

At that Yuuri forced himself to sit up straighter to support his case. "I'm fine with it. Plus, with my background in figure skating and ballet, I'm very comfortable with holding poses."

"Figure skating and ballet? Impressive." The smile that spread across Victors face made Yuuri's heart skip a beat, but something in his eyes made Yuuri pause. For a split second, Yuuri could have sworn he saw pain flash across his features.

"Thanks." After a beat, Yuuri asked, "Do you have any other questions for me?"

Victor blinked a few times before turning to his laptop. "I guess I should even though I'm pretty sure I'm going to offer you the job without the answers to these questions. The only question I have for you is why do you need this job. Based on your coach's email you seem to be in need of a job on short notice. Did something happen?"

Out of all the questions he prepared for, Yuuri wasn't expecting this one. "Well, if I can be honest with you I haven't needed a job till now. I have almost a full scholarship, and I get decent money from my sponsors for figure skating. Up until this season I also placed decently in the competitions I competed in giving me more than enough money to cover all my expenses with even some to send home. However, the last few didn't go so well, and now well here I am."

"Are your parents not in a predicament to assist you financially?"

Yuuri cringed. "No. But even if they were, I'd never ask. They've done so much for me already I couldn't burden them with the extra stress."

A small smile tugged at Victor's lips. "You and I seem to be cut from the same cloth." Victors eye darted to his computer screen, and he pulled up a blank email. "What's your email, Yuri?"

There's no way you and I are even cut from the same universe. Pushing that thought aside, Yuuri spelled out his email as Victor typed it out. "What do you need that for?"

"To send you your contact as well as the information for the first class. That is… if you'll accept the offer." Victor winked, and Yuuri felt his heart melt.

Notes:

A few things to note.

First, Victor is not Yuuri's skating idol in this story. Although Yuuri could have gotten a poodle without Victor's influence for the sake of this story sadly there is no Vicchan. :(

Second, because there is no Vicchan, there needs to be another reason why Yuuri did poorly in the last competitive year so stay tooned!

Third, I love the use of social media in the show, but it doesn't really work with this story. Instead, I've decided to utilize email as I believe email is more appropriate for an academic setting. This won't be the main focus of communication but in the first couple chapters, there will be some conversational emails back and forth. If this bothers you, just read through the conversation parts and ignore the email format.

Fourth, while researching for this story I found out that Yuuri didn't actually study in Detroit like I originally though. In this show he studies in Japan but trains in Detroit? Didn't know you could do that so my idea of a sports college is loosely based off of what I know about sports schools in the states and its totally fictional. Not sure if it makes a big difference but the school structure is based off of my University experience in Canada. Its my story I'll do what I want!

If you've made it this far let me know what you think by shooting me a comment!