August

Leaning on the side of his car, Yuuri studied the brick building in front of him. From the outside it was unremarkable, no feature standing out more or less than any of the other schools he had attended over his years of early study. The walls were brick, the windows were limited, and as far as Yuuri could tell, there wasn't much promise held within the bland structure.

Yet, he let his heart feel a thrill of excitement as he tightened his grip on the handle of his trumpet case and shoved his car keys into his pocket. Unlike his last two high schools, this would be his place of learning over the next two years. His father had promised that Yuuri would have junior and senior year in the same school. It was a courtesy that had been given to Mari as well and Yuuri hoped that despite the lackluster nature of the building in front of him, that inside it would be a place that he would be happy to occupy.

Kicking his feet at loose gravel, Yuuri made his way across the parking lot, eyes trained toward the ground and ears prickling at the sounds of other students making their way into the building. School wouldn't start for another two weeks, but fall athletes and marching band musicians were already making their way back onto the school grounds for the beginnings of fall practice.

Band was the one part of any school that Yuuri could handle because music had always been a safe place for him. Since the moment his fifth grade band teacher had laid the trumpet in Yuuri's hand, he had found a way to express himself that he could never accomplish through words. The band instructor of his seventh grade year had called him a natural talent and those words still hung carefully in the back of Yuuri's mind, ringing loudly every time Yuuri dared to doubt himself. Making friends was never his specialty, but no matter what school he found himself plopped in, he had always managed to find a home inside of the band room.

Pushing through the bright blue doors, Yuuri spotted several other students swinging instrument cases and followed them up the stairwell to a large room with open double doors. Familiar sounds of poorly tuned clarinets and dropped drumsticks greeted Yuuri as he stepped inside, his smile shyly tugging at his lips as he took tentative steps into the chaotic band room.

Weaving between groups of chattering students and lines of chairs, Yuuri quickly assessed the other musicians and found himself a seat closest to where other trumpet players were gathered. Avoiding eye contact, he opened his case on his lap, pulling out his prized possession and a cloth to slowly polish the brass. A hand in front of his face made him startle, eyes snapping up to stare at the boy smiling at him.

"Hey, I'm Phichit, you new?"

Hesitantly, Yuuri accepted the offered handshake. "Yuuri... and yes." Spotting the instrument in Phichit's hand, Yuuri cocked his head. "Is that a pocket trumpet?" He had only seen them in pictures and had to bite the inside of his check to avoid laughing at the ridiculously tiny instrument.

"Oh yeah… isn't it cool? In my favorite colors too!" Waving the tiny instrument back and forth, Phichit displayed all the sides of the teeny red and gold trumpet. "So much easier on the arms for marching. I mean, not like a trumpet is heavy or anything, but you know what I mean."

Although he had no idea what Phichit meant, Yuuri nodded anyway. He liked the other boy's easy demeanor and appreciated Phichit's willingness to approach a new kid. Still, he was surprised when Phichit plunked down in the chair next to him.

"You'll like our band, we have a lot of fun." Waving a hand, Phichit beckoned over other students. "This is Leo, he also plays trumpet…" A boy with shaggy brown hair waved his trumpet in greeting. "Guang Hong plays sax, and is pretty bad ass about it." A smaller boy who leaned into Leo's side blushed at Phichit's words and gave a tiny wave. "Also, they are kind of a couple, and super cute, but hush hush because their parents don't know. Parents are weird."

Yuuri's mind felt like it was spinning with the information being thrown at him, knowing that there was no way he was going to remember any of it. He nodded along with each of one Phichit's introductions, attempting to connect the names and faces and failing miserably. Phichit's enthusiasm seemed to be contagious though, because Yuuri could feel the excitement swirling inside of him as Phichit eagerly talked about the music they usually played and how many performances they had throughout the season. By the time the teacher took his place at the podium, Yuuri's heart was burning with the desire to play.

"Alright, alright, settle down." With big hands, the teacher waved over the group, watching with discerning eyes as students scrambled into their seats.

"That's Mr. Cialdini, but we call him Ciao Ciao," Phichit whispered, nudging Yuuri's shoulder. "Never to his face though." On Phichit's other side, Leo snickered.

"We have a new student with us this year," Mr. Cialdini raised his voice over the remaining anxious buzz of his band. "Yuuri Katsuki, would you stand up please?"

Fire burned over Yuuri's cheeks as he stood from his seat, not quite looking at any of the faces now turning toward him.

"Mr. Katsuki here is about to give every trumpet a run for their money. And he plays a number of other instruments as well. He is going to be an asset to our music program, so let's make him feel at home, shall we?" Mr. Cialdini raised a fist and the rest of the band joined in a quick cheer that seemed almost automatic.

Sinking back into his chair, Yuuri felt Phichit nudge him again. "Sorry, he does that to everyone. Are you in senior band as well?" Silently, Yuuri nodded, the knots in his stomach telling him he didn't like where this was going. "Yeah, prepare to have this happen on the first day of school. Senior band is all the same homeroom though, so at least you'll have me." Clapping a hand on Yuuri's shoulder, Phichit turned to pay attention to Mr. Cialdini's requests for warm up scales.

Swallowing hard against the dread building in his stomach, Yuuri tried to concentrate on the precision of his scale.

It was just another school. Another marching band. Another concert band. Another year of new faces and not making connections beyond a surface level. Feeling Phichit nudge him again, Yuuri let himself glance to see Phichit smiling into his mouthpiece.

Letting himself fall into the rhythm of practice scales, Yuuri let his mind quiet, focusing only on the music in front of him and the feel of the mouthpiece against his lips.

Hope, like a light breaking through a storm-dark sky, sparkled deep inside of Yuuri's heart.

Maybe… just maybe… this school would be different.

September

Stepping from the driver's seat of his car, Victor tossed his hair out of his eyes and waved when someone called his name. He didn't bother to look where the greeting was coming from, because it didn't matter who was calling hello to him. Everyone knew who he was and he tried to acknowledge everyone's efforts to converse with him, even if he couldn't remember their names.

"Last first day," Chris commented, coming to Victor's side after shutting the passenger side door. He nodded at a group of girls who were eying him from under a tree, their squeals making Victor laugh. Chris was a tease of the worst sort, despite the fact that he refused to date anyone during their high school years.

"For you," grumbled an unpleasant voice, causing Chris to roll his eyes and Victor to give a look of sympathy to his young neighbor. Yuri stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his best friend Otabek, both of them looking at the high school with looks of pure disdain and dread.

Throwing an arm around Yuri's shoulders, Victor laughed when his freshman neighbor tried to push him away. "You've already got a leg up because I've secured your spot in senior chorus." It had been ridiculously easy to convince Mr. Feltsman that both Yuri (as a very talented soprano) and Otabek (as a surprisingly strong baritone) deserved to be immediately included in the senior ensemble.

In truth, it had been Yuri's grandfather who had asked Victor to pull the strings, securing Yuri the influence of students older than him. Chris had nearly pissed himself from laughter when he found out the Yuri's grandfather thought that any member of the senior chorus was a good influence and Victor had unceremoniously shoved Chris from the couch in retaliation. But Victor had made the plea, adding in the plea for Otabek's placement as his own idea knowing that it might be an olive branch toward his grumpy neighbor.

Considering the way Yuri was determinedly shoving at Victor to get away from him, Victor wasn't positive the peace offering had worked. Letting the grumpy freshman go, Victor yelled "see you in homeroom!" as Yuri dragged Otabek away from them and into the school. Victor laughed when Chris did, falling in slow steps together without a need to hurry into the bustling school.

Senior year had come faster than Victor had expected it. All of the years before had been a whirlwind of classes, chorus, and performances. Since the moment Victor had entered the school in his own freshman year, Mr. Feltsman had secured him as the lead soloist for the school's chorus. Under Mr. Feltsman's demanding rehearsal schedule, the senior chorus had gone on to perform and win at every level of competition, including being the current and defending national winners for a fourth year. The senior chorus was the darling of the music department and Victor enjoyed all the perks of being the leading man of their success.

More shouts of his name greeted him as he entered the school, Chris's own name getting a remarkable amount of attention as well. Together they made a formidable pair, causing the swooning of boys and girls alike every time they made their way through the hallways.

They had made jokes about becoming a power couple, which would have been a viable option if either of them could have found a way to be attracted to the other. In the end, they were best friends and perfectly suited to remain as such for the rest of their lives. Perpetually single best friends, at that.

Victor jolted to the side when Chris's shoulder knocked into him. Snorting, Victor watched as a familiar senior threw an arm around Chris's waist and invaded his space. Matthus had been trying to seduce Chris for two years and Chris had playfully kept him at bay. It looked like this year wasn't going to be any different and Victor gave Chris a salute as he abandoned his friend to deal with his most persistent admirer. Chuckling at the betrayal on Chris's face, Victor rounded the corner without looking where he was going.

The collision felt like it happened in slow motion, Victor turning at the last second and failing to swerve away from the body crashing into his space. The clatter of a hard case was accompanied by the flutter of loose paper and an adorable squawk of indignation from the person Victor had knocked clear onto on the ground. Dropping to his knees, Victor reached down to retrieve the glasses that had been knocked off the boy's face.

A very attractive boy, whose messy black hair and beautiful eyes settled directly into the depths of Victor's heart. He could feel the ache throbbing in his chest as he clumsily tried to pluck the blue-rimmed glasses from the ground. "I- wow- I—I'm so sorry," Victor sputtered, not an ounce of his coolness currently available to him. Finally getting a secure hold on the glasses, Victor held them out, jumping when they were snatched from his hand.

"It's fine." Slamming his glasses back on his face, Yuuri shifted to his knees to gather the sheet music and class schedule he had been juggling. The morning had already started off to a rough start, a non-working locker and a less than helpful janitor throwing him completely off-kilter. Now he had plowed down the most gorgeous boy he had ever seen while looking stressed and disheveled. Excellent first day, in his opinion.

"It can only get better? I'm Victor by the way," Victor offered, noting the darkening of the other boy's cheeks and wondering if he meant to make his comment out loud. Standing, Victor offered his hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Yuuri… I'm Yuuri." Taking his trumpet case from Victor's hand, Yuuri straightened his back. His first good look at Victor had his heart skittering in his chest. At first glance, and in mid-accidental-tackle, Yuuri had already noted that Victor was good-looking, but a true look at Victor made Yuuri's brain feel like it was melting. Taking a step back to put distance between them, Yuuri turned on his heel to flee in the other direction.

"Yuuri!" Victor called, watching as Yuuri stiffened and froze. "Weren't you going the other way?" He tried to pull in his smile at the stubborn way Yuuri turned around, his jaw set high as he stomped back in Victor's direction.

Swearing that he wasn't embarrassed and that he could handle this situation with dignity, Yuuri forced himself to look at Victor with a quick nod. He had five minutes to make it to the counselor's office and he could reorganize the hell-stack of papers jumbled in his arms once he got there. Refusing to say anything else that might make him appear more awkward, Yuuri continued silently passed Victor and out of the hallway, never sparing a glance for the tall boy that brushed his shoulder as he went.

"Nice to meet you!" Victor called, his hand waving awkwardly in the air as Yuuri refused to look back. There was a sting of rejection, laced with foolish hope, wrapping itself around Victor's heart.

"Victor… who was that?" Chris stopped to stare in wonder between Victor and Yuuri's retreating back.

"New guy… name's Yuuri," Victor grinned, bouncing on his toes. "I crashed into him and knocked him over."

"Very smooth," Chris rolled his eyes, wrapping his fingers around Victor's bicep and pulling him in the direction of the staircase. "You've made it all the way to senior year without a single crush on anyone… but I think your dry spell just ended."

Looking back over his shoulder where Yuuri had disappeared, Victor couldn't help thinking that Chris was right.

October

The grandstand was filled to the brim with parents and alumni all dressed in the school's colors and ready to cheer on their football team. Both teams were lined up on either side of the field, introductions already completed and waiting for the refs to conclude their meeting and the national anthem to be sang.

Already dressed in his band uniform, Yuuri hiked the box of popcorn higher on his hip as he followed Phichit up the stairs. "Why do we have to do this again?" he asked, eyebrows pinched together as Phichit grabbed two bags and exchanged them for cash from the closest fan.

"We have to raise money for buses and stuff so that we can go to parades. So at the football games where we play, we sell walking concessions." Phichit smiled at a familiar classmate, stopping to chat while Yuuri mulled over this information.

"But I don't get it… My dad said the music program is the best around and that their budget was bigger than any program I'd ever been in." His dad had a knack for budgets and numbers and had used this information in a failed attempt to get Yuuri excited for his new school. What he couldn't understand was if the budget was so big, why the band members were being forced to slug popcorn, soda, and candy to afford bus travel. Voicing this opinion out loud, he stopped short when Phichit whirled around to answer.

"Well, yeah, the budget might be good… how do you know that by the way? But anyway… even if it is big… it all goes to chorus because they are the national champs and they are the face of our program and blah… blah… blah." Phichit's mocking eye roll and silly hand gestures made Yuuri chuckle. "And really, it's just because Mr. Feltsman… chorus director… is more demanding that Mr. Cialdini… plus there's that guy." Pointing over Yuuri's shoulder, Phichit leveled a bland look at the field.

Turning, Yuuri followed the direction of Phichit's finger, blanching at the sight of Victor standing in front of a microphone in the middle of the field. "What in the world…" Yuuri muttered, ignoring Phichit's requests for him to keep walking. Hearing the overhead announcement that Victor was going to be singing the national anthem, Yuuri nearly jumped out of his skin when the crowd roared to life.

Smiling from his place at the center of everyone's attention, Victor barely avoided laughing into the mic when he saw Yuuri flail. He had been watching Yuuri's progression up the stairs of the stands, enduring Chris's remarks about Victor's hopeless pining with only half an ear. School had been going for six weeks and Victor hadn't managed to wrangle Yuuri into a single conversation since their collision in the hallway.

Clearing his throat, Victor wrapped his hand around the mic stand, focusing on Yuuri's face and saying a silent prayer that maybe this would finally get Yuuri's attention. Listening to the opening note of the song, Victor began to sing.

Stunned. Yuuri was stunned. Victor had a voice like he had never heard. It was strong, clear, and seemed to be vibrating directly into Yuuri's heart. He was frozen in place listening to Victor sing, trying to tell himself that Victor definitely wasn't looking directly at him. "Wow…" he exhaled, flinching slightly when Phichit leaned into his ear.

"Yeah, he's good and he knows it. Because of him and his chorus, we have to take school buses on every trip. We don't get invites to regionals, states, or nationals either, because most of the band knows we won't get to go, so no one tries hard enough. Chorus gets priority… always." Pinching the back of Yuuri's arm, Phichit pulled him up the next stair. "Come on, if we move now we can make it all the way to the top and work our way back down."

Entranced by the angelic sound of Victor's voice, Yuuri tried to reconcile the information Phichit gave him with the way Victor's singing was making him feel. Finally able to tear his eyes away from the field, Yuuri followed Phichit up the metal stairs, his brain mulling over the confusion knotted within it.

On the field, Victor watched Yuuri turn his back and almost missed his note in the midst of his disappointment.

Half-time of the homecoming game was really the only time when the entire school and the spectators got to see what the marching band could do. Mr. Cialdini had impressed upon them how important it was that they perform perfectly, reminding them that donations were always higher when the performance brought the crowd to its feet. Feeling a trickle of anger seep through him at those words, Yuuri set his jaw and marched onto the field with his fellow bandmates.

Standing in formation, Yuuri listened to Mr. Cialdini describe their program to the crowd, including identifying Yuuri as a soloist. Although Yuuri hated the idea of standing in front of an unfamiliar crowd, he knew that somewhere in the mess of people in the stands, his family and his mother's best friend were there to cheer him on. Taking a deep breath, he focused his eyes on Mr. Cialdini at the podium, ready to snap into action as soon as his arms were raised.

"Why did we stay?" Chris whined, leaning against the metal fence with his head tipped onto Victor's shoulder. "We never stay this long. You sing, everyone claps, we leave and go get pampered before the dance. They aren't even crowning court until tonight."

Chris's complaints fell on Victor's deaf ears as he heard the band director say Yuuri's name. Scanning the see of blue and red uniforms, Victor squinted when he spotted Yuuri's face hidden beneath the tall hat of his uniform. The determined angle of Yuuri's jaw and the fierce way he was holding his position made Victor feel weak in his knees.

"Really?" Chris asked, poking Victor in the cheek. "We stayed so you could watch your band dork in action?" Barely flinching when Victor shoved his shoulder, Chris went back to pouting over the edge of the fence.

In all his years in high school, Victor hadn't bothered to watch the marching band perform. It wasn't that he didn't care about this portion of their music program, it was just that he was so busy with all of his own commitments, he didn't particularly have time to spectate for anyone else's. As the opening notes began of the marching band's program, Victor admitted he might have been wrong to ignore their existence for so long.

"I didn't know they were good." Leaning forward on the fence, Victor clasped his hands together to carefully watch how the band moved. Their feet were in perfect step and as they moved into each formation, Victor could see the shapes, even without the vantage point of sitting in the stands. He was enthralled with the skilled movement, almost missing when a lone figure marched forward to stand in front of a microphone.

Yuuri steadied his breathing with every timed stepped forward, keeping himself from rushing to his spot by counting the beats in his head. In front of him, the crowd was a blur, a misshapen blob of colors and noise. Taking a final breath, Yuuri closed his eyes and began to play.

Victor gasped at the strength of Yuuri's song, his body leaning further over the fence as if he could somehow put himself closer to Yuuri. Never in his life had he heard an instrument sound so beautiful, the power of every note pulling at his heart strings as Yuuri continued to lure him into the depths of his song.

"Someone just went from six to midnight," Chris joked, curling his fingers in the back of Victor's sweater to pull him back toward the ground. "If you lean any further forward, you're going to end up falling on your face."

Barely hearing Chris, Victor heard himself start to yell along with the crowd when Yuuri completed his solo and sharply turned to rejoin the rest of the band. He could feel himself going hoarse as he continued to yell, both hands above his head clapping.

"Enough… you're embarrassing…" Grabbing Victor's arms, Chris pulled them down. "We can leave now, yes?"

Shaking out of Chris's grasp, Victor shook his head. "As soon as they're done we can go." He turned his attention back to the field to watch the marching band move into their final song.

The last note rang out over the field slowly fading as Mr. Cialdini grinned at them from the top of the podium. Next to him, Yuuri heard Phichit squeal, preparing himself to be tackled as soon as Mr. Cialdini dropped his arms. Prediction coming true, Yuuri felt his friend wrap his arms around his shoulders and begin to shake him.

Elation flashed through Yuuri as other members of the band clapped him on the shoulder or stole hugs to congratulate him. A senior, Georgi if Yuuri remembered correctly, stopped to commend Yuuri on breathing life back into their band. The comment made Yuuri stop short, considering the words as the rest of the group continued to celebrate around him.

An arm around his waist had Yuuri snapping out of his daze. "Come on, Yuuri, we have to get ready for the dance!" Phichit dragged him toward the edge of the field as Yuuri mournfully remembered agreeing to attend despite never having experienced a single school dance in his entire life.

Groaning internally, he let himself be dragged from the field, never noticing Victor and Chris standing at the fence. Georgi's words still circled in his mind along with the feeling of his perfectly performed solo, and Yuuri resolved himself to being a jumble of mixed emotions for the rest of the night.

"Are dances always so loud?" Yuuri shouted, leaning into Phichit's ear so he could be heard. Seeing Phichit shrug with a happy smile, Yuuri decided to take that as a yes. Sighing, he looked around the decorated school gym, wondering how long he had to stay before he could make a socially acceptable exit.

The afternoon had consisted of lounging around Yuuri's parents' basement with Phichit, Leo, and Guang Hong. His parents had been thrilled about Yuuri bringing friends home, excitedly preparing extra beds for all of his friends to crash in at the end of the night. They had stuffed themselves full of his mother's katsudon and taken hurried showers before shoving themselves into suits and ties and posing for pictures in front of the house.

It had been Yuuri's idea to take two cars, even though Phichit insisted it was stupid. He wanted to give himself an available escape if the dance was too overwhelming, but he had also watched the way Leo and Guang Hong had attempted to sneak in quick touches of affection with each other throughout the afternoon. Separate cars would give them a chance to be alone together and when Yuuri had explained this to Phichit during their own ride, Phichit had declared his best friend a genius.

Thinking about it made Yuuri smile. Other than two of his childhood friends, who he kept up with solely by call and text, Yuuri had never had a best friend. Phichit was a never-ending source of energy and gossip, but Yuuri liked being around him and his heart felt happy that Phichit returned that sentiment.

"Let's dance," Phichit encouraged, snagging Yuuri's wrist and pulling him toward the dance floor. He frowned when Yuuri resisted. "Look, I have seen the swing of your hips when you march, I know you have some moves. Come onnnn… Yuuuriiii," pouting like an overgrown toddler, Phichit tugged on Yuuri's coat sleeve.

Shrugging, Yuuri let himself be pulled forward, falling into the beat of the group dance and taking his place next to Phichit on the floor, trying to hold in his smile when Phichit winked at him.

From where they sat at a nearby table, Victor surveyed Yuuri's movements, his mouth going dry at the precise way Yuuri was winding his hips. He could almost picture his hands wrapping around Yuuri's waist to press them together in the middle of the dance floor and the mental image had his mind going fuzzy. A napkin hit him in the face, causing Victor to glare across the table at Yuri.

"You're drooling," Yuri growled, rolling his eyes. "Why are you lusting after that pig anyway? You've never taken interest in anyone."

"Jealous?" Mila inquired, leaning her chin on a perfectly manicured hand. As a sophomore alto she had immediately taken a liking to teasing Yuri at every opportunity.

"He's an old man," Yuri quipped back, snarling in Victor's direction. "And not as talented as I am." Slamming back in his chair, Yuri jerked a finger in Otabek's direction and both of them disappeared without another word.

Victor had barely paid attention to the interaction, his eyes still focused on Yuuri who was now laughing and adding his own variation to the standard dance steps. "Is he dating Phichit?" Victor asked no one in particular, not looking at his friends to see their annoyed expressions.

"No," Chris responded, trading a look with Mila behind Victor's back. "They are friends. They both play trumpet. I've heard that Yuuri has never dated anyone. Sounds like someone else we know." Snickering, Chris pushed Victor's shoulder.

Overhead the music changed to something slower and Victor watched as Yuuri pulled away from Phichit's side. Moving without properly thinking about his decision, Victor shoved back his chair and strode across the dance floor, catching Yuuri's wrist before he could escape completely. "Dance with me?" he asked, staring into Yuuri's eyes while trying to sound as alluring as possible.

Unsure of what to do, Yuuri gawked over Victor's shoulder, eyes going wide at Phichit's thumbs up and then eyebrows shooting up when Victor's friend approached Phichit. He saw the two of them fall into an easy slow dance and swallowed back his own hesitation before nodding silently at Victor.

Nervously, Victor wrapped his arm around Yuuri's waist, pulling him flush to Victor's hips. Their legs slotted together, bringing Yuuri's incredibly muscular thigh between Victor's slim ones and almost making Victor whine with the contact. Curling his fingers around Yuuri's hand, Victor rested their joined hands against his chest, his heartbeat stuttering when Yuuri's other hand found a home at the back of his neck.

Every person that wasn't Victor faded from Yuuri's vision, his eyes trained on the gorgeous hue of blue that he had never noticed in Victor's irises. It wasn't that he had purposely avoided Victor since their initial meeting, but Yuuri had consciously kept himself out of situations where he knew Victor would be. The dance had been an exception and now, held tightly in Victor's arms and absorbing the warmth of Victor's body, Yuuri couldn't remember why he had been so determined to avoid him.

Tingles were running through Victor's body everywhere that he could feel Yuuri touching him. Up close, Yuuri was powerful muscle and rosy cheeks, his eyes big behind his glasses and his lips red from nervous chewing. Victor couldn't help his wandering eyes, taking in the details of Yuuri's beautiful face while his body yearned to memorize the feeling of Yuuri tangled with him. Searching for something to say to try to encourage their night to go beyond one dance, Victor leaned close to whisper into Yuuri's ear. "Your solo was beautiful."

Shivering at the ghost of Victor's words across his neck, Yuuri leaned in to respond as his fingers stroked the back of Victor's neck. "I didn't know you saw." He shuddered again when Victor hummed his confirmation against Yuuri's cheek.

"I've never seen the marching band play before. I had no idea they were so good. Perhaps they are better because you're a part of them." Running his hand up and down Yuuri's back, Victor loved the flex of Yuuri's muscles under his fingers.

Pulling back, Yuuri studied Victor's face. "You're serious?" he asked, puzzled at the anger boiling under his own skin. Remembering Phichit's further explanation about the restrictions for band that didn't apply to chorus, Yuuri decided that his anger wasn't unfounded. "Band is a part of the music program. How could've never seen them perform?"

Not understanding Yuuri's questions, Victor continued his attempts to flirt. "I guess before now I didn't have motivation to watch them. But now that you're here…" Pressing his hand to Yuuri's lower back, Victor tried to guide Yuuri back into their close hold.

"Did you think they weren't worthy of your time?" Taking a step back, Yuuri dropped his hand from Victor's shoulder. His other hand was still locked with Victor's as Yuuri continued to speak. "Did you think they weren't good enough to support?" His voice was slightly raised, and he ignored the look of shock on Phichit's face where he had stopped dancing with his own partner.

"I mean… objectively speaking…" Victor tried to choose his words wisely so as to not make Yuuri anymore irrationally angry. "Technically, the senior ensemble is the only ranked group in our music program so-"

"Because band doesn't get to go to competitions, because chorus takes all the money!" Yanking his hand from Victor's hold, Yuuri took another step back. If Victor continued to hold any part of him, Yuuri wouldn't be able to concentrate with the sparks Victor's touch caused.

"We need it, because we are the ones competing," Victor said flatly, folding his arms over his chest. "Maybe if band made it to a competition, the money would be spent on them."

Stopping in the middle of his argument, Yuuri narrowed his eyes in Victor's direction. He hated that he could still feel the lingering warmth of Victor's touch and that the desire to kiss Victor was still burning through him. Curling his hand into a tight fist to steady himself, Yuuri took a step forward. "So if band makes it, you agree that the department should split the money between chorus and band." Poking Victor in the middle of his chest, Yuuri raised his jaw to challenge Victor into an answer.

"I mean… if…" Victor dragged out his words, getting frustrated with himself for wanting to do nothing more than grab Yuuri and kiss him. The fire in Yuuri's eyes was catching under Victor's skin and he had to tighten his grip on his own elbows to keep from making a terrible mistake.

Nodded curtly, Yuuri spun away from Victor, marching toward the exit of the gym with Phichit hot on his heels. He wasn't sure how he was going to convince the band or Mr. Cialdini to put them in the running for competitions this year, but Yuuri was going to find a way. Not looking back, Yuuri stormed out of the school toward his car, listening to Phichit exclaim over his bad assery the entire way.

Standing at the back of the dance floor, Victor couldn't make his feet move. Where Yuuri had gotten the idea that Victor had anything to do with how the department spent its money was beyond him, but he wasn't going to argue that Yuuri might have a valid point. His pull with Mr. Feltsman and even with the school's administration was more significant than any other student and maybe he should use that for more equal treatment within his program.

Sighing, Victor returned to the table with his friends, relinquishing himself to their relentless teasing for the rest of the night.

November

In the back of the instrument storage room, there were two walls lined with cubbies which were the perfect place to hide for a various number of reasons. Sometimes, students would curl up in one to sneak in a few extra minutes of sleep before the bell rang. Other times, they would hide back there to exchange secrets and gossip about other members of the band. In Yuuri's case, they were the perfect place to do last minute physics homework that he had completely ignored the night before.

In the week and a half since homecoming, Yuuri had successfully avoided Victor at all times while simultaneously weaseling information about him from his new friend group. Georgi had the most information, as he was in the same year as Victor and shared most of the same classes. Through him, Yuuri discovered that Victor wasn't as clueless or thoughtless as Yuuri wanted to believe, especially after discovering that Victor personally tutored struggling freshman in the lower choir and that he volunteered with a children's choir in the local elementary school.

His curiosity had finally gotten the better of him and Yuuri had fallen down the rabbit hole of goggling his school's chorus performances. After getting through all of the YouTube videos available, Yuuri had then followed the red and white rabbit to links containing Victor's solos specifically. It had been three a.m. by the time he had shut down his laptop and his physics homework had gone completely neglected.

Curling into a ball of regret and anxiety, Yuuri tried to concentrate on the two problems left in his set. He had ten minutes until the bell would ring for homeroom and another fifteen after that before he would need to actually participate in playing. Mr. Cialdini had already marked him as present, so Yuuri burrowed further into his book to hurriedly scratch out his remaining answers.

The appearance of Phichit at his side made Yuuri jump and whack his head on the shelf above him. Groaning, he folded his book closed on his completed homework. "What is it?" Rubbing his head, Yuuri unfolded himself from his hiding place to wait for Phichit's answer.

"We got invited to be a part of the Christmas performance at the state capitol." Phichit's frown had Yuuri raising an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't that be a good thing?" Yuuri asked, shoving his spiral notebook and textbook into his backpack. "That's a huge honor, Phichit." Imagining playing in the capitol's giant amphitheater made Yuuri's pulse race.

"Well… it would be… except normally only chorus gets invited. And I just heard Mr. Feltsmen tell Ciao Ciao that there wasn't room for us." Scowling, Phichit sat back on his heels and folded in his arms with a huff.

"Fuck that." Jumping up, Yuuri left Phichit behind to gawk at his back. He strode through the band room, cutting a sharp left into the hallway which contained the teacher's offices. Inside he could hear the two teachers arguing and Yuuri paused to gather his thoughts.

Out of pure curiosity, Victor, Chris, and Yuri followed the sounds of their director shouting. They had been warming up in the entry of the chorus room when the shouting match had carried down to them and piqued their interest. Victor hadn't expected to discover Yuuri standing outside of the door, nor the number of band members standing behind him with increasingly more furious looks on their faces.

"Why are the old geezers fighting anyway?" Yuri asked, slumping against the closest locker and looking bored.

The dangerous flash in Yuuri's eyes made Victor's heart stop. It was undeniable how sexy Yuuri was when he was laser-focused, but Victor saw the anger burn in Yuuri's eyes and took a cautionary step between him and the younger Yuri.

"Band was invited to the Christmas performance at the capitol. And so was chorus." Yuuri spoke through gritted teeth, refusing to acknowledge how gorgeous Victor looked in his light blue sweater. A sweater that looked soft to the touch and tempting to snuggle into. Shaking his head from his wandering thoughts, Yuuri rested his hands on his hips. "Your director says there isn't room for both of us and therefore we can't go."

"To be fair…" Victor held up his hands when Yuuri's scowl deepened. "We are afforded this opportunity every year and we have the performance record to back it up. Sending us also means a guarantee of an award-winning performance." He knew insistently that it was the wrong thing to say, when Yuuri reached back to yank the comically small instrument from Phichit's hand.

"I could play your entire chorus under the table, Victor Nikiforov." Licking his lips, slow and deliberate, Yuuri didn't miss Victor's eyes carefully following the motion. Lifting Phichit's trumpet to his mouth, Yuuri raised one eyebrow and began to play.

Stalled for only a second by the power of Yuuri's talent, Victor narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers in Chris's and Yuri's directions. Making eye contact with both of them, Victor nodded them in, adding lyrics to Yuuri's song and singing loud enough to attempt to drown him out. As the other two continued singing, Victor cocked his hip to the side and said "is that all you've got?"

His jaw dropped open when Yuuri tossed the trumpet over his shoulder into Phichit's hands and caught a trombone that was tossed his way.

Smirking, Yuuri flexed his fingers on the slide and railed into a long, downward scaling rift. With practiced flare, Yuuri continued his song, lifting the slide just high enough to poke Victor in the chest as he played.

Not to be outdone, Victor added his voice back into the mix, looking over his shoulder and spotting Otabek surveying their chaos. Waving a hand in time with the beat, Victor encouraged Otabek forward, adding his powerful baritone to their song.

Undeterred, Yuuri tossed JJ his trombone and caught Guang Hong's saxophone as it was lobbed toward him. Missing only the beats to exchange instruments, Yuuri laid his hands across the keys and began to wail. Behind him the band began to clap along with the beat, making way for drummers carrying a set of snares and a bass drum.

Victor eyed the drummers nervously, his heart racing as Yuuri's fingers flew over the saxophone. He had no idea that Yuuri's talent had such incredible depth and his throat was beginning to ache attempting to carry the volume needed to match Yuuri's own power. If he hadn't been attracted to Yuuri before, this exact moment would have solidified Victor's undying love forever.

Running out of breath, Yuuri twisted over his shoulder and couldn't help his giggle at the drums. Handing off the sax to its rightful owner, he grabbed the drumsticks and set them to the pads in an undeniably perfect rhythm. Focusing solely on his own playing and ignoring the noise still coming from Victor and his band of singers, Yuuri controlled his sticks over four pads, hitting every beat with unneeded force.

Holding up a hand, Victor cut his singers off. All four of them stared in amazement at Yuuri, the sticks flying so fast over the drums that they looked like a blur. The band behind Yuuri was also staring, all of them gasping audibly when Yuuri angled his body to subtly strike the bass drum with his elbow.

Every single beat was like a tattoo on Victor's heart. Yuuri's concentrated expression, the outpour of energy and admiration of everyone around them, and even Yuri's stunned smile had Victor falling head over heels for the guy in front of him. Yuuri was fire and through music he was fighting for all the band members standing behind him.

With the last strikes against the drums, Yuuri threw the sticks into the air, smiling breaking across his face as the band tackled him. They roared with cheers, chanting his name as he looked back to see the smile on Victor's own face. He blushed into his hairline when Victor mouthed "good job" and allowed himself to be swallowed up by the embraces of his bandmates.

"What the hell is going on out here?"

Everyone in the hallway froze, fear pouring like ice water over their celebration. Turning in unison, they discovered Principal Baranovskaya standing with her hands on her hips. "I asked a question." She spoke low and threatening and Yuuri felt himself being pushed forward to stand at the front of their group.

"I… uh… we…" Yuuri stuttered, feeling his stomach turn sour as he tried to form an explanation.

"Ma'am," Victor stepped to Yuuri's side, slipping a hand down to wrap around Yuuri's clammy palm. "We were just… trying to prove a point… to our directors." Squeezing Yuuri's hand, Victor tried to silently ask Yuuri to trust him.

"And exactly what was your point, Victor?" It was Mr. Feltsman who spoke this time, standing behind Principal Baranovskaya with Mr. Cialdini at his side.

"Our point… is that… when it comes to the Christmas performance, there is room for all of us," Victor held up a hand when Mr. Feltsman tried to argue. "We can perform together. It will be something completely different, that no one has ever seen from our school. And maybe, it will earn the band their bid to regionals and beyond."

Glancing at Yuuri, Victor found the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Bolstered by Yuuri's fingers tangled more firmly with his own, Victor turned to face his director again. "And if they get that bid, then the money should be split between chorus and band. Fifty, fifty. And we'll do our fair share of the fundraising for the rest. Don't you think it's time that we support everyone in this program?" Biting the inside of his cheek, Victor felt the surge of anxiety rising in his chest as Mr. Feltsman's face turned an unhealthy shade of red.

"I agree," Principal Baranovskaya nodded, knocking the wind out of Mr. Feltsman's sails and leaving him sputtering behind her. "We have a lot of talent in this program and as long as you keep it out of my hallways," flicking a finger between Yuuri and Victor, she emphasized her knowledge of the perpetrators of the chaos, "then I believe there should be room to celebrate all of our talented musicians." Rotating on the point of her heel, she raised an eyebrow at the two directors. "Play nice, you two." Heels clicking in the hallway, Principal Baranovskaya left Mr. Feltsman and Mr. Cialdini to stare ruefully at each other.

"Yuuri, you did it!" Phichit squealed, tackling Yuuri from behind and lifting him from the ground. He started a new Yuuri chant, pulling JJ forward to help Phichit hoist Yuuri into the air.

"Enough! Enough! Back to class!" Mr. Cialdini yelled, grabbing Yuuri's arms and pulling him back to the ground. "Nice work, Katsuki. You too, Victor," he smiled, patting Yuuri on the shoulder before turning to shoe everyone back into the band room.

Standing alone, Yuuri watched the rest of the band filtering away. His lips felt exhausted and his hands were limp from his efforts, but Yuuri smiled knowing that he would have sacrificed his own playing abilities forever if the results would have been the same. A light tap on his shoulder had him turning around, coming face-to-face with Victor.

"Um, hi," Yuuri said. Redness burned his cheeks as Victor smiled down at him. In so many ways he had been wrong in his assumptions about Victor, but he couldn't find the words to properly apologize. "I'm sorry," is what he settled on, sheepishly peering up at Victor through his eyelashes.

"Don't apologize." Taking a chance, Victor linked one hand with Yuuri's and used the other to brush the hair out of Yuuri's face. "You were incredible, Yuuri. And you made me realize that just because something has always been one way, doesn't mean it's the right way." Pausing Victor waited until Yuuri met his eyes. "I guess we have a lot of joint practices in our future." Unable to stop himself, Victor glanced at Yuuri's lips, nearly moaning at how red they appeared.

"I guess…" Yuuri caught Victor glancing down and lost his thought. Victor's fingers settled against his cheek and bravely, Yuuri lifted a hand to rest on Victor's hip.

"Yuuri…" Victor shifted closer, feeling Yuuri's fingers curl tighter against his hipbone. "How tired are your lips?" He asked the question as he brushed his thumb over Yuuri's bottom lip, biting his own lip in anticipation.

"I… don't know… why-" Yuuri's question was lost to the press of Victor's mouth, moving softly over Yuuri's and stealing all the thoughts from Yuuri's brain. He melted into Victor, releasing Victor's hand to wrap both of his arms around Victor's waist.

Running his hands into Yuuri's hair, Victor swore that he could have kissed Yuuri forever and never get his fill of the feeling. Unfortunately, the hallway filled with the sounds of catcalling as the entire chorus toppled out of their room, cheering them on.

"Don't you two have a better use for those mouths?" Mr. Cialdini teased, leaning against the band room doors and raising his hand to beckon Yuuri to class. "Come on now, we have rules about kissing in the hallway."

Laughing, Yuuri dropped his arms from Victor's waist, ducking his head to grin sheepishly at the floor. "I… guess… I will see you later?" he asked, peeking up at Victor through his bangs.

Bending down to steal another kiss from Yuuri, Victor grinned when Mr. Cialdini shouted and the chorus cheered. "Only if you agree to be my boyfriend," Victor whispered, staying bent so Yuuri couldn't avoid his eyes.

"Yeah… I… I'd like that," Yuuri giggled, scrunching his nose and surprising Victor with another kiss. When Mr. Cialdini yelled again, Yuuri finally stepped away from Victor, waving a shy hand over his shoulder.

Turning to face his chorus, Victor ducked as they piled on him, yelling their congratulations and dragging him back into their room.

December

Standing on the side of the stage in his perfectly pressed suit, Victor took in the new set up. On one side the chairs were lined up for the band, the drums and other percussion instruments already in their place behind the curved rows. To the other side, there were wooden bleachers, decorated with tinsel and ribbons which sparkled under the hanging lights. At the front of each, there was a raised podium for their individual directors and at the very front of the stage were two strategically placed standing microphones.

The rustling of the audience, shifting and moving in their seats in anticipation of the widely advertised concert, lifted above the backstage noise and tempted Victor to lean beyond the curtain to see the sea of faces waiting for them. A presence at his elbow made him pause and he turned over his shoulder to smile at Chris.

"Who would've thought," Chris began, reaching up to straighten the red bow tie around Victor's neck. "No, really, who would've thought that by Christmas of our senior year, we would be willingly sharing the stage with Mr. Cialdini's band."

"Hm," Victor agreed, returning the favor and tugging Chris's bow tie into place. "Don't you mean sharing the stage with our boyfriends?" He grinned as Chris's cheeks heated, loving the fact that Chris could still be affected by merely the reference of Phichit. "Those trumpet player lips," Victor joked, turning around again to peer across the stage.

"There's really nothing like them," Chris finished the thought, nudging Victor with his shoulder as Phichit and Yuuri waved from the other side's wing.

Moments later, Mr. Feltsman and Mr. Cialdini took the stage, sharing a deep bow in the center before raising their arms to welcome their individual ensembles. Everyone took their seats with the exception of Victor and Yuuri who were opening the night with their own duet.

Meeting at the standing microphones, they shared a pair of secretive grins. "Ready, my darling?" Victor asked, ignoring the audience in front of them in favor of lifting Yuuri's hand to kiss the back of it.

"As long as you're with me, I'll always be ready," Yuuri answered, surprising Victor with a kiss hidden behind the trumpet Yuuri raised to block them from the audience.

Behind them, the members of the chorus and the band harmonized their "ohhhhhhhh" making Victor and Yuuri break apart in a laugh. "If you've finished," Mr. Feltsman barked from his platform, the slight upturn of the corners of his mouth giving away his amusement. Flicking his conducting baton toward Mr. Cialdini and then toward Yuuri and Victor, he returned to face his chorus.

Sharing one more smile, Yuuri and Victor positioned themselves in front of their mics, ready to perform their very first public duet.

The streetlights trailed past the windows of the bus creating white streaks which interrupted the view of the city skyline. Shifting in his seat, Victor felt the trumpet case against his foot and carefully adjusted so as not to knock it over. A sleepy hum vibrated against his shoulder and Victor smiled happily as he curled his arm tighter around his sleeping boyfriend.

Their performance had been historic according to the reviews already pouring into his online newsfeed. Every reporter who had witnessed the combined power of their chorus and band had already begun to rave in paragraphs of descriptive language that could never truly capture the experience. Victor had lived it, through rehearsals and arguments about which songs to perform, and even seeing it come together and being a part of the process, he remained unable to describe the feelings thrumming within him. It was as if the inspiration and need to create had become a living creature inside of him. A living creature driven toward success and happiness by Yuuri.

"Victor," Yuuri whispered his boyfriend's name as he slowly stretched from his place against Victor's shoulder. The day had been long and the month leading up to their performance had been even longer, but every step of the way, they had been together. Smiling, Yuuri tilted his head and happily accepted Victor's offered kiss.

Later, Yuuri would overanalyze his performance and pick apart every note played. For now, he was content to lose himself in the feeling of Victor, wrapping his arms around Victor's neck and falling into their kiss.

Distantly, he remembered his first day in August, staring at the boring brick building and wondering if he would find happiness within it. Resting his forehead against Victor's shoulder as they took time to breathe, feeling Victor's fingers idly trailing a path over his neck, Yuuri realized that the happiness he had found was beyond every dream he had hoped for. Tilting his head, Yuuri smiled at Chris and Phichit who were curled together and fast asleep in their own seats.

Raising his eyes to meet Victor's, Yuuri smiled as he pulled Victor into another kiss, pouring all of his love and happiness with life into it. He had no idea where life would take them from here, whether they would qualify for competitions with their separate ensembles or if that meant joint fundraisers or more friendly competition between them. What Yuuri did know, without a doubt, was that life was significantly better with Victor by his side and as long as they vowed to love each other through it, they could accomplish anything.

Settling into the comfort of Victor's arms, Yuuri let his eyes flutter closed again. Here he had found a brightness to life that he had never expected, he had found a place to be, and someone to love. And he couldn't wait to see what came next.