Work Text:
The tension in the elevator was palpable. Or maybe Yuri was imagining it. Either way, he was sweating. The Rostelecom cup was behind him now, and Victor had just returned from Hasetsu with a healthy Makkachin, so there was no reason for him to be nervous. Still, he couldn’t shake the anxiety that weighed down the elevator. He had something to do, but wasn't sure if he could do it.
Yuri turned to his right to see Victor, wondering if he was picking up on his anxiety. But no, his face was relaxed, undrawn. Bent down on one knee to pet Makkachin, Victor was unaware of Yuri's staring. It gave Yuri all the more time to think. Or to stare. Even when he was jet-lagged, Victor was pretty. Yuri couldn't help but notice the dark circles under his eyes back in the harsh light of the airport, and insisted they get a hotel as soon as possible. Though getting a pet-friendly hotel at that hour wasn't easy, they had managed to find a nice place. On the way there, while he listened to Victor chatter about Hasetsu, Yuri already began formulating a plan.
He wasn’t sure why he had even picked an elevator as the perfect setting to do what he was about to do. Maybe so Victor couldn’t leave. Yuri doubted he would leave, but Victor was unpredictable. He lived for surprises. Yuri had seen him deliver thousands of them-- to crowds of fans during a competition, to the viewers at home, and finally, to Yuri. Nothing could have been more surprising than Victor kissing him after the China cup, a "thank you" for being able to surprise him. Since then, Yuri wondered how much it would take to surprise Victor like that again. He was about to find out.
“I love you,” Yuri blurted. Victor turned to face him, eyebrows raised in surprise. Yuri was already kicking himself for saying such a thing. Why would he have said it like that? He covered his mouth with one hand, feeling his ears heat up. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe that was the wrong word for it. Maybe he never should have said anything at all.
But Victor’s face eased into a smile. Yuri felt his heart flip, realizing that perhaps it wasn’t the wrong thing to say. Why would it be? Despite the racing of his mind, he felt a brief moment of reassurance, then--
“Is that all?” Victor asked, one eyebrow raised.
Yuri’s expectations came crashing to the floor. “What do you mean, is that all?” Yuri gasped. Victor could be careless, he knew that perhaps better than anybody. But that wasn’t the response Yuri had expected at all.
“You’re the one who said it couldn’t be described in one word.” Victor’s smile didn’t fade as the the elevator sounded an insistent ding! The doors slid open in one smooth movement and Victor stepped out into the hall.
Dumbfounded, Yuri remained motionless for a moment, his mouth agape. Was he being brushed off? Finally, he was able to follow Victor out into the hall. “I… I know I said that. But I thought you should know,” he whispered.
Victor stopped in his tracks. Yuri stopped just behind him, his heart rate picking up. What on earth was this reaction? Yuri watched as Victor turned around and closed the gap between them in a couple of steps. He brushed a strand of dark hair out of Yuri's face, gloved fingers ghosting over Yuri’s skin, and making him shiver. “Yuri,” Victor’s voice had turned soft. Yuri met Victor’s eyes and they were overflowing with a previously unnamed emotion. “Of course I knew that. And,” Victor chuckled softly, “if we’re saying it like that now, then I love you too.”
Yuri let out a breathless laugh, feeling the blush return to his cheeks and creeping to the tips of his ears. He bowed his head to hide his face in his scarf and grinned all the while. “It feels good to say,” he admitted.
“Doesn’t it?” Victor laughed, throwing an arm around Yuri’s shoulders and continuing to walk down the hall. "I knew you had something to tell me," he said, turning to gesture for Makkachin to follow. "You had that look in your eye." Victor flashed Yuri a happy smile. Yuri returned it, leaning into him.
It was remarkable how well Victor could read him, Yuri thought. It seemed that he knew how to handle Yuri when few people did. And to Yuri, Victor made more sense than anything else in the world. There was no one else more deserving of the promise he had just made, and Yuri knew that the words they exchanged were always and forever true.