For the love of coffee

Fated

Yuri stood alone, head down, heart pounding. Everything ran through his head. Viktor, his contract, the promise he made to the dying old man. The family Viktor had. They were cold, unfeeling, barely talked to each other. Yuri had never known a colder place than that house.

Now he stood on the ice. The skates hugging his feet perfectly. He drew in a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, he raised his head as the air escaped him. His hands came up, one touching the opposite shoulder, while the other reached toward heaven. There was silence for another heartbeat or two. Yuri cleared his mind, his eyes closing.

He saw him, Viktor. The way the silver haired man skated was like... a dream. He made the music come alive! He was a picture of perfection on ice. Something, Yuri felt, he could never be. He saw himself as a poor alternative to the smooth easy way Viktor controlled the ice.

Yet today was more important than anything. Not only was Viktor out there watching, his grandfather sat at his side. As did Yurio's. The entire group Viktor skated with under Yakov was out there. Yuri shoved the thought away, as the music began. His skate pushed against the frozen water. In his mind, only Viktor lead him through the moves he needed to complete.

He followed where the silver haired skater led him. Twisting his body to mimic that of the taller, more toned skater. Yuri reached the heights he needed, forcing his tired, aching body into the spins in the air. He landed, spreading his feet out so as not to fall, he glided over his beloved ice. He flowed like the water beneath his feet, once had.

He didn't hear the cheers. He didn't hear the gasps. He didn't even hear the snide little comments Yurio tossed out at him. He only saw the brilliant smile of the silver skater. He saw the beckoning eyes of the man he had fallen in love with. This was where his happiness begins. He smiled, as he swung about.

Viktor loved leaving a few difficult moves for the end. When normal skaters were exhausted, when they were down to the last ounce of their energy, Viktor thrilled the audience with one last power move, he would always end his shows with bang. Yuri flipped about. He picked up speed as he smiled into the lights. He dipped, placing one foot behind the other.

Using his toe pick, he kicked up off of the ice. Damn it! He swore. His body wobbled as it reached the arch of his jump. He wasn't going to be able to land right! If he did the quad, he was sure to fall. If he shortened it to a triple, then he didn't complete the task. He gritted his teeth. Tightening his body, he spun around.

Once, twice, he felt the tiredness washing over him. He knew he was going to fail in front of them all. They would laugh! Ridicule him for even believing he could be in Viktor's league.

"YOU CAN DO IT YURI!" Viktor's voice floated into Yuri's mind.

The seeds of doubt, trying to find the perfect soil to grow within, began to wilt. Yuri clung to those words. He tightened his control. He was in control! Not the ice! Not the music! Not all of those who laughed at him before. Yuri Katsuki was the one doing this! He could do it.

He forced the fourth and final turn. There was only one way to come out of this without falling. He opened his body up early. Separating his feet, so the back one took the brunt of the landing, Yuri offset himself on purpose. He leaned forward. No one here would miss the mistake. He didn't care.

There was the fact that Viktor believed in him. The fact that Yuri just landed a quad toe loop, at the end of his program. There was the fact that he hadn't done this in years! There was the fact, that he knew, this may be the last performance Viktor's grandfather saw. He wasn't going to fail.

Yuri, spun about. He finished off the skate with the elaborate dance step sequence, then, he came upright. Spinning as he landed back at the starting point. Arms hugging his heaving torso, Yuri bowed his head. He stood like that. The light clicking off. The music fading away. His heart pounding in his chest, while his breathing was out of control.