Shining Steel (Victuuri)

Tatiana Nikiforova

The appearance of my mother was sudden and unexpected. It wasn't unwanted, but the timing couldn't have been less convenient.

"I do hope I'm not interrupting too much," she gabbled affectionately. "So, you must be Yuuri! I've heard so much about you from my little girl."

My newly appointed boyfriend nodded politely and introduced himself. It wasn't quite how I'd imagined him meeting my parents but, hey ho, what can you do? Ultimately though, I was happy to see her; it was a rare occurrence, despite us living in the same city.

"Vitya, don't you have practice soon? You know how angered Yakov can become when you skip practice," my mother scolded, alerting me to the time and short circuiting my brain to panic-mode.

How could I have possibly let it get so late? I mean, boyfriends take priority but Yakov wasn't really someone you wanted to rile up.

I looked up to where Mama was wandering around and tutting to herself rather vocally.

"Vitya!" she exclaimed. "Come back home for at least tonight, please? And bring the handsome young man with you."

I nodded to her bewilderedly; barely catching her before she ran off down the hill at a pace much faster than I would recommend for someone of her age, presumably back home.

Really, I still thought of the manor as my home, but all I wanted was to be able to look past my upbringing. I'd won the genetic lottery, both in most of my looks and how I was raised. So many chances had been given to me that other children simply hadn't had. Maybe if I could get passed the rich-kid status in my own mind though, I could finally get passed it in the minds of others.

All I had as a child was figure skating, my parents and my sister, but Papa was always away, my mother was busy as a ballet teacher and my sister was sent away to boarding school in another country.

But now I was an adult, and I had the potential to do so many new things, including find my future with my perfect match.

"Your mother seems sweet."

Yuuri was once again smiling and looking at me with those beautiful brown eyes.

"Yeah," I sighed, "she is."

I relaxed back down into the soft grass again, a gentle smile growing slowly on my lips. How had I got this lucky? In just a single month I'd met the most handsome man to grace the planet, and managed to find a place in his heart. I'd honestly been prepared for heartbreak, so much that I'd hardly planned for things to go as I wished. But, he was meeting me in the middle, and I was falling deeper by the second.

Yuuri was watching me with a warm smile from barely a foot away, which was still much too far, and I couldn't help but soften my gaze even further. I reached out my hand towards his and, with my heart fluttering in my chest, laced our fingers together. The need to cradle him close almost overcame me in that instant.

"If you'd like- um... Can I hold you?" Yuuri fumbled awkwardly.

I rolled over towards him and rested my head in his lap.

"Like this, zolotse?" I responded softly, a slight teasing tone accompanying my voice as I reached up to cup his cheek.

The usual blush adorned him again, but this time there was little-to-no embarrassment behind it, just pure affection.

"Thank you, Vitya. I-I can call you that now, right?"

My heart began to sing with joy as I comprehended what he'd said. He'd called me Vitya, and it resonated as a sweet serenity through my mind. It sounded so tender coming from those sweet lips.