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memoryofapricity · 1 year

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aquamarine eyes. Viktuuri

𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌 – 𝐘𝐮𝐮𝐫𝐢!!! 𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐂𝐄

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 – 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐢 𝐘𝐮𝐮𝐫𝐢 𝐱 𝐍𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐯 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 – 𝐬𝐟𝐰, 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭

this fic is for the animanga secret santa exchange 2022 ! my giftee was @bl-astoise, hope you enjoy <3

Katsuki Yūri had always loved animals. most of his relatives thought he would grow out if it in his teenage years, but here he was; an animal lover in his twenties.

something else he'd always loved was baking. it was a shared activity that had brought him closer to his mother. the nostalgia from smelling cinnamon in the air, or brushing flour off of his hands took him back to the kitchen of his childhood home in a matter of seconds.

oh, and one more thing he loved was the holiday season. he loved the light hearted spirit that surrounded this time, but he also enjoyed the sense of rush it gave him in a customer service job. that's right, Katsuki Yūri had achieved his dream job. nothing could ever be a more perfect work environment for him than a cat café.

he'd managed to climb the ranks and gain the trust of his superiors. by now he was something of a manager in his little café.

that didn't mean he wouldn't get the normal tasks done himself, though.

he was just sweeping the floors and cleaning the tables during the last open hour, while jazzy Christmas songs played in the background, when he heard the door open.

"welcome! what can I get you?" he said his usual greeting while making his way back to the front.

only as he stood behind the counter he got a good look at the gentleman with a long trench coat and platinum hair. his prim appearance made him look out of place in a more relaxed environment like this one.

"may I have a cappuccino, please?" the customer requested.

"coming right up! would that be all?"

"that's all, thank you."

the platinum haired man gave Yūri a small, polite smile before stepping to the side to wait for his order.

the barista prepared the coffee, but he couldn't erase those light blue eyes from his mind. they looked like a pair of aquamarine gemstones.

Yūri looked at the milk foam sitting at the top of the glass mug, before deciding to draw a heart on this handsome customer's coffee. he took the mug to the cash register and pushed it across the counter carefully.

another small smile formed onto the other man's lips the moment he saw the heart.

"thank you kindly", was all he said after paying for his drink.

Yūri watched him walk across the room to an empty armchair and pull out a small book from the breast pocket of his jacket. the brown eyes were glued to him as he slipped the outside coat off and set it on the armrest carefully.

Yūri could feel his coworker's eyes on himself as he kept admiring the blue plaid vest paired with a simple, white button up.

"Yūri, you're staring", his friend Phichit noted.

"but... just look at him", Yūri sighed out, "he looks so... posh."

he leaned his elbow against the counter and kept his eyes on the stranger whose body language was the most graceful Yūri had ever seen.

Phichit nudged him forward.

"stop drooling and go talk to him!"

Yūri's face flushed and turned around to scold the younger man: "I am not drooling! I just admire people like him."

along with a "sure, sure", he was pushed out of hiding behind the counter and he stood awkwardly in the open. he took a deep breath and started walking towards the customer.

it was only then he noticed one of the cats curled up on the elegant man's lap.

"oh, she seems to really like you."

the light blue eyes looked up at him.

"why do you sound so surprised?" the customer questioned as his head tilted to the side slightly.

"she's usually not one to care about customers. she always takes a while to warm up to the staff too", the black haired one explained.

a chuckle was heard before the stranger spoke up again: "I must be special, then."

the next day Yūri couldn't get the strange customer out of his mind. the way he moved, the way he spoke...

"thank you for the coffee", he'd said, glancing at the nametag on the apron, "Yuuuuri~."

the way he'd dragged out the u in Yūri, made the barista's heart flutter.

"stop daydreaming", the youngest employee, another Yuri, - though everyone called him Yurio - said as he smacked the back of Yūri's head.

"ow", the older of the two mumbled out while rubbing the spot Yurio had hit.

"you're usually not like this. I'd expect this from Phichit, but not you. I thought you were sensible."

"hey!" was heard from the back.

Yūri chuckled.

"well, yes, this is the first time this has happened to me", he admitted.

Phichit chose to stop eavesdropping and join the conversation: "but you had a girlfriend in high school, didn't you?"

Yūri felt guilt flushing through him.

"yes, I did, but I don't think I was ever in love with her."

"because you're gay", Yurio retorted.

Phichit looked at him with his jaw dropped open, as if he just revealed a character death from a show they were watching.

"what? did he seriously not know?"

Yūri could only replay those words in his head. gay? now that someone said it out loud, it made a lot of sense. maybe he was gay. and just maybe, that gorgeous customer he knew nothing about was his gay awakening.

but, it wasn't like Yūri would ever see him again, unless he decided to visit the café again himself.

the next time he saw those aquamarine eyes was on a late night walk back home after closing the coffeeshop.

"Makkachin!" someone yelled, right before a strange force took Yūri down to the ground.

"I am so sorry, he doesn't usually do things like this", the stranger apologized.

Yūri opened his eyes to see the faces of a large poodle and that platinum haired customer from earlier the same week hanging over him.

"I must be special, then", he laughed out as the not-so-unfamiliar stranger helped him back up to his feet.

"yes, I suppose the tables have turned", the taller man said with a gentle smile.

before letting go of Yūri's hand, he breathed out a name: "Victor."

"Victor?"

"my name. I'm Victor."

"oh!" Yūri exclaimed as realization rolled over him, "nice to formally meet you, Victor."

"please, no need to be so polite, my dog did just knock you over."

they both chuckled softly before Victor started speaking again: "have you eaten yet?"

"ah, no, I'm going to eat once I get home."

"could I treat you to some nikuman?" Victor offered, "it's the least I can do."

a certain warm excitement filled Yūri's chest as he nodded with a smile.

"I'd like that."

the pair walked together, with their steaming meat buns in hand. Yūri could feel the awkwardness in the silence hanging between them, and he had to break it.

"so, do you usually use your dog to get closer to people like this?"

bad joke... not funny.

"only when they're adorable", Victor slipped out smoothly.

oh. oh. wasn't that a flirt?

and a good one at that.

Yūri could feel the heat rush to his cheeks as he bit into the bun again, trying to think of how he could possibly respond to that.

"I saw you looking at me, Yuuuri."

great, add in the embarrassment of getting caught staring at a customer, and what you have is Yūri turning into a mess.

after no replies from Yūri, Victor kept talking: "I wanted to see you again, but I didn't want to be your customer."

they both stopped walking and Victor turned Yūri's head towards himself.

Yūri felt his knees go weak as the sincere aquamarine eyes gazed into his soul.

"I must be lucky to run into you like this."

"m-me too", Yūri finally stammered out.

the gentle smile on Victor's face grew slightly wider.

"I know this might all come out of the blue, but would you want to go on a date with me?"

Yūri blinked once, twice, even thrice. a date? he must've been dreaming this.

"seriously?"

a snort escaped the other man.

"yes, I'm serious."

"uh, yes, I'd love to..."

Victor let go of Yūri and took a step further away from him.

"how about dinner after your shift on Saturday?"

Yūri only nodded enthusiastically. his voice was lost somewhere inside him due to the shock. he could only watch as Victor waved his goodbye and started walking away with his dog.

"he asked you out!?" Phichit's exclamation filled the kitchen the next morning as they were rolling out dough.

"yes... he's taking me out tomorrow night", Yūri said quietly.

"what? where? when?"

the bombarding of questions made it seem like Phichit was more excited for the upcoming date than Yūri was himself.

"he's meeting me here after closing, and we'll go to dinner."

"ooh, how classy.... a dinner date. wonder where that'll end up~..."

the tone in Phichit's voice got the nerves in Yūri to wake up.

this would be his first proper date. how was he supposed to act? was he supposed to get something for his date? what would they even talk about?

maybe he should read a short guide on dating...

Phichit's voice cut through his thoughts: "you look like you're spiraling, Yūri... you okay?"

"...yes! I'm totally fine. I can go on a date with a crazy handsome guy who's clearly out of my league! no problem!"

the nervous laughter escaping his lips didn't help in convincing his friend. the pair of dark grey eyes only gave him a pitying look, as if to say he was thinking too deeply into this.

"you'll be fine. there's no need to think about it too hard, just act as you would normally."

the – without lying – almost dreaded Saturday evening drew close, and Yūri couldn't contain the butterflies in his stomach when the platinum haired gentleman stepped inside the café. his lips curled into a soft smile as his aquamarine eyes locked onto the man standing behind the counter.

Yūri felt like his knees might give out at any moment. somehow Victor's gaze on him was fierce and tender at the same time.

"Yuuuri", he spoke, and his voice was velvet against Yūri's ears, "are you ready to go?"

the black haired man could only nod as his heart was beating out of his chest. would Victor reach for his hand?

he didn't.

Yūri could feel disappointment settle into his chest as they walked side by side, with a gap in between.

Yūri felt as if he needed to close said gap. he couldn't stand feeling like he was too far to reach Victor even with the tip of his finger.

suddenly the other man stopped walking and their arms bumped into each other.

"we're here", Victor breathed out a small cloud of fog into the cold night air, "the best sushi in town."

the pair walked inside and were wrapped in the surprisingly warm ambience.

Victor led Yūri into a small table in a quiet corner, with a single candle and rose in the middle.

"I made us a reservation beforehand", he mentioned as if it was the most obvious thing to be done.

he even pulled out the other chair and motioned for Yūri to sit down.

the flutter returned to his heart as he took a seat and watched the graceful man sit down on the other side of the table. Yūri watched the flicker of candlelight dance on the flawless face as the blue eyes scanned through the menu.

the dinner date went on smoothly. conversation flowed naturally and the experience as a whole felt breezy to Yūri. he hadn't felt this exhilarated in possibly years – Victor really made him feel like there was a whole new world to be discovered.

to top the night off, Victor had offered to walk Yūri back to his own apartment.

"tonight was really lovely", the black haired man said quietly.

the taller one gazed into his eyes with a soft smile as they stood on the doorstep of the apartment building.

"yes, I had a wonderful time" the velvety voice sounded out as Yūri felt a gentle squeeze on his hands, "do you think I could take you out on another date?"

an exclamation was heard: "yes, absolutely!"

and a satisfied chuckle followed.

"get your skates ready for next weekend."

with that, Victor said goodbye, but his hands lingered on Yūri's for a moment longer before pulling away.

the barista stood still at the door. he could feel the cold air surround the skin on his hands again, without the warmth from Victor.

the days went by in a flash – Yūri tried to convince himself – when in reality this had felt like the longest week of his life. but like promised, on Friday afternoon, Victor took Yūri out to an ice skating rink.

"let me help you with those", he said before kneeling down and tying Yūri's skates.

"oh, thank you", Yūri mumbled while hiding his red cheeks into his wooly scarf, "it's been a while since I last went ice skating."

"that's okay. I'll help you", Victor assured, giving a gentle look to the other man while offering his hand.

Yūri took the hand, and he was lead to the ice. his knees felt weak, but the hands holding him up were like a strong force supporting him.

little by little, Yūri did get comfortable on the slippery surface. and by the time Victor finally let him go, he was able to skate smoothly without falling over.

"great job, Yuuuri, look at you go!" Victor encouraged him with the signature gentle smile.

and when Yūri looked at the smile, he could feel his heart melting away into a puddle, filling his whole chest with warmth.

it was a completely new feeling to Yūri. everytime he was with Victor, he could feel the excitement bubbling up inside.

that was until a vital piece of information was revealed.

maybe Yūri shouldn't have asked what Victor did for a living. he wasn't prepared to hear that Victor worked for the exact law firm, which had been tormenting the café and its owner for years. for some reason they'd been set on finding the slightest reason to get the café shut down.

was Victor just trying to get to close to him in hopes of making a new discovery? or obtaining some delicate information?

Yūri's head started brewing a storm of doubts and disbelief. he couldn't understand how good of an actor Victor had been.

and it seemed like the platinum haired man noticed something going on.

"Yuuuri, what's wrong?"

"I- I think I... I need to go", Yūri stammered out before stumbling off the ice.

he kicked the skates off as fast as he could, hoping Victor wouldn't be able to run after him.

but just as he was leaving, Victor grabbed his wrist.

"Yūri, please, talk to me. what happened back there? is my occupation a problem?"

Yūri took a few shaky breaths before replying: "don't pretend like you don't know... how could you just be using me? playing with my feelings? I really liked you, but knowing this was all fake breaks my heart."

he yanked his hand free and ran away, tears almost freezing on his cheeks as they escaped his eyes.

there was a pit in his chest, where there used to be warmth.

after that, Yūri didn't see Victor for another week. with each passing day, he did want to see the platinum haired man more.

it made him feel conflicted.

why would he want to see someone who was only messing around with him?

had he already lost all sense to being charmed by the gentleman?

yes, he had, Phichit had told him.

he'd also said Yūri needed something called closure. if things were to be left like this, it would be unsatisfying and Yūri would keep wondering about the what ifs even years later.

his friend was probably right, considering out of the two he had more experience with romance.

and as Christmas eve drew close, Yūri was as absorbed into his work as ever. the only thing he allowed himself to worry about were the cats of the café.

and as he was working at the counter, the bell tinged.

once he looked up to see the customer, he saw those painfully familiar aquamarine eyes. his heart almost stopped beating for a moment.

Victor stood at the doorstep, a bouquet of amaryllis, a couple poinsettias, cymbidium orchids, and to top it off; red roses.

and as if Phichit had changed the song of his own accord, one of the most well known American Christmas songs started playing.

the tall man took hefty steps, crossing the wooden plank floor to hand the bouquet to the barista.

"all I want for Christmas is you", Mariah Carey sang through the speakers.

"Yūri, will you please let me explain myself to you?"

after what felt like ages, but was only a few seconds in reality, Yūri gave Victor a nod. he couldn't help but feel curious about what the man had to say for himself.

and once they had stepped outside together, Victor began explaining.

he elaborated how he'd had no idea the firm he was employed by was fighting against this specific café, how he had been kept completely in the dark about everything related to it until he asked around about it.

"I wanted to get to the bottom of it, so I could understand your side, and I realize what it must have looked like to you now", Victor said carefully, "but I promise I've been serious this whole time."

Victor reached out to grab Yūri's hand, lifting his other one to the black haired man's cheek. the hands were cold, but still they managed to spread warmth onto Yūri's skin.

he had to admit he had been missing Victor's touch. maybe now he didn't need to long for it anymore.

"Yuuuri, will you give me another chance?" Victor spoke softly while leaning closer.

"yes, Victor, I'm sorry for judging you so fast..."

he really did feel guilty. Victor had been innocent the whole time, but Yūri had let his doubts get the best of him.

the aquamarine eyes were staring into his soul – or at least that's what it felt like – and Yūri felt the most vulnerable he ever had before.

that's when Victor said it: "I'm not going to wait for rain for me to kiss you."

instinctively Yūri leaned closer, he gazed back at Victor, before closing his eyes. he felt the other man holding the side of his face as their lips crashed into each other. their dance started slowly and delicately, but turned into what felt more needy than anything else.

once they pulled apart, they only kept staring at each other with shy smiles.

finally, Yūri broke the silence by asking: "why would you go to such lengths for me?"

"I really like you, if that wasn't clear already, and I want you in my life..."

Victor squeezed Yūri's hands.

"whenever you're ready for it, I'd like to make this official."

the barista was shocked. this person, who was clearly out of his league, wanted to date him?

"well, um", he stammered, "I do want that, but are you sure..?"

"yes, positive", Victor affirmed as he pulled Yūri into an embrace.

and as he was wrapped in the most comfortable warmth he'd ever felt, he sighed happily and whispered: "why me?"

"because you're special."

another thing he'd come to love, was going to be Victor.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 3290