#the yuri crush on yuuri one

[nattyontherun]

working on something secret to be released... relatively soon, hopefully!!!

[nostalgic-bee]

I need more viktuuri drag stories tbh

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

On not getting eros

I’ve discussed Yuuri not getting eros multiple times, but I never explained what it actually means because this subject seems to be a sensitive and controversial one either way. Yet, it's also an important one for quite a number of reasons I will come back to later.

And that's why we need to discuss it.

First: What is eros? - a very short trip back in time

YOI explains eros as “sexual love”, matching the Ancient Greek definition as “sensual or passionate love” from which the term “erotic” is derived. Classical philosophers described it as a “madness from the gods” that befalls people at the sight of another person with disastrous results (e.g. the story of Paris and Helena). In YOI, this “madness” equates to “what causes you to lose the ability to make normal decisions”.

(The definition of eros varied a lot over the centuries. Plato defined eros as a general concept of passion that excludes physical attraction and argued that it can be utilised to pursue intellectual interests. Freud insisted that eros is not to be confused with libido, and the Catholic Church’s definition had a huge influence on more modern definitions and not for the better.)

What the ancient Greeks called eros is nowadays known as sexual attraction. Classical philosophers probably didn’t make the distinction towards romantic attraction since the two are often conflated. However, describing eros as a “madness from the gods” points towards a primal instinct that the majority of humans experiences starting from when the body begins to produce sex hormones during puberty.

What this implies for Yuuri

As an adult male of 23, Yuuri is long past puberty. Thus, one would expect him to understand eros on an intuitive level. However, what makes him lose the ability to make normal decisions is not the sight of another human being, not even his celebrity crush parading in front of him like a Greek god—no, it's his favourite food. And there’s only one explanation why that is:

So far, Yuuri has not experienced sexual attraction.

No anxiety disorder, no feelings of inadequacy, no lack of self-esteem, and certainly not an alleged ability to restrain himself can explain this absolute cluelessness about a basic human instinct. It cannot explain why Yuuri is immune to the sight of naked Viktor, i.e. why that doesn't make him want to bent Viktor over the edge of the hot spring and do unspeakable things to him. And this brings us to the critical part of the discussion:

Yuuri is on the asexual spectrum.

Where on that spectrum he could be, I'm going to discuss in a minute.

Yuuri is well aware that at his age the general populace is able to express eros and that by extension, he is excpected to and should be able to express it, too. In his first attempt at tackling eros, he uses his favourite food as a workaround, but if he had no particular food cravings, literally anything he’s passionate about would work, too (it took me ages to figure that out because, personally, I rather roll with Plato than food metaphors). Yuuri keenly feels that katsudon isn’t it, though. He thus changes the protagonist of the story he made up for his SP because he relates to the woman’s situation more than to the playboy, which works fairly well because it reflects his fears about Viktor leaving and his desire to keep Viktor for himself (see also this meta). However, it takes him until episode 6 to find his eros, and this eros is a very possessive and commanding one (see also this this meta). Essentially, episode 6 is about Yuuri learning that he is indeed capable of seducing Viktor with his skating and this ability comes with a certain power that is reflected in his scores. He doesn't magically experience sexual attraction now—what happens here has all the qualities of a kink with dominance/possessiveness, which Viktor seem to like a lot.

That Yuuri is asexual is essential for the plot of Yuri!!! on Ice to work.

Which asexual microlabels are compatible with canon Yuuri?

Aside from a few subtle hints, this is pretty much open to interpretation. The tie-grab in episode 8 and the strong sexual tension in that scene narrows the list down to demisexual, greysexual, or sex-favourable ace.

A demisexual Yuuri would experience sexual attraction once he has formed a close bond with another person or got to know them intimately enough. Before Viktor, Yuuri struggled to form close relationships of any kind; Viktor is the first he wants to form a bond with and whom he lets into his heart. In this context, episode 6 could be interpreted as the very first time Yuuri experiences sexual attraction.

A greysexual Yuuri would be capable of experiencing sexual attraction sometimes and in certain situations, but again, the point when Yuuri perfects eros defines the earliest instant at which he would experience sexual attraction for the first time.

The likeliest interpretation that I found, however, is that Yuuri is a sex-favourable ace. It’s not only the tie-grab in episode 8 that besides its obvious kinkiness oozes a sexual tension that implies that he and Viktor did it (and liked it), but also the lyrics of Stammi Vicino describing viktuuri on a meta level:

Le tue mani, le tue gambe, le mie mani, le mie gambe, i battiti del cuore si fondono tra loro. Your hands, your legs, my hands, my legs and the heartbeats are fusing together.

This line expresses a unification on a physical and on a mental level. It implies a strong physical intimacy that can't be explained by Yuuri and Viktor being together and skating together in the gala alone.

The differences between these microlabels are hidden in the nuances, the rest is up to personal preference/experience. If you want your version of Yuuri to be canon-compliant, you can't go wrong with either flavour of aceness, including those I didn't discuss in this because they seem less likely to me. If you came to the conclusion that a sex-repulsed kinky Yuuri would work just as well, my answer to you would be that canon Viktor would be happy with everything his Yuuri is willing to give. If there's a fictional couple who would make a relationship in which one partner in sex-repulsed and the other is allosexual work, it would be viktuuri.

Next some questions I wish someone had explained to me in this context:

Q&A: But why does Yuuri...?

dry-hump Viktor at the Sochi banquet: If the amount of clothes Yuuri wears gives away the timeline of the event, he danced with Viktor before he went off to the pole with Chris. Some of this dancing was quite physically and that can be totally enough to make a sensitive person horny (and Yuuri is very sensitive to touch). Add an unholy amount of alcohol to this and you have Yuuri rubbing his genitals at his idol. (note that libido ≠ sexual attraction)

say that Viktor could impregnate everyone, including him: Being asexual doesn’t deprive you of the ability to identify sexiness in other people and understanding the meaning of “hot”. Viktor demonstrating Eros right in front of Yuuri would instantly put Yuuri into a massive swoon, and while it wouldn't make him horny and want to fuck Viktor, he would be be swept away because of how cool and amazing Viktor is.

hastily turns away when Viktor stretches in front of him in the bath: Well, that's an obvious reaction of discomfort. Not everyone would be happy to stare right at someone else's dick (unless you love dicks, obviously).

On a side note, I find it quite ironic that Morooka calls Yuuri “Japan’s ace skater” in the Blu-ray subs, but aside from the fact that things one character says about another should always be taken with a grain of salt, deriving a character’s sexuality from such wording is as far-fetched as deriving it from colour schemes or characters blushing at one another (and in YOI, they blush like all. the. time.). I have no idea if the YOI creators intended an asexual reading of Yuuri. However, the result is an unambiguously ace-coded Yuuri that is needed for the story of Yuri!!! on Ice to work in the way that it does.

Why this discussion is overdue

Good ace representation: Although it's not officially confirmed, Yuuri is a realistic representation of a queer label that is often overlooked and underrepresented in media.

Educational purposes: There are many harmful misconceptopns surrounding asexuality, and while this post doesn't aim at dispelling them, I hope it will make a little difference.

Spreading awareness: Because there is so little awareness about what it means to be asexual—even inside the queer community—the ace-coding is only obvious for people who have educated themselves on the subject. Unfortunately, this makes Yuuri being prone to mischaracterisation.

Helping people figure themselves out: Asexuality is a concept that is very hard to make sense of when you don't even know that you experience things differently. I've seen posts discussing ace-coded characters and they only confused the hell out of me. I hope that this post will be helpful to other people being unaware of or questioning their aceness.

Last but not least: Not being sexually attracted to people doesn't impact or contradict Yuuri's romantic orientation. I will discuss Yuuri's "top-secret" love life in my next meta.

For further reading about Yuuri and his endeavours to tackle eros, please check out these metas:

How skating to eros despite not getting it showcases Yuuri's extreme bravery (episode 3) [X]:

Yuuri finally finding the definition of eros that works for him (episode 6) [X]

The development of On Love: Eros throughout the series, including the a discussion of the workarounds Yuuri uses: [X]

My special thanks goes to cecebeanie for our countless discussions on the subject and patiently answering even my stupidest questions, for proofreading, and for encouraging me to write this post in the first place 💜💙

PS: Of course, you can headcanon Yuuri as you wish. I'm just discussing the likeliest interpretation based on the facts the source material provides.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

If you like my metas, please check out my works on AO3.

Edit: While I was going through the reblogs of this post, I came across a lovely comment from someone who was a bit divided about whether Yuuri is overly sexual or asexual with a tendency towards the latter, and so I thought I'd provide some context for anyone else wondering about this:

In my experience, these two things aren't mutually exclusive. People with a strong libido or sex drive can be perceived as overly sexual, and that can apply to asexuals as well. Experiencing no sexual attraction doesn't determine whether someone has a low or high libido, nor does it determine whether someone enjoys having sex for whatever reasons. It's true that many asexuals don't ever want to have sex, but there are also those who like it because they find it pleasurable, want to feel physcially close to their partner, engage in sex-related kinks etc. It's a spectrum after all. Personally, I think that Yuuri would enjoy sleeping with Viktor for all of these reasons once he's okay with allowing so much intimacy.

[animebw]

The Anime Binge-Watcher's Queer Anime Ship Tournament!

The second round rages on! This match-up has me absolutely terrified that my number-one pick is going to be crushed by the titan that is Victuuri. But I can hold out hope, right? Right??? Cast your votes now!

All Round 2 Match-Ups

Rules and Full Bracket

[rikeijo]

Yuuri's VA new song for Yuuri was released! I bought it online, so I still don't know the official lyrics 🤣 and I'm not very good at recognizing sounds that are heavily modulated?... like what he does at the end of words, so it still contains some mistakes, I'm sure.

But the song.... The LYRICS... It really made me cry... 😭😭

It's 10000000000% worth the money, so consider supporting the artist!

((Forgot the title... It's 氷上の翼 Hyoujou no Tsubasa (Wings on Ice)))

Kimi (you) - Toyonaga -> Yuuri

Anata (you) - Yuuri -> (most likely) Victor

-------------------------------------------

独り　暗い　落ちこんでるの I Hitori kurai ochikonderu no? I Still not sure about this line, I can't catch the last sounds of the words... "Alone, in the dark, are you feeling down?" But I'm not sure if it's a question or what 🤔 Anyway, this part is Toyonaga -> Yuuri.

山の頂　夢もまた夢さ I Yama no itadaki, yume mo mata yume sa I The top of a mountain, but dream is just a dream.

期待に 押しつぶされ 今日も 君は萎れてゆく I Kitai ni oshitsubusare, kyo mo kimi wa shiorete yuku I Crushed under other people's expectation towards you, today as well you wither away little by little

周りのせいにしてまで I Mawari no sei ni shite made (??) I I'm very unsure about this line -> probably, "So much that you blame people around you for that"

自分を 信じられなくて I Jibun wo shinjirerarenakute I You can't believe in yourself

心のエッジ　削られてゆく I Kokoro no ejji kezurarete yuku I The edges of your heart are shaven off little by little

独り　暗い　落ちこんでた (??) I Hitori kurai ochikondeta I Alone, in the dark, you felt down (?) (But again, I'm not sure)

奇跡なんて 起こるわけない I Kiseki nante okoru wake nai I It's impossible for a miracle to happen

そんな出会い 信じられない I Sonna deai shinjirarenai I I can't believe for such a meeting (between people) to be possible

後ろ向きな その背中に 翼を生やす人がいる I Ushiromukina sono senaka ni tsubasa wo hayasu hito ga iru I There is somebody who makes wings grow on this back that always faces backward

この氷上で 君は自由になる I Kono hyojo de kimi wa jiyu ni naru I On this ice, you become free

誰も見たことのない　君にしか描けない夢を I Dare mo mita koto no nai kimi ni shika egakenai yume wo I A dream that only you can give a shape to, one that nobody has ever seen

<Next is Yuuri -> Victor>

あなたがいれば、僕は鳥になれる I Anata ga ireba, boku wa tori ni nareru I If you are with me, I can become a bird

もっと高く羽ばたかせて　信じてるから I Motto takaku habakasete shinjiteiru kara I Let me fly higher, I trust you

<This part, I think, is about Victor>

(OMGGGG in this next part strings are more in the front of the music????, just like in Yuri on ICE, when Victor appears in Hasetsuuuuuu.... TOOSHIIII... 💀💀💀💀💀💀 Strings = Victor 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭)

光と闇　背中を合わせた I Hikari to yami senaka wo awaseta I Light and darkness standing back to back (Whaaat...? Is Vicchan the light, you mean....? Tosssshi.....)

あなたは 何を求めているの I Anata wa nani wo motometeiru no? I What it is that you want?

笑う顔が ただ見たくて I Warau kao ga tada mitakute I I'd just like to see you smile

見るとなぜか 泣きそうになり I Miru to naze ka nakisouni nari I But when I see it (you smile), for some reason I feel like I'm about to cry

僕よりも僕を信じて I Boku yori mo boku wo shinjite I Believing in me more than I myself believe in me

翼は気まぐれに空を飛ぶ I Tsubasa wa kimagure ni sora wo tobu I The wings fly in the sky at whim (as they want)

この氷上であなたのために舞う I Kono hyoujou de anata no tame ni mau I On this ice, I dance for you

他の誰でもない　あなたと描きたい夢を I Hoka no dare demo nai anata to egakitai yume wo I The dream that I want to give a shape to (paint) with you, nobody else

僕ならできる　信じてくれるでしょう I Boku nara dekiru shinjitekureru deshou I I'm able to do it, you believe that, don't you?

最後まで見届けてよ　変われるから I Saigo made mitodokete yo Kawareru kara I Watch me till the end, because I can change

この氷上で 僕は自由になる I Kono hyojo de boku wa jiyu ni naru I On this ice, I become free

誰も見たことのない　僕にしか描けない夢を I Dare mo mita koto no nai boku ni shika egakenai yume wo I The dream that only I can give a shape to, one that nobody has ever seen

あなたがいれば、僕はどこまでも 飛べる I Anata ga ireba, boku wa doko made mo toberu I If you are with me, I can fly no matter how far (everywhere)

愛をこめて届けるよ そこで見てね I Ai wo komete dotokeru yo, soko de mite ne I I'll deliver it to you, with my love. Watch me from there.

I meaaaan.... Tosshi... OMG 😭😭😭😭😭

[yoificfinder]

Hello! Do you have any short and fluffy victuuri recs? I prefer around the 15k to 20k word mark but I am happy with any! If you have any of these stories please share with me. If not that’s ok! I love all the work you do and I hope you have a wonderful day! Thank you!

I love fluffy fics!! And this fandom has a lot to offer (I limited this rec to one fic per author though).

And I know you asked for 15k-20k words but I included shorter ones too in this rec. It's actually a bit hard to find 20k of pure fluff since some angst or tension seeps in but I hope you'll enjoy these. Thanks for patiently waiting!

Less than 15K words

all the dragons we have slain by brighter [M, 10K]

This is why Yuuri loves gaming—the victory of it, the easy camaraderie amongst his guild, the sense that he’s part of something greater.

Victor tells him, “you were incredible,” and maybe he loves that a little, too.

come get you some of that bounce baby by @crossroadswrite [T, 4K]

“What are you doing?” Yuuri asks, side-eyeing him as he bends his arms behind his back, legs stretched into a perfect split.

“Delivering justice onto this cruel and unusual world.”

“Whoever trashed me on social media is not worth it, Vitya.”

(Or: in which they're happily married, coaching Russia's and Japan's next great skaters, and Victor Nikiforov remains the clingiest, thirstiest man on the face of this planet.)

Heartbeat by (orphan_account) [G, 3K]

Victor starts sleeping in Yuri's bed well before the Cup of China.

just like me they long to be by sparklespiff [T, 4K]

"Haven't you noticed that Yuuri gets everything he wants?"

"Everything that's in somebody else's power to give him," Mari says, before Victor can bring up last year's GPF. "He's not magic, just pretty."

"But it's like magic. My theory is that it's because he's sneaky beautiful, so you're not expecting it, and then, under all that stuff, whoa! Gorgeous. And it's too late to save yourself."

"Stuff?" Victor keeps smiling but makes his voice cold, the way he does when reporters overstep. His Yuuri doesn't have stuff. Everything about him is beautiful.

or:

Yuuri lives in a Beautiful Person Bubble. It's Victor's responsibility to make sure he never finds out.

Viktor Effing Nikiforov by @shysweetthing [E, 13K]

AU in which Yuuri still doesn’t remember the banquet, somehow doesn’t blow Japanese Nationals, runs into Victor at the World Championships, and has absolutely no idea why his idol is suddenly friendly and incredibly handsy.

Does Yuuri care about his reasons? No. It’s Victor Effing Nikiforov.

15K to 20K words

The Fundamentals of Caring by @braveten [E, 21K]

“Let me guess, you’re going to go take care of Yuuri while he sleeps? Just in case he sneezes or something?” Yurio rolls his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. “Viktor, you’re whipped.”

Viktor rubs the back of his neck as he leans against the wall. “What does that mean?”

“It means that if Yuuri asked you to do a little dance for him in nothing but a coconut bra and a hula skirt, you’d do it.”

Viktor pauses, confused. “And that's a bad thing?”

If It's You by Kiranokira [E, 16K]

Viktor very much wants to pose nude with Yuuri for a Japanese magazine. Yuuri is less enthusiastic.

Yuri turns and brandishes a damp sock at them. “Don’t let him sweet talk you into doing porn,” he tells Yuuri. Then he grimaces and mutters to himself in Russian, “I can’t believe my life has reached the point that I have to say things like this.”

never tasted rubies by @ebenroot-daily [T, 27K]

Phichit puts up a poll on the radio website. It reads ‘What Do U Think About Yuuri K. from Hasetsu Nights and the Mysterious Caller Victor?’

Seventy-five percent of listeners said ‘lol they should just f*ck already tbh’.

--

in which Yuuri is an unwilling radio host and Victor won't stop calling in to chat with him

puppy love by minsyah [T, 16K]

Vicchan has a crush on their neighbor across the balcony, and so does his owner.

Yuuri, certified Dog-Dad™, will do anything for his beloved poodle—even if that means constantly embarrassing himself in front of his devastatingly attractive neighbor.

[slusheeduck]

In Which Yuri Plisetsky Definitely DOES NOT Have A Crush

This is an oldie that I wrote for an anthology that ended up only having two chapters, but it's still something that consistently makes me smile when I read it, so I figure I could share it again on its own.

----------------

                As much as Yuri liked to say that he knew he was right about everything, he was painfully aware that sometimes he made mistakes. He usually managed okay, because he was awesome and yelling seemed to fix most problems. Case in point: he found Viktor after flying to Japan despite not knowing a lick of Japanese purely because he yelled his name a lot. Yelling worked.

                But, after this mistake, yelling didn’t work. Punching his wall didn’t work. He even tried to flip his bed, but it was too heavy, so he kicked it over and over. But that didn’t work, either. So, for the first time in his young life, Yuri had to think about how to fix a problem. And he might…

                …have to talk to someone.

                But who? Grandpa? No, Grandpa would listen, but he wouldn’t really get it. Mama? No. Ugh, god no, she’d coo over him and tell him how cute he was being. Mila would do the same thing. Georgi would start crying probably. Maybe Yakov? He wouldn’t get it. He did still have Viktor’s number…

                No.

                Viktor could never know.

                Surprisingly, this whole…issue didn’t start until after the Onsen on Ice bullshit. Clearly, whatever weird practice regimen Viktor was doing with Yuuri was working, because he ended up winning. Even though Yuri was clearly the better skater, the minute that stupid pig got on the ice, something changed. You couldn’t take your eyes off of him. Yuri wasn’t sure if it was Katsudon’s face or steps or some sort of weird black magic demon stuff (which, admittedly, would have been really cool.). So he decided to watch some of his old videos to find out what it was. Know your enemy and all that.

                This had been the mistake.

~

                Before this, he’d only seen the pig skate at the Sochi GPF. He’d been impressed with his short program—and even more impressed by the death glare he’d given the camera while waiting for his score. Most skaters were all smiles or tears in the kiss and cry, but not Yuuri Katsuki. That’s the kind of skater Yuri wanted to be next year: stony-faced after success, too confident to be moved even by a personal best score.

                Yuuri Katsuki was so cool.

                But then there was the free skate. And Katsuki had just fallen to pieces. He fell, twice. What was wrong? Was he sick? Yuri wondered if buying one of his posters had been a bad idea. Maybe it had jinxed him.

                If Yuri’s faith in Katsuki had wavered during that terrible skate, it was renewed when he went to the kiss and cry. Again, there was that death glare to the camera! So cool!! Yuuri Katsuki didn’t give a shit and it was awesome!

                Once the final was over (Viktor had won again, big whoop. Yuri would fix that next year) and Yakov was off yelling at Viktor for whatever reason, Yuri slipped away. He was going to find Katsuki. He had to meet this cool, collected skater face to face. He’d probably have better tips for next year than Airhead Nikiforov.

                Yuri pulled the hood of his jacket up and stuck his hands into his pockets, slinking through the halls. He had to look cool when he talked to Katsuki. It wasn’t like he was a dumb fanboy or anything. He was basically an equal. They were just gonna talk. Like skaters. Cool skaters.

                It took him a minute to realize the nerdy guy with glasses walking down the hall was actually Katsuki. He looked so different on the ice. Maybe it was to deflect the tons of fans he probably had. He was so much smarter than Viktor; stupid Viktor just kept making the fan problem worse. Maybe getting a pair of glasses would get those damn Yuri’s Angels off his back.

                Well, he’d get cool glasses. Like, cheetah print ones. But still.

                Yuri focused as he watched Katsuki slip into the bathroom, phone out. Huh? What was he doing in there? Maybe he was going to fire his coach for making him lose! Ohh, that’d be cool to see! Yuri slinked out from the hall and leaned against a wall for a moment. He didn’t want to be creepy. So he waited, just for a little bit, then slipped into the bathroom.

                Immediately, he heard sniffling from the middle stall, and someone speaking in a language he couldn’t understand. Probably one of the sucky Juniors. Yuri was always surprised at what babies the other competitors could be. Some of them were even older than him.

                Well, let that baby cry. He was looking for Katsuki. He had to be in here somewhere, letting his coach have it over the phone. But all the other stalls were empty, save for the one the crying was coming from. So…

                No.

                NO.

                Yuri stared hard at the stall. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t. It couldn’t be Yuuri Katsuki crying in there. But he was so cool! So collected! He looked like he was gonna murder someone in the kiss and cry! So how could…why would…

                As Yuri’s view of his new idol crumbled before him, he shook slightly. Rage began to fill him, and before he could stop himself, he kicked the stall door as hard as he could. A little yelp came from inside. Then, slowly, it opened.

                Yuri glared at the man—if he could even call him that after crying like a little girl!—who opened the stall. Stupid Katsuki with his stupid glasses and his stupid falls. Katsuki froze up right in front of him, looking terrified. That just made Yuri even more angry. Where was the scary face he was wearing earlier?

                Where was the Yuuri Katsuki he had seen on the ice?

                He tried to find what to say. How could he bring back the other Yuuri Katsuki? The cool one? He glared for a moment longer, then pointed at Yuri.

                “Hey.”

                Katsuki didn’t respond. Yuri grit his teeth.

                “I’m competing in the Senior division next year. We don’t need two Yuris in the same bracket.” Yuri spat out the name. To think, just a few hours ago he thought it was cool that they had the same name. “Maybe you should just retire already…” The rage bubbled out of him, and he shoved his face as close as he could to Katsuki’s as he yelled, “LOSER!”

                He deliberately kept his walk slow as he exited the bathroom, making sure his words resonated with Katsuki. Hopefully he’d see it as a challenge. If one Yuri loved facing a challenge, the other would, too, right? Right?!

                As he slunk down the halls, he came across Yakov.

                “There you are! I swear, Yuri, you’re just as bad as Viktor when it comes to…” Yakov trailed off, catching the glower still on Yuri’s face. “Yurochka? What’s wrong?”

                “I don’t wanna talk about it!”

~

                This dumb…thing did kind of explain a lot. It explained why he put up with Katsudon’s drunk bullshit at the Banquet. Sure, at first, he’d taken the dance contest as Katsuki’s attempt to challenge Yuri back. But…well, he was kind of fun and actually not a bad dancer (though Yuri was better) and…

                Ugh. No. Focus, Yura.

                It also explained why he didn’t immediately tear up the poster of Katsuki when he got home. He’d actually put it up on his wall, naturally, as a reminder of who he had to beat. Next year was going to be a competition of honor. He was going to make Katsuki work if he decided not to be a loser and retire. And maybe once in a while he’d laid in bed and stared at it while marveling over how Katsuki was so nerdy and awful off-ice, but how he was absolutely breath-takin—

                Goddammit.

                Anyway. Back to after Onsen on Ice. As mentioned earlier, he’d pulled up every video he could of the pig’s skating before the Grand Prix Fuckup, as a way to gauge what he did that made him so spellbinding. He watched his routines from Juniors, from the Japanese Nationals, from his practice sessions in Detroit. He watched them all again. And again.

                The question of why Yuuri Katsuki was so amazing on ice wasn’t answered.

                But the question of why Yuri was so obsessed with him was.

                And he hated it.

                So now he had to win. He had to train harder. And he told everyone that it was because that stupid pig had taken Viktor from Russia, so he had to prove that he didn’t need Viktor to win the GPF this year. And every time he saw an update of Katsudon’s progress, he was that much more motivated to be better than him.

~

                Yuuko was the worst thing that ever happened to him. She reminded him of Mama, honestly; all enthusiasm and  supportive of him even from abroad. She even kept texting him after Onsen on Ice and listened to his bitching about Lilia and Yakov.

                That wasn’t why she was terrible. She was terrible because she kept giving him updates about the pig. Sure, some of them were prompted by him, but damn it, it wasn’t like he could stop himself from asking about stupid Katsudon! She should know not to tell him!

                She was also terrible because she was teaching him Japanese. “In case you come back,” she said, sending a stupid little heart emoji. Granted, it was hard to learn Japanese via text. But one of the things that stuck was how to write his name.

                ユーリ. プリセツキー.

                If he’d had literally any other name in the world, that would have been cool to know. He’d write it everywhere, because Japanese looked cool and he could brag about it. But one idle thought, tapped out in a moment of weakness, had ruined this forever.

                “is that how the other yuri spells his name too?”

                Given the amount of emojis that followed, Yuuko’s nose was probably gushing blood. (Because that was just a thing that happened to Japanese people???) He shut his phone off immediately and hid in his room for the next eighteen hours.

                Most of that time was spent kicking his bed enough to scare poor Potya off of it while blasting loud music over his headphones to drown out the shame.

                A very small, insignificant part of it was spent listening to some dumb love song he’d downloaded on a whim. And, while listening, he definitely didn’t get teary over the injustice of being so misunderstood in the seriousness of his situation, and he sure as hell didn’t write out, in tiny, tiny characters, “Юрий + ユーリ”before scribbling angrily over them.

                He wasn’t some sap.

~

                Yuri really needed to burn that damn poster.

                He’d brought it with him to Lilia’s to motivate him. To remind himself why he was fighting so hard, and whose beautiful STUPID UGLY FAT FACE he wanted to smash into the ice with his GPF victory. It was brought solely because of that reason. Definitely not because, after all of his purely academic searching of images, he thought it was one of the best official portraits of the pig yet. Certainly not because he found himself admiring the way Katsudon held himself in that pose. Absolutely not because it’s one of the few portraits where you can see that the pig’s eyes are a soft brown and a few pieces of hair had fallen across his forehead and his lips are slightly parted and maybe once or twice or five times in the middle of the night a stupid thought had entered Yuri’s head and he might have stood up on tiptoes and leaned forward to…

                The first night Lilia wakes up to find Yuri Plisetsky screaming into a pillow, she worries. After that, she just lets him keep going until he feels better.

                God knows she did the same thing at his age.

~

                Mila prodded him into watching the Cup of China. “We have to support Georgi,” she’d said.

                Hag. She knew exactly who they were going to watch, and it sure as hell wasn’t Georgi.

                But he’d be fine. He’d be fine. He’d already seen the Eros routine, like, eighty times. He could probably skate it himself if he wanted to.

                Skate it himself and look better doing it.

                He tried to look as indifferent as possible as the pig got on the ice. He watched the tv with complete disinterest. His heart definitely didn’t jump as Yuuri the stupid ugly pig landed a perfect quad Salchow, using the exact method Yuri had taught him. When Mila pointed out that he’d tugged his straw out of his juice box during Katsudon’s performance, he loudly informed her that he’d done that on purpose and anyway juice boxes were for babies.

                Due to some bad luck and thirst, his juice box was empty. Otherwise, he absolutely would have sprayed fruit punch right into Mila’s stupid face due to the smug look she gave him.

                Even so, he managed all right with Eros. Basically complete disinterest. But then came the pig’s free skate the next day. He hadn’t seen that one fully.

                Goddamn, he hadn’t been prepared.

                His eyes were transfixed as he watched Yuuri skate. If he had been spellbinding before, he was an angel now. Yuri couldn’t even get angry about the falls and over-rotation. Katsuki was the picture of grace: neck outstretched, arms graceful, step sequence flawless. Yuri stared, jaw dropped and throat tight, as Katsuki tried to land the quad flip. It didn’t work, but the fact that he even tried to do something on Viktor’s level…

                Yuuri finished, hand outstretched toward the camera, chest heaving and brown eyes wide and clearly so, so proud of himself. Yuri felt his heart flip. A part of his brain whispered, Let yourself have this. Succumb. Let yourself acknowledge that you have a cru—

                And that’s when Viktor kissed the pig right on international television.

                Mila whistled. “Well, guess we should’ve expected this from our Viktor. But that was some performance, don’t you…Yura, are you crying?”

                “No!”

                He definitely wasn’t crying. He definitely wasn’t jealous. He just…

                He wanted to win so badly, was all.

~

                The road to the GPF is hard enough without this…thing. So Yuri pushes it down and focuses. Before, he’d just wanted to win to prove to Katsudon that he was the better skater and that he was the best Yuri and that only losers cried and got kissed on television.

                But then that shithead JJ came along.

                Twice—fucking twice!—that self-absorbed Canadian snuck in and grabbed the gold. Even after Yuri snagged a personal best! He’d been so thrown that he’d actually caved and been nice to Katsudon. (Well, sort of. He’d still kicked him and yelled at him, and most of the motivation was showing how cool his Grandpa was.) He wasn’t even bothered by the fact that he slipped and more or less wished him a happy early birthday (which was November 29th and it didn’t matter how he knew that.)

                Yuuri Katsuki wasn’t his target anymore. Now, JJ was the one to beat.

                He could lose to Katsudon (he wouldn’t, but that wasn't the point) and be okay if it meant that fucking JJ was below him. But god, that first place spot on the podium would be the best place to watch JJ squirm in his failure. So no more Grandpa, no more Katsudon.

                His motivation was ruining JJ’s life.

                And, surprise, it worked.

                The thing creeps up again when he stands on the podium with Katsudon and Otabek (who, by the way, was his new super-cool best friend). Despite losing, the pig is still genuinely happy. Maybe he really is proud of Yuri. Maybe it’s from the engagement (?) or because he’s glad Yuri kept him from retiring like an idiot. But he’s smiling and care-free and goddammit, for a moment Yuri wonders if that whole “skating for love or whatever” thing actually wasn’t bullshit.

                But then he remembers that he won his gold purely out of spite, and that snaps him out of thinking like a sap.

~

                For one bright shining moment after the GPF, Yuri thought he finally, finally had someone to talk about this with. He had a friend. One that he made on his own! Surely Otabek would have some advice on what to do with this.

                But there was one problem.

                Beka…was really, really cool.

                He was a DJ! He skated like he was in a war! He rode a cool scooter and wore sunglasses inside and was technically an adult and went to cool clubs and he was just so cool.

                And the coolest thing of all was that he thought Yuri was cool, too. He said he had the eyes of a soldier. The eyes of a soldier! That was, by far, THE COOLEST thing anyone had ever said about him ever.

                But this whole thing with Katsudon was definitely not cool. He’d just come off as some dumb, drooling teenage fanboy. So Beka could never know.

                But there was a problem.

                The pig had moved to St. Petersburg. So now they were rinkmates. And he’d expected it’d be like when he’d become Viktor’s rinkmate: he’d finally see all of the flaws and how terrible Katsudon was when he was around him for more than a week. He was expecting relief.

                Instead, he was pretty sure he was in hell.

                Shitty Katsudon was nice to him. He invited him over to his and Viktor’s place or when they went to explore the city. He asked for help with translations when Viktor wasn’t around and taught him how to use chopsticks. Sometimes he called him “Yura” instead of “Yurio” and it made him want to die.

                He had to talk about it. He had to get this awful strangling feeling that was nice but also the worst thing in the entire world out of his chest. If he didn’t, he would probably die. And it’d be the lamest way to die ever.

                But again, who could he talk to? Beka was too cool. Lilia would probably tell him to kill that part of himself (to which he would yell back “What do you think I’ve been trying to do, hag?!” And then he’d have to do an hour of grand adages.) Yakov and Grandpa wouldn’t understand, because they were old men. Mama and Mila would be terrible. And Viktor…god no.

                But who? Who would understand the pain of having a…..c     r    u    s    h……..on someone who would probably never, ever think of him that way?      

                No.

                No.

                NooooooooooOOOOOOOOOO.

~

                Hell wasn’t having your crush live nearby and be friendly to you. It wasn’t having your crush be a rinkmate and constantly have to look at his stupid fat beautiful face on the ice while listening to his fiancé gush over how beautiful his stupid fat beautiful face was. It wasn’t having catching your crush making out with said fiancé in the locker room when all you fucking wanted was to put on your skates.

                Hell was your crush being the best option to talk to about having a crush on him.

                “Did you mean to text me this morning?” the pig asked as they warmed up. Yuri felt like he was going to throw up.

                “If I didn’t want to text you, I wouldn’t have sent it, dumbass.” Yuri hissed out the insult to really drive home the fact that Katsudon wasn’t that important to him and he totally hadn’t been staring at his phone for an hour before finally sending the ‘i wanna talk after practice” text to him.

                The stupid pig stared at him curiously, but nodded. “What do you want to talk about?”

                “I’ll tell you after practice.” Yuri hopes his face isn’t red, because Jesus Christ does he not need that right now, and he skates away. To try and combat the anxious feeling building in his chest, he does a quad Salchow right there and then.

                It doesn’t help much, but it does look cool.

                 Practice drags on forever. Yakov makes him do drills like some novice. Viktor and Yuuri are all over each other on the ice, giggling and kissing and generally just being gross. Yuri debates calling off the stupid talk and just going home to throw up instead. But that won’t make him feel any better. He has to do this, even if it’s the worst thing he’s ever done.

                The two Yuris exit the ice while Viktor hangs back to be yelled at by Yakov probably for being an idiot. In the locker room, Katsudon is the one who brings up Yuri’s impending death.

                “So what did you want to—”

                “Not here!” Yuri hisses, then glares down at his skates. “I don’t want Viktor to hear. Just…just you.”

                He chances up a glance at the pig, who looks surprised and…what, touched?...at his statement. He quickly adds, “Will you be able to survive being away from him that long, pig?”

                Yuuri gives him that infuriating smile that says he knows Yuri’s being prickly on purpose, and he says, “I think I can manage for a little bit, yeah.”

                Katsudon doesn’t say any more on the subject, even after they’re changed and marching out into the Russian winter. Yuuri pulls out his phone—probably to text Viktor some gushy love crap—and Yuri tries not to look at him or think about how it’s kind of cute that his ears get red in the cold because that’s a LAME and STUPID thing to think about.

                Yuri leads the way into the first café he sees, with Katsudon following quietly after. When the idiot fumbles his order, Yuri barks it out for him. He orders the same tea with milk at every place, it’s not like Yuri pays attention or anything.

                It’s not until they’re both sitting, hot drinks in hand, in a very cute corner of the café that would be a very nice area for a date that would never ever happen, that Katsudon decides it’s time for Yuri to die.

                “So what did you want to talk about?”

                Yuri fidgets. He takes a long drink of tea. He burrows his nose into his scarf. Yuuri is annoyingly patient with him, watching him with those stupid doe eyes. Finally, Yuri swallows, keeping half his face buried in his scarf.

                “What do you do...when you like someone?” Yuri grimaces and tries to burrow deeper into his scarf. “Like…really like them?”

                Immediately Yuuri’s face softens, and he smiles. “I’m…not really sure I’m the right person to ask about this, Yura.”

                “Yes, you are. Everyone else would be stupid about it.” The pig will probably be stupid, too, but with Yuri’s current condition, he could tolerate that stupidity. He watched Yuuri hard, frowning beneath his scarf, as the pig stayed quiet, stupidly soft brown eyes staring down at his cup. Was he just not going to talk? Was that better or worse?

                “Okay, but really. I…don’t know what to suggest to you. Tell them?”

                “Нет.”

                “Why?”

                Yuri grimaces as he feels his face grow hot. He hated this. Hated. This. Maybe he could just strangle himself with his scarf. “H-They’re seeing someone.”

                “Oh…”

                “I don’t want your pity, pig! I want a solution!” Yuri snaps, earning a couple glances their way.

                Yuuri puffs out a breath, looking away. “I…I don’t know what to tell you.” He gave a small smile, an awful one that made Yuri’s heart ache so hard he nearly punched himself in the chest. “I know you’ll think I’m a loser for this, but…it’s only been Viktor since I was twelve. I spent most of my life pining for someone who didn’t know I even existed. I didn’t think he’d ever see me like I saw him.”

                “That’s exactly how I feel,” Yuri blurts before he could stop himself. “And it sucks. It really sucks!”

                “I know it does.”

                “And then I see him and if he does literally anything, I just…it’s like I’m having a heart attack and it doesn’t stop and I like it but I also really, really hate it, Katsudon. I hate it so much!”

                “Having a crush is the worst,” Yuuri agrees.

                “It is!”

                This conversation is surprisingly…not terrible. Yuri seemed to be doing a good job of keeping Katsudon in the dark, and Yuuri was giving him exactly the kind of sympathy he’d been dying for. Which probably wouldn’t help in the crush department, but in the moment, it feels so good to get it all out. Yuri slumps forward, chin plopping into his hands.

                “The worst is when he skates,” he mutters, looking at his quickly cooling tea. “He’s like something out of a dream. Like the moment he’s out there…”

                “The whole world stops, and it’s just him.” Yuuri says these words slowly, and Yuri starts to nod, but he freezes as he catches the emotions flitting over Katsudon’s face.

                Realization.

                Guilt.

                Distress.

                Sympathy.

                Shit.

                Yuri sits up straight, eyes wide. For the first time in his life, he’s speechless. He fucked up. He really, really fucked up.

                Katsudon knew.

                Was there even any way to recover from this? Should he just die? What was the quickest way to manage that? He was already in hell, so it wouldn’t be any worse than just sitting here, staring at Katsudon who now totally knew that he had a crush on him.

                Just as Yuri was about to throw the table and run, a hand reached out to rest on his arm. If he wasn’t in shock, he would have thrown it off and continued with the table plan. But considering his entire world was crumbling at the moment, he couldn’t do anything more than stare up at Yuuri—stupid fucking beautiful shitty understanding asshole Yuuri—mutely and wait for the inevitable, “Oh, Yurochka, I’m so sorry…”

                It didn’t come immediately. For a long moment, Yuuri simply stared at him. He wasn’t mad—which was good but also not because if he’d been mad then they could fight and Yuri was good at that—but he didn’t look too happy either. After a long moment, he moved his chair closer. What was he doi—?

                Yuri’s crumbling world came to a grinding halt as the stupid pig pulled him into a tight hug.

                This wasn’t like the Rostelecom Cup. He couldn’t fight this; he was in too much shock. So he just sat there, stock still, as Yuuri gave him what had to be one of the top five best hugs in his life.

                “It sucks,” Yuuri finally whispered. “I know it does. It’s the worst thing in the world. And…and it’s really, really unfair that I got the ending I did.”

                Yuri manages a stiff nod. Yuuri just hugs him tighter and he feels himself melt, just a bit, into the hug before Yuuri pulls back to look at him with the most hopeful, wonderful smile he’d ever seen.

                “But Yura, you’re amazing. Look at what you did at the GPF, and I know you’re gonna make us all work three times as hard at Worlds!” His look softened, and his smile warmed. “You’ll find your own Viktor someday, I know you will.”

                Yuri’s soul is forcibly ejected from his body.

                “You think…I…Viktor?!”

                “Like I said, I completely understand, and…” Yuuri’s cut off as Yuri gets to his feet and kicks his chair back. “Yu—”

                “This conversation’s over, pig!”

                  It turned out, hell wasn’t talking to your crush about your feelings for him.

                Hell was having your crush think you liked Viktor FUCKING Nikiforov.

[cozychronicles]

The Bet by Born2WriteVictuuri & PlisetskyTrash | a Podfic (12 words) by cozychronicles Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov Characters: Katsuki Yuuri, Victor Nikiforov, Mila Babicheva, Christophe Giacometti, Yuri Plisetsky Additional Tags: Bets & Wagers, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Humor, Fun, Porn With Plot, Everyone Is Gay, Gay Sex, Hand Jobs, Secret Crush, Oral Sex, Kissing, POV Alternating, Language Barrier, Teasing, Dirty Talk, Nude Photos, Photographs, Exhibitionism, Sex Talk, Penis Size, Top Victor Nikiforov, Bottom Katsuki Yuuri, Innocent Katsuki Yuuri, Virgin Katsuki Yuuri, Misunderstandings, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Semi-Public Sex Summary: It's the lead up to Skate Russia and our favourite athletes have gathered for a little pre-competition on the ice. For one week they are staying together in a hotel in Moscow. It isn't long until a little bit of mischief takes over. Victor manages to gather the other skaters' attention and a bet is placed. The winner takes all. Now the question is, does the carpet match the drapes?

[quotablefanfiction]

Chris thinks he’s a good person. Not perfect, of course, but kind enough, a decent sort of guy. Not cruel or particularly malicious. Arrogant for sure, but he’s earned it, so it’s hard for him to think of it as a vice. Which is probably why it is one, actually. So as he stares at the ringing phone his coach is holding out to him, he can’t think of what he could have done to deserve this hell. Surely his past self was some sort of serial killer or tax evader or someone who was rude to waiters.

Chris POV (chp. 3)

crust and sugar over by ShanaStoryteller (AO3) Yuri!!! on Ice – Teen/Mature – Katsuki Yuuri/Viktor Nikiforov #Alternate Universe #Friendships #Fake/Pretend Relationship #eventually #hurt only for the sake of comfort #Idiots in Love

Katsuki sits cross-legged, clearly in no hurry to go anywhere. “What’s your name? I’m–”

“I know who you are,” he cuts him off, then blushes, then hates himself for both those things. Katsuki looks surprised, and Yuri can’t think as to why. He’s a nationally ranked figure skater. He’s Yuri’s favorite figure skater.

~

Yuuri and Yuri become friends and Viktor develops a crush.

[diedraechin]

Hi! I would love to know some more about Golden Ticket, sounds fun.

The oldest Yuri on Ice!!! WIP I have. aka, when I came into fandom and decided to write a fic, it was either going to be bysotid or this.

bysotid won and then turned into a monster. Like, I thought bysotid was going to be a 100k word fic, not the epic monster that it turned into, but here we are.

Golden Ticket is my take on the Rivals!AU... except they don't actually become Rivals until after the Sochi Grand Prix of Tears, and it's canon divergent in that Yuuri and Viktor met when Yuuri was around 14 and attended one of Yakov's summer camps. The kicker is that Viktor doesn't remember meeting a Yuuri Katsuki; he remembers a kid named Katsuji Yuhi, who he called Kat and who disappeared from existence. And instead of his friend/protege Kat taking Japanese Juniors by storm, some upstart named Yuuri did, and it wasn't fair because Kat had so much potential. (Don't @ me. Viktor is canonically bad with names. Or at least pretends to be, and in this 'verse is *actually* bad with names. Plus, Yuuri was young and nervous and forgot to reorder his name when introducing himself to his idol Viktor and definitely wasn't going to correct him when he just went with Kat. (Georgi also picked up the nickname which is important plotwise, aka, Viktor's proof that Kat existed, Georgi remembers him!))

So when everything in Yuuri's life goes off the rails, and Yakov offers to coach him because Georgi decides to retire... Yuuri accepts but only if Yakov takes him seriously and will honestly help him try and beat Viktor (because he's pissed off that Viktor has never, ever acknowledged him again even though they promised to meet each other on the ice again someday, and Yuuri has been skating in Seniors for FIVE YEARS and Viktor has not so much as said hello to him except for one condescending offer for a commemorative photo on the worst day of his life, so Viktor can kindly go and fuck himself).

So we have mistaken identity. Misunderstandings. Them kinda hating each other at the beginning. (The banquet does happen mostly as it did in canon, and leaves Viktor a bit confused.) Rivalry. Stuck living together/next to each other. And all the shenanigans that come with it...

It wouldn't really be fair to not snippet this while I've given snippets of all the others, would it?

Yuuri shakes his head and scatters the thoughts.  It was pointless thinking about the past.  Especially since it was all lies.  Horrible lies.  He tugs at the blue tie at his neck.  He hates it.  Usually it’s his favourite tie in the whole world, chosen solely for the color because it always reminded him of Viktor’s eyes.

Yuuri stopped denying his massive crush on Viktor sometime around sixteen.  In fact, he openly embraced it, horrible (according to just about everyone) tie and all.

With a yank, Yuuri undoes the hated thing, lets it fall to the floor in a crumpled heap and, with a swift kick, sends it under the bed before collapsing on the edge of the bed himself.  He really doesn’t want to go to this banquet.  He wants to sit in his bed, wrapped up in all of the covers, order terribly-bad-for-him room service food (like a zillion syrniki with all the jam and full fat sour cream he can cram into his mouth, and then top that off with one of the many many cakes he saw on the menu as well, and maybe trying to develop a taste for vodka) that he can’t afford and Skype-movie watch The King and Skater with Phichit and simply, shamelessly wallow.

The exact same thing he’d done the night before.

Celestino wasn’t going to let him, though. He’d been clear that Yuuri had to go to the banquet, that he couldn’t let one bad skate deter him from his plan.

His plan?  His plan had blown up in Yuuri’s face the moment it was obvious that Viktor didn’t remember him at all.  His plan was over.  Finished.  Kaput.  Yuuri sighs and flops backward so he’s laying down and staring at the ceiling.  When “All the Single Ladies” starts ringing out from his phone, he answers the Facetime call without looking.

“Why are we looking at a hotel ceiling, Yuuri?”  Phichit’s voice is way too chipper for Yuuri’s mood, which is foul at best.

“I hate my tie.”

The Hallelujah Chorus erupts from the phone and Yuuri doesn’t even question how Phichit was able to summon the clip of music so quickly, having long ago learned that his friend was just magic.  He shakes his head, not even caring that the camera is still directed toward the ceiling so Phichit has no way of seeing his reaction.

“Lucky for you, I love you.  Check inside your spare set of running shoes.”

With another sigh, Yuuri heaves himself off the bed and bends down to rifle through his suitcase.  His anxiety always led to him over-packing, usually in a fit of worry that he needed to be prepared if something went wrong.  In this case, it manifested in an extra set of running shoes, two whole sets of toiletries, and a rolled poster of Viktor.  He takes the latter and tosses it in the closest garbage bin to him, then sticks his hand into the running shoes, fingers closing around a crinkly plastic bag, and pulls it out.

“You sent me a tie?”

From the phone, Phichit laughs.  “I always send an extra tie with you.  I’ve lived in vain hope that one day you’d realise that tie was the worst, and that day is apparently today.”

In his hands is a burgundy silk tie with the thinnest floral design in a dark, dark blue that will match his suit.  It’s perfect. Yuuri sniffles; he doesn’t deserve Phichit, and tells him as much.

“I know you don’t, but I like you, so you’re stuck with me. Take all the selfies ever. Don’t forget to get Chris’s autograph for me, dance with the Crispino twins and try to get Mickey to doubt his own sexuality for everyone’s sake - but mostly his sister’s - and remember, we all love you and one bad skate doesn’t make you a worthless skater.”

Yuuri rolls his eyes and looks at his best friend. “I’ll try.”

“Have fun, Yuuri-kun. And next year I promise it’ll be the both of us at the banquet, showing off our medals!”  Phichit blows him a kiss and the call disconnects. 

~~~

Chris laughs, but gamely takes the folded schedule out of Yuuri's hand and rifles through a pocket for a pen before finally pulling out a gold Sharpie. “If I can't win gold I might as well sign in gold, right?” He winks and Yuuri shakes his head, threading his fingers through his hair and pushing his bangs back in an anxious movement. As luck would have it, he has just enough product in his hair to make it stay. He sighs. He'll fix his hair later - after another glass of champagne. 

“You were flawless in the short-” Yuuri pauses. “Sorry, I didn't manage to catch your free.”

Chris laughs again and Yuuri finds it incredibly unfair that the laughter comes so easily to him. “It was also flawless, of course. Now if only my PCS was as high as yours. That and one more quad would topple Vikky from his perch.”

It would. Well, Yuuri's normal level of PCS would. This time around, the PCS score on his free was abysmal. “Are you working on a new quad?” It was always easier to talk to Chris than Yuuri thought it'd be, as intimidating as it was actually start a conversation with the other skater. 

Another chuckle escapes from between Chris’s glossed lips. “And tell my competition?” This time Chris adds a wink.  It was nice to be thought of as competition, but Yuuri knows that Chris doesn't really mean it. “Honestly, no. You remember that injury a couple of years ago? Adding a new quad would probably just lead to another one, and I'm trying to avoid that. I'm already one of the oldest.”

Yuuri rolls his eyes. “You're not old. You've got plenty of skating left to do.”

Chris raises an eyebrow at him. Yuuri thinks it's strange that this man is the same person he used to share the podium with in Juniors. Back then Chris was so… wholesome. “Everyone's heard about that reporter asking about you retiring. And you're telling me that I'm not old enough to retire?”

Yuuri feels the color rise in his cheeks.  It hadn't only been one reporter. Apparently the rumor has already started going through the mill. “I haven't made any decisions about what I'm going to do after this season.”

Chris leans in close and Yuuri feels the blush on his cheeks darken. He knows that look; Chris is after more information, and the slow smile that stretches his lips is practically predatory. “I don't believe you,” he says, his accent thicker than it's been all night. 

“It's true!” Yuuri squeaks. And it was. He is thinking about retirement, but he hasn't decided yet if it's a thing he's actually ready for -- leaving the ice. 

Chris pushes the piece of paper back into Yuuri's hand. “Well don't. That's my opinion.  Not when you've finally made it to the Final.”

Only to crash and burn. Yuuri looks down at the paper and grips it tighter. It took him years to get this far and he couldn't just give up, Viktor or no Viktor. He nods. “Yeah.”  When he looks up at Chris’s face again, it's with a new determination. 

“That’s the sparkle I like seeing in your eyes. See you later, Yuuri.”

Yuuri spins and heads straight for the table with all the champagne glasses, laid out in neat, inviting rows. He downs two of them in quick succession before turning back to stare across the expanse of the ballroom to where Chris is standing, talking with one of the top brass of the ISU. From the looks of it, he is receiving a rather in-depth lecture that he couldn't care less about. The champagne is making Yuuri warm and he runs his finger under the collar of his shirt; thinks about undoing his tie, but thinks better of it; grabs another two glasses of champagne, and goes off to fulfill the next task on his to-do list: Dance with the Crispino Twins and make Mickey doubt his sexuality. 

The fact that Yuuri isn't even questioning the latter half of that “task” means that he shouldn't have any more champagne, but his skin is tingling with the buzz of the fizzy drink. He quickly finishes off the glass in his right hand before setting it on a passing tray, then reaches out to grab Sara's hand. “Dance with me?” 

She giggles. “Yuuri, of course I'll dance with you. “ 

They leave her brother sputtering; the other member of their group, the female half of the lovely German pair skaters, gives him a curious look. Yuuri levels his finger at the two of them and says “I'll be back for you.”

Both Mickey and the German skater point to themselves and Sara laughs, pulling Yuuri toward the dance floor. 

Yuuri hands his now-empty second glass off to someone standing next to the dance floor and spins Sara into a Foxtrot. She sounds absolutely giddy as they move around the room. Her giggles are infectious, and Yuuri finds himself smiling and giggling too as he twirls her around. 

The dance leaves her breathless, but it invigorates Yuuri. He plucks another glass of champagne and presents it to Sara with a flourish before grabbing another for himself.  “You are a lovely partner, Sara.”

Color flares across her cheeks and she takes a sip. “So are you, Yuuri. Promise me that we'll dance again at Worlds?” 

Yuuri nods and hands Sara off to the redhead who is now standing with Sara's brother and the German skater. “I hope you know how to Tango,” he says as he reaches for Mickey’s hand. “Actually, it doesn't matter. I’ll lead.”

He pulls Mickey - - sputtering all the while - - to the dance floor to the raucous giggles and laughter of the girls that he's left behind. It's been awhile since he tangoed, but his body remembers and he pulls Mickey into the proper position, one hand low on his back, and presses their fronts together. Mickey squawks, but doesn't try to leave as they start dancing. 

Mickey’s face is bright red when Yuuri dips him, their faces only a breath apart. The champagne coursing through his veins eggs him on, and he leans in and brushes his lips against the bloom of color. There is whooping and applause, and suddenly this is more like a performance than drowning his troubles. It feels like an exhibition skate, Yuuri can do no wrong, so he dances some more, returning a completely breathless Mickey to his sister, color still high in his cheeks. 

Yuuri's pretty confident he can cross both Crispino Twin tasks off his lists. 

He hears the sound of an annoying Russian and spins on one foot toward the voice. “You! Yuri Plisetsky. You want to know why Viktor was calling out your step sequence? It's because it really does need work. You can't use something that lackluster in the Senior division. Take it from me. Don't take it from Viktor, though. He could use a little work on his step sequences himself if you want my honest opinion. He's coasting, not even really trying anymore; if he didn't have so many quads and the ISJ point system didn't overvalue jumps and undervalue actual skating, there's no way he would have beat Chris. I would have beat him, even though I fell on all my jumps--”

Yuri Plisetsky is staring at him, eyes wide and mouth open in shock. Vaguely, he notices that Viktor is standing just behind the littler Yuri. “A demonstration. Try and keep up, kid.”

“Ooh,” comes Chris’s voice from not far off. “I think little Yuri has been challenged to a dance off.”

“Yes!” Yuuri exclaims. “Exactly. Loser retires first.”

[neutronstarchild]

yurio for the character thing !! :3

AHH thank you! Starting off with Yuri on Ice: the angry kitten is best kitten ♥️

favorite thing about them I adore the fact that even as he puts on a gruff and mean front, Yurio can (and does) show his affection to people he cares about. Giving Yuuri pirozhkis because he knew he would be sad without Victor, running with abandon to hop into his grandfather's arms.

least favorite thing about them His temper and the fact that Yurio so often chooses violence. Sure, he's 15 and might not have ever been taught to express his feelings appropriately, but at some point someone is going to answer his kicks and hitting with their own (god Victor was close).

favorite line "No gold medals for pigs to feed on!"

brOTP Yuuri Katsuki. Yurio admired him and saw beyond the failed jumps. He LIKES Yuuri for who Yuuri is, and actually really adores their rivalry. And Yuuri? He loves his skating son.

OTP Imma get myself in trouble on this one (I swear I am a multishipper and just like a rarepair for Yurio!), but Yurio/Kenjiro Minami. I love the idea of the talented sunshine boy who finally found his quad and the grumpy goose fighting and learning from each other.

nOTP Yurio/Victor. I can't deal. Victor is Yurio's coach and skating dad. They have such father/son potential (especially throwing in Yuuri Katsuki as skating dad#2!). It means in my brain, there's a whole big negatory-NOPE there romantically.

random headcanon Yurio handles puberty really really poorly. It's the point when he and Yuuri Katsuki really become close, because Yurio feels like he can talk to Yuuri about falling down and getting back up in a way he does not feel comfortable doing with anyone else.

unpopular opinion When we meet Yurio, I don't really think he has romantic feelings for anyone. He's still in soldier mode, needing to prove himself, and gets surprised by people wanting to be his friends. He's not yet ready to have crushes.

song i associate with them Ali in the Jungle -- The Hours

favorite picture of them Okay okay okay, I love this for Victor. Because Victor is silently telling Yurio how he feels (that he's heartbroken that Yuuri is thinking of retiring), because he knows that Yurio understands.

From Character Asks! Thank you so much for this one @vitya-z!

[nattyontherun]

The realization happened during one of those final few days in December. Yuri remembers a red-swathed park, air like a vacuum, seeping into the walkway, the wilted grass, the crowded, metal benches.

Katsuki was Yuuri, then.

Or, Yuri on Viktor and Katsuki in the months that follow Barcelona.

- 5.4k; one-shot

- angst, post-canon AU, one-sided pining

- katsuki yuuri/yuri plisetsky (one-sided), katsuki yuuri/viktor nikiforov, viktor nikiforov & yuri plisetsky, otabek atlin & yuri plisetsky

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

On Yuuri's "top-secret" love life

I took the time to look deeper into the information YOI gives us about Yuuri's history with love and what it means for the story of YOI.

Let's start from the scene in which Viktor introduces the two Yuris to their new short programmes:

It struck me as curious that a 23-year-old has never thought about love. The average person has their first crushes in puberty, enforcing a first examination of the subject of love to some extent.

YOI portrays Yuuri as being evasive when feeling pushed or embarrassed, but when Viktor asks him whether he ever thought about love, all we get from him is this utterly clueless expression. In this context, his interpretation of Agape is very interesting:

Yuuri is projecting his own experiences with love into his interpretation of On Love: Agape and Eros. This becomes even clearer when he comments Eros with nothing but "It's a totally different song". I've discussed this in more detail here, for this discussion let it be suffice it to say that his answers reflect where he is currently at in his journey of exploring love.

Japanese language uses different words for different kinds of love. The general all-encompassing concept of love is 愛 ("ai"), the romantic/passionate love is 恋 ("koi"). These terms very roughly approximate the Greek concepts of agape and eros as they are utilised in YOI. However, YOI doesn't draw the distinction between 愛 and 恋 , but discusses love as 愛 ("ai") that entails other forms of love, including even eros せいてきな愛 ("sexual love").

Until the moment Viktor introduces both Yuris to their new short programmes, Yuuri has never wasted a thought on love. Which means:

Until the end of episode 2, Yuuri has never had romantic feelings for another person.

Why can we be so sure of that?

Even a first crush enforces an examination of love; the result of that is often very naive and immature but becomes more complex and nuanced with experience. The romantic feelings that come with a romantic crush are impossible to miss since they take over one's heart and soul like wildfire. Even if one's feelings aren't reciprocated or one decides to not act upon them, an examination of the subject "love" inevitably happens driven by heartbreak or the sentiment that it's better not to pursue this person and wanting them to be happy.

Therefore, if Yuuri had experienced such feelings before episode 2/3, he would know. And we would know, too, because it would impact his views on love, how he tackles his season's theme, and how he goes about his relationship with Viktor. Since love is a central theme in YOI, a past love, whether it had been happy, tragic, or unreciprocated, must be addressed in a way that does it justice because it would affect the entire course of Yuuri's character journey. It would require an exploration of past Yuuri either being happy with a past lover, or heartbroken because the relationship ended or because the feelings were one-sided. And this would alter his approach to his season's theme and help him figure out his feelings for Viktor because he would already be familiar with it. However, YOI does nothing like that. Instead, it introduces us to the extent of Yuuri's obsession with Viktor in a lengthy flashback, which is the start of a long-term parasocial relationship that is very gay-coded but too abstract to qualify as a romantic crush (see also here). The only flashback into one's love life in the entire anime is, of all things, about Georgi as a contrasting juxtaposition to viktuuri.

For the story of YOI to work in the way it does, Yuuri never having had romantic feelings is crucial.

Yuuri shows all the sings of a monotropic mind. Since he discovered Viktor at the onset of puberty, his entire existence revolved around Viktor as the anime shows us in abundance. For his endeavour to meet Viktor as an equal on the ice with the GPF being the disastrous culmination of his efforts, he even went to a training facility abroad. Such a strong focus doesn't particularlry motivate people to forming deeper connections and let's not forget that Yuuri is an introvert. He is more interested in skating (to pursue Viktor) than spending time with his friends, not that he's great at forming relationships in the first place because Yuuri is also super awkward.

Sometimes, friendship, admiration and aesthetic attraction (aka finding someone pretty, cute etc.) are being misconstrued as romantic feelings due to allonormative/amatonormative paradigms. While it's true that starting from a young age, Yuuri idolises people who inspire him (憧れの人 = "someone to look up to/admire", in the subs translated as "idol"), Yuuri's in both cases very gay-coded admiration holds no romantic or sexual connotation, except for the parasocial romanticism in his lifelong quest to emulate Viktor and become his equal (not that the parasocial is the aspect here).

The press conference at the end of episode 5 comprises Yuuri's journey of exploring love and provides a deeper insight in his views on love.

Since the subs are low-key confusing, I'm not quoting them, but you can check this translation done by a Japanese fan that explains all the nuances the official translation misses. The part I want to point out in particular is this one:

My love. It’s not [general] love or romantic love that is easy to understand, but my bond with Victor, and the lukewarm way I feel about my family and my local community.

Note that this is the only time the anime uses 恋 ("koi"), probably because he's speaking to a Japanese audience.

This is the part where his friends feel offended. It showcases how Yuuri feels about the other people in his life, confirming what we could already guess: that none of these people ever reached a level at which he would develop intimate feelings for them and let them into his heart in one or the other way. All the people who supported him, first in Hasetsu and later in Detroit. Let that sink in. That's why before Vikor became he coach, he always felt that he was always fighting alone. (I don't blame Yuuri for his poor wording because it would only downplay his mental struggles and their ramifications.)

Yuuri talks about the concept of love as a whole, showcasing that he has come a long way from episode 2 and now has reached a stage where he has a mature and nuanced idea of it. He reveals that he grasps romantic love (恋) and general love (愛) easily, which is another huge progress compared to his absolute cluelessness in episode 2 and another hint that he hasn't yet experienced a situation that prompted an examination of the subject prior to it.

At the same time, Yuuri draws a clear distinction between his feelings for his family and friends and his feelings for Viktor, which aren't lukewarm at all.

A more accurate translation of this line is: "The first person I want to tie myself to and never let go is Viktor". Here, the fan translation explicitly points out that the phrasing is a reference to the scene in episode 2 when Viktor learns from the Nishigoris about Yuuri's struggles to form friendships and to be more interested in skating than in spending time with his friends. (Having written all this, I wonder how much he considered his friends as friends in the first place because philia is also a form of love that is implicitly included in "ai".)

After months of getting to know Viktor intimately, Yuuri has fallen in love with Viktor at last. This feeling is bigger than any emotion he has experienced before because it's greater than 恋 and 愛 and because of that:

This feeling doesn't have a name, but I decided to dare to call it "love".

Although Yuuri is awkward and anxious, there is one quality that stands out above all: his ambition to pursue a goal he is committed to. For half his life this has been Viktor, first as an abstract concept and as an ideal to strive for, later as a romantic interest. If he wants something, he makes sure to get it and he's unstoppable in his pursuit even when he hits rock bottom his desire to skate on the same ice as Viktor again right before Viktor showed up proves. If Yuuri had had romantic feelings for someone else, he would have pursued this person or ruled out the idea because Viktor was more important, which would have impacted his views on love either way.

Or in other words:

Viktor is Yuuri's first love.

Yuuri's love life is not as secret as YOI claims it is. His refusal to discuss it when Viktor pried for information, suggests embarrassment about the fact that at the age of 23, he is totally inexperienced in this regard while other people already have children or had a couple of partners. He's definitely not embarrassed to show the world how much he loves Viktor.

I will discuss the gay-coding of how Yuuri idolises people that inspire him in another post because this seems to be one of the lesser known facts.

Disclaimer: This analysis is based on what is supported by canon. Of course you are free to headcanon Yuuri as having had crushes before Viktor, but keep in mind that this would alter the plot of YOI to some extent.

[stedesbonnets]

✨️ 8 shows to get to know me ✨️

thank you @blakbonnet for tagging me <33 i'm not sure if i have eight so we'll see how many

sailor moon. one of my first hyperfixation as a kid. i watched it when i was 11, and i loved it so much. i had a poster of usagi in my room that i took off just last year, my first ever fic was about the show, i literally opened this blog just to post about it. i'm not quite in the fandom anymore, but sailor moon always makes me happy and will always have a special place in my heart

our flag means death. i don't think the show needs any explanation why it's on my list, it literally changed my life. i was in a bad place, creatively, before i watched the show. i lost my inspiration and motivation to write, and i'm so grateful for what this show brought out of me. my biggest insecurity as a writer has always been not being able to write a long, multi chapter fic, and the show just fixed that, and that has given me so much confidence, and i'm really grateful for that, and for the friends i've made bc of the show. but also, greatest show on earth, no question

steven universe. su is the definition of iconic, i joined the fandom at the beginning of s2 and i never missed an episode since. it's just so funny, bright, emotional, and just mindblowing. i remember sitting on my desk before class started and watching an episode. su is such a phenomenal show i remember exactly how i felt when i first watched the episodes about 7 years ago

yuri on ice. another show i will always think fondly of. i recently watched it again as an adult and not a 17 year old and god, it blew my mind. i see a lot of myself in yuuri and his journey is incredible. perhaps the best anime out there, i'm so grateful i watched it when it came out, experiencing it with the rest of tumblr was incredible

good omens. again no explanation needed i think. i just love aziraphale and crowley so much, watching s2 was so much fun

lost. this is another show from the deep past, i watched it when i was 14 i think, with my parents. i'm not as connected to it as the other shows, but it just left a mark of me. i will never forget weeping with my mom when charlie died, i cry to this day. and i maintain my crush on sayid too

the owl house. one of the most special shows i've ever watched. dana and the crew kicked it out of the park in the last season. such a beautiful, touching story, and the representation, oh my god. i just love the owl house

code lyoko. i'm kinda on the fence with this one but it's one of the first shows i've ever watched, i loved it as a kid. like lost, i'm not really attached to it but it was a part of my childhood, and honestly it's such a good, epic show!

i'm tagging @theosrose @aroacefrenchie @jellybeanium124

[chibi-taylormoon]

*shoves a tiny Yuuri into your hands*

Break him down, please and thank you

YURI!!

How I feel about this character:

Yuri is my absolute favorite character in arc-v. Devious little boy, evil little boy. He is a very interesting character, the perfect antagonist. His whole concept as one of z-arc's counterparts is just so fascinating in comparison to the other boys. He was a major pain in the ass the whole time just for his own fun, he orchestrated the conflict between Yugo and Yuto and proudly watched them blame eachother for his crimes, thats not z-arc, oh no thats just Yuri being a menace and its interesting. I like that hes just annoying and evil, it just adds to what makes his character so interesting.

I'll always defend Yuri, all in all he's just a child that did bad things because of his environment; he never had a chance to be any different so its not like he knows any better otherwise. Compared to some of the other bad guys like Leo...Yuri is actually likeable and made for some compelling story with how interreacted with Yugo throughout the series. He just wants to be cute and evil, I adore him.

All the people I ship romantically with character:

Serena! They're the least canon out of the counterparts, which is sad they had no interaction through the series. They could've had such an interesting dynamic. Theres that one flashback clip where Yuri is just watching Serena beat a bunch of boys, or even when he was all excited to tell her about the professor; I consider that canon. Yuri may harbor are crush/admiration on Serena and maybe wanted to know her better but couldn't because of Leo Akaba. If theres anyone that will canonically give him issues in a duel, its Serena. She'd kick his butt and he would love/hate it. When she bests him, Yuri goes back to Serena and stubbornly challenges her, he not only wants to win and be the best...but hes just so drawn to her strength. Yuri will refuse that its a crush hes feeling.

my non-romantic OTP for this character:

Yugo!!! pawnshipping is a major platonic bond I adore. Yuri loves getting on Yugo's nerves for the fun of it, Yugo's reactions are so hilarious to him. Plus Yuri admits the most fun hes ever had in a duel is against Yugo, if only he had realized that sooner in the series before absorbing Yugo after beating him. Yuri and Yugo could've had an interesting connection to mirror Yuya/Yugo.

Basically, Yuri and Yugo best boys. Love their dynamic very much.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon:

Yuri deserved a little more in the end, he loses and all the boys are apart of Yuya. Yuri didn't get much of a redemption in the end, but all of a sudden he's nice and willing to help Yuya/encouraging him to use their dragons. While I love that, I wish there was more time within Yuya where he bonded with Yuri and told him that he's gonna make him smile and he's forgiven for all the bad things. It felt rather rushed the way arc-v went about it, but whatever.

My ideal ending would've been a look at months down the road to see how much Yuri has changed with Yuya's influence; would've been nice to see him happy and bonding with the other boys considering they don't have their bodies anymore. Just wanted to see Yuri smiling and behaving like a normal boy a little bit in the future.

[myndless88]

Tokyo ghoul for the Shipp asks

My OTP: HideKane

My NOTP: TouKen

MY OT3: Don't have one

A currently canon ship I’m okay with but don’t prefer: NishiKimi is a canon ship I'm okay with, and TouKen is a canon ship I don't prefer.

A ship that would only work in an AU but would be awesome: I'm not really certain, but EtoRize comes to mind.

A ship I’d like to see explored but not stick around: I feel like there are many ships that have been explored and continue to stick around because they have a small following. But if I were to choose one that I wouldn't stick around too long for would be IkuHide (Ikuma Momochi x Hideyoshi Nagachika).

A ship that may as well be canon: HideKane

The ships I’d give my OTP pair if the other died: Ideally, I'd rather not give them to anyone else. But if push comes to shove, it'd begrudgingly be IkuHide and TouKen/ShuuNeki.

A crossover ship I’d dig: So, I've put a little thought into this one about a year or two ago, and it's 'Yuri on Ice's Yuuri Katsuki and Kaneki. But it's more like Kaneki just had a little crush on him. I actually wrote a fic about it.

A ship that would work great in a Coffee Shop AU: I mean...one of 'Tokyo Ghoul's takeaways involves coffee, so pretty much any ship.

A ship that would work great in a sitcom AU: I want to think AmonAkiZawa (Amon x Akira x Takizawa) would make for a funny romcom. Imagine: two straight-laced individuals and an average joe living in a share house.

Thanks for the ask! :D

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