Time Travel

Hello! This is the first post in a series that will actually be broken up chunks of my mega fic rec, as requested by people who are having loading troubles on mobile. If you won’t want to see this, blacklist jem yoi fic recs. Thank you!

Maelstrom (explicit)

Victor Nikiforov is poised to win gold in his fifth consecutive Grand Prix Final. He has the world at his feet, is unparalleled in the sport–right up until a snowstorm blows into Sochi, and he finds himself repeating the same day over and over and over. He stumbles over Yuuri Katsuki, and everything changes.

(Or, the time loop au. Loosely based on Groundhog Day.)

(holy FUCK this fic. I love it so much. Vic’s character development is fantastic, there’s a great balance between fluff and angst, it’s well-written, and I’m always a slut for time loop/travel aus. Can’t recommend enough. 43.6k words.)

One Step Sideways (teen+)

“Waking up in a world where the best possible turn of events was a literal doppelgänger was not exactly what Victor considered a great morning.

The other Victor apparently begged to differ.

“Amazing!” he said, poking Victor in the shoulder.”

Just as Victor and Yuuri are about to start the final dash of preparing for the Grand Prix Final, Victor finds himself in a different reality- one where he, rather than coaching Yuuri, is in the middle of skating his retirement season.

They don’t know how it happened, or how to fix it, but neither Victor has ever let details like that stop him.

(remember how i said i loved time loop/travel aus? i also love au travel stories. this is one of the best written of these i’ve ever read. the characterizations are great, the story is very coherent and organized, and i’ve always been a sucker for the fish-out-of-water feeling these fics have. 28k words)

Turn Backwards on Go (nr)

In which Yuuri and Victor, happily married and retired, find themselves thrown into the past and proceed to mess with everyone.

(this has no angst like the other time travel aus. it’s very funny, and victor and yuuri take every opportunity to fuck with everyone else. i scream every time it updates.5k words. WIP, 4/? chapters)

Gods of Circumstance (mature)

During his Free Program at the 2016 Barcelona Grand Prix Finals, Yuuri suffers a freak equipment malfunction and falls, hitting his head on the ice.

When he wakes up, surprisingly not dead, he finds himself in the last place he expected…

…the 2015 Sochi Grand Prix Finals. Again.

(i’m sorry i’m putting so many time travel aus here. i just can’t get enough. this one definitely has angst, omfg. but it’s still a really great read. 15k words. WIP, 6/? chapters)

The Gentle Light That Strays and Vanishes (gen audiences)

An idea suddenly bursts into Yuuri’s mind as he looks down at his poodle-decorated phone. It was also not his current one—this one had been broken about a year ago after Viktor had dropped it into the toilet on accident.
He hesitates, his finger hovering over the “on” button. Taking a deep break, he clicks it.
He looks at the date, then promptly drops his phone.
For on his home screen was not January 10th, 2019, but instead October 15, 2015.
Eight weeks before the 2015 Sochi Grand Prix Final.

also known as: that fic where Yuuri and Viktor go back in time separately, only to find each other again.

(another addition to my slew of time travel fics. it has a bit of angst but a really sweet payoff. 7k words.)

And I Will Try to Fix You (teen+)

16 year old VIctor Nikiforov may be lonely, but he isn’t sure how getting thrust into the future to live with his older self and his older self’s fiancé is going to help anything.

Oh, and the 16 year old version of his older self’s fiancé is there, too.

(more time travel goodness. very sweet interactions. 20k words.)

Only You (teen+)

“Ah! I’m so sorry, let me help you up,” said the man in a worried voice. Without looking, Yuuri reached for the surprisingly soft and not at all old and wrinkly hand, accepting the help up to his feet. When his hand wasn’t immediately released, he ventured a glance towards the person who tackled him and–

Oh.

Oh my god.

A “Victor died and time traveled to the past to relive falling in love with Yuuri but it’s a secret for some reason” fic from Yuuri’s perspective.

(oh god we have angst. and funny interactions. 62k words. WIP, 22/? chapters)

News Travels Fast (gen audiences)

In which time travel happened but there is no mention of time travel and Viktor and Yuuri like to surprise people, especially reporters.

(yeeeeeeeees outside pov time travel. super funny and cute. 1k words.)

Found Myself in a House I’ve Never Been Before (mature)

Yuuri was almost sure that this was reality. His favorite tea blend could be found in the kitchen cabinet on left, and the teapot was on the top shelf, exactly as he favored. Two important thoughts went through his head. Could he even skate anymore, and more importantly, did any of the people he knew exist?

(oh hello angst. i love dimension travel fics as much as i love outside pov and time travel. which is a lot. 15.5k words. WIP, 5/? chapters)

Tiger Stripes and Smartphones (teen+)

In the glorious year 2004, the famous Victor Nikiforov owns a Nokia3510 and is very proud to be the only one at school who got rid of his monochrome mobile phone. So, where is his precious device when he wakes up in an unfamiliar room and finds an expensive smartphone filled with pictures of someone who looks exactly like him… but older?

The Time Traveling AU, where young Victor swapped lives with his older self and woke up in Japan just before Onsen on Ice. Yuuri and Yuri are in for the shock of their lives, and Yakov needs help.

(are u tired of seeing time travel aus on here yet. i hope that’s a no, because i will be logging more. i love the interactions and plot. 24k words)

On My Love (teen+)

For the second time, the Sochi Grand Prix Finals arrive, and with it a reborn Yuuri Katsuki. “Viktor,” Yuuri thinks over the pounding of his heart, the crowd going silent as the music begins. “I’ll show the world what you meant to me.”

Yuuri often thinks of his life as Before and After Viktor Nikiforov, the marking point being the day Viktor swept into his life and turned his world upside-down. After many years together, an accident leads to Yuuri suddenly waking up in the Before—back in Detroit, before the GPF, before he ever knew Viktor as anything other than his childhood idol.

As if it had all been just a dream.

(i thought i had already recced this one, but i checked and i haven’t listed it yet! i must have missed it in my drafts. anyway, you’ve probably heard of this fic by now. it’s absolutely fantastic, and one of my favorite time travel au interpretations ever. 72.7k words. WIP, 6/? chapters)

Standard Deviations (teen+)

Victor knew something was wrong when he woke up.

Firstly, Yuuri wasn’t by his side in bed.

Secondly, the wallpapers weren’t supposed to be blue.

Time Travel AU, where Victor landed 4 years into the past, just after Sochi Grand Prix Finals.

(i will never stop with the time traveling aus. interestingly enough, this one occurs after sochi, while you normally see ones written about the time before sochi. 82k words.)

Step Back (teen+)

Yuuri discovered as a child that they had the power of time travel. Only it was entirely useless. Taking back to the day AFTER stressful events/failed moments/embarrassing events. Never letting him change them.

Then he met Victor and the power left as fast as it came.

Or so he thought.

Two years after his last “step back” he steps back again. Only this time some of the rules have broken and he brought his fiancé with him. Now they have to figure out how they are going to navigate Sochi as a couple when they aren’t even supposed to know each other and will he have a chance to fix what he messed up last time?

(THIS IS SO GOOD!!!!! it became one of my time travel favs very quick. basically no angst and vicchan lives. 22.5k words.)

Stop, Rewind, Restart (nr)

When Yuuri looked down at the phone he’d rescued from the bedside table—the model practically prehistoric and enclosed in a scratched poodle covered case he hadn’t seen since the expletive-filled aftermath of Yuri Plisetsky phone-throwing incident #6—and added the bright “…2015” blaring at him from the screen to the cramped lonely single bed he woke up in and the mosaic of Victor—oh god, Victor—posters on the dirty walls, he barrelled headfirst straight through confusion, careened through every possible stage of panic like a champion sprinter in the anxiety Olympics, and landed in that uncanny state of calm that can only prelude a record shattering skate or life shattering recklessness.
Considering that his life had apparently already been shattered—because somehow it was 2015 again and he’s in his old apartment in Detroit and Victor isn’t here why isn’t he here oh my god what if he doesn’t remember me—he was hoping for the former.

Yuuri wakes up five years in the past, before the Grand Prix series that led him to Sochi–and to Victor.
Fortunately, he’s not the only one.
Hold on to your plushies, skate fans, because this season’s about to get interesting.

(i’m so in tears over how good this is. basically no angst, just a really fun time. hasn’t updated in a couple months, but i’d wait forever. 44.6k words. WIP, 11/? chapters)

Unimaginable (teen+)

Sixteen year old Victor spontaneously travels to the future, where he’s… retired? And married?

(i don’t. i don’t even know what to say about this fic. i love it and the writing is so good. 4.8k words.)

The Switch (teen+)

The Switch was a true mystery to science. Nobody knew how or why it happened, it just did.

Soulmate AU where Viktor switches bodies with his future self after years of believing he didn’t have a soulmate.

(YEEEEESSS THIS FIC. there’s a yuuri chapter too! 5k words.)

do u ever cry over the fact agape was based on victor’s reaction to the banquet?? like the routine is true, pure love, one that makes you better just by feeling it, and it’s absolutely wild to me that victor created this dance based on how he felt for yuuri. after one goddamn night. victor became so incredibly infatuated with yuuri so fast; it reduced him to something innocent and yearning and desperate for this boy. 

victor said himself that agape is unconditional, self-sacrificing, and uncalculating. I can’t believe he told us from the beginning that his love for yuuri was completely unconditional, that he was willing to sacrifice everything, that none of his affections are a ploy, but true, honest-to-god love

poor yuuri for not remembering, and poor victor for not knowing he didn’t. 

(I know this is old news but it still really gets me, friends) 

I wonder when you’ll do a yoi meta about the physical and emotional distance Victor and Yuri try to keep and how they manage to working with each other

How about right now?

I’m assuming you mean as in, how is their coach/student/competitor/fiancé relationship gonna work, and so to talk about this, I first wanna address how they both deal with stress (as far as we’ve seen anyway). 

Let’s start with Yuuri, since he’s the easiest to look at.

Yuuri’s reactions tend to be outward. I’ve discussed this in a post dedicated to Yuuri’s anxiety, but it’s relevant here: Yuuri enacts avoidance behavior. 

When his anxiety starts ramping up in ep4, he automatically turns to avoiding Victor instead of discussing things. 

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(victor’s face lol…he goes from happy fun times to disappointed balloon animal)

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(yuuri does this w/ others too but we’re specifically highlighting victuuri)

But it’s also important to keep in mind that, while Yuuri physically moves away, he internalizes his emotions. He doesn’t talk, he doesn’t address the issue, just ignores it and hopes it’ll go away.

Honestly, same.

I think Yuuri knows it’s ineffective, as most anxiety sufferers do. I think he’s at least partially conscious of what his anxiety does to him. 

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He knows.

So, Yuuri internalizes to the point that he misses what’s going on around him. His mind singles out one interaction, or expression, or experience, and he starts to doubt. That’s where the trouble begins.

I’m sure you remember the whole ep11-ep12 cliffhanger and miscommunication angst debacle. 

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(KUBO WHY U GOTTA DO US LIKE THIS)

Yuuri didn’t talk to Victor about anything. He jumped to conclusions, and hurt the both of them in the process. Yes, Victor was reinvigorated to compete again, but he wouldn’t abandon Yuuri to do it. 

The unfortunate thing about anxiety is that it convinces the victim that they’re a novelty. Nobody is really interested in you, you know? You’re for now. Everyone will leave, so why chain them down? 

Anyway, concluding: Yuuri avoids, internalizes, and jumps to conclusions.

How about Victor?

Yuuri is highly expressive, while Victor tends to mask. I wrote a meta about that a while ago, but the gist is that Victor has been in the public eye for so long, he doesn’t know how to differentiate the sides of himself anymore. 

Where does the masking end, and Victor begin?

When Victor is upset, stressed, angry–aka, “negative” emotions, ones you don’t show to the press–he represses it and plasters a pleasant smile to his face. 

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At first, Yuuri’s sort of scared of it (ep4) but by the time we roll around to ep10, he just finds it insulting that Victor won’t be honest with him.

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Also, I’ve only very rarely seen this discussed, but Victor seems to turn to alcohol during especially stressful points. 

The first time it happens is ep2. At this moment, Yuuri has essentially just rejected him. Victor has come out to Japan to finally reunite with the man of his dreams, and that man shrieks at his presence and seemingly runs away. 

Yeah. 

He isn’t drunk, but we do see that sake is present. 

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But, of course, they do run a bar, so that could easily be a stretch.

The next time we see Victor drinking is during ep3. We see him drinking beer at one point–which, really, not a big deal, it’s only one glass and Vitya is an adult–but after Yuuri does…this

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we get the information that Victor apparently spent all night drinking. 

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I don’t think that’s a coincidence. 

Skip to the Cup of China. Victor and Yakov probably haven’t had much–if any–contact after Victor left Russia, and the first thing Yakov does is yell at him, tell him he’ll never be a real coach, and refuses the dinner invitation. 

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I assume Yakov to be a father figure to Victor. He certainly models his coaching after Yakov’s to some extent; it must be a huge blow to Victor for Yakov to basically tell him he wants no contact with him. 

So what does Victor do? 

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He gets drunk. 

This is the last time we see Victor hammered during the series, but he drinks alcoholic beverages pretty frequently. Of course, those may be scattered, but I think the evidence here points to the fact that when Victor is really upset, feeling absolutely alone, and needs to get his mind off things, he masks and drinks.

That’s not healthy.

Alright, so. We’ve addressed their coping mechanisms. Now let’s talk about their future relationship to each other. 

Much more talented authors than me have tackled the issue. My personal favorite is a small piece by @lavenderprose you can read here. Please do, it absolutely hits the nail on the head. 

I think it’ll probably be difficult for the both of them to leave work at the rink. It’s your fiancé who’s criticizing you all day, the same voice that says “please” and “thank you” at the dinner table, that whispers “I love you” before turning in at night. The same figure that holds your hand, and cuddles you when you cry. 

There’s got to be some whiplash there. 

There’s going to be points where they clash; they’ll miscommunicate; Victor will take it too far; Yuuri will jump to conclusions and tell Victor what Victor thinks; they’ll fight and cry and it won’t always be pretty.

They’re going to have to really step up their communication game to be able to do this. Both of them have unhealthy ways of dealing with fears and anxiety–only a few have been sampled for this post. I’m not saying the whole affair is doomed to fail, just that it won’t be easy.

I hope we get to see them going through the trials of such a complicated dynamic and growing together, as individuals and as a couple. 

PLEASE DO WRITE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE EROS THING, there can never be too much yoi meta! ♥♥♥

Okay!!!!! I don’t know if there’s much more to say beyond what you did, but I can sure try!

(for context, this is the post w/ the eros thing. I’m gonna quickly summarize that and then kinda ???? I’ll figure it out)

There are 3 ways to refer to oneself in Japanese:

  • 私 (watashi) probably the most common you’ll hear. It’s gender neutral, but is most often used by women.
  • 僕 (boku) masculine. It’s used by boys/men almost exclusively; however, I’ve been told before that tomboys use 僕 too
  • あたし(atashi) HIGHLY feminine. almost exclusively used by women. 

Yuuri most commonly refers to himself as 僕, except in specific circumstances. 

Like Alli said, Yuuri transitions from using 僕 to first 私 and then あたし during ep3. 

In the title card and in Minako’s studio, Yuuri uses 僕

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but on the ice he starts with 私 

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and once we really get underway into the program (2nd half), he switches to あたし!

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I could be wrong about this–I’m VERY sick rn and my ears are plugged–but I think I hear Yuuri going back and forth between 僕 and あたし in the screenshot directly above??? Which is interesting…

Anyway, regardless, considering Yuuri’s use of pronouns, it tells the audience that Yuuri is seriously dedicated to portraying this story. He truly sees himself as a woman–or at least a feminine person–while skating this. Once he stops skating the routine, though, he immediately transitions back into 僕. 

It’s almost the same in ep5:

Victor tells Yuuri to seduce him, and instead of using 私 first, he uses 僕

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and then jumps into あたし.

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And then finally returns to 僕 after skating. 

I also feel like I need to note–for those who may be unawares–that when speaking Japanese, you don’t always have to use “I” in an “I” sentence. Sort of like English, but not quite. 

Sometimes in Japanese, you don’t have to use an “I” word because it’s implied to be present.

English does that too, but in a slightly different way? Using “I” is rather intrinsic in English, I think, and it’s not in Japanese. In both languages you can reply to “what’s your name” with “my name is [name]” “I’m [name]” or just “[name].” But in English, you wouldn’t be able to say something like “I already know the results” 

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(hi yurio)

without using “I.” In Japanese, however, it’s pretty much literally phrased as “results are known,” with an implied “I.” 

So what I’m saying is, I can’t always get Yuuri’s pronoun just after the skate–when he’d be in the mindset–because it doesn’t always turn up. I do what I can. 

Sorry, back on track!

In ep6, Yuuri uses 僕 exclusively during the skate. 

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(lemme just say that I love the way Yuuri is speaking here…his tone of voice is so lazy, and casually confident. Like you would imagine a smoking burlesque dancer. Fuckin get it, Yuuri!)

And it’s the same for ep8 and ep11, the only other times Yuuri skates Eros. 

Right, so, I’ve rambled a lot, but what’s the significance? 

As Alli talked about in their ask, the use of pronouns reflects how Yuuri views himself. 

Off the ice, he’s able to use 僕 comfortably, but not during this SP. In ep3, Yuuri speaks almost as if he’s coaxing himself into that role; starting out with the “safer” 私 before using あたし. 

I think this reflects the fact that, firstly, this program is uncharted territory and Yuuri needs to slowly settle into it. Secondly, Yuuri isn’t fully in the headspace yet. It isn’t until ep5–after months and months of training with this story–that Yuuri can jump into the role of The Most Beautiful Woman in Town™ easily. He’s comfortable with that idea of himself now. 

I mentioned this in a post I did forever ago (boop) but during the ep5 SP, Yuuri reverses the roles of the man and woman in the story. 

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So even though Yuuri still performs the “woman’s” role, he turns the story on its head. Yuuri is confident enough here to be able to see himself as the seducer, the playboy, etc etc. But right now, he can only see it if in the role of the woman. 

In ep6, Yuuri starts using 僕 from there on out. He’s gained enough confidence in himself–and in his relationship with Victor–to be able to put himself out there as physically desirable. Thanks to Yuuri’s own inner strength (mentally weak my ass), family/friend’s support, and Victor’s encouragements, Yuuri was able to make a smooth transition into showing a new side of himself.

If I know anxiety–and boy howdy, I sure do–this is such an incredible move to make. Doing something new, something that will get you noticed, is really hard. It’s clear Yuuri is uncomfortable with the idea of having fans–both because he thinks he doesn’t deserve it and, I think, because Yuuri feels he can’t handle that sort of attention.  

I used to do a lot of acting myself, up until only a couple years ago, despite my anxiety issues. I loved it, I enjoyed it immensely, and I would say that the mark of a good performance is when you can’t remember anything that just happened. You completely lose yourself in the experience; you become your character, and it feels natural. When you’re comfortable with a character, a side of yourself that comes out during performances, it’s as easy as breathing to slip into. 

By ep6, Yuuri truly sees himself as this person. He’s comfortable with himself, his place in the skating world, his desires, and the eyes watching his every move. 

Godspeed, Yuuri; you make that performance and yourself. God-fucking-speed. 

Guys I am so weirdly invested in the in-canon media??? Like I wrote a post about how wild victuuri must look from the outside but I wanna talk about it again.

I started thinking about all the trashy mags that pictures of them pre-kiss must have made it into. Like, real early-days Hasetsu, where Yuuri is touring Victor around the larger neighboring cities, and of course they get paparazzi pics taken and the websites are like “Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki spotted at [insert city name here]!” and then tons of relationship speculation. 

The relationship spec is obviously partially fueled by fans; you know what hardcore fans can be like, right? There are photosets on whatever in-canon tumblr is called with victuuri making eye contact once (1) in all the pics taken and everyone’s like “yES IRL CANON”

(They’re totally right, but are you getting the early days vibe I’m throwin out?)

And then of course, I guarantee you there are photos of them taken in the hot springs themselves; somebody totally snuck a phone in the wash room just outside the springs and took a couple photos of Victor hovering way too close to be platonic. 

(Whoever took the picture was long gone once it was posted; the Katsukis never really tracked the person(s) down. All they could do was more thorough checks of toiletries so the rules aren’t broken again.

Yuuri is incredibly embarrassed–not about the nudity, since he kinda grew up around it, but just that a photo was taken without his knowledge. 

Victor isn’t embarrassed at all. He has this instinctual need to be constantly naked, so it’s not a big deal to him.

The whole thing was a violation of privacy, but a number of fans collectively shaming OP guaranteed it never happened again.)

The press catches pictures of them eating together, going to the rink, etc etc, before Yutopia politely but firmly kicks them out after onsen on ice. 

Everything’s a little silent until Cup of China. Victor’s instagram is constantly updated over the summer, but they’ve been careful about where they go. The citizens of Hasetsu are also really protective about their town pride Yuuri and his (probably) bf, so pics from there are kept to a minimum. 

That one insta photo from the triplets of Victor brushing Yuuri’s hair is added to proof comps on fansites. 

I imagine everyone had a fucking field day with that one pic of a half-to-fully-naked Victor tackling Yuuri and looking all possessive. There’s so much reaching from certain sources/people to make it platonic, but NOPE, that shit’s fuckin gay. 

All the photos of them hugging, leaning against each other, Victor’s incredibly smiley personality once he starts spending time with Yuuri create the best goddamn conspiracy blogs ever. People talkin about how they’re so happy that their Russian skating son/dad has someone in his life he clearly cares so much about. People cheerin on Yuuri for getting that idol dick. 

idk. I have a problem I think. 

Do you ever think about how wild the public perception of victuuri must be??

Like ok. Characters first.

Victor Nikiforov, who is considered to be this flirty playboy. He’s the perfect skater; elegant, refined, amazing jumps, spins, step sequences. He has it all, and he’s won it all. I bet you everybody thought Victor and Chris were fuckin or something b/c they’re obviously friends and you know what the media is like. 

Victor is such a private person; he’s really skilled in telling you everything while saying nothing. He’s got incredible press skills. I bet the media must be starving for another side of Victor–his love life most specifically. The playboy thing is most likely an exaggeration tabloids put together, and it sorta just caught on. All these reports of Victor being seen with so and so must mean he’s seeing them, right?

Victor has been called selfish before. It’s probably a very common belief that he’s quiet and serious and really only cares about himself and the ice. This cannot be further from the truth, but it’s how people see him. An immaculate god.

Then, Yuuri Katsuki. He’s sort of reclusive and doesn’t interact much. There’s not much on any of his social media accounts; the opposite of Victor. While Victor delivers constant content, Yuuri hides away. He avoids people, doesn’t really interact with fans, and seemingly snubs other competitors. 

People think he’s arrogant. Yuuri looks away from others like they’re not worth his time, which is totally uncalled for considering he can’t land his jumps, right? Yuuri’s spins and footwork are amazing, but he always falters technically. He gets a lot of flack from the press and the public for this; they say he’s mentally weak, he’s a mediocre skater at best, he should just stop trying. At times, Yuuri even believes them.

The beloved, sexy ice god versus the shy, weak underdog. 

(I can only imagine the fandom shitstorm that occurred in-universe when they got together, but we’ll come back to that.)

And then Yuuri’s video comes out. People are split between That’s Amazing Where’s His Gold Medals, He’s A Pathetic Overweight Fanboy Mooching Off Nikiforov Will He Just Go Away Already, and I Don’t Care. 

People watch Victor’s twitter and instagram for updates, only to receive radio silence. They expect Victor to say something about this lesser-known skater doing a perfect copy of his routine despite being above the weight range, but he says n o t h i n g. 

The picture of Victor and Makka in front of Hasetsu Castle is posted, and people cannot believe what’s going on. Just because of this one damn video, Victor Nikiforov has flown across the world to become Yuuri’s coach, for some unknown reason. 

It’s a ploy, people say. A publicity stunt. Nikiforov just wants a new way to surprise audiences, so he’s going to play coach for a while to a lesser skater and then come back to compete. 

(The skaters who were at Sochi know differently, of course. Some are giggling while others are groaning. You can probably guess who.)

Everyone gets word of Yuri Plisetsky going to Japan too. Then a competition between the Yu(u)ris is announced. 

Yes, definitely a publicity stunt, they say. Plisetsky will win and Nikiforov will go back to Russia. Simple as that.

But Yuuri wins. And he wins performing Eros, something no one has seen him attempt before. There’s disbelief; some people still stan Victor so hard they despise Yuuri for “taking him” from the ice. Others are very interested to see what this season holds. Again, some people just don’t care.

Summer arrives and Victor’s instagram and twitter are filled with pictures of Japan, Makkachin, good food, and most predominantly, Yuuri Katsuki. Small groups of fans had started shipping it back in the spring, but after summer has passed, Victuuri is now a fully-fledged subfandom. 

The season continues. There are no TV cameras at the Japanese local events, but pictures come out of Victor hugging Yuuri from behind, face partially buried in his shoulder. Shoddy phone recordings of Yuuri Eros. Photos from all angles of Victor running his hands down Yuuri’s face, rubbing balm on the man’s lips, holding him close before he skates.

The Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki partnership is here to stay. 

Footage of Yuuri and Victor laying their foreheads together at China is giffed about a thousand times. People are dying, but they haven’t seen nothin yet.

The kiss. Oh, the kiss. Victor and Yuuri confirm that they are in fact in a relationship. Many are happy for them. Some believe it’s unprofessional. A few believe that Victor is too good for Yuuri, and wonder when he’s going to leave that dime-a-dozen skater.

For a while, Yuuri wonders that too. 

For a while, Victor wonders if he’s good enough for Yuuri.

Victor gets down on his knees for Yuuri during two occasions in Russia. First, he ties Yuuri’s skates. Then he kisses Yuuri’s boot. Don’t get the internet started on Yuuri’s tie grab. 

Victor has to leave Russia, for a reason not revealed to the public until after the situation is over and done. 

Yuuri falls apart, and the gossip shows and websites jump on him.

See, he can’t survive without Victor Nikiforov. It’s all Victor. Katsuki really is weak. He can’t do anything on his own. How pathetic. Why doesn’t he just retire already?

Photos are posted on fan blogs of Victuuri at the airport. No one’s knows what was said; just that Victor kissed Yuuri’s hand, and Yuuri cries on his shoulder. People speculate as usual.

Barcelona. There are pictures of Victor and Yuuri walking around together–holding hands, hugging, a couple of kisses. Clearly, they’re together, whether anybody likes it or not.

They show up the next day with matching rings, which they won’t say a goddamn word about. They smirk, ignore the questions, change the topic. 

Victor kisses Yuuri’s ring before he skates. They kiss their rings at the same time once Yuuri moves away. It’s a terribly cheesy and romantic indirect kiss. Nobody expected either of them to be this way, yet here we are.

Victor announces his return. Yuuri decides to continue skating. Victor stays on as his coach, and they finally confirm that yes, indeed, they are engaged to be married.

There are still some people who begrudge the relationship. It can’t be helped; there will always be people who are upset to see others happy. 

Many are excited. Fans rejoice, friends congratulate, family cries while rejoicing. It’s a wonderful affair.

There’s still not much information about how Victor and Yuuri came to fall in love, and people concede that there probably never will be. But that’s okay. They’re together, they’re happy, and that’s really what matters in the end. After all they’ve been through, they deserve the privacy.

They really do.

(As long as there are wedding photos released to the public. Fans thank the heavens that Phichit Chulanont is Yuuri Katuski’s best friend in times like these.)