Chapter Text
Phichit is overdramatic. Painfully so for some, but not for Yuuri, who quite enjoys the contrast with his own subdued nature. Of course, that isn’t to say that Yuuri is immune to Phichit’s melodramatic ways. Sometimes Yuuri can find Phichit’s exuberance... troublesome. Like that time when they were seven and Phichit cried for an hour because he wanted a hamster even though he had just bought said hamster. Or when they were twelve and Phichit cried when he received a DVD of "The King and The Skater". He already owned four copies of it. And then there's now, at seventeen, when Phichit crashes into Yuuri and painfully grips his upper arm.
"Yuuri, Yuuri, Yuuri!!! Did you hear that awful rumor about me?"
Yuuri carefully rescues his arm from Phichit's clutches. He gives Phichit a bemused smile. "Do you mean the one that says you eat your own hamsters? I mean it's one of the weirder rumors I've heard about you, but I don't think think anyone believes it. Though, granted, someone told me that they had it on good authority that you did this. So, take that as you will."
Phichit shakes his head so furiously his entire body shakes with him. "Not that rumor. We both know I could never eat my children. I'm talking about the rumor that says I pay for the amount of followers I have on Instagram."
Yuuri doesn't say anything. He stares expectantly at Phichit.
Phichit enjoys a good dramatic pause. But it has to be a Good dramatic pause. Phichit flinches at pauses that go on too long or not long enough to the point where they shouldn't even be considered pauses. And Phichit is a devout believer that every conversation deserves a pause. A true pause, a pause worthy of an Oscar, a pause that will make people lean forward in anticipation. So Phichit has done his research. A Good pause is three seconds. Four seconds is too long, but three is perfect. The first second and a half is for people to process the pause and the last second and a half is for people to lean forward.
So Yuuri leans forward.
Phichit's fit to burst when he speaks. "If people believe it, that drops the amount of natural followers I have."
Three seconds. Yuuri's about to fall he's leaning forward so much.
"Which makes Other Yuri the number one Instagrammer at our school since he would have the most natural followers!!!"
Yuuri rocks back on his feet and grimaces. " Other Yuri? Really? I love him and everything, but all he does is post pictures of himself wearing different animal prints. You're much more diverse in your posting."
Phichit's hands latch onto Yuuri's face. "I know! I take people on adventures with my posts. I am the true artist. I can't have this rumor ruining my credit!" Phichit is practically hyperventilating in his distress.
Yuuri cover's Phichit's hands with his own and leans his forehead against Phichit's. "Hey. Come on, match your breath with mine. In for eight, hold for four, out for eight."
It's a quiet two minutes as the boys breathe together. It's only when Phichit leans away that Yuuri drops his hands. He smiles. "Are you feeling better?"
Phichit shrugs. "A little, but I still feel like this is a personal attack on my honor."
Yuuri snorts in amusement. A calm Phichit is still a dramatic Phichit.
"Okay, well let's think this through. Since it is a rumor and this entire school is a rumor mill, at most it will only last a week."
"But if people believe the information heard, it becomes a fact and not a rumor."
"Doesn't make it a fact, but I see your point. Uh, do you know how long the rumor's been circulating?"
"I don't think that long. Minami told me and he's usually one of the early sources."
Yuuri grins. "That's great then! If it's still early in its circulation you can bump it out with a new rumor."
Phichit finds himself grinning along with Yuuri. Creating a new rumor is right up his alley. It feeds his soul. "Well it's got to be big. And I mean really big. Uh, we could say that Georgi's girlfriend broke up with him." Yuuri doesn't even get to respond before Phichit is shaking his head. "No, that would destroy him. We can't start that."
"He feels so much," Yuuri agrees.
Phichit grimaces. "I don't want something that could potentially hurt anybody. I'd rather let Other Yuri be number one, even though I'm the true number one."
Yuuri watches Phichit wrap his arms around himself as he struggles between being number one and not hurting anybody else. He frowns. Phichit lives for his social media. It's how he stays in contact with his family back home and it's always been a source of national and personal pride for him that he, the only Thai student in an international high school, is the social media king. Yuuri would hate for Phichit to lose it. So he casts around for a big, but relatively harmless rumor.
His eyes land on Mila Babicheva, the biggest gossip in school after Chris Giacometti.
"Start one about me."
Phichit's eyes practically bug out. "What?"
Feeling more confident in his growing plan, Yuuri repeats, "Start one about me."
"I couldn't do that. You're my best friend."
"It won't be harmful if that's what you're worried about. Remember that rumor our freshman year about that Brazilian girl and that American kid?"
Phichit nods slowly. "Kind of. They were caught in a broom closet."
"Yeah, but the biggest facet of the scandal was the class disparity. She was a scholarship student and he was one of the richest guys in school."
"So?"
Yuuri gestures to himself in his ill-fitted secondhand uniform and busted up sneakers that had once belonged to his older sister, Mari. "It is I, your yearly scholarship student."
"You're going to make out with someone in a broom closet?"
"I don't think we have to go quite that far. I think if we say that I have a crush on the richest guy in school then we'll get the same effect. Everyone will think it's hilarious that the poor kid would even deign to think about the rich kid."
"That makes you sound awful, and I would never put you through that."
Yuuri shrugs. "It's a big, but harmless rumor. It's just what we need. Besides, it's not a big deal."
And it truly isn't. Logically, Yuuri knows that the rumor won't last long. No more than a week like he said. He's also privy to the way rumors tend to circulate, and he'll bet that by the second day that the rumor will have boiled down from "Yuuri Katsuki" to "a Japanese kid" and there's fourteen of them currently. Most importantly, he knows to keep his distance from the rumor itself. He won't get his emotions involved over something so trivial and untrue. No, it's not a big deal.
"I don't know, Yuuri."
"Come on, Phichit. I'll be fine. Who is the richest kid in school anyway?"
"JJ Leroy."
Now that makes Yuuri pause. He doesn't necessarily like JJ. They had Art II together last year, and Yuuri had disliked the way JJ gloated over his own artwork and only his own artwork. And logically speaking, JJ's just vain enough to confront every Japanese student in order to find the one who has a crush on him. JJ will not work.
Yuuri shakes his head with a grimace. "Ugh, never mind. Whose the most popular?"
Phichit doesn't hesitate. "Viktor Nikiforov."
Viktor Nikiforov is someone Yuuri has always acknowledged as existing, but never really noticed beyond a cursory curiosity. Viktor is charismatic and objectively attractive. He goes to the Ice Castle everyday to skate, but Yuuri only knows that because of Yuuko.
The longer Yuuri thinks on it, though, the more he becomes aware that he has heard many students voice a desire to be with Viktor. If Yuuri were to add his voice, it would make no difference to Viktor. But while it won't make a difference to Viktor, it will make a difference to the student body if Yuuri tells the right person.
Yuuri's eyes land on Mila again.
"He'll work. Our social ranking may not be as different as mine and JJ's class ranking, but it'll work."
"But what if Viktor hears?"
"So what? He won't care. Dozens of kids like him. I'm just another anonymous face. Even if he does somehow notice, like I said, the rumor will be gone in a week. Besides JJ, whose enough of a dick to confront someone about a crush?"
Phichit still looks reluctant. "I don't know, Yuuri."
Yuuri gives him an adoring smile. "Will you feel better if your rumor is gone?"
Phichit doesn't move.
Three seconds pass.
He nods slowly.
Yuuri punches his shoulder lightly. "Then it's worth it."
Yuuri waits until after fifth period where he shares Literature with Mila. As the students start to leave the room, Yuuri hangs back and waits for Mila to finish packing up, which takes a long time. For all her reputation as a gossip, she's very studious. She always has three notebooks out in class: one for vocabulary, one for notes, and one for homework. As well as an extensive system of highlighters and colored pens that Yuuri hasn't quite figured out yet. As a result, it takes her forever to pack up thus making her the last one to leave the room. It's a fact that makes Yuuri extremely grateful considering what he is about to do.
"Hey Mila, do you have a minute?"
Mila turns around and gives Yuuri an small, but genuine smile. "Yeah sure. What's up, Katsuki?"
Yuuri gulps. Suddenly this seemed like a bad idea. Even though he had planned this down to the disappointed shoulder slump he would do when he walked out the door, his nerves were beginning to get the better of him. He could do this. He knew he could. This was for Phichit. His best friend, Phichit. His practically-a-brother, Phichit. He takes a deep breath and smiles hopefully.
"Uhh, this is kind of out of the blue, but I wanted to know if Viktor has ever talked about me?"
Confusion is evident on Mila's face from the moment Yuuri says "Viktor". Yuuri isn't surprised in the least. In the handful of times that they've talked, Mila and Yuuri have never really ventured beyond their shared love of ice skating and Jeopardy.
Yuuri almost feels bad as he watches her smile fall with a despondent shake of her head. "I'm sorry, Katsuki. He never has."
Yuuri does his planned shoulder drop. It's not a natural movement. It's too sharp and forced, an anomalistic movement from Yuuri's graceful body. But Mila doesn't notice. She just watches Yuuri pityingly as he makes himself walk with slow, dragged footsteps out the door.
Once Yuuri is sure that he's in the clear, he straightens his spine and walks quickly in the opposite direction of where Mila's next class is. He feels jittery, and his hands can't stop shaking, but he did it.
Surprisingly, it's Other Yuri who mentions Viktor to him first. It's the next day and Yuuri's holding an open box of cookies his mom had made. Yuuri's leaning against the wall, trying to recover from a brutal Chemistry pop quiz when he absentmindedly notices a hand reach out and take a cookie.
"I can't believe your mother had such a failure of a son."
Yuuri's never quite understood his own feelings for Other Yuri. Other Yuri is mean, blunt, and caustic in most interactions, but despite all this, Yuuri's always felt a very strong affection for his underclassman. His parents have too. The cookies Yuuri's holding are Other Yuri's favorite: Espresso Double Chocolate Chip. His mom had made them especially for Other Yuri, but Yuuri had learned long ago to never just hand them over. The key was to never offer Other Yuri anything. Other Yuri would be more inclined to take it if he thought that it wasn't his. And for every verbal barb Other Yuri throws out, it is imperative that you just accept it and move on. Other Yuri eventually gets upset if he thinks you believe him and will usually give a backdoor compliment to make up for his caustic remarks.
"I am. I'm going to an expensive high school that drains them of money and I never help out at the onsen. I'm the worst." Yuuri has to clench his jaw to keep himself from smiling. He can't show amusement otherwise Other Yuri will kick him and Other Yuri is wearing combat boots today.
Other Yuri scoffs. "How can you say you’re the worst when Hitler existed? God, you're so conceited. The world doesn't revolve around you, you know."
Yuuri nods and picks up a cookie to take a bite. Other Yuri steals it and pushes the whole thing into his mouth with a self-satisfied smirk. Yuuri frowns at the spot where his cookie used to be.
"I know. There are a billion more people important than me. At most, I just waste oxygen for someone more important."
Other Yuri blanches at the negativity coming from Yuuri's mouth, but he quickly covers it with a sly grin.
"I'm glad you realize your worth. Too bad no one else does. I've had three people tell me this morning that they heard that you have a crush on Viktor. Don't they have more important things to talk about?"
Yuuri's surprise at Other Yuri's comment is genuine. He had not realized that Mila would spread it so fast. It's good that it has spread so fast, but still.
"So?"
"Viktor? You can't have a crush on him. He may be popular now, but I'm coming for him. I'm way better than him. The only people who have a crush on him anyway are plebians."
Yuuri nods seriously. "So what you're saying is that I should set myself above the crowd. I should give him these cookies."
No sooner than he's done speaking does Other Yuri wrench the cookie box away from him. "These are mine now."
Yuuri barely stifles a giggle as Other Yuri walks away.
Next, unsurprisingly, is Phichit, who bounds up and encases him in a bear hug.
"Thanks Yuuri, I've heard nothing of that awful rumor from yesterday."
Yuuri shrugs, "I told you. It's no problem."
Phichit hums happily. "Still, you're the best friend I could ever ask for. Everyone I've talked to today has mentioned that you like Viktor. You're seriously the best."
Three seconds.
"You know what this needs."
Another three seconds.
"A commemorative photo with my best friend."
Yuuri barely has time to react before Phichit's squishing their cheeks together and taking a picture. Yuuri smiles at the delighted grin on Phichit's face as he examines the photo.
"I'm going to post this with the caption 'I couldn't do anything without my best friend #numberone'. My followers will think I'm just talking about you, but we'll know about the second hidden meaning."
"Oh you mean, the one where Other Yuri is really the social media king?"
Yuuri barely manages to stay on his feet as Phichit tackles him.
"YUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRIII!!!"
Third is Yuuko, who graduated last year. She's working the front desk of the Ice Castle when Yuuri gets there for his shift. Even though Yuuri has Mari, Yuuko has made herself Yuuri's official sister. Technically his third sister. Minako also likes to butt into his personal life outside the ballet studio.
But Yuuko, unlike Minako and Mari, is gentler and softer all around. She pushes him gently in the right direction and will stay back if he asks, but is always willing to listen. When Yuuri was fourteen and had his first panic attack, it had been him and Yuuko on the ice alone. Panicking over Yuuri's panic attack, she had done the only thing she could think to do. She skated. Slow lazy circles around Yuuri. The soft shck-shck seemed deafening in the rink occupied only by Yuuri's quick hiccuped breaths. Slowly Yuuri had matched his breathing to the soft shck-shck.
Yuuko had never brought it up and Yuuri had never mentioned it. He had never quite known what set him off that day, and was loathe to talk about something he was so unsure of. Yuuko understood and didn't push him about it, even though after that day, she kept a closer eye on him.
"You'll never guess what I heard about you Yuuri." Yuuko turns around to face him as Yuuri drops his back on the work table and picks up a skate to look at its blade. He pushes one finger gingerly against its edge. It's completely dull. Yuuri tsks softly before replying. "Is it about my excellent sharpening skills?"
"You're average at best, and no. A group of girls came in here yesterday and I overheard them talking about a certain someone having a crush on Viktor Nikiforov."
Yuuri smiles softly. After being confronted about it all day, the fact that Yuuko, who isn't even in high school anymore, knows, is laughable. "So I've heard. Did one of the girls have red hair?"
"Uh, I think so."
So Mila hadn't waited long before she began telling people. Yuuri wouldn't be surprised if Yuuko had witnessed the first spreading of the rumor.
"-with him?" Yuuri barely catches the tail end of Yuuko's question. He shakes his head to clear it.
"What, sorry, wasn't listening."
"I said, was it his skating that made you fall in love with him?"
His skating? Yuuri knew Viktor skated. Everyone knew Viktor skated, but that was hardly special information. Half of their school skated.
"I've never seen him skate."
"You should take a break and watch him sometimes. He's the most graceful skater I've seen. I've seen professionals who can't hold a candle to his grace and passion." Yuuko's smile is fond as she thinks about Viktor's skating. Yuuri finds himself experiencing something akin to longing to know what kind of skating Viktor could have to cause the smile on Yuuko's face. It has to be beautiful beyond human comprehension. The thought slightly scares Yuuri and he quickly works to erase it.
"I don't like him."
Yuuko makes a soft questioning noise at the back of her throat.
"Phichit had heard a rumor about himself that would have somewhat destroyed his social media career, and make Other Yuri the social media king. I started the rumor about Viktor so no one would hear the rumor about Phichit."
Yuuko laughs. "Ah, Phichit, there are only so many people in the world who would care so much about social media. Well that's sweet of you. Are you sure that this won't come back to bite you?"
Yuuri shrugs. He's had misgivings about it since it started but logically, he knows that nothing will come of it. "I'm pretty sure. A lot of people have a crush on Viktor. The only reason mine gained any traction is because I told Mila. It'll be forgotten about by the end of the week."
"If you're sure."
"I am. Do you know what radius your Dad wants these at?" Yuuri gestures to the pile of skates on his table.
"All of them belong to us, so do a 5/8."
"Alright. I'll sharpen all of these before I leave. Can I have the rink tonight?"
"Sure, I have to go over the books anyway."
Yuuri smiles in thanks before he sits down to work. There's a three second pause. Yuuri feels it halfway in. Yuuko is pulling a Phichit.
"I'm so proud of you."
"Gee thanks, Mom."
Yuuko throws a pen at his head. "I can't believe I raised such a brat."
It's Wednesday afternoon, and Yuuri is debating with himself over whether or not to bring home his ridiculously heavy Chemistry textbook. He doesn't have Chemistry homework tonight, but it's usually on the nights they don't have homework that the next day they have a quiz. Ultimately deciding that he can't afford to bomb another quiz like yesterday's, he pulls it out. It's better to be safe than sorry even though it would be a huge dick move by his Chemistry teacher to have two pop quizzes in a week.
It's when he closes his locker door that he's startled. Viktor Nikiforov is standing there with a hopeful smile, which might be the most bizarre thing about the situation. Viktor Nikiforov is Popular (capital letter required). There's no reason for him to be anything but cocky. Yuuri hardly knows him, but he knows this much. And why is Viktor smiling at him? They don't know each other well enough for this.
"Hi."
Hi, this is all Viktor's going to say? Hi? How is Yuuri supposed to respond to that? His entire plan is now rendered invalid because Viktor is here to confront him about the rumor. Usually Yuuri can think on his feet, but Viktor has only said hi. How can he work with that? What is he supposed to he say?
"Hello." Inwardly Yuuri winces. Hello was the best thing he could come up?
"I"m Viktor Nikiforov."
"Yuuri Katsuki," Yuuri offers. Great, this was going nowhere fast.
"I heard you have a crush on me."
Well there it was. Straight to the heart of the problem. Yuuri freezes for a microsecond. Viktor Nikiforov confronting him was something he had never considered. He should have though. Because this was Terrible (capital letter very much needed). Yuuri has never been so embarrassed in his life, but he can't show it. Yuuri prides himself on being able to push past his emotions in times like these. He can do this. He gives Viktor, what he hopes, is an amused smile. The smile isn't quite right. It's a little too pressed and a little too shaky, but it's all Yuuri can manage right now.
"Do you always confront people who have crushes on you?" It's in the half second after he's said it that Yuuri realizes his mistake. He implied that he actually liked Viktor. Come on! Yuuri knows that he's better than this. Yuuri knows he can be clever and thoughtful.
Except for right now, apparently.
"Only the cute ones," Viktor replies, his smile changing into a flirty grin. And it is a flirty grin. Yuuri will be the first to admit he's not the best at reading situations. But he can read this one. He feels like a fish out of water. Why is Viktor being flirty? They don't know each other. He has no idea to respond to this. What does he say? 'Right back at you', 'thanks', 'please go away'? He's so confused by how this situation is progressing, he doesn't register the fact that Viktor's called him cute.
He finally settles for a blank stare. Viktor seems amused.
"I make you speechless, huh?"
The comment is made in good humor and the pleased blush spread across Viktor's cheeks implies that it isn't a slight. But it stings all the same for Yuuri. Yuuri's always loved his logical personality and his ability to control his emotions. But Viktor's right, he's speechless, and that isn't okay. Because to be speechless is to let his emotions cloud his brain, and Yuuri is better than that. He tries to snap himself out of his bewildered stupor. Anything is better than nothing at all.
"I'm late for work." It isn't a great response, but it's a safe one. He needs to process what's happened, and he can't seem to do that right now.
Without a second glance at Viktor, who seems surprised at Yuuri's dismissal, Yuuri walks away. It's with great focus that Yuuri makes his steps slow and steady even though his heart feels like it's about to burst out of his chest.
Once he's off school grounds, he runs. He needs to run off his anxiety. His thoughts are threatening to overwhelm him, but he can't stop thinking about Viktor's motivations. Why would he confront Yuuri? Why was Yuuri even of any interest to Viktor Nikiforov? They've never talked, never interacted, never anything. So why?
Yuuko's working the front desk when he gets to Ice Castle and it's blissfully empty of anyone else.
"Viktor Nikiforov confronted me about the rumor, Yuuko." There. That's all the necessary information Yuuko will need to help Yuuri figure out what the fuck is going on.
Yuuko actually drops the pen that she's holding, she's so shocked. "What? Who does that?"
Yuuri feels a rush of affection for Yuuko as she validates his own tangled knot of emotions. Because that's what it feels like. A knot in the pit of his stomach of all the nerves and confusion and uncertainty sending a buzzing rush throughout his body. "I don't know, but he did! And it doesn't make sense! Logically there's no reason to approach someone about it. In fact, it seems like a dick move to approach someone like that."
"What happened exactly?" While Yuuko is interested in the situation at hand, she also needs to calm Yuuri before he works himself up too much. And recounting the situation does calm Yuuri down somewhat. It makes him slow down and think through the encounter step-by-step. He still doesn't really understand it as he recounts it, but Yuuko looks a little enlightened.
"It sounds like he likes you." She offers when he's done.
Yuuri makes a disbelieving noise at the back of his throat. "That can't be it. We don't know each other at all. I can count on one hand the number of times that we've made eye contact. There's no reason for him to have feelings of any kind for me."
"There doesn't have to be a reason for liking someone, does there?"
Yuuri huffs. He hates when there isn't a reason for something, but he acknowledges the fact that sometimes there isn't. But there should be some kind of basis. Something he can point to and say 'this is where the unexplainable feeling started", but he doesn't have that.
"Perhaps not, but what would make him like me if we've never interacted?"
Yuuko nods slowly as she thinks through the question. She's not as cynical as Yuuri, and in her heart of hearts she does believe in love at first sight, but Yuuri won't appreciate her saying that. "I don't know," is finally what she settles on. It's a safe answer if not satisfying.
Yuuri is not satisfied. He's still trying to figure out Viktor's motivation. "I mean, I kind of expected him to pity me like most of the kids have been doing. You know, like 'look at this worthless kid who thinks he even has the right to even look at Viktor', you know."
Yuuko frowns. "Wow, okay, Yuuri, that's a little harsh, don't you think?"
"Not really, this isn't the first situation like this. Do you remember that Brazilian girl from two years ago? They acted exactly like that."
Yuuko nods. She does remember the girl, Viviene, and that asshole American, Jake. She had forgotten, but Yuuri's right. All the kids had pitied Viviene. It puts a sour taste in her mouth to think that people might think of Yuuri like that.
An idea makes itself known to Yuuri, "Maybe Viktor was going to make fun of me."
Yuuko protests immediately. "I've talked to Viktor. He seems like a sweet guy. He wouldn't do that."
Yuuri is unconvinced, but doesn't voice his opinion. He's getting tired of the situation, of Viktor, of thinking. He's done. He huffs out a breath. "I've should have just said I had a crush on JJ. JJ's the definition of predictability."
Yuuko grimaces. "Ugh no, be glad you said Viktor. JJ came in here and told me we would get more people in if we put up cardboard cutouts of him. Like, you're unsure of what to do about Viktor, but you would be annoyed beyond belief if you had to deal with JJ."
"With how things are going with Viktor right now, I'd prefer JJ. Maybe if I avoid Viktor, this'll blow over."
Yuuko raises an eyebrow. "Do you honestly think that'll work? We're talking about a guy who came up to you over a rumor he heard."
"If I'm very obvious with my avoidance, maybe he'll back off."
"Does this plan make logical sense to you?"
Yuuri throws up his hands in exasperation. "Logically speaking, none of this makes sense to me. That's the problem. Viktor Nikiforov just doesn't make sense."