Scrawl - Victuuri Soulmate AU
http://archiveofourown.org/works/10935837
“Do you want to sleep with me?”
Forward. That is how Viktor would describe his soulmate. He had yet to meet them, but surely they had to be fire incarnate – wild and passionate. He wasn’t sure who had been more mortified, himself or his parents, when he finally reached an age old enough to understand exactly what his soulmate meant by sleep.
At twenty-six years old he was beginning to wonder if he ever would meet them. His parents were, understandably, relieved when he had yet to meet his soulmate at eighteen, but by now he had an inkling of a feeling that his parents were growing concerned too. His mother and father had met at 14 and 13 respectively – their markings far more harmless then his own – and they married shortly after his father turned twenty. They weren’t perfect for each other – no one ever was, soulmates or not – but their love was timeless and they were so in sync with one another at times that Viktor found it hard to believe that they had ever been apart.
He couldn’t wait for when he finally had that, and with each birthday that passed his yearning to meet to his soulmate grew that much more unbearable. Of course, he wasn’t consumed with the thought of meeting his soulmate, his life didn’t revolve around the fine script softly written across his left pec. He had a job, friends, a dog, hobbies – he’d even dated a few people over the years. It never lasted long but he hadn’t been unhappy.
So on Christmas Eve as Viktor sat across from his best friend Chris in the lobby of a high-end hotel, meeting his soulmate was the last thing on his mind. The two had been exchanging gifts – Chris would be with family tomorrow and so – as per the norm – Viktor was receiving his birthday gift a day early. They had dinner plans for the restaurant on the upper floor – Chris’ fiancé being the head chef there – and since they were early they decided to pass sometime in the lobby while they waited for their table.
“You spoil me Chris,” Viktor was saying, chuckling to himself at the way the other man seemed to preen under the praise. It was as Viktor was expressing his sincere thanks that a raised voice a few chairs away caught his and Chris’s attention.
“No! I won’t let you break up with me. We can break up after I have a one-night stand of my own!” the person who had raised their voice had their back turned to him, but Viktor could see how his hands trembled at his sides. He was nowhere near yelling, but his companion seemed exasperated.
“Come on Yuuri, you don’t mean that!”
“I’ve never meant something so much before in my life!” this time the man’s voice was considerably louder, voice steady despite the way the trembles had spread across his entire body.
Never one to keep out of other’s business, Viktor stood up, intent on perhaps convincing the couple to take their spat elsewhere. By now Chris was leaning so far forward in his seat, caught up in the drama, that Viktor was sure he’d fall face first into the ground any second.
“I’ll just sleep with the first person I come across – I mean it!” the man snapped, just as Viktor had walked up to him, before turned swiftly on his heel and proceeding to bump right into Viktor.
The man looked shocked for the briefest of moments before he looked Viktor straight in the eyes and asked, “Do you want to sleep with me?”
And Viktor, recognizing those seven words, immediately said, “I’d love to.”
At twenty-three, Yuuri wasn't too worried about not having met his soul mate yet. He was positive it would happen when it happened, so he felt no need to stress himself out about it. He tended to get anxious a lot, but this was one of the few things he was confident about. Yuuri had only dated one person, and on Christmas Eve he found himself in the nicest hotel he had ever been in – not for a romantic dinner – but to catch his boyfriend in the act of cheating.
The signs had been there for a while now – his boyfriend took longer to text or call him back, was suddenly busy all of the time, and reeked of perfume on more than one occasion. He didn't want to seem paranoid, and he trusted his boyfriend, so he kept coming up with excuses as time went on.
“He is doing his best to hide it, that means he still cares for me.” He would tell himself, but as time past his boyfriend grew sloppy and the signs that had been hung before were suddenly flashing like neon lights and Yuuri found he couldn't deny it any longer.
Still, as he awkwardly stood in the middle of a hotel lobby, he hoped that it was all a big misunderstanding. Though that misunderstanding flew right out of the hotel doors when his boyfriend, with his arm casually thrown over the shoulder of a woman, exited the hotel elevator. The easy smile he had been wearing sliding off his face like wax dripping down a candle when made eye contact with Yuuri across the lobby.
Yuuri watched, as he turned his head to whisper into his lover’s ear, before she was nodding and heading towards the exit and his boyfriend was in turn headed his way.
“Let’s sit,” were the first words out of his mouth and Yuuri stiffly followed him to the seating area of the lobby and out of the entrance way.
They sat, facing one another in silence for one, two, three seconds before Yuuri was asking, “Aren't you going to explain yourself?”
“If I say this is the first time, you won’t believe me. And if I say it’s happened before you’ll be heartbroken” he said and Yuuri bit his lip, a strange combination of distress and utterly pissed boiling beneath his skin – he wasn’t sure which one he felt more.
“I’m sorry,” his boyfriend continued, “It won’t happen again.”
It had been him who asked Yuuri out first, pushing despite Yuuri’s hesitance. Now here he was, looking the picture of insincere as he gave a halfhearted apology, not even having the decency to explain himself.
Yuuri was, first and foremost, probably one of the nicest people you would ever meet. He had his insecurities and sometimes they overwhelmed him, but he had strong beliefs and after weeks of making up excuses for this bastard, Yuuri was done.
“You mean you won’t get caught again.”
“Yuuri,” he sighed, as if he was the one who was hurt, “I apologized. What more do you want?”
They sat in silence once more, Yuuri unable to answer – he wasn’t sure what he wanted. But it sure as hell wasn’t this. To go back in time would be nice – before he made the mistake of agreeing to date this bastard in the first place that is.
“I’m a man Yuuri – young too. It’s not often you’d meet a man that could say no to a woman who practically throws herself at him.”
Because that was a reason to cheat. Yuuri breathed in air through his nose, the sinking feeling in his gut leaving him as he slowly blew air out through his mouth. Annoyance and anger quickly taking its place.
“What kind of excuse is that? I’m a man too – you don’t see me sleeping with other people.”
There was that long-suffering sigh again, it frustrated Yuuri to no end.
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” he said, and then as an afterthought, as if the past few months had meant nothing at all, “Let’s break up then.”
It was the final drop of bullshit, and the endless well of patience he normally had was suddenly full, water spilling out over the edges – taking his normally sweet hearted nature down with it.
Yuuri stood up, the adrenaline that was suddenly rushing through his body making it impossible for him to sit still any longer, “No! I won’t let you break up with me. We can break up after I have a one-night stand of my own!”
Yuuri didn’t mean it, of course he didn’t mean it-- “Come on Yuuri, you don’t mean that”!
But he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to pretend that he did.
“I’ve never meant something so much before in my life!”
His skin felt as if it were on fire, whether it was from embarrassment that he was slowly drawing the attention of others in this very crowded place or from all the adrenaline Yuuri wasn’t sure, but he wanted nothing more to walk out of this hotel and never see this bastard ever again.
“I’ll just sleep with the first person I come across,” and before he could try to tell Yuuri what he felt ever again, Yuuri tacked on “I mean it!” before turning away and bumping right into some poor unsuspecting victim.
His first instinct was to apologize profusely, but as he stared up at this stranger wide-eyed, Yuuri saw an opportunity and took it, “Do you want to sleep with me?”
Perhaps it was the desperation in his eyes that made the man take pity on him, but as the words “I’d love to,” left the man’s lips, Yuuri had never felt more relieved in his life.
Shaking the shock off his face, Viktor quickly jumped into action. He slid his arm around the red-faced man's waist – Yuuri his companion had called him – and lead him towards the elevators. He glanced at Chris – whose jaw had damn near hit the floor and mouthed “I'll be back”. To which Chris simply waved him on, eyes sparkling as he did so.
Yuuri’s boyfriend stood slack-jawed as they walked away before stumbling after them once they entered the elevators. He was clearly at a loss for words and Viktor tried to look as smug as possible as the elevator doors slid shut – the other man gaping like a fish as he stood outside the elevator.
Once the doors were shut, Viktor let go of Yuuri, eager to see if his words, “I’d love to,” were scrawled anywhere on this beautiful man’s skin.
Yuuri on the other hand, was a bundle of nerves, and as the elevator jerked into motion the threads that had been holding him together snapped, and like a puppet with broken strings he slumped in on himself, tears suddenly falling from his eyes like a sudden summer drizzle.
“I’m sorry,” he stuttered, trying to keep it together and not make an even bigger fool of himself, “I don’t really want to sleep with you. I just said that. I don’t know what I was thinking – I was just so mad.”
The words tumbled out before he could stop them and Yuuri sucked in a choking breath, chancing a glance up at the Viktor who was frowning at him in what Yuuri would define as polite – if a frown could be so.
“It’s quite alright,” Viktor soothed, “I didn’t think you meant it. Actually I…” he hesitated, unsure if now was an appropriate time for him to bring up the fact that they might be soul mates.
“I have a reservation at the restaurant on the top floor – join me, at least until you’ve calmed down.” Viktor said – he’d have to shoot Chris a text, but he was positive the other man wouldn’t mind – he knew what Viktor’s soul mark said – and Chris’ own soul mate would probably get him another booth anyway.
Yuuri stared up at Viktor, wiping the stubborn tears away as he did so – nothing but kindness was reflected in the stranger’s eyes and Yuuri found himself nodding despite himself. It was better than heading back down stairs, where there was a chance his boyfriend – ex really – could still be waiting for him. Though somehow Yuuri knew it was probably unlikely.
By the time they reached the top floor the tears had stopped and Yuuri sniffled into the tissue he had pulled from his pocket. He, regrettably, had always been quick to cry. The plus side was that he knew how to postpone the waterworks until he was alone.
They were seated almost instantly, a private booth that had a nice view of the skyline, and Yuuri found himself shifting awkward in the plush leather seats.
“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said again, once the waitress had left after having seated them, “And thank you for… playing along.”
“It was no problem at all,” Viktor replied, eyes twinkling – despite the circumstances he found he could not stop smiling, “I’m Viktor by the way. Viktor Nikiforov.”
“Oh.” Yuuri startled, smiling back to the best of his ability, “I’m Yuuri Katsuki. It’s nice to meet you.”
They fell into a comfortable silence after that and the waitress stopped by a few seconds later to get their drink order and Yuuri finally turned his attention to the menu once she had left again.
There were no prices on the menu, and Yuuri inwardly cringed – bidding sayonara to his paycheck as he looked for what he could only assume was the cheapest menu item.
Viktor’s cell buzzed in his pocket and he quickly turned his attention to the device – remembering he need to text Chris. The buzzing had been a text from the man himself, asking for details – the text dripping with innuendos in a way only Chris could convey without having to even voice the question aloud.
With his reply sent, Viktor turned his attention back to Yuuri – his soul mate - hopefully that is.
“Go ahead and order whatever you like. I have a voucher.”
“Are you sure?” Yuuri asked, a little nervous. People in this day and age weren’t normally so giving, “I can pay for myself.”
“Nonsense,” Viktor assured, “It’s the holidays. The vouchers were a gift anyway – it’s no big deal.”
Yuuri stared at Viktor a moment longer, trying to gauge whether Viktor was just a selfless person or if he had some sort of ulterior motive.
Viktor held his gaze properly, a gentle smile on his lips before Yuuri reluctantly gave in, “Alright then. Thank you.”
“Great!” Viktor cheered, “If you don’t mind – I have some suggestions. The food here is amazing, but you have to try their Aglio Et Olio. It’s such a simple dish but every time I’ve tried to make it it's never come out right!”
When Yuuri had been on his way to the hotel earlier today, the last thing he expected was to have one of the nicest dinners he had had in a long time with a man he had just met. But dinner with Viktor had been nice – the man was like a giant puppy and Yuuri found it hard to focus on all the awful stuff that had happened today. He was sure, that once he went home he’d have to face the music, but for now it was nice to not stress out over everything.
It was after they had finished their food, the waitress having already cleared their plates that the mood suddenly turned serious.
“Yuuri,” Viktor started, and Yuuri could feel his stomach twist with nerves, “I don’t mean to throw this on you. And I want you to know I’m not expecting anything from you right now and I hope I’m not too forward but… your soul mark…”
Yuuri frowned – he hadn’t known Viktor very long, but the man seemed nervous, which in turn made him nervous. But when the mood had taken a turn, the last thing Yuuri had expected was the conversation to head towards soul marks.
“It wouldn’t happen to say ‘I’d love to,’ would it?”
Yuuri’s breath caught in his throat, and his hand unconsciously shot to the neckline of his shirt, where he made sure it covered the messy writing just below his collar bone.
“How did you--?” he started and the serious look on Viktor’s face morphed into one of relief before the man was grinning the most adorable heart shaped smile Yuuri had ever seen.
“Because mine says ‘Do you want to sleep with me’ and so Yuuri… we’re soulmates.”
There was a split second of shock, where Yuuri felt like all the breath in his lungs had been stolen from him, before embarrassment set in.
“Oh no,” Yuuri said, and Viktor might have been worried if the words weren’t spoken so lightly, “I really said that didn’t I? That’s so – I can’t. You must have thought I was some… some vixen!”
Viktor guffawed at that, not expecting such a reaction.
“Well,” Viktor said, voice teasing, “I must admit I always pictured you as a very bold person – my poor mother was worried half to death when I was a kid.”
Despite himself, Yuuri found himself smiling, a contagious laugh bubbling in his throat, “That’s so embarrassing – I’ll need to apologize to your mother if I ever meet her.”
The pair dissolved into laughter, behavior probably unfitting for such a high-end restaurant but neither of them could find it in themselves to care.
The giggles faded after a moment and Viktor couldn’t help his fond smile as Yuuri wiped non-existent tears from the corner of his eyes.
“Can I… see your mark?” Yuuri asked and Viktor grinned a grin Yuuri was beginning to learn spelled trouble.
“I always knew you were… what was it? A vixen. Trying to get me out of my shirt on the first date – and in public no less!”
It was amazing how easy and comfortable it was between them, but that comfort had already been present long before Yuuri knew that Viktor was his soulmate. Viktor was just that kind of person – the type that was able to draw others out of their shell so easily.
“Viktor,” Yuuri groaned – he had a feeling that jokes like these were going to be abundant.
Victor just smiled cheekily and then glancing around to make sure the waitress wasn’t near, lifted his shirt, where Yuuri’s own handwriting was on display across Viktor’s chest. It was almost surreal and when Viktor dropped his shirt back down Yuuri returned the favor in kind by pulling his collar down to display Viktor’s messy scrawl.
“I think it’s my turn to apologize,” Viktor said, “My handwriting’s always been awful.”
Yuuri just smiled, shaking his head as he released his collar, “I kind of like it. It's… unique.”
They fell into silence once more but this one felt awkward and terse, very unlike any silence between them before.
“I’m…” Yuuri began, “Well as you know I just got out of a bad relationship…”
Yuuri hesitated, struggling to find words.
“Don’t worry,” Viktor said after a beat of silence, “I told you I had no expectations. We don’t know if we are platonic or romantic soul mates and any relationship we have together I want it to because we want it. Not simply because I have your soul mark and you have mine.”
Yuuri smiled, a soft puff of air leaving him in relief.
“I’m glad. To be honest, the last thing I expected was to meet my soul mate today of all days,” Yuuri confessed.
“You and me both.”
The awkward air from earlier was effectively dispelled and Viktor stretched, “We should probably get going then. Could I have your number Yuuri?”
“Sure,” Yuuri replied, fishing his phone out of his pocket, “We should meet up again sometime soon.”
Viktor nodded, pulling his own phone out as well.
“Are you doing anything tomorrow?”
Yuuri laughed, “Well I wasn’t planning on much – I already mentioned my family lives out of the country. But don’t you think it’s a little too soon to be celebrating Christmas together?”
“You’re right,” Viktor chuckled, “Good thing tomorrow’s my birthday.”
Yuuri looked incredulous for half a second before smiling, “Good thing indeed.”
A year and a half later Viktor found himself nestled comfortably on Yuuri’s couch, absorbed in the show that was playing on the television. They had only just started dating four months ago but they had been fast friends from the start. Over time Viktor had learned that Yuuri wasn’t what he imagined him to be – he was better. He’d always pictured some confident spitfire but Yuuri was more than that. He was somehow both shy and sweet but also oozed a sensuality that even Yuuri didn’t know he had in him.
It was sometimes hard to believe that Yuuri’s first words to him had been what they were, but other times it seemed to match Yuuri perfectly.
When he was younger he couldn’t wait to finally meet Yuuri and in mere moments Yuuri had taken all those years of waiting and made them entirely worth it.
As for Yuuri, he always knew the time to meet his soul mate would come, so he wasn’t ever waiting for it, but rather patiently expecting it. Of course, he had never imagined they would meet how they did, but Yuuri supposed he wouldn’t want it any other way. Viktor had, essentially, taken what was slated to be one of the worst days ever, and turned it into one of the best.
“Viktor,” Yuuri drawled from his spot next to Viktor, effectively pulling his attention away from the television, “Do you want to sleep with me?”
There was a promise in those words that took Viktor’s breath away – it always seemed like Yuuri was always one step ahead of him. He angled his body towards Yuuri – facing him fully as he reached a hand out to caress his cheek.
Yuuri’s eyes fluttered shut as he placed his own hand over Viktor’s, sighing softly as the other man nuzzled his neck, lips grazing the skin there as he responded, “I’d love to.”
Notes:
Their first meeting was inspired by Love In Trouble - the inspiration hit so hard I stopped watching in the middle to go write this.
