"After going back to the top and winning gold once again, Victor Nikiforov has surprised us all by announcing his official retirement from the ice. Even after his retirement, he will live on as one of the best skaters in history.

"Victor Nikiforov has made history and his legacy will live on."
  
  
 
  
 

News articles, blogs, advertisements, and even on talk shows. Everyone seemed to be gushing over the latest news; Victor Nikiforov's official retirement.

After traveling around the world one more year and winning gold one last time, Victor knew that this was the end. There was nothing for him to celebrate that day, in fact, he was surprised he even managed to make it to the final, even more that he won first place. But he hoped that this bad made Yuri proud.

Yuri.

Last news he ever received about him were rumors that he had been released from the hospital and had gone back to Hasetsu. Whether the rumors were true or not was a mystery, but Victor knew there was no reason for Yuri to stay in Russia when his family was back in japan.

And so after holding the final in Tokyo, Victor booked the earliest flight to Hasetsu. It was the last flight of the night and he would be arriving in a couple of hours. He planned to rent a room for the night before going to visit the Katsuki family in the morning.

And so he did.

Part of him wanted to go straight to the hot-springs and run into Yuri's arms as soon as his flight landed, but there's no saying if Yuri even remembers him as someone other than just his idol. And considering he never received a text or a call from him, the chances were practically non-existent.

After renting a room in the nearest hotel to the airport, Victor was asleep in seconds. It wasn't common for him to feel tired after a flight, but lately, most things were taking a tow on him.

Morning had soon arrived and Victor woke up to the sound of soft pitter-patter. He sleepily looked out the window and frowned at the gloomy day as a small rain poured. There's nothing he could do about the weather, so he simply ignored it and headed for a quick shower before changing into a fresh outfit. Just his normal sweatpants and signature shirt.

He slipped on his shoes on the way out and took a sweater and umbrella with him as well. The walk to the Katsuki's hotspring Inn was not a long one and so he decided to simply walk there and clear his mind up a bit.

During his walk, Victor couldn't help but remember all those memories he had when he first came to Hasetsu to be Yuri's coach. They were all great. And if he was being honest, those were the best months or his life he's ever lived. But they were all just memories now...memories that Yuri no longer had.

Instead of cheering himself up a bit, Victor ended up feeling worse by the time he arrived at the Inn. He kind of felt bad for leaving Makkachan back in Tokyo and not bringing him with him, but he didn't plan to stay long, so there really was no point in bringing him.

He pushed the door open and was greeted with the distant warmness he vaguely remembered. A pair of brown eyes looked up from behind the counter and Victor smiled brightly, hiding his sadness.

"Victor? Oh its so good to see you!" Hiroko beamed, walking over to give Victor a warm hug. "Congrats on your victory, but I hear you've retired?"

Victor nodded and Ms. Katsuki smiled tenderly, not asking any questions like most other people would have done. He was a bit grateful for that.

She most likely knew the reason why, either way.

"Actually, I came to see Yuri--"

"I figured you did." She chuckled, "But sadly, he already went out. He said he was going to the Ice Castle to get some practice."

Practice?

He's skating again?

"Oh, thank you. I'll head over there then. Well, take care!" Victor waved as he walked out of the Inn, a bit happy at the news. If Yuri was in the ice rink, it means his injuries must be doing much better now.

The walk to the Ice Castle was a bit unexpected, not that Victor minded. He took the same path both him and Yuri would always take every morning to practice for the competitions. He wanted to feel happy, but the sadness just lingered. And he hated it.

It seemed like lately he couldn't feel either separately.

The doors opened automatically and he entered the building, his eyes scanning the room. It looked just as he remembered it. Even the cool smell was still the same.

Yoko looked up from fixing some skates and her eyes widened a bit.

"Hi, Yoko." Victor greeted her, a bit nervous knowing he was in the same building as Yuri. He noticed the small frown she wore when her eyes met his, but maybe she was just tired.

"I'm guessing you came to see Yuri." She said without much emotion. Victor nodded and after a couple of seconds, Yoko nodded at the doors thay lead to the ice rink. "He's in there, you can go in."

"Thank you." He stopped himself in his tracks and cleared his throat, "Actually, can I ask for a favor?"
 
  

×××××
  
 

Victor hesitantly headed for the double doors and pushed them open, the drop in temperature sending a chill down his spine. His eyes immediately scanned the rink and he easily spotted Yuri skating slowly on the ice.

He quietly shut the door behind him and walked around the rink, his eyes trained on the skater. He took in his appearance. He seemed to have gained a bit of weight since that day, which was a good thing, and upon taking his appereance in more, he seemed well.

Victor noticed how well Yuri was carrying himself in the ice and assumed that he was doing much better now. He smiled, a genuine smile.

But as Yuri turned and Victor finally got a look at his face, he realized the distant look in his eyes. He seemed to be spacing off, face trained down to the ice.

Was he sad?

Victor took a seat by the small entrance to the rink and quickly took off his shoes before changing into the skates he had asked Yoko to borrow. After securing his laces, Victor stood and carefully entered the ice. With ease, he slid over to Yuri who was now resting against the sidebar (idk what it's called?). A few drops of sweat rolling down the side of his face.

Yuri must've heard him coming because he turned around just when Victor was a couple of feet away. Yuri looked confused at first, but then he flashed him a friendly smile.

"Victor? What are you doing he--"

"--Yuri." Victor stopped Yuri mid-sentence and Yuri watched him, waiting for him to continue. Victor outstretched a hand, palm facing upwards in defeat. It was almost like they were back in time to when Victor had told Yuri he would be his coach.

If only they could go back to such simple times.

"Yuri, will you skate with me one last time?" Victor finally asked.

Yuri seemed taken aback for a couple of seconds. But then he noticed how Victor looked. He seemed tired--no, that wasn't it. It wasn't that simple. What could it be?

Heartbroken?

Lost?

Yuri's eyes landed on the shiny ring resting on Victor's outstretched hand and for a second he wondered if that was the ring he had heard so much about.

Even if Yuri couldn't remember, it didn't mean others didn't either.

He's heard countless of stories about him and Victor, and it all seemed like a big dream. Although he loved the idea of being happy, with his idol at that, Yuri felt nothing but admiration for the man. And as much as he tried, he couldn't remember ever spending time with Victor Nikiforov. No matter how many pictures or videos he was shown.

And turthfully, he didn't know if he wanted to.

If Yuri truly loved Victor so much, how could he forget him so easily? Why would Victor abandon him in the first place? It didn't make sense.

But it didn't matter. While back in Hasetsu, Yuri had actually managed to meet new people and is now in a relationship with another man. Part of him felt bad for not waiting for Victor, but who knew how long he would be waiting for, or if he would even come back at all? If his feelings or memories would ever return? Maybe moving on this way wasn't the best thing for Yuri to do, but the damage had been done now and there was no going back.

Yuri looked up and noticed the desperate look in Victor's face. The way his eyes were no longer shining brightly like they once did the first yime he saw him skate during the Junior Division. Both their hands trembled nervously.

Maybe this was his way of saying goodbye, Yuri thought to himself.

And so he smiled and happily took Victor's hand. For the sake of those memories they might've once shared and the old times that he could only dream of remembering. If at one point he ever really loved Victor, then that part of him would want this.

Victor's eyes watered a bit as he was tugged away by a smiling Yuri. He looked down at their intertwined hands and his eyes were trained on Yuri's ring finger, where a matching ring that held a promise once rested. Maybe he should give it back to Yuri, but it was the last thing he had of him, and as selfish as it might be, he wanted to keep it for as long he could.

He had no right to hold Yuri back. Pitchit had told him at one point about this man Yuri was seeing, and even though it hurt, Victor was happy for them. Because Yuri was moving on. He had the chance to have a happy life. And if Yuri forgot those cherished moments they once shared, Victor was going to make sure to hold on to them so they could live on.

I truly hope you can live happily, even if it means I am not part of it.

This is goodbye.

-thank you, Yuri.

 
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
________
THE END

So yeahhh, this is the end I went with. I had mentioned it would be a really short story, and not like my usual, happy ones, and I decided to give this more of a realistic/hopeful ending (I'm a sucker for angst, forgive me)

This was one of the most cliche ideas ever, but i dont rlly care ?? I really love this and I wanted to make one of my own :p

Hopefully you enjoyed this, and if not, then I'm sorry ??? :')
 
 
I guess all i can say is thank you for reading♡♡
 

Love,
Sai x