Chapter Text
How did a world famous dancing talent-turned-choreographer find himself trudging through icy winds and the busy streets of Japan all on his lonesome?
The simple answer is that Viktor Nikiforov, a multiple award winner for his performances across the globe, owner of more gold medals than he can count, has become bored.
It’s not necessarily the fault of one thing or the other, just a stagnation on his current life, having all but retired from competition, it has become increasingly difficult for him to remain interested in the sport he still dearly loved.
And it’s also why he’s trekking through the country, searching for inspiration anywhere he can find it, using maps from magazines and internet articles to guide his journey, which is how he ended up just a few feet away from a building dubbed “The Ice Castle”.
It had, for at least a few months now, if not years, felt as if something was missing in his life, whether it was the rush of actual competition or not, he wasn’t sure, but even the thought of it hadn’t done much to rectify his situation.
Such beliefs had brought him this far, and as he stood in front of the gate, peering up at the building from the bottom of a mild incline, he hoped that, after so long, he might find an answer.
To his initial surprise, the latch opened without so much of a buzzer or a key or any sort of device, given how well off the place seemed to be and how much he had read about it in the weeks prior to this trip, he was expecting something of a hassle to get in.
He instead merely finished his approach by reaching the two large front doors and, after a moment to fix his wind blown hair, let himself in.
The dancer was greeted with a warm, almost homely atmosphere, and a brightened interior, one that didn’t match some of the things he’d seen in the slightest, which caused him to reach his right up to his chin.
Most, if not all of the reports that he’d read made mention of something a little less family friendly, but still just as high in quality as the rest of the building.
Not that he was necessarily looking for such a room, of course, even he scoffed at such an idea as he scanned over the room for some entrance point or proof of it’s existence.
Viktor didn’t have to look too hard, however, as two doors similar to the decorated ones he’d walked through just moments ago were located in the very back of the establishment, with a neon-lit sign above them that read “Adults Only” and a sort of fog seeping from underneath them.
Having, presumably at least, found the second half of the building, Nikiforov took some time to enjoy the environment he found himself in, the welcoming feel that surrounded him and the various scents and sounds of food cooking just beyond a counter.
It was definitely an improvement over some locations, but still not what he was truly looking for, and as he snapped pictures and selfies with his phone, he began to wander around, merely exploring and postponing his inevitable trip to the back.
His device was lowered back into his pocket as soon as the screen read sent, allowing him to peruse the few spots in the room he hadn’t yet, and, inadvertently, check to see if anyone noticed who he was.
The dancer wouldn’t have been surprised either way, but after a few steps around and a little backtracking, he let out a subtle sigh of relief, as he knew that if anyone did recognize him, and even worse, watched him enter the darkened room, it could be somewhat disastrous.
With the room cleared, and his own thoughts and concerns as quieted as they were going to get, Viktor took in a breath and approached the backroom and twisted the knobs before him, stepping through with his eyes shut.
Music roared in this place, a beat pouring out over the surprisingly large crowd as various people rocked and moved against metal poles planted throughout the somewhat large area.
He paid them as little mind as he could for the time being, keeping a wandering eye to himself as he made his way to an open chair that was placed around a currently empty main stage, sitting himself down onto the cushiony surface with ease just before an attendant quizzed him about a drink.
Once the waiter was dealt with, sent off for a simple glass of water, for now anyway, Viktor started to get comfortable in his seat, again taking in his surroundings as the red lights hanging around the room flashed and the performers did their thing.
It was definitely notable how good at their jobs some of them were, their talent and ability matching the establishment they were working in, and while he didn’t watch just one, he found the tone of the room to be a lighter, friendly one, again lining up with what he had walked into.
“Viktor? What’s going on, man?” A familiar voice suddenly rang out off to his right side, startling him some and even prompting his slight smile to fade into a more neutral look as he quickly shifted to investigate.
“Christophe? What are you doing here?” Viktor replied, his voice as stunned as the rest of him as the man bent over and rested a shoulder on the top of the chair with a smirk across his face.
Of all the places to find a friend and a former competitor, the middle of a somewhat fancy strip club area, miles away from either of their homelands, was certainly not one that had crossed the dancer’s mind.
“Same thing as you, I’d imagine.” Chris replied with a quieted chuckle in his voice, keeping his almost smug expression up as he took a sip from the glass he held in his right hand before nudging a spare chair over and taking a seat.
“Oh, n-no, I’m not here for anything like that.” The man quickly responded, shaking his head with his hands raised, a nervous smile forming on his face as a blush became lightly painted over it.
“Heh, well, I wouldn’t be so sure.” His fellow dancer said, patting his left hand against his back, inadvertently jolting his friend forward as he took another drink from his steadily drying cup.
“Well, ah-anyway, why are you really...all the way out here?” Viktor shifted back to his original question, keeping composure as his own drink arrived, using it to bury any notable signs of being the least bit flustered.
“Oh, I come here all the time, it’s a very nice place, great for vacations.” Christophe answered, his tone of voice as soft as it had ever been as he nodded at the waiter for a refill.
“I’ve even performed here before, you know?” He smoothly added, his typical smirk returning as he received a fresh glass and lifted it up towards his left, having a sort of toast with his friend before taking a drink from it.
“But it’s been more fun to just sit back and relax, there’s this one guy, and you’re right on time, he’s great.” The man finished, nodding to the opposite chair as he placed his drink back down on the table between them.
His remarks caused Viktor’s brow to ruffle some, a slightly confused, intrigued look forming on his face as his attentions were brought away from his more personal conversation, and instead put on the announcement taking place over the music.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for your main event of the evening.” The booming voice spoke, his words having a similar effect on the rest of the room as they had on the dancer, who watched as the various dancers left their stations and went behind a curtain.
“Performing to a song entitled “Eros” tonight, it’s Katsuki Yuuri!” And, with a click of an assumed microphone, the voice vanished, and the room got even darker as the lights dimmed as low as they could go.
“Katsuki Yuuri?” Viktor audibly questioned, keeping an eye on the rounded platform in front of him as he found himself somewhat eagerly awaiting whatever was about to happen.
“Oh yes, he’s very famous around here, this is practically his club.” Chris chimed in, reclining in his seat as others seemingly flooded around the stage, an immense level of anticipation setting into the entire room.
Red lights grew from the circle in front of him, getting gradually brighter as a beat kicked back in and sound overtook the room again, though the crowd remained silent until the bright red curtains were slowly pulled back and a shadowy form approached.
Nearly everyone, even Christophe, went wild, cheers and yells breaking out from all sides, almost overtaking the cool beat of the track as Viktor remained in place, still somewhat dumbfounded and confused.
“Chris, what’s-” He began to ask as the figure stepped into the lights that illuminated the stage and a black and silver outfit came into sight, of which Viktor took his time to analyze from the bottom up.
Shiny black shoes, tight leather pants, a top that was half black and half transparent, adorned with what appeared to be silver stones, fingerless gloves, a choker, and jet black hair that was pushed backwards.
It was a sight to behold, just as the man who was wearing the outfit was, though he was certainly the centerpiece, in Viktor’s eyes at least, and as he watched the breathtaking figure extend his arms and tightly grip the metal in front of him, the dancer felt as if time could have stopped.
The world still moved around him, though now it seemed to revolve only around Yuuri, the crowd only getting louder as he gradually started a routine, slipping and sliding against the pole while notably scanning through the herd of people around him and eventually stopping cold on the seat that was dead center in front of him.
Viktor could feel the air leaving his body, the room suddenly seemed as if it were lit on fire, and as he watched the performer finish his preliminary moves, he could have sworn this was a dream.
With a narrowing of his eyelids, a blown kiss, and a wink, Katsuki Yuuri visibly shook the man from the trance he found himself under, but only succeeded in shooting him straight into another one, one which had his eyes lock onto his body for the rest of the evening.
Katsuki found himself affected as well, infected, it seemed, with a sharp smirk that didn’t leave his lips for the entirety of his performance, a grin that was firmly pointed at Nikiforov, who found it impossible to keep his back against the chair.
Normally, Yuuri kept people from hovering over the stage, his stage, but as the stricken man inched himself closer and even bent further over, he not only allowed it, but gave him something to look at.
If Viktor hadn’t already felt as if he was knocking on Heaven’s door, he would certainly have started pounding as Yuuri shook his leather clad ass directly at him, improvising a slide around and down the pole in order to work the move into the end of his routine.
With a final, shared glimpse at one another, both staring directly into the other’s eyes, Katsuki Yuuri strutted away, vanishing along with the beat as the lights came up and the world continued to spin.
For Nikiforov, however, things remained frozen for some time after the act, his mind locked on the dancer and his performance and the way his body moved, his heart pounding and pulsing in his chest as he clutched it and found himself barely able to blink.
For the first time in a very long time, he felt a passion seep into his chest and take root, a spark long thought dead, or dying at the very least, he felt what he believed was inspiration, interest, he finally found and felt what he had been missing for so long.
Viktor Nikiforov, for all his travels and struggles, finally felt love.