Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

In the end, Viktor had Makkachin to thank for finding the love of his life.

Being neck deep in shooting his newest movie, another Hollywood tearjerker drama about a legendary figure skater and how he tried to get his life back together after an injury ended his career early, Viktor felt like he was drowning and burning out the same way his character had. He was a cliche, two time Academy Award winner at twenty-seven, an ex-child actor prodigy turned into international sensation… he was simply tired both as a person and as a performer.

His only solace in the whole charade of keeping on a happy face was Makkachin, his oldest friend. The poodle faithfully followed him from shooting to shooting, staying by his side and always finding a way to put a real smile onto Viktor’s face even when he was in his deepest slum. This time, they were filming in a small Japanese town, an almost welcome change from the absolute over-crowdedness of Tokyo where they had shot the fateful World Championship scenes.

Hasetsu was nice and mostly quiet, people not as pushy despite the obvious interest, and Viktor’s accommodation at the last hot spring inn still operating in town was great, especially because the owners did not blink twice when they had seen all the furniture Viktor arrived with. They even welcomed Makkachin warmly, telling Viktor about how their son had a similar dog he loved dearly. It made warming up to the couple much easier.

By the time they had been in Hasetsu for a week, Viktor felt like he didn’t want to leave ever again. And it was only partly because of Hiroko’s wonderful pork cutlet bowls she so lovingly plied him with. Another reason he didn’t want to go back to Hollywood was the lack of endless schmoozing and drama in Hasetsu. No one really cared who he was, and even the fans and gawkers gathered to catch him and his co-actors seemed to be more respectful in their approach.

Viktor liked to take Makkachin on long walks around town when he had some time off filming, stopping to talk to some of the people even and listening to their mundane stories. It made him wonder what he would have done if his mother hadn’t taken him to his first casting when he was seven and had grown up to be another regular person without anyone knowing his name. It was an interesting thought, going to school and maybe even to college, staying in Russia or maybe still moving to the States. Maybe his parents wouldn’t have gotten a divorce if he had been just another regular child. Maybe he would be working in an office… or maybe he would be a figure skater, aiming to become a champion. He would never know, but sometimes it was nice if somewhat depressing to think about what ifs.

On his tenth day in Hasetsu, he expected nothing spectacular to happen. He finished filming relatively early considering he had been at the ice rink since four that morning, and decided to go out for dinner for a change while he took Makkachin out for his daily walk. People greeted him warmly, the people at the market offering him fruits and goods and kind words like always. Makkachin was basking in the affection he was getting, butting his head against the hands petting his fur. It made Viktor smile wider and somehow by the time they left the market he was laden with bags of goods he would probably hand off to Hiroko once they got back to Yu-Topia.

He wasn’t really looking where they were going, the town was small and getting lost was literally impossible, content to allow Makkachin to lead him wherever he wanted to go. He enjoyed the cool early spring air and the salty aftertaste it left on his tongue despite not being down at the beach, admiring the quiet of the early evening and loving how different it was from the constant noise and rush of Hollywood. He was so deep in his thought that he didn’t even notice that Makkachin had stopped walking at first. Only when he was almost yanked back by the resistance of the leash as he walked by did he look up to see his friend practically plastered to the window display of a small store Viktor hadn’t seen before, his pink tongue lolling out at whatever he was seeing inside.

Going closer, Viktor was surprised at the gorgeous, colorful display of cakes Makkachin was staring at, the sight mouthwatering and inviting. It wasn’t even a question if they would go in, a decision that only got cemented in his mind when he saw the pet friendly sticker on the door. Smiling down at Makkachin, Viktor opened the door and stepped inside, instantly charmed by the warm, heavenly smell of sugar, spices and baked goods.

“Come, Makkachin, let’s see what is on offer,” he said, chuckling when Makkachin all but rushed inside, his claws clinking excitedly against the polished tiles.

Viktor expected to see a typical cafe like you would find in the many films he starred in. He was expecting to find a cosy corner, where he could sit and indulge his sweet tooth, preferably with multiple items. What he did not expect was for Makkachin to leap up and tackle somebody onto the ground.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Viktor hastily helped the young man up after pulling Makkachin off him. Another surprise; the young man had the most gorgeous eyes he had ever seen. They were a rich brown, almost burgundy under the light. Viktor caught himself, giving a slight shake of his head to clear the thought before apologising. “I am so sorry! Makka is normally much better behaved than this. He must really like you.”

The young man laughed. The sound he emitted was like tinkling bells to Viktor’s ears. He could spend his life listening to it.

“Don’t worry about it.” The smile the man flashed at Viktor was enough to make his heart skip a beat. “I’m kinda used to it, as my dog does the same to me as well. First time I fell though,” he said and the blush that painted his cheeks only enhanced his looks in Viktor’s mind.

The man must have gotten self-conscious, as he hastily straightened out his uniform and coughed slightly, before shifting into a professional tone. “Welcome to Agape & Eros . My name is Yuuri. How may I serve you today?”

Viktor blinked, finally remembering where he was and the purpose of entering the store.

“Ah, well, what are the names of the cakes on display?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri craned his neck, eyebrows furrowing as he peered at the displays, before smoothing out as he recalled them.

“Well, the three on the top are the generic flavors: tiramisu, red velvet and black forest. The ones below them are our popular cakes: Hakuto Jelly cake, Buccellato and Cassata. Of course, we do have other varieties and desserts as well, so feel free to peruse the menu!” Yuuri chirped out.

Viktor smiled widely, charmed by Yuuri’s knowledge and eagerness. He picked one of the tables closest to the counter, hoping to see as much of Yuuri as possible even as he picked up the intricate black and silver lace decorated menu. The lettering were done in white cursive and he couldn’t help but brush his finger over the slightly raised words, feeling the texture glide under his skin.

The offered drinks were numerous, and thankfully also listed in roman letters under the kanji, making it easier for him to understand what he was reading. Some of the coffees had interesting fantastical names, such as Phichit’s Dream and J.J. Style, but no description, both intriguing and making him wary of what they could possibly taste like. Viktor would claim to be an adventurous man, but past experiences had made him cautious of the unknown, especially when it concerned food.

However, it was the perfect opportunity to call Yuuri back and ask him more questions.

Viktor started to look for Yuuri, and finding him behind the counter, started waving energetically to attract his attention. When Yuuri arrived, Viktor beamed at him sunnily. “Hi there! I… need some help?” He gestured despairingly at the menu. “There’s just too many choices! Which ones do you like?”

Yuuri paused for a moment. “Well, as mentioned, the most popular flavours in the shop are the Hakuto Jelly cake, Buccellato and Cassata. The Hakuto Jelly cake is a…”

Viktor interrupted him however. “Uh-uh. I think you misunderstood the question. I’m asking which one you like best.”

“Oh…” Yuuri looked down at his folded hands in front of his apron. “My favorite is the Ptichye Moloko, but that’s just my personal opinion. Not many people seem that interested in it though.”

“Great! I’ll go with that! Now for drinks…”

“You will?” Yuuri seemed surprised. “I don’t want to make you try it just because I like it. It’s not that–”

“I’ll go with that,” Viktor repeated, more firmly this time. “You know it might just bring back some childhood memories…” He left the sentence open, hoping Yuuri would take the bait and ask questions.

“Oh? Did you grow up in Russia?” Viktor internally cheered. ‘He took it! He took the bait!’ Outward, however, Viktor maintained his normal composure, nodding. “Yes… well I spent part of my early years there. In fact, I was born in St. Petersburg! When I was eight years old however, I started to travel around, and spent less time home.”

It was refreshing to talk about himself to someone who wasn’t falling over themselves to get to know as much about him as possible and then post it on the internet or sell it to some magazine or another. Of course, he could be wrong and Yuuri could be simply pretending not to know him, but somehow, he was sure it wasn’t the case. And even if it were, it was nice to be treated like a normal person for once. It made him feel welcome just like he had when he arrived to Yu-Topia.

“Ah, I’d better get your order. It was nice chatting with you!” Yuuri blushed and hurried away.

Viktor was disappointed that Yuuri didn’t ask more questions or let him talk more about himself. Maybe it was cunning of him to try to leave him clues and see Yuuri’s reactions, but he had burnt himself too many times not to be careful about who he let close to himself. He watched Yuuri’s retreating back, his gaze dropping to the nice curve of Yuuri’s butt and following the round globes covered in a form fitting pair of black pants until they disappeared behind the counter.

Viktor leaned back in his chair, absentmindedly petting Makhachin’s fur, who had put his head on his thigh while Viktor was talking to Yuuri. Makkachin wagged his tail lazily and licked at his fingers affectionately, making Viktor sigh wistfully.

“He’s adorable, isn’t he?” he murmured, taking Makkachin’s answering huff as agreement. “Let’s get to know him better, alright?” He looked down at his friend, raising an eyebrow. “I’ll need your help, of course. You need to be your usual enchanting self.”

Makkachin wuffed and wagged his tail excitedly. Viktor took that as a yes.

When his order arrived, Viktor was in awe. The slice of cake was a work of art! Viktor was almost loathe to eat it. However, one cannot have one’s cake and eat it too, so he settled for taking multiple shots of the slice, uploading the best one onto instagram, but not tagging the bakery in the last second out of pure selfishness before digging in. He wanted to keep Yuuri’s brilliance to himself.

The mouthful he took was enough to make him question his past cake choices.

“Vkusno!” He exclaimed, delighted. It was the best he had ever tasted! He took small mouthfuls, savouring each bite as though it was his last meal. All too soon, however, he was down to his last bite and he looked at the little forkful of cake mournfully before popping it into his mouth.

He hummed in delight, eyes closed to memorize the magical tastes bursting on his tongue.

“That was the best Ptichye Moloko I’ve ever tasted!” Viktor gushed enthusiastically as he waited for Yuuri to pack up the additional slices he decided to order for takeaway.

“Thank you!” Yuuri beamed, his cheeks pink and his warm brown eyes shining with pleasure.  It made Viktor wish to see him blush in a different setting. His fingers tingled with the need to touch the rosy skin, to feel its warmth and see how far it would spread. “Uhm… If you want, I could share the recipe with you?” Yuuri added shyly, though he ended up making it sound more like a question than a statement. “Since you mentioned that you’ve had it as a child, I thought that you might like to know how to make it…” He trailed off, seemingly unsure of how to continue.

Viktor was touched. Yuuri was truly an angel! Additionally, this granted him a chance to obtain Yuuri’s contact details. Score!

“That would be great!” Viktor nodded happily. He quickly took out his phone and passed it to Yuuri to key in his contact details. He then fired off a quick message to the new addition in his contact list with the simple message of “This is Viktor Nikiforov”. He waited for the recognition to dawn on Yuuri’s face as he read the message. However, Yuuri simply hummed and said, “So your name is Viktor. Well, Viktor, it was nice to meet you. I’ll send you the recipe later if that’s okay?”

‘Yes, of course,” Viktor agreed eagerly, already looking forward to reading Yuuri’s message even if it was only a recipe.

Walking out of the small bakery with a small takeaway box, a name card and the contact details of one Yuuri Katsuki, Viktor stooped down to bury his face into Makkachin’s fur.

“Oh Makka, I think I’m in love.”

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Ptichye Moloko

Chocolate Glaze: