The best part about being a figure skater was definitely the travel. Not many sports gave their athletes the chance to fly across the world to compete, especially not this frequently. With how many competitions were crammed into the season, it wasn't common for a skater to be in a different timezone, even different continent, every week.

Yuuri felt his stomach lurch when the wheel of the plane connected with the concrete of the runway. He noticed everyone in the surrounding seats beginning to shift, collecting all of their belongings so that they could get off the aircraft as quickly as possible. Yuuri was never especially rushed at this point, he knew very well that getting off of a plane was never a speedy endeavour. As long as he wasn't pressed for time, he didn't mind the wait. What he did need to figure out though, was how to wake up the sleeping Russian that was leaning into his shoulder.

It always amazed him how easily Viktor was able to sleep in any situation. Hardwood floor? No problem. Drunk and naked? He did that all the time. Heck, he would fall asleep on the ice if given the chance. So the fact that Viktor had managed to sleep in a cramped airplane seat, on what was arguably one of the worst flights Yuuri had ever been on wasn't even remotely a surprise. There had been turbulence, a screaming baby, every single one of those things you hope you don't encounter. Yet Viktor had very peacefully slept through all of it, his ashen-blond head resting peacefully on Yuuri's shoulder.

"Viktor." Yuuri poked at the russian's cheek with his forefinger. "We landed. Get up already."

Viktor slowly stirred awake, blinking his eyes quickly to adjust to the artificial lighting in the plane. "Are we here already?" His voice was groggy. The older man sat himself up, looking around the cabin of the plane, noticing the people lined up in the aisle and pulling their bags out of the overhead compartment.

"Already?" Yuuri repeated the question. "It was a five hour flight, and a ten hour one before that. What do you mean "already"?"

Instead of answering, Viktor just waved the question off. He quickly stuck a leg out into the aisle, casually enough that no one would complain, but enough so to mark that he was going to stand up, and no one was to try and stop him from getting into the aisle. The second he was standing, Viktor reached a hand out to Yuuri, who happily took it, and helped the other man up to his feet. Once Yuuri was standing in front of him, Viktor reached above his head, and opened the compartment there, and pulled down a backpack,which was Yuuri's, and one small suitcase.

"You being tall is so helpful." Yuuri said. He slung his backpack over his shoulder. He started taking a few steps forward as the crowd of people got off the plane, pulling his bags with him. "I always have such a hard time with that."

"At least you don't struggle as much with cramped spaces." The russian laughed, stretching out his arms as if to prove a point.

"I might not have it has rough as you, but it's not like I have a whole lot of space either."

The two finally stepped off the plane and managed to find a spot on the wall to figure out what their next move was. They needed to go to baggage claim, and then customs, but first meant they had to orient themselves and figure out the signs.

They were in the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, somewhere Yuuri had been many times, but it always took him a little while to gather his thoughts before he could understand his location within the massive complex. Thankfully, Yuuri was better at reading english than Viktor was. While Viktor was great at conversation, Yuuri would sometimes that english wasn't his first language either, but also that the other man didn't have the experience of living in the United States like Yuuri had.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" The blond asked for the umpteenth time as they walked towards baggage claim.

"Are you seriously doubting me?" Yuuri put on his best 'offended' face and looked up those extra few inches to meet the other's gaze.

"Net, net." Viktor said quickly. "I never doubt you." He stopped walking when the pair got close to the baggage carousel. They waited for their luggage to come out, and chatted about their purpose for being in the United States.

Phichit had called a while back to make the arrangements. There was an annual skate competition in Detroit that Yuuri and Phichit had both competed in back when Yuuri still lived in the large city. It wasn't too large, but it was always a good excuse to get some competition practice in, and for the international boys, it gave them the chance to meet upcoming skaters on this half of the world. It also carried a lot of nostalgia. By some miracle, the dates matched up, and Yuuri and Viktor bought their tickets to meet their friend in Detroit.

Now, here they were. Viktor running up the the belt the second he saw their large suitcase they had checked, yanking it off the belt, and wheeling it back to Yuuri's side. The pair only checked the one suitcase for the two of them, with two small carry-ons. This wasn't going to be a long visit, so they decided to save the money on checking another bag, and pack minimally. Both of their skates were in it, as well as Yuuri's performance outfits, but it still left plenty of room for clothes for both of them.

They followed the crowd to customs, and waited in the 'Non-Citizen' line. That line just took forever. Between the number of people in the line, and the number of them speaking broken english, on the off chance the people here spoke any english at all. It took almost an hour before it was finally Yuuri and Viktor's turns. Because they had passports from different nations, they had to go up to different booths. Separating from Viktor in such a crowded space always made Yuuri nervous. Especially in a place with people of different cultures. In Japan he could at least always tell there the really tall blonde guy was in the crowd, but here, far too many people fit that description. The second Yuuri was through customs, he found a sign to stand by and stood completely still with his cellphone in his hands. He looked anxiously through the crowd, trying to pick out his coach.

"Yuuri!"

Yuuri heard his name being called before he felt the weight of the tall russian slamming into him. He was almost knocked completely off balance, but managed to support himself using the handle of the smaller suitcase they had. He immediately found himself wrapped up in a big hug, one that he was very content in returning. What was more shocking to the asian man was the kiss that found itself on his cheek.

"Wh-what?" He looked up at Viktor with wide eye, only to be met with a wider smile.

"We're officially in the US now Yuuri. I can actually legally love you here." The moment the words left Viktor's mouth, a blush grew on to Yuuri's face.

"Don't be so embarrassing." The younger of the two suddenly became very self conscious of the number of people surrounding them.

The two had started going out directly before the competition in China, but they were forced to keep it extremely low-key by the nature of it alone. Both Yuuri and Viktor had the misfortune of being born into countries that were strongly opposed to homosexuality, and anything similar. A gay relationship was extremely taboo in Japan, and even though the town Yuuri was from was very accepting of the two, they still were strongly discouraged from doing so much as hold hands in public. Being honest, Yuuri hadn't even thought about going to America as a chance to express their relationship more. But now that the thought was planted in his head, he was suddenly extremely happy.

"Then…" Yuuri's voice trailed off, as though he were stopping himself from saying what was really on his mind. "We should get going .Phichit is going to be waiting for us.

Spending time with Phichit was as calming as a gust of wind. The Thai boy was extremely energetic, but in the best way possible. He had always been the perfect balance against Yuuri's anxious nature, but he never overstepped boundaries. It was a large aspect of why the two got along so well.

The second Yuuri and Viktor made it to Phichit's apartment, where they would be staying while in America, the energetic twenty year-old pulled both of them in for a quick selfie. He took one with the whole group, and another with just Yuuri alone. As he posted the pictures to Instagram, Yuuri was just barely able to make out what the caption said.

"Reunited with bae(s)!"

"You really should get an Insta sometime Yuuri." Phichit said while the three sat over diner food. After their flight, Yuuri and Viktor were both starving, and craving something other than airline food. The split decision was made to go to a local diner within walking distance of Phichit's building. It was a traditional, silver diner style joint, complete with jukeboxes and ripped, red pleather cushions on the booth seats. Viktor was beyond joyed with the place. He continuously popped quarters into the mini-jukebox at the end of their table, waiting for the classic American tunes he selected to play over the diner's sound system.

"I don't even know what I would do with one." Yuuri plucked a french fry, which was covered in melted cheese, out from the shared plate in the center of the table. "I probably wouldn't even remember to upload anything."

"It's not a bad idea to have one though." Viktor interjected. "And you can always just post pictures of Makkachin. That's what I do."

Yuuri thought about the internet famous pooch. Once again, they had to leave the dog with Yuuri's family while the pair traveled. But that didn't mean Makkachin's face wasn't appearing of social media every day. The triplets, Axel, Lutz, and Loop, were all posting pictures of the large poodle online, making sure to tag Viktor is every picture. It was a a great way for Viktor to check-up on his beloved dog, as well as keep the girls entertained.

"Anyways," Phichit put down his cellphone and changed up the conversation. "What programs are you using for this competition? Are you using the ones you used for the Grand Prix, or are you switching it up a little."

"Well, Viktor and I never really got the chance to work on any other pieces…" The japanese man played with the straw in his drink. He looked at his coach next to him, and saw that the other way eyeing the chunk of hash browns that still sat on Yuuri's plate. Yuuri nudged the plate closer to Viktor, wordlessly saying 'help yourself'.The smile on the russian's face was priceless. "I'll just stick with what I know is good."

"We can always go back to one of your old routines and perfect it." A large forkful of fried potato muffled Viktor's words. "If there were any you were particularly fond of at least."

Yuuri thought about it briefly, and then shook his head. "I think I'd rather just move past the past, you know?"

The three kept chatting as they ate. They didn't leave until the jet lag finally hit the two travelers like a freight train. It was as though one moment they were lively and full of life, then the next they were dragging themselves down the sidewalk, back to Phichit's apartment.

The moment the three walked through the front door, Viktor was throwing himself onto the carpet, expressing how tired he was as if he was a child.

"Are you just gonna sleep on the floor like that?" Yuuri sat down next to him, poking at his shoulder.

Viktor pushed himself up so that he was propped up on his elbows. "It's actually pretty comfortable, so I just might."

"The couch actually pulls out if you want to use that." Phichit said. "Let me just go get you guys some pillows and blankets." The thai skater disappeared down a hallways, out of the living room.

The moment his friend was out of site, Yuuri's attention was forced back to Viktor with the feeling of a large hand grasping onto his own. The asian man looked down and watched as pale fingers played with his tanner ones. They almost massaged each individual finger, before coming back and intertwining with all of them. The pair sat, perpendicularly holding hands. From the awkward angle they were at, Viktor's thumb was casually brushing over the center of Yuuri's wrist, to the heel of his palm, rather than the back of his hand. Viktor looked up from their joint hands and smiled up at Yuuri.

"I can sleep on the floor, if you want to take the couch." Viktor's voice was a half whisper.

The suggestion brought a slight frown to Yuuri's face. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable though."

"You don't normally like sharing a bed though, especially with other people around."

Yuuri took his time to think about the situation. Viktor was right, as he often was. Yuuri wasn't a fan of PDA, or other's knowing any more than they needed to know about his relationship with Viktor. Contrary to how often they showed their love in the form of hugs and sweet kisses before and after Yuuri skated in competition, that had always just been another method for Yuuri to calm his nerves. It gave him that last little push he needed to get himself out on the ice. But the moment they were away from competition, Yuuri didn't like people looking on too much.

He thought about where they were. It was a private apartment. Then he thought about who was in this apartment; Phichit. Yuuri would say time and time again that Phichit was his best friends in the whole world, and both of them had been around the world so that was saying something. But Phichit keeping a secret? That was an oxymoron.

It was feeling the hand around his own squeeze tight that helped Yuuri make his decision. He adjusted his glasses with his freehand. "I don't want you sleeping on the floor. The couch folds out, so there'll be enough room."

Viktor responded with a quick kiss to the back of Yuuri's fingers. It was all he was able to do before Phichit returned from elsewhere in the apartment. The three worked together to construct a bed out of a couch. It was about the size of a queen-sized bed, and Phichit made sure it was covered in blankets and pillows. He had always been a fan of plush beds.

Once the bed was fully prepared, Yuuri ran to the bathroom to change into his pajamas, while Viktor just changed in the living room, before the pair fell into the mattress. They both had separate blankets. This way they could avoid the possibility of one stealing all the covers away from the other at night. Both of them were out cold within seconds.

The first day of this competition had gone much better than Yuuri could have hoped for. His pre-performance nerves were close to nonexistent. With their short programs finished, Phichit sat at first place, with Yuuri close behind in second. There was only a four point difference between their scores, but in figure skating, that was enough to make or break.

Since the three were all tired by the time they got back to Phichit's apartment, they decided or order chinese take-out rather than go out again or cook. The moment the Thai man brought it up, Yuuri's face lit up. Apparently this place in particular carried a nostalgia factor for Yuuri. Those dark-tinted eyes sparkled at the white paper boxes filled with food. He and Phichit both took up chopsticks, and immediately started to dig in, skipping plates all together to just pull food straight from the boxes.

"I didn't know you liked Chinese that much." Viktor said as he situated a pair of chopsticks between his fingers. While he had become used to using them through his time in a traditional Japanese household, he still needed practice holding them so that the ends didn't cross. "You didn't eat all that much when we were actually in China."

"Ah.." Yuuri paused to swallow a mouthful of lo mein. "We used to get take=out from this place all the time back in college. Usually late at night."

"All those nights cramming for final exams mostly." Phichit and Yuuri shared a laugh. The friends, and former roommates, cracked a few jokes about their past school life. Viktor wasn't able to contribute to the conversation, but he listen to all the stories.

Once the three were done eating, they packed up what food was left and stuffed it into the fridge, and threw out whatever trash they could. Viktor looked down at the clock on his cell phone and saw that it was only nine o'clock at night. Well he definitely didn't want to just stay cooped up inside for the rest of the night. After being at the competition all day, and knowing that he was going to return to it tomorrow, the twenty-seven year old needed to move.

"Yuuri!" Viktor flung himself at the short male so that he was somewhat draped over the guy's shoulders. "Let's go for a walk."

"What? Now?" There was a bit of amusement in Yuuri's voice, which only encouraged Viktor.

"Come on." The russian continued, completely unashamed of the slight whine in his voice. "I've never been to this part of the United States before. I want to look around."

Yuuri let out a sigh, but there was no hiding the smile on his face. "Fine, fine."

"You guys heading out?" Phichit asked.

"Apparently." Yuuri peeled Viktor off of his back. "We won't be gone too long. Probably just an hour or so."

"Alright! Have fun." Phichit fished through his pocket and pulled out his house key, tossing across the room so that Yuuri could catch it. "I might be asleep when you guys get back, and you'll need that to get into the building."

"Thanks." The couple said in unison.

It wasn't long after the pair of foreigners were bundled up and walking along the sidewalk, that Viktor and Yuuri slipped their hands together, their fingers overlapping. Viktor was half tempted to take his brown leather gloves off so that he'd be able to really feel Yuuri's hand, but his partner was wearing his own gloves. The fact that they could very clearly see their own breath with every word they spoke also didn't help.

"So what exactly did you want to see?" Yuuri asked. His voice was muffled by the blue scarf that he tucked his face into. He glanced up at Viktor briefly before looking back towards the sidewalk they walked on. "You didn't have anything in mind, did you?"

Viktor didn't bother hiding the smile on his face. "Nope~" His voice came out almost song-like. "Just show me whatever you want. I just want to walk with you, moya lyubov."

Yuuri hummed thoughtfully for a moment. There was a slight pink on his cheeks and ears, but it was impossible to tell if it was a blush at the endearment in the russian words, or just the cold nipping at his skin. "I guess we can just keep walking around then?"

"That sounds perfect to me."

The pair continued walking, Viktor letting Yuuri lead every turn they made. Somewhere along the way, Yuuri must have chosen an overall destination, because they found themselves along the Detroit river. City lights twinkled along the surface of the water. There weren't many others walking along the riverway this late at night, so as they walked along, Viktor held little back. The hand holding onto Yuuri's became an arm around the smaller male's waist. Yuuri leaned his weight into Viktor's side as far as the thickness of their coats would let him. The younger nursed a hot chocolate that they had picked up at a street cart they passed between two ungloved hands.

"This river reminds me of the one in Hasetsu." Yuuri offered between sips of his hot drink. "So, I used to come here alot when I would get homesick."

"Are you feeling a little homesick now?" Viktor asked, reaching down to steal the cup from Yuuri and take a sip himself. He only got a shake of the head in response. Viktor let Yuuri lead them to the railing along the side of the river, looking over the body of water that flowed just a few feet below the stone pathway.

Yuuri placed his forwards on the railing, but rather than leaning on it, he only leaned more into Viktor's side. "Right now I'm kind of happy I'm not home."

"Why's that?"

There was little hesitation between when Viktor asked his question and when Yuuri spoke. "Because I wouldn't be able to walk around with you like this back home. It's nice, and I like it alot."

Viktor placed a kiss into the side of his boyfriend's head. "I like it too." Afterwards he dipped his forehead into Yuuri's shoulder, warming his face in the fluff of his lover's scarf. "God bless America." His voice came out like a mumble.

"Wow." The amusement in Yuuri's voice was clear as day. "That's pretty amazing coming from a Russian."

"Personally, I've never had an issue with the United States, although I will always insist that Россия is the better nation." It's not like he could help his russian pride. His entire life, pride in his country was shoved in his face, and that only became more apparent when he started competing on an international level. Viktor was extremely proud of his home, and adored contributing to that pride every time he had stood on the top of a podium. "Although, in terms of free-love, they certainly have us beat."

"Japan isn't much better…" Both males let out a sigh. Viktor kissed Yuuri's cheek, before straightening up, and tightening his arm around Yuuri's waist.

They looked out over the river together. Falling into a comfortable silence. Viktor let his hand stroke Yuuri's side through the thick coat he wore. He honestly wasn't sure if Yuuri could even feel it or not under the layers, that is, until Yuuri turned to face him more directly, angling his face upwards. Viktor had seen that face many times before. It was how Yuuri would silently ask for a kiss, and Viktor all too willingly granted that request. Lips pressed together through the clouds of their breath that showed in the cold air. The contact was firm and familiar. Afterwards they looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

"Ok, I'm going to say something, it it might be strange, and it might feel a little out of left field, but hear me out." Viktor dropped his arm from Yuuri's waist, moving it to instead hold one of Yuuri's gloved hands. He took the now empty paper cup and placed it on the sidewalk at their feet. "I've been thinking about this since before coming here, and I know it's something we probably should have talked about first, but I didn't know how to bring it up."

"What are you talking about?" Yuuri tilted his head to the side. Confusion clear on his face.

The tall russian let out a deep breath before continuing. "Neither Russia, nor Japan are accepting of love like ours. But the United States is different, legally at least, of course I can't vouch for the people." He began rambling a little. Spewing little facts about the different rights that were available for members of the LGBT+ in the US that didn't exist in either of their home nations. He talked about the relationships between the three countries in question. His sentences began to blend into long run-on monologues before Yuuri put a hand around his bicep and squeezed, telling him he needed to slow down and collect his thoughts again. "Right, sorry." This shouldn't have been so hard to say. He'd practiced in the mirror before, and on his walks with Makkachin, and yet here he was. Five-time gold medalist, and he was flushed, nervous, and going on about information he was sure Yuuri already knew. "What I mean is… Let's get married."

Yuuri stared at Viktor in complete disbelief, eyes wider than saucers. A blush crept onto his face, overlapping the pink tint caused by cold winds. "Wh-what?"

"Let's get married." Viktor repeated. His voice was steadier than previously, absolutely certain of his words now. He squeezed Yuuri's hand in his own, and lifted it to hold at chest level. "I mean it. We both know that this is our only chance. We can legally get married here, even if we aren't citizens."

"How do you know that?"

"I did my research."

"I-" The younger man's voice was caught in his throat. His eyes shifted between Viktor and the empty space behind him. He didn't have to look back to know that Viktor was watching intently, monitoring every one of Yuuri's features for any clue as to what he might be thinking. "I want to." Yuuri finally spoke. The smile that lit up Viktor's face was the brightest, most beautiful thing that Yuuri had ever seen. So much so that it hurt him to continue speaking his mind. "But… Don't you think it's fast? We haven't been together all that long yet…"

"Yuuri, I love you more than words can say. If I can spend the rest of my life with you, just next to you, I'll be happy." Viktor's voice was soft, and genuine. The man almost looked scared. Understandably so.

Yuuri couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face too. He let out a sigh and pulled Viktor into a hug. As his arms wrapped around the other's shoulders, he felt sturdy arms around his waist. "You're a goof, you know that?"

A soft kiss was placed on Yuuri's cheek. "But I'm your goof."

"People are going to freak out if they know." Yuuri muttered.

"We can keep it a secret for a few years."

"We'll need a witness."

"We can have Phichit with us."

"You just used 'secret' and 'Phichit' in the same sentence." Yuuri laughed. Clearly his boyfriend didn't know his best friends personality all that well yet.

Viktor only shrugged. "Unless you have someone else in mind."

Yuuri chuckled. "No, I would like Phichit there." A brief, comfortable silence grew between the two of them. "We'll need rings."

"Just one." Viktor said quickly.

"What?"

Viktor separated from their embrace and reached into his jacket pocket, fishing around until he pulled out his wallet. Within one of the little compartments, he then pulled out a gold band ring. He brought it up so that the other man could see the V.N engraved into its surface. "It was a gift from family the first time I won a national championship. It doesn't fit anything but my pinky anymore, but I've held onto it for good luck." Viktor took one of Yuuri's hands, sliding the glove off, and compared the size of the rin to the size of the asian's fingers. "It looks like it should fit you."

"Are you sure you want me to have something like that?"

"I'd rather see it on your hand everyday, than let it gather dust in my wallet." It was an honest statement, but it was impossible to stop the face-splitting grin that appeared on Yuuri's face when Viktor had set it. For Viktor, it was impossible to not grow one of his own when he saw how impossible it was for his lover to hide the smile. Dark eyes flicked from the ring, and back up to meet Viktor's, before a giddy laugh left the man's lips. Yuuri pushed up on his tiptoes and placed a kiss at the corner of Viktor's mouth.

"What if I said I wanted an engagement ring, and a wedding ring?" The tone in Yuuri's voice was obviously teasing.

Viktor only shrugged. "If that's what you want, then I'll go out and get a second ring for you."

The shorter shook his head in response before speaking to clarify. "Just one is perfect."

"Hold up, let me almost do this right." The taller of the two took a step back, stuffing his wallet back into his pocket, as well as his gloves, so that he only held the little gold ring between his finger and thumb. He knelt down, one knee connecting with the cold sidewalk, but he didn't care. He looked up, met with only the love and adoration in Yuuri's eyes. "Katsuki Yuuri, I've loved you for so long, and will continue to love you forever, if you'd let me. Hе могу жить без тебя," He quickly decided to translate the russian. "I can not live without you. Will you marry me?"

Tears pooled at Yuuri's eyes, not yet spilling over when he managed to quickly say a "yes", before he was once more hugging Viktor close. They kissed. Neither stopping even while Viktor reached for one of Yuuri's hands to slide the ring onto his finger.

"In Russia we wear our wedding rings on our right hands." Viktor explained, rubbing the precious metal that was now around a slender finger. "I hope that's ok."

"It's perfect."