A/N: This story is a birthday present for my friend and fellow author I Is Just A Kawaii Potato! Being able to beta her story Pieces of the Puzzle for the past few months has been amazing! If you're looking for a great Victuuri multi-chapter fanfic I highly recommend it (not that I'm biased or anything)! She requested a Victuuri boardwalk date for this fic and I hope I did her request justice! Love ya, girl! Here's to another year of working together! :D

The crowded beach scene didn't even bother Yuuri. The only thing he could focus on was the gentle sensation of Victor's fingers intertwined with his, all the while being led up and down the bustling boardwalk. Victor's absolutely elated expression caused all of Yuuri's past misgivings about this trip to disappear.

When Victor had first approached him about taking an official vacation for their "six month anniversary", Yuuri had almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of it. He knew that Victor would constantly be looking for any excuse to lavish him with gifts, favours, or anything else that could be considered pleasurable, but Yuuri hardly thought that something as asinine as a "six month anniversary" warranted a full-on trip to a beach on the east coast of the US. But Yuuri had quickly learned to get used to Victor's lavish lifestyle and agreed to take part in the trip, if only for Victor's sake.

The warm wind in his face and the equally warm hand in his gave Yuuri a sense of calm, being able to take in his surroundings and appreciate the slower pace of the vacationers compared to the hustle and bustle of the city that he was used to. He was actually grateful to escape from the confines of St. Petersburg for the time being. It wasn't that he didn't love living there with Victor, but getting adjusted to the lifestyle there was taking a bit more out of him than he originally thought it would.

He barely registered the tug if Victor's hand leading him toward a stall, and soon he found a cone of cotton candy being thrust into his available hand. Yuuri looked up at Victor appreciatively, noticing that he had gotten an ice cream cone for himself. They made their way to a small seating area in comfortable silence, only releasing each other's hands when they had to sit in their respective seats across from one another, shielded from the sun by a large umbrella.

"I remember you told me you'd never tried cotton candy before, so I figured now would be a perfect time to try it!" Victor smiled as he enthusiastically watched Yuuri nip a small piece of cotton candy off the sugary mass and he could swear his heart was going to explode from happiness when Yuuri's face lit up.

"It's so..!" Yuuri tried to find the words to describe the pure deliciousness of the confection he had just consumed, but instead deigned to shove his mouth against the pink lump of fluffy sugar again. Victor laughed at the animated display and licked around the cone of his own treat, making sure that none of it melted and touched his fingers.

Even when he was desperately trying to keep his fingers clean, Yuuri noticed that Victor stayed composed and flawless on the sunny day. He seemed very at home in this laid back and warm environment. Yuuri didn't realize he was staring until he noticed Victor leaning in, a smirk on his face.

"Yuuri, would you mind if I had a piece?" Yuuri quickly brought himself back to the present moment as Victor's eyes held a teasing glint to them.

"Uh, sure. Open wide," Yuuri instructed, plucking off a piece of cotton candy and placing it daintily in Victor's waiting mouth. Victor grinned in thanks as he offered his own ice cream cone to Yuuri. Yuuri obligingly licked around a good portion of his cone and started giggling when he sat back up, looking straight at Victor's face.

"What?" Victor asked, leaning his head to the side in clueless confusion.

"Victor, honestly..." Yuuri reached for some napkins and leaned over the table, wiping gently across his fiancé's nose. "How do you not realize you're getting ice cream all over your face?"

Victor's responding blush and pout were enough to send Yuuri's heart racing again, admiring how adorable he could get. "It's not my fault! I just get so excited when vendors have mint chocolate! You know it's my favourite."

"I know, honey." Yuuri couldn't help planting a kiss on Victor's forehead, which was endearingly wrinkled in response to Yuuri's teasing.

After a quick ride on the Ferris wheel ("quick" because Victor had eaten his ice cream too fast right before going on and had to exit the ride early due to his slightly upset stomach), Yuuri requested that they just spend some time on the beach to watch the sunset, to which Victor happily agreed.

As soon as they found a bench to sit on, Victor proceeded to slip his feet out of his sandals and plunge his toes into the warm sand, Yuuri quickly following suit. As they giggled at the sensation of their toes wiggling around in the sand, Victor's hand inevitably found its way to rest atop Yuuri's, the latter looking up with a soft smile as their fingers intertwined between them.

The sunset burned gold and orange against the sparkling water of the ocean, Yuuri's lungs breathing in the deep sea breeze as he closed his eyes. After a period of calm silence, Yuuri spoke up.

"Thank you so much for today, Victor." He turned to face his love, his cheeks burning almost as red as the setting sun when he took in the expression of wonder on Victor's face from when he had been watching Yuuri.

"Yuuri..." Victor murmured, leaning in to rest his forehead on Yuuri's temple, planting a soft kiss along his cheek bone. "Did you really enjoy yourself today, darling?"

"Of course I did." Yuuri's voice came out soft and breathy in reaction to Victor's close proximity. "And...I meant to ask you about that..." Yuuri mentally cursed himself as the warmth of Victor's face moved away from Yuuri's to lean back and give him a curious look.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No! Just the opposite, actually." Yuuri let an awkward chuckle escape him before continuing, turning fully on the bench to face Victor. "Why did you decide to come here, and why now? Your suggestion seemed pretty out of the blue."

"Well... I knew you had been stressed out lately since I know adjusting to life back in Russia hasn't been easy for you." Victor looked so concerned already, Yuuri's heart almost broke. "So I figured a trip would do us both some good. And I knew you wouldn't have gone if I said it was for your sake, so I made it for our six-month-engagement anniversary instead..." Victor looked guilty at having been caught in his little lie, but all Yuuri could do was lean back and laugh, the sound so infectious that Victor had no choice but to join in.

"You're right..." Yuuri said after calming down. "I would never have gone here if I knew I was the main reason for the trip. I never want to trouble you and yet...you never seem bothered."

A grin spread widely over Victor's face as he cupped Yuuri's cheeks in his hands. "Oh Yuuri!" he exclaimed before pressing tiny, delicate kisses to his forehead, his cheeks, his eyebrows, his chin; everywhere he could reach before Yuuri's giggles forced him to lean back, a smile still on his face.

"Don't you ever think for one second that taking care of you is a burden to me. Having someone to love and cherish and care for... It was all I ever wanted; apart from consecutive figure skating titles." He chuckled as Yuuri slapped his shoulder playfully, pulling his dear fiancé into a hug and resting his chin on top of Yuuri's head.

"No matter what happens, just know that I love you and would do anything for you, Yuuri..."

Yuuri felt himself tearing up as he lifted his head, planting his own kiss on Victor's parted lips. There they sat in each other's embrace, warmth and happiness glowing all around them, brighter than the setting sun.