Created as a gift for katsukifatale on Ao3/Tumblr

Airports were places that seemed to exist on a separate plane of existence. Time was suspended inside these immense buildings, travelers stuck between where they were and where they were going. Lines felt forever long, but goodbyes always felt too short. Beginnings happened here, as did endings, and so did the inevitable feeling of waiting for what's next.

Yuuri sunk against the ridged plastic seat, ear buds shoved in his ears and mind on anything but the bustle of strangers around him. The Line app was open on his phone, conversation flying as fast as his thumbs could carry it. Responses came just as fast, from the thumbs of his favorite person who sat in his own horribly uncomfortable seat half a world away.

If someone asked Yuuri how their love story began, he would struggle to remember the exact moment he knew that he was in love with Victor. He remembered the first time he ever saw his soulmate, standing outside of the convention hall dressed in a terrible wig and hilariously perfect baseball uniform. They had been a match from the start, Yuuri dressed as Eijun and Victor as Kazuya, and therefore shoved together at the Daiya photoshoot before even knowing each other's names. Somehow, it had been easy to fall into a rhythm with Victor, especially given his equally strong love for their represented ship.

Smiling at his phone, Yuuri quickly sent off his latest reply, his mind wandering back to that weekend. Although he had gone to the con with Phichit and Victor had gone with Georgi, they had ended up in each other's orbit for the entire weekend. They had even entered a couple's contest together and ended up in second place, only being beaten out by a male Link and his burly Sidon boyfriend. Every other minute had been spent together whether it was exploring booths, standing in meet-and-greet lines or dragging each other to different panels. The weekend had been perfect, the goodbye had been awful.

Overhead the airline's happy desk clerk announced Yuuri's flight. He stood slowly, hesitating to walk into the boarding area and wanting to draw out his connection with Victor a bit longer.

Fate had never been on their side, even though legends had told them it should be, and Yuuri gave his phone one more longing smile before shoving it in his pocket. With a small nod he handed over his boarding pass, hitching his bag higher on his shoulder and heading down the tunnel to his plane.

Staring into his paper cup, Victor analyzed the grounds clinging to the bottom. He had read a book once in which the characters could interpret the future from tea leaves in mugs and he pondered for a moment what his coffee grounds could tell him. The mound of grainy sludge mocked him as he tried to swish it around in the cup, clinging to the edges and revealing nothing useful. Sighing, he tossed it into the closest trash can and continued his way toward his departing gate.

Out of habit, he pulled his phone from his pocket, his thumb immediately opening Line despite knowing that Yuuri was already in the air and probably passed out against the airplane window. What he wouldn't give to be sitting next to him, offering his shoulder in place of the plastic walls which only provided the stiffest of support. He would love to spend a flight in Yuuri's company, hours of talking and cuddling without any other place they needed to be. It sounded like heaven in Victor's mind and his frown finally tipped in the other direction as he sank down into yet another line of connected chairs.

It had been two years since he had met Yuuri. It had also been two years since he had seen Yuuri, beyond Skype calls and Instagram pictures. Still, Victor could remember the way Yuuri smelled, how soft his cheeks were and the way their hands fit perfectly as if they were made to come together like two pieces of a puzzle. He clung to those memories as time and space continued to stretch before them, never on their side and never giving them any hope of actually being together.

After the convention, Victor had headed home to officially become a part of the working world. University was behind him, while Yuuri still had two years left, and Victor found himself mourning the loss of afternoon classes and school breaks. He always told Yuuri he would come see him during Yuuri's breaks, but life as a new employee had never allowed it. Victor worked all the hours that no one else wanted to and found himself watching the months pass by in a flurry of commuting hours and time spent grinding away at his desk.

Victor remembered the sunrise on the last day of his weekend with Yuuri, how he had caught sight of the swirl of blue peeking out from the neckline of Yuuri's t-shirt. Startled, Victor had reached for his own collar, pulling it down to reveal his own soul mark. His gasp had caught Yuuri's attention as he examined the blue line which had threaded into his own purplish swirl. Hearing Yuuri's own sharp intake of breath, Victor had looked up to discover Yuuri yanking up his shirt. The intricate design, spreading from the center of Yuuri's chest and extending like an elegantly swirled snowflake was blue with purplish highlights tracing the most delicate of the curves.

They had taken turns tracing the patterns on each other's skin, giggling with their uncontrollable giddiness over their luck. Soulmates had become rare, the population of the world growing so large that hardly anyone even acknowledged the marks anymore. But somehow, they had found each other and there on the rooftop they had shared their first kiss.

Victor swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. His mother had always told him that once soulmates found each other, the world would help them stay together. He supposed that this was just another fairy tale from a time when the world wasn't so busy or so full of obligation, because his world had done nothing but keep him from Yuuri. Between his work schedule and Yuuri's school schedule, their relationship had amounted to what time they could scrape together over the phone.

Still, Victor had never dated anyone else and he found it oddly relieving that Yuuri hadn't either. Georgi told him he was crazy for pining for a man who was destined to exist seven hours behind him for the rest of their lives and yet Victor's heart continued to hope. In this crazy, mixed up world, he had found his soulmate and no matter what time passed or how far apart they were, Victor was going to keep loving Yuuri and hoping for their future.

When boarding was called for his flight, Victor yanked his bag from the ground and dragged his feet to find his place in line. Another flight taking him across the world, putting him so close to where Yuuri would be and yet not close enough. Again, they were going to miss each other and once again, the world betrayed him.

Feeling like the forlorn protagonist in his own dramatic movie, Victor accepted his boarding pass as it was handed back to him and plodded his way toward his first class seat.

"I love dancing with you, my love."

Victor's voice was as sweet as his smile, making Yuuri swoon as they slow danced over a river of stars. They sparkled together wearing suits that complimented their soul marks, twirling under the light of the moon. Yuuri's feet felt light and his heart felt like it was going to burst with happiness when Victor dipped him low and moved in for a kiss. The world began to shake and Yuuri fell from Victor's arms, a silent scream bursting from him as his head hit the hard ground.

Startling awake, Yuuri sat straight up in his seat watching as other passengers scrambled to take hold of their belongings before they crashed to the ground in the shaking plane.

The emergency landing was rough, the rain pounding on the sides of the plane and the wind causing it to sway back and forth at a pitch that made Yuuri's stomach feel ready to empty. Squeezing his eyes closed, he said a silent thank you when the plane's wheels bumped jarringly onto the ground.

Around him everyone was in a chaotic tornado of activity, grabbing luggage and shoving at each other to deboard from the plane. He wondered why they were being forced to exit, peering out of the window and watching as trees blew almost to the ground in trunk-snapping arches. Trying to hold his panic inside, Yuuri stumbled out from his seat, pulling his bag from the overhead compartment and following the rest of the worried passengers into the terminal.

Sitting at the bar, Victor looked up when the sound of rain became loud enough to drown out the small TVs playing some sport he couldn't identify. Concerned, he slid from his seat and crossed the small span of tile floor to peer out at the tarmac.

Rain was falling in driving curtains obscuring the view of even the closest planes. Victor watched as several planes taxied in from their various landing strips, feeling sympathy for the grounds crew who were desperately trying to direct traffic as the wind attempted to sweep them off their feet. In the distance, Victor saw a lightning bolt break through the skyline, tearing through the darkness of the sky in a violent seam.

A beep in his pocket drew his attention away from the raging storm. Unlocking the screen, he frowned. His connecting flight had not been one of the planes which had made it onto the ground before the storm had reached its full force and had been diverted to another airport. The delay time was nothing more than a red dash and Victor shook his head, walking away from the window and flagging the bartender down for another drink.

"All planes are grounded until the storm passes," a frantic-looking woman called from behind the airline's counter. "The radar indicates it could be several hours before we are able to take off, so move about as you please and listen for any announcements about your flight. If you have a connecting flight from this one, please see me at the desk."

Yuuri turned his back on the gathering line of people, pulling his cell phone out of its pocket in his backpack as he walked. Unlike him, Victor usually paid for the WiFi on flights, so Yuuri was hopeful that Victor would be awake and willing to help him make the time pass faster. Leaning against a wall, he watched his phone spring back to life, poking at his app faster than his sleepy phone could react. As soon as it opened, he began typing a message to Victor.

Flipping his phone over on the bar, Victor was surprised to see a message from Yuuri. Picking it up properly, he opened it to find a message simply saying "Turbulence is the worst. Plane down for the count." Sitting up with a start, he quickly typed back, "What?! Are you okay? Is everyone alive?" His heart hammered in his chest thinking about Yuuri climbing out of the wreckage of a plane crash.

Eyes going wide, Yuuri realized his poor choice of words and immediately set out to correct it. "Sorry, yes, everyone is fine. There is a storm so we made an emergency landing. Going to be stuck here for a while I'm afraid."

Sighing with relief, Victor sank back in his chair. "You SCARED ME! You owe me at least ten hugs and twenty kisses whenever I see you next." He added a few kissy faces to his text and sent it. Glancing out the window of the bar, he listened as thunder rolled across the sky. "There is a storm here too. My plane didn't even make it so I'm stuck as well." Holding his phone in one hand he sipped his drink and happily waited for Yuuri's reply.

Brows furrowing, Yuuri read Victor's text quickly trying to remember the name of the airport where Victor's connection was scheduled. Frantically, he grabbed the arm of a passerby, begging to know the name of the airport he was standing in. The woman looked a little worried for his sanity as she answered, patting his hand when he gave her arm a friendly squeeze in his happiness.

"Victor! Victor!" His thumbs were striking the keyboard so hard he could swear he heard cracking noises. "Where are you? What gate?" Not waiting for an answer, Yuuri typed, "I'm here! I'm at your airport!" Still holding his phone, Yuuri began to jog toward the main apex of the terminals, heart hammering out an excited beat in his chest.

Victor's phone clattered onto the bar as he read Yuuri's text. Sending back a one letter answer, he jumped out of his seat and snagged all of his bags as quickly as he could with shaking hands. He threw cash onto the bar and grabbed his phone, completely ignoring the bartender's question about change as he began to sprint.

The head of silver hair was unmistakable and Yuuri found his feet moving at the speed of his heart when he spotted it over the crowd. Calling out his apologies, Yuuri dodged around other travelers, his eyes focused only on Victor.

They collided, bags flinging to the ground as they threw their arms around each other. Yuuri didn't mean to cry, but the tears sprang to life anyway, making his chest vibrate against Victor's as he laughed at his own emotional reaction.

For two years they had never managed to be in the same place. They had made so many plans to find each other, but none of them had ever panned out. Life had remained busy and chaotic, and their whole relationship existed through a screen.

Now though, Victor was real and wrapped in Yuuri's arms and pressing quick kisses to Yuuri's face. Yuuri's happiness bubbled over, leading him to hold Victor's cheeks and kiss him soundly on the lips. It was nearly impossible to truly kiss each other, the effort being interrupted by the ecstatic smiles that neither of them could stop.

"I can't believe I'm holding you," Victor whispered, wrapping his arms tighter around Yuuri. It felt like a dream and Victor pinched Yuuri's shoulder to make sure it wasn't.

"Eeep!" Yuuri jumped and pulled back to look at Victor. "Why did you pinch me?" He let his arms drop from Victor's shoulders to rest on Victor's waist.

"To make sure this isn't a dream," Victor answered sincerely, eyebrow quirking up when Yuuri laughed.

"You're supposed to pinch yourself," he snorted, fingers walking around Victor's waistline to press into Victor's back, drawing Victor closer to him again. The feeling of having Victor so close was addictive and Yuuri couldn't fathom how he had survived so long without it. Snuggling into Victor's chest, Yuuri felt Victor's laughter against his cheek.

"Sorry," Victor couldn't help ducking his head to sneak another kiss onto Yuuri's cheek. "Now I know." He lost his need for words, the feeling of Yuuri against him overwhelming him in the best way possible.

For a moment they stood together, the world passing them by in a faceless blur. They held each other without words, hands wandering over backs and cheeks, lips stealing kisses through their smiles. The world was at a standstill, time feeling frozen as they held onto one another, an unspoken desire to never let go floating between them.

"You know," Victor tilted his head, running his hands through Yuuri's hair, "you never did tell me where you are flying to." He mentally counted the number of times that Yuuri had somehow dodged the question and the total number made him frown. Yuuri blushed dark red, eyes falling to a spot somewhere near their feet. His teeth bit down on his bottom lip and for a moment, Victor almost forgot his question again. "Is there a reason you aren't telling me?" Using a gentle hand, Victor tipped Yuuri's chin up. Waiting for Yuuri to meet his eyes, Victor smiled. "If you really don't want to tell me, I won't pry."

Yuuri studied Victor's understanding smile and the loving look in his eyes. He wasn't sure why he had hesitated to tell Victor about his plans, but standing here holding the man he loved, he knew he was making a mistake by not sharing. "I… I have a… a job interview." Telling himself to just say it, Yuuri rushed out the rest of the admission in one breath. " ." Breathing in, Yuuri stared expectantly at Victor.

Confused and trying to piece out the long garbled sentence Yuuri had just thrown at him, Victor laughed. "Any chance you could run that by me again?" He thought he had caught the words St. Petersburg, but life had told him not to hope and he was forcing his heart to calm down with every word.

"I… well… I applied for a job," Yuuri played with his fingers, his knuckles brushing against Victor's stomach as he talked. "In St. Petersburg. For the company you work for. You see… since I graduated… and you like it… I thought maybe… you know… if I got it… but I didn't want to assume! And you had been told you had to fly out when I got my interview date so I didn't want you to be disappointed so I am sorry I didn't tell you." Yuuri flailed his arms and nearly knocked the glasses off of his face.

"Yuuri!" Victor tried to interrupt Yuuri's rapid confession without success. "Yuuri!" he tried again, attempting to grab Yuuri's hands from their erratic path through the air. "YUURI!" he yelled, finally grabbing Yuuri's shoulders and shaking them slightly. "Please get that job. And come live with me. We can get a dog and make dinner every night and watch terrible movies and make out on my couch. Please Yuuri, please come to St. Petersburg. Even if you don't get the job, you can be my stay-at-home boyfriend and I will teach you Russian and then you can get a job! Or don't! I don't care! Just come to Russia!"

By the time Victor was finished, the people around them were watching them. Yuuri knew there were tears on his face and Victor had his own tears running down his cheeks. From the looks they were getting from strangers, he wondered if they expected one of them to get down on one knee at any moment.

"Yuuri?" Victor questioned, eyes wide and hopeful as he held Yuuri's hands in his own.

"It almost sounds like a marriage proposal," Yuuri teased, lifting Victor's hand towards his lips and kissing his ring finger. "I accept. All of it. Definitely the dog part," he laughed as Victor picked him up and swung him around. His face erupted in a bright blush as the people around them started cheering.

A stranger's voice called out "Congratulations on your engagement!"

Yuuri and Victor began to laugh, throwing their arms around each other and hugging each other tightly, only letting go when they decided to find a place to sit, immediately invading each other's space again when they found a quiet corner.

In place stuck between then and now, where people said goodbye to their today and boldly flew towards their tomorrow, Victor and Yuuri finally had fate on their side. Cuddled together on uncomfortable metal-framed chairs, they spent all their remaining hours watching the storm and planning a future filled with love, adventure, and mandatory poodles.

"Our universe grants every soul a twin—a reflection of themselves—the kindred spirit – And no matter where they are or how far away they are from each other—even if they are in different dimensions, they will always find one another. This is destiny; this is love." – Julie Dillon

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