#my new hc is that cross can play the piano really well but not actually | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sanchoyo · 4 years

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Looks like you’re gonna have to gush some more cuz I meant in general uwu🌸

🌺😌🤟 Always happy to! Okay here’s just some General bnha Thoughts ™ Mostly Lov centric. You asked for them, and you said GUSH about them, so here’s. A Lot! :)

This isn’t a lov one but it’s really funny so I thought I’d put it out there:

-when bnha was first gaining traction on tumblr, it was all art of Tsuyu. I have no idea why. People were talking about the funky frog lesbian superhero anime. Maybe it was just the people I was following, maybe it was a general trend, but I LOVED her design!!! my fav color and frogs r super cute!!! And I already loved superhero media, so I was like. I’ll watch it. For Her. SO. FROPPY IS THE REASON I WATCHED/READ BNHA. I went in thinking she was the protag and I was sooo confused when Izuku was... tbh I still think it’d be more interesting if she was lmaooo aus where? ...seriously if anyone has good aus where this is the case send them LOL

-I don’t actually feel that bad abt what Shigaraki’s doing. I still feel bad for him. I’m this post. yes im an apologist. its not my fault hes sexy and has been running around shirtless. hes a lesbian icon like thor is. I want to touch his hair. hes never done anything wrong in his life. he could kill all might, deku, bakugo, whatever, I’d still be sayin this. I don’t feel bad for gt. like. was anyone genuinely attached to him? lmao

-well u know how spinner’s quirk is just sticking to things? We haven’t seen him use it in canon except like, (1) time iirc?? I think this is probably bc he’s embarrassed about it even in front of the league... I loooove the idea that he gets more comfortable with it around them :”) and also how shigaraki. um. does that falling asleep thing while standing up with his eyes open, canonly? (which I still love lmfao) Imagine someone in the league walking in a dark room, turning on the light n just seeing. Spinner upside down, stuck to the ceiling asleep bc heat rises and its Warmer Up There. (cold blooded thing like tsuyu?? come ON give him a big fuzzy coat and scarf...) and Shigaraki in the center of the room, slouched but still standing, eyes open and motionless. Theyre both sleeping. Whomever sees it just...slowly walks out. LMAO

-Toga roller derby au. No deep thoughts I just think she’d be good at it.

-Toga 100% is a social butterfly and could befriend anyone if they didn’t just judge the fact she was trying to stab them smh :/ (ok but seriously anytime I see cute friendships with her n the other kids im like :) aw. I feel like her and Camie...would be good friends. Camie feels chill enough to be like ‘ok whatever thats totally fine I forgive you!!’ LMAO we love airheads here)

-HOW DID TOGA GET SO GOOD AT FIGHTING? We know she’s been on the run since middle school or so, but good enough to pin Deku down after he’s been formally trained at a ~hero school~ for a while? (she pinned him TWICE I think, once when his arms were messed up, but, the other time as Camie, so? AND THEN WAS ONE OF THE 100 PEOPLE TO GO THRU TO THE 2ND ROUND OF THAT? even tho she didn’t bc she had to leave) good enough to beat Aizawa in a fight and stab him? A professional hero and teacher for YEARS? Is that seriously just street training??? Can people acknowledge how amazing her combat skills and reflexes are??? More Toga appreciation when?? Also her backstory??? SO subversive and incredible, hate when people reduce her to just a ~typical anime yandere~ :/

-Tomura doing stuff with his hands/fingers to train his quirk!!! And to learn to be careful with it!! obv I’m a Big Fan of him playing piano to do this and video games are prob the canon answer, but like, guitar or any stringed instrument that requires Hands would work too. Or knitting/sewing? EMBROIDERING? ??? Please, let me give you the mental image of him knitting aggressively while mentally scheming, watching a twitch streamer or smth too while doing it. (Doing stuff with your hands is a great way to let your mind come up with creative stuff, that’s how I come up with writing/drawing ideas 70% of the time)

-Tomura actually PREFERS cutesty, relaxing games. I mean, he does fighting and bloody stuff irl, games are a way to relax...he’ll play shooters and gta type games with The Lads, but. on his own?? animal crossing. pokemon. kirby games. mario. zelda. BIG ZELDA FAN (not saying this bc I, personally, am biased, but,) slime rancher, stardew valley, funny simulator games... he really enjoys those :”) God forbid he has a kid bc they’re 100% getting named after a viddy game character unless someone can talk him out of it LOL. Toga and Tomura are that animal crossing /doom meme where she’d be asking for doom and him asking for animal crossing :”)

-Bits and pieces of Before are kinda stuck in Kurogiri’s brain, but like. mostly useless stuff the doctor didn’t care about removing. Like, types of clouds. So Tomura kinda picks up on stuff like that. He can just look at clouds and tell you what type they are because Kurogiri used to take him up to high places in the city and point them out to calm Tomura down from a panic attack when he was younger. He can tell you if the sky looks like it’ll rain with a 80% accuracy rate too.

-Kurogiri left food out for kitties in the alley beside the bar. They weren’t allowed in for Health Reasons (it IS a bar with sanitation standards!!) And Tomura really wouldn’t stop it or encourage it either way so long as Kurogiri did his job, but occasionally would stand outside with Kurogiri and just watch the kitties from a distance. If any approached he’d go back in (lowkey afraid he’d hurt them by touching them :( ) They kinda kept that between them tho, bc they both Know AFO is a big bag of dicks and no fun

-people have pointed out how similar aizawa and tomura look. this was 100% the intention. tomura has a hatecrush on him. THIS IS SO FUNNY AND HORRIBLY AWKWARD FOR KUROGIRI LMAO

-Sako??? Mr. Dramatic?? Opera fan. Drama kid. Like, obviously, but. Really. He is. I feel like he can speak a dozen languages. I also feel like he used to be an overachiever but got too ambitious. He was def some kind of leader at one point of a diff Group or something that fell apart. I LOVE how creative he is with his quirk and the magician theme??? incredible. I don’t show him enough love but I Love Clowns :o)

-I don’t care what their canon heights are. Spinner and Dabi? short kings. My height hcs are (tallest to shortest) Kurogiri, Twice, Sako (who also has heels on his boots and a tall hat, keep in mind), Tomura, Magne (Tomura and Magne are about the same height imo) Toga, Spinner, Dabi. LISTEN. Dabi has short energy. Sorry. it’s true tho

-This is a semi-popular hc I think bc I KNOW I’ve seen it before, but Dabi having Terrible Vision and needing glasses is so so good. (seriously, with burns THAT close to his eyeballs, how could he not?)

-he tries to be a tough loner coolguy. you’d think he’d smoke, but I hc his ‘weak constitution’ comes with weak lungs (esp from years of a flame quirk?? inhaling smoke over so much time is SO bad for you, most people who die in fires actually die of smoke inhalation...) so he’s got like, an inhaler, can’t smoke, actually gets carsick, needs glasses, overuses quirk to save friends constantly, likes napping, a little awkward and rude. Tomura put him in charge of the vanguard so he’s smart, and good with strategies too, like a nerd. this is the Dabi I wanna see, not the popular fandom version of him tbh also step on hawks one more time sir :”)

-I wish all the lov fics weren’t?? villain!deku like I said earlier, but also, chatfics? I have nothing against them but most of them are just a bombardment of Memes with NO PLOT!!! Listen. text/chatfics CAN have plot and be an interesting way to tell a story. I almost want to write one just to show what I mean...

I know I’ve said I like spinaraki and blackmagic, but I am a multishipper, so a few ships I don’t talk about that I like that involve the lov in some way:

-toga/any of the 1A girls??? or Camie??? super interesting. ALSO in the radio drama, bakugo’s voice actor said Toga was his favorite girl??? so?? bakugo/toga ?? I WANT TO SEE IT. but specifically my fav dynamic with her is when someone ELSE is the one to like her first, it’s what she deserves.

-Kurogiri/aizawa/mic?? any variety of that is also 👌🏻 I also kinda wanna see kurogiri/all might bc. Dads. COME ON. they bond over ‘well, I raised him, and you want to have a part in his life now?? ok. earn it. prove it. I’ll screen you first’ or something LMAO they’re both genuinely concerned for the boy, and SOOO biased. let them bond.

-WAIT WHERE IS THE MIC/COMPRESS CONTENT. THEYRE BOTH DRAMATIC. ENEMIES TO LOVERS?? HELLO??? SOMEONE?? ANYONE. rarepair hours

-giran/twice is cute. like he was hyping him up so much and so ready to go save him...

-dabi/magne where is the content. when. why not everywhere??? I’ve also seen magne/compress which was cute!! or twice/magne? they’re the big sibs of the lov...

-dabi/spinner?? come ON dabi could get over his learned biases and spend time with him and they could hold hands. I want them to.

-dabihawks. Obviously bc the Drama. yes even still, don’t @ me. (also, shigahawks, seen some REAL interesting fics with it tbh) or spinahawks?? adding hawks to a ship is like adding extra chili powder. makes it SPICY dramatic)

-nine/tomura don’t @ me once again. both kinda afo’s playthings, nine obviously was the test for tomura’s new upgrades...they both love their friends...That Scene in the Flower field </3 hmmm tragicships are fun.

-tomura/mirko. more enemies to lovers. big fan of her and bunnies. remember when he wore bunny ears in bnha smash. (ok its crack but. CUTE.)

-I’ve also seen shiganatsu and shigafuyu and I’m like. these are cute, but also Dabi’s reaction always makes me cry laugh. so good.

-MOST EVERYONE IN THE LOV IS LGBTQA+!!! heres my personal headcanons:

Toga: pan or bi (CANON BASICALLY)

Magne: transwoman (CANON BABEY) bi, leans towards men. (her crush on dabi in bnha smash... uwu content where)

Shuichi: gets sooooo flustered canonly, I think he’d go for the first person Who Hit On Him (I can see him being the target of those mean pranks where someone says ‘my friend likes you!!’ and the friend is like ‘eww!!’ :(((( ) he’s super hesitant for romance, lots of repressed stuff. gay but takes sooo long to realize it bc he thinks most women are conventionally pretty Aesthethically, feels obligated to Like Them, but has bad self esteem so never goes after them, then only likes (1) guy so hes like?? is this allowed?? is this allowed???? (HES LIKE. IN LOVE WITH SHIGARAKI)

Dabi: bi but rly hasn’t ever gotten to date anyone, so he’s actually more reserved about it and while he’ll tease, he absolutely is absent and kinda oblivious (again, I KNOWWWW bnha smash isnt canon, but. my god. when magne is hitting on him and he Just Doesnt Understand.) also hes ace

Tomura: doesn’t care. (just prob says ‘its whatever’) trans/nonbinary (i’M NOT PROJECTING, BUT. :’/) probably goes with like, the label queer if any but doesn’t care much for labels

Kurogiri: bi??? kind of??? I say kind of bc well, I hc U Know Whom as bi, I feel like thatd carry over but he’d be really avoidant to date anyone bc hes gotta Watch His Kid u know? this is gonna sound surprising but I think he’d be the type to be like ‘ok we can have a one night stand/fling BUT it cant get personal bc I have a Job to Do for my Son so don’t get up in your feelings’ and act a little coldly at first or very ..not personable... depending on who it was he’d prob turn around eventually, esp if that person valued his feelings/job :”)

Sako: that mans Not Straight. I hc him as gay and also trans :3c

Twice: Bi and HAS dated prob more than anyone else in the league imo, super comfortable with his sexuality and supportive of everyone else’s :)

ok that’s about all I can think of atm, come back in 5 minutes and my brain will refill with lov headcanons :3 thank you for asking!!

#bnha manga spoilers #bnha #sanchoyoanswersasks #league of villains #lov #i am NOt tagging all of them im so sorry its Too Much #but ask to tag #for triggers #if anyone needs them tagged #?#long post #word wall #bananaapplewaffle #im pretty amicable to most ships n stuff and love rare/crack ships lmao #also if anyone has their own headcanons #and wants to share #feel free!#love hearin them too

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min-minn · 5 years

Text

Symphony - Chapter Three

A03

Summary: Viktor Nikiforov, tenor prodigy and top student at the Salchow Institute of Music, is looking for an accompanist.

And word around campus is that Yakov Feltsman, Head of Music and conductor of the prestigious Institute Band, is looking for new members.

Yuuri Katsuki is just looking to survive his next Piano recital

The Yuri on CONCERT Music School AU that we all deserve

Pairings: Viktor Nikiforov/ Yuuri Katsuki

Rating: Teen And Up

Content Warning: Anxiety

A/N:

YIKES, so this was actually SO much longer than I'd anticipated. And I had even planned to add a whole other scene, but it's already stupid long~ Next time~

Also, I was thinking about it, and so many fics have Viktor texting with kaomoji and it just makes me so happy that everyone kind of unanimously agrees that that's how it would go. Especially since Viktor can put the little hearts for mouths and it's just *wheeze* adorable. And I figured Yuuri is the kind of guy who never keeps up to date with things, and even though he's Japanese - since he's from a more rural Japanese town and never texts - he probably missed the whole kaomoji thing entirely. And Phichit would probably just use stickers I think... I don't know. HC thoughts~

There's a bunch of music in this one so I'll just list it all off in order of appearance:

Lazy Bird, the piece that Phichit suggests, is a famous modern Jazz piece by John Coltrane. It's pretty brutal, but also just so, so amazing. I can see Yuuri playing it somehow~ And it makes me so happy~

The Ravel piece that Yuuri plays at the start of their practice is just *wheeze* stupidly beautiful. Again, it just screams Yuuri to me. I could listen to it for hours~

And finally, this Muse song is one of my all time favourites. Such a cool, creative concept, and with three exceptionally talented musicians (or five, WHEN THE REST OF THE SQUAD SHOW UP) I can hear it in my mind palace already. SO COOL. GOOD GOD.

ALSO *SPLUTTERS* THANK YOU. For your stupidly kind comments and kudos and all the things. I've been basically vibrating with happiness and motivation for the last few days~ It really does encourage me in every way. And I like to reply to every comment, so feel free to ask questions, though the NZ time zone might make it a bit weird~ Anyway! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I'm going to jump straight into the next chapter, but it probably won't be done until this time tomorrow~ Bear with me~

Much awkward, muso love,

- Min

Yuuri heard Phichit yelling at him before he’d even opened the apartment door.

“…think you can just waltz in here at 11:30 at night without so much as a text, you’ve got another thing coming! You piece of shit!” Yuuri winced as he turned his key in the lock, opening the door. He knew Phichit was just teasing him, but he couldn’t help feeling guilty all the same.

Phichit and Yuuri’s apartment was small, cramped enough without the massive Yamaha keyboard that Yuuri had managed to squeeze into the corner. When they’d moved in, it was a toss-up between either a table and chairs or a practice corner. Both had agreed that a table and chairs were entirely optional when there was a perfectly good sofa to eat on, so most of the far side of the room was taken up by Yuuri’s piano and a series of cheap bookshelves fit to bursting with books, music, and various folders. Phichit’s saxophone case and music stand were against the wall next to the piano as well.

Phichit himself was sitting on the couch, some kind of sappy rom-com playing on the tv across from him, though the volume was quiet, Phichit not even looking at the screen. He had one earbud in instead, with a bunch of charts strewn across the couch and the little pile of crates that served as a coffee table in the middle of the room. Yuuri still couldn’t quite wrap his head around Phichit’s obsession with overstimulation – if he didn’t have some kind of movie on and music blaring in his ears, he couldn’t concentrate on his study. Yuuri often had to lock himself in his room or use the school’s studios just to make sure he had absolute silence.

Yuuri gave Phichit an apologetic smile, and Phichit glared back with all the venom he could muster.

“Eight!” he said suddenly, folding his arms and huffing as Yuuri slowly set his coat on the hooks behind the door.

“Eight…?” Yuuri asked quietly before one of the couch cushions was hurled at his head. He ducked with a little noise, blinking in shock.

“Eight missed calls!” Phichit yelled again. “I even called Minako! She said she’d left you at the studio after practice… with Viktor.”

Yuuri winced, ducking his head as he unravelled his scarf. “Yeah…”

“Don’t yeah me. Details. Now,” Phichit reached over and paused the movie, yanking out his earbuds and shuffling over on the couch so that Yuuri could sit next to him. To anyone else, Phichit’s behaviour would probably come across as rude, but after three years of friendship, Yuuri knew this was just Phichit’s way of showing he cared, even if it felt like it was shortening Yuuri’s lifespan.

“Can I at least get some dinner first?” Yuuri asked exasperatedly. Now that he was finally in the safety of his own home, he’d suddenly realised just how hungry he was. And tired. His eyes had grown heavy on the bus ride home, but it was even more prominent now as he realised he’d have to explain everything to Phichit before he’d be allowed to go to bed.

“In the pot on the stove. It’s probably cold by now since you’re, like, three hours late coming home,” Phichit narrowed his eyes. Yuuri found himself laughing despite everything.

“I thought we went over this. We’re only married if neither of us finds someone by the time we’re 50,” Yuuri grinned, feeling triumphant when he saw Phichit’s frown twitch into a little smirk.

“I feel like I’m 50 after worrying about your ass all night,” Phichit threw back at him, but he seemed to have cooled, smirk turning into a smile that Yuuri returned easily.

He moved into their little kitchen, finding a big pot of noodles on the stove and throwing some into a bowl before he chucked it in the microwave. He opted to lean on the counter and wait, watching the bowl spin as his mind wandered.

“Did you kiss at least?” Phichit called from the couch, now turned to face him, leaning over the back. Yuuri groaned.

“No, Phichit, I didn’t kiss the dude I only just met today,” he sighed, reaching for a set of plastic chopsticks that were resting on the dishrack. “I’m not like you,” he added with a teasing tone. Phichit stuck out his tongue.

“Honestly Yuuri, at this rate we will end up married.”

The microwaved beeped, Yuuri taking the bowl and feeling his stomach rumble as he smelt the familiar spices. He cradled the bowl in one arm, taking it with him down to the couch, mentally bracing himself for Phichit’s questions.

“But first,” Phichit said, face ridiculously serious… and he suddenly flung himself at Yuuri, crushing him in a bear hug that was quite impressive despite Phichit’s slightly smaller frame. Yuuri smiled as he held the noodles out of the way.

“I’m proud of you for surviving today,” Phichit said softly, all trace of his grumpy act disappearing. “I know it must have been really stressful.”

“Thank you Phichit,” Yuuri said warmly, breaking out of the hug a little sheepishly. ��I’m sorry it took me all day to fill you in.”

“Not even one text Yuuri! Come on!”

“I know! I know … I kind of zoned out on the bus …” Yuuri rubbed the back of his head, glancing down at his lap.

“You’re forgiven,” Phichit said with a mock serious expression. “Now, start at the beginning.” He was shuffling away and sitting cross-legged on the couch, posture stiff as he waited expectantly.

“There’s not much to say, honestly…” Yuuri began, picking at his food with his chopsticks, blowing gently on the noodles with the bowl on his lap. “Madame Baranovskaya is a dragon lady and she hates my guts,” he said matter-of-factly, focussing on picking up as much of the delicious noodles as he could. “The cashier at the café hates my guts, too,” he added, looking up with a thoughtful expression.

“And,” his voice lowered, eyes trailing down to the floor. “I’m probably the worst accompanist in the world since Viktor hates my guts now as well,” and then he stuffed his face, eyes downcast as he chewed, trying to add some sense of finality to what he’d said. He knew Phichit would try and argue with him, but there was no use. He knew it was true. “That’s it, basically.”

Phichit sighed next to him, leaning back on the couch. “Yuuri, they don’t hate your guts. Well… Lilia might, but she hates everyone and everything, so don’t go thinking you’re too special,” Phichit tapped him with his foot to get Yuuri’s attention and they both laughed a little.

“Viktor definitely hates me though,” Yuuri said quietly, hand stilling as he stared back at the floor.

“Yuuri,” Phichit said with a warning tone, “Remember what we talked about? Try and imagine the opposite of what your brain demons are saying. Imagine that’s the truth.” Yuuri scoffed in response.

“But it’s not—” Yuuri began before Phichit shushed him.

“Shh! No. Just pretend it’s true,” Phichit nudged him with his foot again.

Yuuri sighed, taking another mouthful and chewing slowly.

“He asked me to help him practice his aria,” Yuuri said around the food in his mouth, knowing full well that Phichit was still expecting a full recount of the events of the day.

“That’s good, Yuuri,” Phichit said a little excitedly. “Easy, too, since you’ve been playing it since you found out he got the part,” he added, waggling his eyebrows. Yuuri smiled and ducked his head.

“I thought so too, but…” he trailed off, the memory still a little too bitter in his mind, drawing his eyebrows together.

“What?” Phichit frowned before he let out a little gasp. “Oh no, don’t tell me,” he was sitting up now, eyes wide. “Is Viktor one of those singers? Did he nit-pick your playing like he was a piano major? Was he rushing? Oh my god,” he clapped a hand dramatically over his mouth. “Yuuri, was he out of tune?”

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “No, of course not. He was perfect. It was all me,” he sighed, suddenly finding he had no appetite despite feeling starved just seconds before. He put his bowl down on the coffee table, careful not to let it touch Phichit’s charts.

“What did you do?” Phichit asked gently. “It started well,” Yuuri said softly, leaning back in the couch and staring at the ceiling. “He’s a great singer, and easy to follow. I hardly had to think about it at all, it kind of just … worked.” Yuuri chewed on his lower lip, bringing his arm up to cover his eyes. “And then I fucked it all up.”

“You can’t have fucked it up that badly if it was going so well,” Phichit pointed out. Yuuri groaned.

“No, it was like… you know Minako’s studio, right? With all the mirrors? Well… I could see him singing and I kind of got…” Yuuri felt his cheeks begin to burn.

“What, you got distracted by his ridiculously good looks?” Phichit said with a smirk.

“Pretty much,” Yuuri sighed.

“So what? You missed a few notes?” Phichit seemed confused.

“I stopped playing entirely, like, right in the middle. Which would usually be fine but…” Yuuri winced, the memory all too fresh. “He looked at me so strangely. And it wasn’t just that I stopped, I completely zoned out…”

Phichit giggled, “Carried away imagining Viktor’s strong tenor voice, and strong tenor arms, and soft tenor lips…” Phichit was wriggling around on the couch, doing his best impression of a love-sick teenager. Yuuri jabbed him with the back end of his chopsticks and Phichit cried out through his giggles.

“I’m serious!” Yuuri said desperately. “I totally fucked up! And it was so awkward afterwards.”

Phichit let out a rush of air. “I mean, it was your first session together. I’m sure he didn’t mind. It’s just practice, after all, you’re not meant to get it perfect first try.”

Yuuri sunk lower in the couch, wanting nothing more than to let the cushions swallow him whole. “He totally hates me.”

“Yuuri…” Phichit said gently, reaching over and rubbing his shoulder. “He doesn’t hate you, ok? Remember? Imagine the opposite of what you’re thinking is true.”

Suddenly, Yuuri’s phone vibrated in his back pocket and he jumped. Why was his phone vibrating? Was it a text? That was pretty much impossible. The only person who texted him was Phichit and Phichit was sitting right there. He seemed to be just as surprised as Yuuri, gesturing for Yuuri to get his phone out, sitting up slightly with a curious look on his face.

Yuuri leapt to grab his phone, yanking it out of his pocket and scrambling to hold it up in front of him.

And all the colour drained from his face.

Phichit leant over with his brow furrowed, expression quickly morphing into a sly grin as he looked at the screen.

“See what I mean?” he said with a very distinct I-told-you-so tone. “The opposite of what you’re thinking.”

Yuuri could barely breathe.

They were staring at the lock screen, and there in the middle was a notification for a text message.

A text message from Viktor.

“Shit…” Yuuri breathed, glancing up to Phichit with wide eyes. “What do I do?”

“You open it Yuuri, you dumbass!” Phichit squealed, leaning closer to get a better look.

Yuuri swallowed, slowly unlocking his phone and tapping open his messages. Sure enough, there was a text from Viktor. The number hadn’t been saved yet, obviously, but Yuuri could tell who it was from the first line, which had conveniently shown up on his lock screen as well:

> Hey, It’s Viktor ( ⁀ ♡ ⁀ )

“Is that … fucking kaomoji?” Phichit hissed, face all but pressed against Yuuri’s as he eyed the screen with a squint.

“Kao… what?” Yuuri whispered, thumb still hovering over the text, not quite able to bring himself to open it properly. He felt his cheeks flushing ever so slightly as he looked at the little face Viktor had added. Yuuri distantly wondered how he’d even made it.

“Honestly Yuuri, are you even Japanese?” Phichit rolled his eyes, bumping Yuuri’s shoulder with his own impatiently. “Open it already!”

Yuuri swallowed thickly, trying to stop his hands from shaking. He hit the message with his thumb, screwing his eyes shut as it opened.

“Oh…” Phichit gasped, voice quiet.

After a beat, Yuuri dared to open his eyes, peeking at the screen…

> Hey, It’s Viktor ( ⁀ ♡ ⁀ ) Thanks for tonight! You play so beautifully~ How have I never heard you before! ( ≧ ♡ ≦ )

And there was a noise. It sounded kind of like a buzzing – or a droning… then it came into focus and Yuuri realised it was him. He was making the noise. His mouth was open and he was just…

“Holy shit, Yuuri,” Phichit breathed, glancing up at him, eyes sparkling. “The dude’s in love with you.”

“N—N—No he’s not!” Yuuri gasped, all but dropping his phone as he suddenly lost control of all of his motor functions at once. He somehow managed to still hold the phone in his grip, bringing it right up to his face and reading the text over and over.

“H—He’s just being nice,” he whispered, fixating on the little faces and thinking he could almost imagine Viktor making those exact expressions…

“Uh huh. Sure,” Phichit leaned away slightly, looking at Yuuri expectantly. “What are you gonna say?”

Yuuri swallowed. “I … I have to reply?” he breathed.

“Oh my god Yuuri,” Phichit slapped his hands over his eyes – a perfect rendition of a facepalm.

“I don’t … I can’t…” the thought of replying had Yuuri’s stomach doing somersaults. What would he say? He hardly ever messaged people, except the few friends he had online, but that didn’t count. They were all gamers with their own jargon and inside jokes. And most of the conversations he’d had were in group chats or Discord servers where he could stay silent most of the time.

This was different.

This was Viktor.

“Just start with ‘Thank you,’” Phichit offered, leaning back over Yuuri’s phone and watching patiently. Yuuri tried to concentrate on stopping his hands from shaking.

Thank you. Yeah. That sounded like a good idea. He typed it out slowly, careful not to put his fingers anywhere near the ‘send’ button.

“Okay…” Yuuri let out a huff of air. “Now what?”

“Compliment him back,” Phichit said quickly, gesturing to where Viktor had told Yuuri he played … beautifully. Yuuri felt his brain try and kickstart itself back into life.

He managed to punch out a few sentences, testing the waters, before settling on something simple.

>Thank you. You’re a great singer.

“Is that too much?” Yuuri whispered, reading over the words again and again. Phichit groaned beside him.

“Just stop thinking for two seconds, okay?” he said, reaching his hand out and waving it. “Give it here.”

Yuuri swallowed, clutching the phone closer to his chest. “I don’t trust you.”

“Yuuri, please, you wound me,” Phichit clutched at his chest with a mock pained expression. “I won’t send it, I promise. Just let me write it for you and you can check it afterwards.” He waved his hand again.

Yuuri had to admit that sounded like the better option. He could barely make his fingers work, let alone think about what on earth he should say. He handed the phone over slowly, giving Phichit a look.

“Don’t send anything,” Yuuri warned, and Phichit nodded seriously.

“Okay, Okay,” Phichit flexed his fingers before he gripped the phone, fingers flurrying across the screen as he typed. “Gotta come across as casual… but interested enough that he has to reply. Keep him guessing—” Yuuri shoved his shoulder and Phichit giggled.

“Okay, how about this?” Phichit flipped the phone around to show him what he’d written.

> Thank you. You’re a great singer. I’m looking forward to accompanying you again (⌒‿⌒ )

Yuuri just about passed out.

“I can’t send that. Oh my god, I can’t send that,” he buried his face in his hands, feeling his blush creep up and over his ears. Phichit was laughing like a maniac.

“Yes, you can! It’s super casual – I send texts like that all the time. Totally platonic!”

Yuuri groaned. “Yeh but you’re you. It’s just weird coming from me,” He peeked out from under his hands, wincing at the little face Phichit had added. “And I don’t use those … faces,” Yuuri pointed to the emoji with a wince. “And it’s too forward! I can’t just assume he wants to practice with me again,” Yuuri snatched the phone back, ignoring Phichit’s little cries of indignation as he hurried to delete the message.

“Yuuri no! Okay, okay. How about without the emoji?” Phichit offered, still trying to snatch the phone back as they wrestled on the couch. Yuuri sighed.

“Okay… without the emoji,” Yuuri gave in, Phichit rolling back off him as Yuuri hesitantly typed out the message again. As he read it over, his mind whirled with all the implications the words could hold – all the hidden connotations. But it actually seemed pretty good. He could hardly think of anything else to say, anyway.

He swallowed.

“Are you … sure it’s not too forward?” he asked again, breathless, glancing up at Phichit with a worried look.

“It’s fine Yuuri. Go on. Just send it,” Phichit’s eyes were sparkling again and he was leaning towards Yuuri in his excitement, glancing between him and the phone screen. Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh.

He read it again, for good measure. Making sure the punctuation was correct. Yes, he was sending it to the right number. No emojis. No exclamation marks. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thumb hovering over the send button.

“Its not a nuclear warhead, Yuuri,” Phichit said after a while, the silence dragging out as Yuuri hesitated.

He let out a little squeak, slamming his thumb down and wincing as he felt the phone vibrate. He’d sent it.

It certainly felt like he’d just sent a nuclear warhead.

“Oh…” Phichit said in a low voice, shoving his face closer to the screen once again. Yuuri glanced down.

Viktor was already typing a response.

“I think … I think I need to go to bed,” Yuuri whispered, leaning back in the couch and letting the phone fall as he felt all of his emotions completely steamroll him. God, he was so tired.

“You can do this Yuuri,” Phichit said with an encouraging squeeze to his shoulder. “Don’t you dare take that phone away, I want to see what he says.”

The pair watched the little dots in the speech bubble bump around, indicating that Viktor was in the process of typing. Phichit looked like he was having the time of his life. Yuuri felt like he was seconds away from an aneurysm.

His phone vibrated.

> Aaaa~ Complimented by Yuuri (´ ♡ ` ) I can’t wait to practice again too! When are you free next?

Just when Yuuri thought his heart couldn’t lodge itself further up his throat, he saw Viktor was typing again. Phichit all but screamed next to him.

> And I meant to ask earlier! Have you heard Yakov’s scouting for his band? („• o •„ ) You should totally audition with me!

“Yes, Yuuri!” Phichit all but screamed. “Oh my God!” he was standing now, leaning over and shaking Yuuri’s shoulders a little too violently. Yuuri thought he could almost feel his soul leaking out of his body entirely.

“We can all audition together! Please say yes! Holy shit!”

Yuuri distantly registered that he’d dropped his phone, but couldn’t bring himself to care, rocking back and forth as Phichit shook him in his excitement.

All he could think of was throwing his phone off the balcony and never leaving his room again.

* * *

Yakov Feltsman’s Institute Band was, indisputably, the most esteemed Music School Jazz Band in the country. They’d won countless competitions, performed at nearly every worthy event, and anyone who was anyone knew that only the best of the best were granted a spot.

Yuuri had heard enough about the band – which most students just called ‘Institute Band’ – from Phichit, who was planning on auditioning this year. He’d tried in the final year of his degree but missed out in favour of another alto-sax. This year, however, so many of the students had finished their studies that Phichit was certain he’d get a chance this time around.

Up until now, Yuuri had always imagined the band was Phichit’s thing. Yuuri’s main focus in his degree was on classical piano, though he’d taken a few Jazz papers as well, and often accompanied Phichit for his recitals. But he’d never once considered auditioning for the piano position in the band, content with just being an alternate pianist for the SIM Orchestra. Besides, he hardly had time around Minako’s performances and his own studies to focus on anything else.

And yet here he was, standing in the library, printing out Jazz charts and organising a whole new folder of potential pieces.

Phichit was with him, eyeing his choices critically.

“This one should be your main piece,” Phichit said matter-of-factly, pointing to a chart named Lazy Bird. Yuuri winced when he saw the tempo.

“I still don’t know, Phichit,” he said slowly, grabbing the next stack of papers that had just printed, filing them carefully. “I’m hopeless at jazz.”

“That’s not true and you know it,” Phichit said in a sing-song voice. “Half your ideas for your composition are jazz-based. And think about it,” Phichit pointed to the charts. “Learning stuff like this is sure to impress Lilia—”

“Madame Baranovskaya,” Yuuri corrected with a smirk. Phichit rolled his eyes.

“Besides,” he continued, “It’s just an audition! You’ve got nothing to lose – if you get in, you get to hang out with me more because I’m definitely getting in this year,” Phichit mock flicked his hair and Yuuri giggled. “And if you don’t, you lose nothing and go back to doing whatever normies do when they’re not in Institute Band,” Phichit grinned wickedly.

Yuuri sighed, chewing his lower lip. Phichit had a point. There was little he could lose. If anything, at least it was an excuse to see Viktor again.

Yuuri glanced at his phone for the millionth time, checking the overhead library clock on the wall just in case. Phichit watched him.

“We’re meeting at two, right?”

Yuuri swallowed thickly. “Yeh.” Half an hour. He still had half an hour…

“Did he say anything about what to bring?”

“No, he just said we’ll …” Yuuri flicked his phone to his messages again, glancing at the latest one and wincing. “ 'Make like Louis and wing it.’ Phichit. Who’s Louis? What does that even mean?”

“Oh my God, Yuuri,” Phichit all but threw himself on the ground in disappointment. “It’s pronounced Loo-ee. And he’s only the most famous Jazz musician known to man.”

“This is a bad idea,” Yuuri groaned, leaning on the desk near the printer and clutching his chest. “I’m so out of my depth.”

“That’s why you’ve got me,” Phichit said with a wink, grabbing Yuuri’s folder and flicking through it with an appreciative nod, eventually handing it back to him.

Yuuri’s hands were shaking slightly as he took it, carefully placing it in his satchel. That familiar feeling of his mind spinning out of control was starting to take hold. Why had he agreed to this? Maybe he could still pull out – or at least come up with some excuse. He could say he was sick … or that Lilia wanted to meet with him again? No, that wouldn’t work, Viktor knew Lilia somehow, he’d surely find out, and—

“Yuuri,” he heard from somewhere. “Breathe.”

Oh yeah. Phichit. Right. He was in the library. He glanced up, realising he’d doubled over, blinking slowly as he came to. He glanced up at Phichit, trying to convey as much desperation as he could as he looked him directly in the eye.

“I can’t do this Phichit,” his voice was weak, coming out like an out of tune violin. Phichit sighed, but he creased his brow in concern, all the same, touching Yuuri’s shoulder gently. “Yes, you can, Yuuri,” Phichit said, voice soft, rubbing his shoulder. “I’ll be there with you the whole time, remember?”

Yuuri swallowed, feeling his chest grow slightly less tight at the thought. Yes. Phichit would be there. They were all going to practice together. Perhaps Phichit and Viktor would spend the whole time talking and Yuuri could just hide behind the piano…

“Come on. Let’s go get coffee on our way,” Phichit said with a small smile. “My treat.”

Yuuri laughed nervously. “You must be desperate for this if you’re sucking up to me that much.” Somehow, Yuuri found he could breathe a little better. He straightened and reached for his satchel. “But let’s split it. I know you’ve got no money after that game came out.”

Phichit shrugged with a sheepish grin. “You know me too well.”

They made their way to the café – the cashier from the other day absent, much to Yuuri’s relief – and with coffees in hand, they wandered aimlessly towards the practice studios. Yuuri glanced at his phone again – fifteen minutes to go.

Suddenly Phichit’s phone started ringing – his ringtone an 8-bit rendition of one of his favourite songs from that movie he was obsessed with – The King and the Skater. He let it ring for a while, humming along with the tune and Yuuri laughed. He answered it with a wink.

“Oh hey, I was wondering when you’d call,” he said with a glance back to Yuuri. “I can’t talk right now, but we’re still on. Yep. Mmhm. And I’ll grab it on the way out. Alright, see ya.” Yuuri watched him curiously.

“Who was that?” he asked.

“No one important. Someone asking for some of my music,” Phichit was still staring at his phone, tapping out some kind of message. But then he shoved it back into his pocket and flashed Yuuri a grin.

“Are you excited yet?”

Yuuri sighed, taking a sip of his coffee. “No. I’d still much rather be practicing on my own,” he glanced back at his phone. Thirteen minutes to go.

“Well, maybe you still can while we wait? We’re nearly there anyway,” Phichit glanced up the hallway and Yuuri looked with him. The studio they were scheduled to use was a larger one on the ground floor. They were maybe a corridor away.

“I might go to the bathroom quickly first,” Yuuri said in a small voice, familiar dread gnawing away at his stomach. He didn’t actually need to go, he just wanted some alone time to try and mentally prepare himself for what was about to happen.

Surprisingly, Phichit didn’t comment on it. “Oh sure. I’ll meet you there then?” he offered a small smile and Yuuri narrowed his eyes.

“You’re not going to tell me off…?” Yuuri questioned, and Phichit was suddenly on his phone again, taking little sips of his latte without meeting Yuuri’s eyes.

“Phichit…” Yuuri made his voice stern, watching him intently. “What are you planning?”

Phichit glanced up at him nervously, glancing away. “Nothing, Yuuri!” he said with a little laugh, eyes still fixated on some point on the wall beyond Yuuri’s head. “Sorry, I’m just distracted with this guy … person. Who wants to use my music. The one from before. Anyway, I’ll meet you there!” and suddenly he was sprinting down the hallway, leaving Yuuri alone with his suspicions.

Phichit was definitely planning something. Yuuri almost let himself get swept away with his worries – was Phichit scheming about him and Viktor? Did he have some sort of dreadful surprise waiting for him at the studio?

But then he remembered that Phichit was going to be practicing with them, and his heart rate slowed ever so slightly. He couldn’t be scheming something if he was going to be there himself. Yuuri took a deep breath, making his way to the bathrooms, setting his satchel down and running the faucet. Yuuri took his glasses off, placing them on the bench as he tried to focus.

He was about to practice with Viktor again.

They were practicing Jazz.

But, he reminded himself as the panic tried to settle in, Phichit was going to be there.

That helped.

He cupped his hands and splashed some cool water on his face, relishing the way it was almost painfully icy thanks to the weather. That helped a little too.

He could see himself in the mirror in front of him, hair a little wet, eyes slightly fearful as he stared back at himself.

He could do this.

He could do this…

* * *

Viktor still hadn’t arrived by the time Yuuri joined Phichit in the studio, and Yuuri let out a sigh of relief. Phichit was standing by the windows fiddling with something. Yuuri frowned.

“What are you doing?” and Phichit all but squeaked in surprise, spinning around quickly.

“Nothing! Just … texting,” and Yuuri felt his suspicions return. But then Phichit wandered towards him and Yuuri could see the phone in his hands. Yuuri thought for a moment. Maybe Phichit was texting someone he was interested in?

“What’s his name?” Yuuri asked with a playful smirk. Phichit frowned, and then seemed to cotton on, laughing nervously and glancing down at his feet.

“Oh, just this guy I met at a recital…” he laughed again, scuffing his feet. “He’s super cute. You’d like him.” Yuuri smiled.

“Guess we’re putting that marriage on hold after all?” he tossed back over his shoulder as he moved toward the piano, Phichit laughing again.

“Such a shame,” and he was moving towards the corner where he’d rested his sax on one of the chairs, taking it out and preparing his reeds. Yuuri filed through his folders that were tucked into his satchel, pausing over a familiar one at the back.

“Hey,” he said in a small voice, “Do you mind if I practice some stuff for my solo first?” he asked gently, taking the folder out and flipping through it. “The concert’s not for a while, but the piece is pretty tricky…”

Phichit paused with one of his reeds in his mouth, blinking for a moment. Yuuri narrowed his eyes as Phichit glanced towards the windows, then back again.

“O—Of course not!” Phichit said quickly, sucking the reed and popping it out of his mouth before working to fix it to his sax. “Go for it. I’ve got some music I need to read anyway.”

“Thanks,” Yuuri said slowly, something nagging at the back of his mind, but he squashed it. Now wasn’t the time to be freaking out over Phichit’s weirdness. He was probably just nervous about Mr. Recital. Yuuri took out the familiar piece of music and a small pencil, setting them both on the stand.

It was a rather tricky Ravel piece that one of his teachers – the SIM Orchestra conductor – had suggested he learn for their performance later that semester. Yuuri usually declined solos, but after listening to the piece he found he couldn’t say no, eventually agreeing, much to his conductor’s delight. Thankfully, it was only going to be one solo, unlike the last end of year showcase where Yuuri had had to perform three solo pieces, back to back. He’d messed up, of course. Luckily his set was just before the first years, so nobody even noticed alongside their messy renditions of Flight of the Bumblebee or Beethoven’s 5, the crowd going wild for the familiar pieces. He rolled his eyes. One day they’d scrap those sorts of pieces from the curriculum entirely. The day he didn’t have to play Flight of the Bumblebee to impress his family at CNY, or show off at a party was going to be the best day of his life.

Yuuri scanned the sheets briefly, grabbing his pencil and adding a few more notes to the margins. He was having a bit of trouble with some of the tempo changes, so he wanted to make sure he drilled them in as early as possible. Putting the pencil down, he opted to perform a few quick stretches, twisting his hands and bending his fingers back one by one. He glanced back to Phichit who already had his headphones in, mouthing his reed again and glancing over some music of his own.

Yuuri sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. He could hear the piece playing through his mind, and as he let out a steady breath, he let himself drift along with it, moving his fingers into the correct positions over the keys.

The music began.

The piece always prompted a very clear image in Yuuri’s mind. A creek and a forest. Yuuri tried to imagine the stream as he played, bubbling and swirling over rocks and moss, twisting its way through the quiet forest like honey. He let his fingers fall lightly on the keys, foot tapping on the pedals at just the right moment to let the notes linger where they should. He opened his eyes to glance at the music, registering where he was up to and taking note of the upcoming change, letting his body rock slowly as it came to the fore. His fingers flowed along the keys, the muscle memory allowing Yuuri to close his eyes and let the sounds carry him.

He made a few mistakes, but he hardly noticed them.

The piece was beautiful – intricate, challenging, surprising. There were flourishes and changes that made Yuuri’s chest swell with excitement, shifts in tempo that left Yuuri aching, deep resonant chords that had his brow creasing and his mouth opening slightly.

Something in the back of his mind registered a change in the room, but with his eyes closed and his ear so focussed on the sounds he was hearing, he could hardly bring himself to care.

A nearby flick of paper had him opening his eyes, and he glanced to the music. The paper had turned, and something told him he should be concerned about that fact, but as he registered where he was up to, he felt himself get swept away again, dipping his shoulders and leaning into the piano as the notes swelled into a crescendo.

He picked up speed, fingers dancing furiously over the keys, his right-hand cascading down as he performed the intricate scales and tremolos with ease.

He knew he was close to the end, body adjusting as he shifted his hands higher, back to where he’d begun. The last passage was similar to the first, with a softer sense of completion and finality in each note. Yuuri tried to convey what he was feeling – a bubbling stream that surged into a river, and then fell, settling itself into stillness as it bled out across an ocean.

He had his eyes closed, hair dishevelled and tickling his brow, breath coming in short gasps.

In the silence that followed, reality came crashing back to him and he flung his eyes open.

There was a pale hand with long fingers resting on the stand in front of him, an arm caging him in on one side. He followed it up, seeing it meet a broad shoulder, a slim neck, silver hair …

“Amazing,” Viktor whispered, eyes huge and shimmering in the low light of the studio, fixed on him. He was distantly aware of Phichit’s loud clapping nearby, though he suddenly found he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“Th—Thank you…” he breathed, swallowing thickly as his mind raced to keep pace with reality.

“Perfect timing Viktor!” Phichit called loudly, causing Viktor to flick his eyes away from Yuuri’s. His face was close, and Yuuri was painfully aware of the soft sensation of warmth emanating from Viktor’s chest, which hung behind him as he leaned on the piano.

“Every prodigy needs a good page-turner,” he replied, flashing Yuuri a quick wink before straightening and moving away. Yuuri let out a long breath.

Viktor really needed to stop surprising him like that. He liked having a functioning heart.

Yuuri frowned.

What had he meant by page-turner?

Yuuri gasped, turning toward Viktor with a look of pure shock.

“You turned my pages?” he blurted out, awkwardly scooting the stool back with a loud screech as he stood. Viktor turned back, face expressionless.

“Of course,” he said, furrowing his brow. “Was I not meant to?”

“N—No!” Yuuri stammered, feeling his cheeks grow hotter and the tips of his ears burn. “I didn’t … I didn’t even notice…” he trailed off, staring at his feet in embarrassment.

Phichit laughed, slinging his sax across his shoulder and shaking his head. “That’s Yuuri for you. Always lost in the music.” Yuuri swallowed. He still couldn’t quite believe Viktor had shown up already – was still coming to terms with the fact that they were about to practice together. Again. He was grateful that Phichit was there to fill the silences, but he also really, really didn’t need him pointing out such embarrassing things to Viktor.

But Viktor was giving Yuuri a strange look. Something like … awe?

“Incredible,” he said softly. “I wish I could do that,” and his tone was genuine.

Viktor wished he could … what?

“Th—Thanks,” Yuuri mumbled, unsure how to respond. Having Viktor’s eyes on him, staring at him like that, it was…

“Shall we get started?” Phichit asked brightly, interrupting his train of thought and blowing a few notes into his sax, adjusting it on his shoulder. “What was it you said? Make like Louis and wing it?” he laughed, and Viktor turned back, laughing too.

“Did you know,” Phichit said slowly, still focussed on his instrument. “Yuuri called him ‘Lewis,’” Phichit continued, flashing Yuuri a smirk. Viktor laughed again, the sound unfairly melodic despite how it made Yuuri’s stomach drop.

“Adorable,” Viktor said, flashing Yuuri his grin again. Phichit was watching on with a teasing expression, and Yuuri suddenly felt like he could have strangled him right then and there. He made eyes at him to try and get him to stop, only making Phichit’s grin wider.

“I wasn’t too sure where to start, or what piece we should even do for the audition, so I figured we could improv a bit?” Viktor said after a beat, reaching into his pockets and pulling out his phone. He tapped the screen for a moment before settling on whatever he was looking for, flashing the screen to Phichit.

“Oh, yes,” Phichit’s voice grew higher in excitement “I love this song,” and Phichit was pretty much bouncing on his feet. “And it has parts for all of us! It’s perfect.”

“Mhm, that’s what I was thinking,” Viktor walked back towards the piano, flashing Yuuri the screen. The little poodle charm was still there, twinkling in the light.

Yuuri looked at the screen where Viktor had opened Spotify. At the centre was a big, eye-catching album, a chromatic hexagonal colour wheel on a white background that looked vaguely familiar, though Yuuri couldn’t quite place it.

“I … Belong to You?” Yuuri asked with a quizzical brow as he read the title. Phichit snickered in the distance and Yuuri shot him a warning look. Viktor made a strange noise at the back of his throat.

“Y--Yeah. It’s one of my favourites,” Viktor said, voice sounding a little strangled. “It’s quite a simple song, but maybe we could spice it up a bit?” he seemed to be looking at Yuuri expectantly.

Was he … asking for permission?

Yuuri swallowed, adjusting his glasses and nodding. “Sure thing,” he said quietly.

“Okay!” Viktor’s shoulders relaxed. “I brought the music with me,” he started walking over to the chairs, rummaging through a rather expensive looking bag, producing a very shiny looking folder and waving it proudly. Yuuri couldn’t help but smile.

“You actually took care of your sheet music this time? I’m impressed.”

Viktor laughed again, grinning and rubbing the back of his neck. “I couldn’t bring myself to let you down a second time.” Yuuri could see Phichit making faces out of the corner of his eye, and he resisted the urge to pull the finger, smiling back at Viktor.

He realised, after a moment, that that familiar sense of ease had returned. Of coming home.

It was … nice.

Clearing his throat, Yuuri glanced back to Viktor’s phone. “I have a speaker if you want to play it for us?” Yuuri offered, making his way to his own bag where his Bluetooth speaker was tucked into one of the pockets.

“Oh, sure,” Viktor said eagerly, flicking through his phone. “It has two parts – the more poppy beginning and ending, with lots of fun piano and a sax solo,” he glanced to Phichit who gave him a knowing nod. “And then there’s an adorable French Operatic solo in the middle. With piano. It would be better with drums, but maybe I could ask Otabek to help…” Viktor trailed off as he focussed on his phone, Yuuri setting the speaker on the windowsill. He noticed something tucked under the curtains out of the corner of his eye, almost reaching to check what it was before a loud crashing noise had him turning around.

“Shit, my bad,” Phichit said with a nervous laugh, reaching for his music stand that was sprawled on the floor. Yuuri laughed, snapping his fingers in Phichit’s direction.

“Earth to Phichit. Stop thinking about Mr. Recital,” and he laughed as Phichit looked up at him with an annoyed expression.

“Hey, I’m the one who teases in our relationship, thank you very much,” he shot back, though he was grinning in response. Viktor made another one of those strange noises at the back of his throat and Yuuri glanced back towards him. He seemed to be eyeing Phichit warily, brow creased. Like he was trying to figure something out. Like something was upsetting him.

“L—Let’s hear it then,” Yuuri said quickly, finding he wanted to distract Viktor from whatever thoughts were making his face do that. It didn’t seem natural. He didn’t like it.

Viktor snapped back to reality, beaming with another smile that simultaneously made Yuuri feel relieved and overwhelmingly excited. He took in a sharp breath, gesturing that the speaker was ready for Viktor to use.

The song was catchy. While it played, Viktor handed both of them their charts, and as Yuuri glanced over them, he was sure he’d heard the song somewhere before. When the saxophone solo came in close to the end, his brain managed to put two and two together.

“Oh, this one,” he said, glancing and smiling at Phichit.

“Yeah, remember that concert?” Phichit was laughing now, “Oh god, I don’t want to think about it. I was such a fanboy.”

“I remember,” Yuuri said with a little laugh. “You even wore the shirt. That’s why the album was familiar.”

The song came to a close, Yuuri distantly aware of Viktor’s eyes on him as it did so. He glanced back, blush creeping across his cheeks as he noticed how intently Viktor was staring after him. Was he gauging his reaction? Surely not. Surely he knew that whatever song he chose, Yuuri would be more than happy to play. Would probably be adding to his playlist after practice and listening to on repeat for the next month. At least.

“Is it okay?” Viktor asked, brow slightly creased.

“Yeah,” Yuuri said, a little too quickly. “It’s beautiful. And it’ll sound much better if you sing it, I’m sure,” he smiled, turning away and glancing to Phichit who was giving him a discreet thumbs up. Yuuri rolled his eyes. Viktor cleared his throat.

“Since we’re meant to be showcasing our jazz talent, we should probably improv some of it, right?” Phichit offered, testing his keys and flicking through the charts that Viktor had given him on his music stand. “The sax solo is great, but I can do a bit better than that,” he smirked. “And Yuuri can definitely do better than Matt Bellamy, no matter how godlike he is.”

Yuuri ducked his head, though he had to agree. The piano was great – fun to listen to with just the right number of flourishes – but Yuuri knew he could do more. He was already mapping out a few ideas in his mind, going over some of the glissandos and calculating whether he could add a few tremolos…

“Definitely,” Viktor replied levelly, his face oddly serious, one finger tapping on his lips in a curious gesture that Yuuri hadn’t seen before. It was quite difficult to stop himself from staring...

“Let’s give it a try and …see where we can go from there?” Viktor offered, reaching for his own music stand and moving to set it up on the other side of the piano.

They ended up talking for a while about the different passages, Yuuri suggesting Phichit play along for most of the song instead of waiting for his solo, Viktor suggesting a few extra bars for a jazz piano solo in the middle of the Operatic part. Phichit suggesting they form their own Muse inspired band, everyone laughing.

Eventually, with a few pencil notes scrawled in the margins, Yuuri had a rough idea of what to play. He tested a few bars while Viktor warmed up, offering some scales and chords every now and then which Viktor seemed to appreciate.

Their first run through was a bit of a mess, though Phichit eased the tension immeasurably. Yuuri was sure he would have run out the door by now if Phichit wasn’t there to laugh or swear or offer some sort of joke every time one of them made a mistake. And somehow, since all three of them were coming at the piece so fresh, their slip-ups soon turned into new ideas. Viktor even missed a few cues, much to Yuuri’s shock and Phichit’s delight.

After running over the song for the better part of an hour, Yuuri could hear that something was still missing. Their own parts sounded amazing – Viktor’s solo in particular, though Yuuri was a little biased. But even once they’d worked in a few “spicy parts” as Phichit had taken to calling them, there was still that essential sense of grandeur lacking. They’d listened to the song over and over, pausing and rewinding little pieces, trying to come at it from a different angle or change the tempo slightly.

Phichit suddenly stopped them a few bars before Viktor’s solo, letting his sax fall and grabbing their attention with a whistle.

“Bass and drums,” he said levelly once they’d stopped playing, rubbing his chin as he thought. “That’s what we need.”

Viktor nodded solemnly. “You’re both playing wonderfully, but we’re missing that classic Muse sound.” He suddenly flicked out his phone, tapping it for a moment and then pressing it to his ear.

“Hello? Yeah, what are you up to right now?” Viktor started pacing the room, Yuuri and Phichit watching as he spoke with someone animatedly. He seemed to be trying to convince whoever it was to come and drum for them.

“Yeah, it’s a Muse song. Yeah, exactly. Piano, Sax, and me singing. Uh huh. Oh…” Viktor suddenly looked very thoughtful. “I hadn’t thought of that. Good idea. Okay, I’ll see you soon,” and he tapped his phone again, hanging up.

“I’ve got a friend who’s an excellent drummer,” he explained, giving Yuuri a small smile. “He’s actually already in the Institute Band, but he said he’d be happy to help us. And I might…” Viktor turned his attention to his phone again. “I might have an idea for a bassist…”

Viktor seemed to be sending a text instead of calling, turning back to them after a moment with a smile. “He said he’ll come! Though, apparently, I owe him now,” he shrugged, tossing his phone back onto his coat and moving back near the piano, flicking through his music that he’d set up on a stand. Yuuri wondered distantly what kind of people he’d found – if they were Viktor’s friends, they were sure to be professionals. Yuuri wasn’t too sure how he felt about having more people in the room…

“We might have to meet them at a different studio though. We’ll need a kit,” Viktor said slowly, putting his finger up to his lips again in that same gesture that entranced Yuuri so thoroughly. Part of him wanted Viktor to stop since whenever he did it, all Yuuri could think of was how soft Viktor’s lips looked and it was ridiculously distracting…

Another secret part of him wanted to watch him do it forever.

“When are they coming?” Phichit asked casually, blowing into his sax and cleaning it out, spit splashing onto the floor. Yuuri winced. As much as he loved the sound of woodwind, he was glad he’d chosen an instrument that was a little bit nicer to clean and didn’t involve any body fluids.

“Next 20 minutes or so I’d imagine,” Viktor said slowly, finger still on his lip. “Let’s take a break maybe? I’ll sort us a studio,” and his phone was out again, fingers dancing across the screen. Yuuri swallowed.

“A-Are you sure it’s ok? Won’t you have to pay…?” his voice was small. Something about the thought of suddenly changing all their plans and meeting two new people had him on edge. Viktor turned and flashed him a brilliant smile.

“It’s no trouble,” he said, swiping his thumb across the phone screen and placing it back in his pocket. “Yakov owes me anyway.”

Yuuri blanched. Yakov owed him. The Yakov? After the last hour of easy banter between the three of them, it suddenly came rushing back to Yuuri that Viktor was pretty much a celebrity. The concept of Yakov owing anyone anything might seem strange to normies like him and Phichit, but he supposed for Viktor, it was probably normal. Probably normal for them to go and get coffee, too. Like old buddies.

It was suddenly quite difficult to breathe.

Phichit let out a low whistle. “What I wouldn’t give to have the Yakov Feltsman owe me a favour,” he said with a laugh, moving to pack up his gear. “Must be nice.”

Viktor laughed at that, glancing at Yuuri with a strange expression that was gone as quickly as it had come. Yuuri frowned.

“It’s okay,” he answered. “He’s actually a total softie, once you get to know him,” and Viktor said it so casually that Yuuri just about choked on his own tongue.

Phichit let out a strangled noise before doubling over in laughter. “Oh, God, that’s an image,” he wiped at his eyes. “What, is he like … a bear? But a Yogi Bear?” he snorted and Yuuri tried to cover up his own little giggle at the image.

“Oh, Yakov’s a twink, for sure,” Viktor said, face serious, moving to pack up his own gear as if he hadn’t just said the most ridiculous sentence known to man. Phichit and Yuuri both froze, glancing to each other, then back to Viktor.

“Didn’t you guys know?” Viktor said again, glancing up at them. But Yuuri could see a tell-tale smirk twitching on his lips, and suddenly all three of them were laughing like school kids, Yuuri having to wipe at the tears suddenly forming in the corners of his eyes.

“Oh my God, please, don’t make us imagine it,” Phichit was gasping for air, rolling around on one of the chairs. Viktor seemed pleased with himself, turning to Yuuri with a dazzling grin. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and Viktor grabbed it quickly, smiling and giving the two of them a thumbs up.

“The favour’s been cashed in, we’ve got a studio,” Viktor said gleefully. “Let’s go, Yuri’s on his way now.”

Yuuri frowned. “I’m right here…” he said softly. Viktor glanced back at him.

“Oh, no, the other Yuri,” he explained.

“The worse one,” he added with a wink.

#yoi #yuri on ice #yuri!!! on ice #yuuri #viktor #phichit #music school au #alternate universe #minminnsfics #fics #FLUFF #victuuri #slow burn

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