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The call happens in early spring. 

It is both a literal and figurative call in which some ISU sponsor makes to Viktor Nikiforov to join some tourism committee, the exact role undefined due to its experimental nature. It is pitched as an effort to raise awareness of athletics in smaller communities while also promoting local venues. They say it would be unlike anything else with celebrities and athletes representing different places around the world every year. They tell him platitudes and assurances that because he'll just be the "face" of the program, not to worry about logistics or organizational issues or actual planning. Viktor wonders if it's worse if all he's needed for is his pretty looks.

Viktor joins anyway because he is listless and uninspired, has been, since the skating season had begun winding down, and in all honesty, probably longer than that.

He recalls the energy he felt during the recent performance that earned him his fifth Worlds title. "Stammi Vicino" is a beautiful aria, and since skating to it at the Grand Prix Final in Sochi, its longing emotion had begun to swell in him, icing over his heart with every pump. He yearned, but for what he did not know. 

So Viktor kept skating. Until he had been presented with another option.

And so here he sits, on a couch, legs wrapped in Makkachin, watching tourism video on tourism video boring him to metaphorical death. His inspiration is already so tenuous, so each clip enthusiastically asking the viewer to visit their local town seems to cut into what little had existed already. It hurts in a different way because he had hoped. 

In this moment, he wonders what he even expects. The program's sponsorship team undoubtedly heard about his potential retirement, a plan that he is not even committed to, but he supposes that's how rumors go. Someone jumps in and gives him the options so that they could capitalize on his current, peak fame. For all intents and purposes, the partnership is a good idea because while he does consider retiring, it is sudden for him to do so at the top of his game. The role as a "Tourist Ambassador" is a happy medium to do what he does already enjoy doing--traveling--and still have time to skate. 

Yet, the skating is the issue, and evidently, the cities and towns presented to him in these video playlists are as well.

His eyes glaze over after the fifth municipal overview video of some "modern and developing!" city scrolls over his phone, until he is brought out of his boredom by a familiar, haunting tune. At the sound of "Stay By My Side" instrumentals, his legs twitch automatically, and Makka boofs up at him with sleepy eyes. With a soft apology of his hand, he reaches down with eyes glued to the screen. 

This welcome video is different from the others. With the melancholy sounds of the familiar music, it paints a more subdued, but no less beautiful picture of a sleepy seaside town. The video opens with a view of the ocean, panning down to a near empty beach with a lone runner in the distance. The camera pulls back in a tracking shot of the ocean that zooms out and ends in a shot with trees lining the frame of the image. The framing and granularity reminds him of an old polaroid, as if he were watching something from a film from time ago. It's a gutsy, artsy move that Viktor would never have expected from any tourist committee.

He glances at the name of the video, "[You] will find eternal community in [Hasetsu]," a town in Japan.

A soothing female voice begins to speak in Japanese while English captions roll across the screen.

"Find yourself in the midst of what you need," she says coolly as a shopping arcade plays with some bustling of shoppers, clearly discovering new clothes in the background. 

A shot of a castle on a hill accompanied by her voice saying, "Reach new heights."

The castle is impressive but also is the cinematography of how the B-reel includes establishing shots and close ups, couples lining the edge of the castle. Briefly Viktor imagines himself there, like that.

"And discover who you are," she says simply, but this time, there is a compilation of different videos to contrast her simplicity. The typical travel fare grace his screen in piping hot dishes of Japanese food, waterfalls, beautiful views from a mountain.

On that final one, Viktor is briefly struck by the quick profile of an attractive man in glasses overlooking the city at a viewing point of said mountain. Viktor thinks, well, at least they know to put hot people at the forefront of their promotional videos. 

Finally, the last shot is the back of strong looking shoulders sitting in a hot spring. A title card flashes, "Give yourself to Hasetsu, Japan."

Then it fades, and the next video autoplays, more bright colors, all typical scenery, and less captivating. It's distant and removed, and Viktor still thinks about Hasetsu.

There is no reason for Viktor to be this emotional over a tourist video. Sure, artistically, it was better than the other cheap shots and lighting, yet in all honesty, it was, in a way, just like all the others. In fact, it does less of an effective job explaining what the city is like, except for general tranquil vibes, but Viktor figures that he did set out to find a city to visit and represent, and here is one presented with everything that he likes in a video. It isn't exactly the city that the ISU probably expect him to choose. They likely want him to find a lively, fun locale, perhaps one in Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe to match his playboy persona. But that persona wears on him, and it was never truly him anyway--just one that was thrusted upon him once upon a time when an ex rejected him publicly to the fanbase.

These concerns are a far cry from anyone in a small city across the globe, so Viktor quickly decides to escape to Japan, the quick decision making Yakov no less happy than earlier in the season when Viktor expressed his feelings about ending his run as a skater; at the very least, Yakov knows that Viktor is working with the ISU, who would never let Viktor out of their grip in the sport. He makes them too much money, while Yakov cares too much for Viktor's wellbeing.

His wellbeing as a skater aside, Viktor needs this. 

When he is eventually interviewed about the program with other celebrities representing different up-and-coming cities and asked about his chosen location, he smiles placidly and says he's just drawn to Japan. Neither he nor the other representatives are allowed to share specifically where they are going yet, but they are allowed to share the country in which they will be staying during the off-season, so there's a buzz that Viktor will be doing ice shows in Tokyo or Osaka, and he lets those questions fly over him as automatically as when he was watching those other cities' videos. 

He just wants to be on vacation already.

Aside from the excitement of being himself in a secluded place, Viktor knows the city will suit him as he throws himself into learning as much as he can about Hasetsu--its warring past due to its location on the edge of the sea welcoming foreigners even at a time when the country had been so isolated, to the detriment of its people. Historically, the tales of battle and commerce are riveting for Viktor, and in its modern time, he is even fascinated by the (mostly fishing and pottery) innovations and traditions kept by its people. 

He watches videos on YouTube of nature shots of pine groves or people walking through the city. In the background of one such video, he even is struck by a familiar figure of the attractive man on the mountain in the welcome video, and when he pauses to confirm, he sees that behind those blue glasses, the man's eyes are boring into the camera, boring into Viktor. Viktor is unsure why, but he shivers at it.

Oddly, all Viktor thinks is what is the likelihood that he will run into such good looking people there.

It does not take much convincing for him to immerse into his ambassador role. As he delves into his research, Viktor already loves the city.

It's a curious thing, to be so driven to go to a place for no other reason but to go. Viktor feels it, nonetheless. To accomplish so much at this stage in his life, perhaps it's no surprise that he is drawn to a quiet place where he can actually rest the muscles that have been working so hard all his life. He already reached the top, what was going back down to sea-level going to do?

So in April, he finds himself on a plane to Fukuoka. He'd been in this part of Japan for other events, and while he finds the hustle and bustle of Hakata station familiar, he's anxious to get out of the major city. It seems so is Makkachin, who accompanies him with uncharacteristic whines and an antsy gait.

With a beating heart that builds and builds, he hardly even lets a breath out until he's finally on the local train south, one that arrives every hour, on the hour.

On the commute, he buzzes in anticipation. For what, he's not sure, because it's not like he's got plans when he arrives. He is going to meet the ISU guide who'll take him to set up his lodgings, but it isn't until tomorrow that he gets to do the ambassadorship stuff he signed up for. For now, there is no reason for him to desire for an arrival that he's replicated in probably hundreds of new cities in his lifetime; the excited travel jitters shouldn't hit him, not like this. 

It is this impatience he feels when the train crosses into Hasetsu's borders. At least, that is what he thinks when he could almost feel the shift from not-Hasetsu to Hasetsu. Perhaps it's when he notices that the trees change, the foliage heavier outside the train's windows, and it's not just wide ocean that he's looking out at. He's not sure why, but his blood sings to be surrounded by these trees, as if it knows, as if it's happy to be here. As if he's happy to be here. 

When he arrives in Hasetsu station, the environment is already so different from Fukuoka's Hakata station. The air seems to bend around him, welcoming him like a warm embrace, which is odd because there's clearly a storm brewing outside the glass doors. Wrapped in a coat and a scarf, and Makkachin close at his heels, he contrarily feels warmed to the snow that starts to slowly fall.

From his position inside the station, he allows himself to watch, silent, at the skies dark overhead and the cars that stay still in its parking lot. 

A tinny noise pulls him out of his staring. Viktor turns around to find a young child messing around on a piano in the center of the station. It would typically be a cute sight, but Viktor is unsettled as the child who plays another singular note stares him down, his eyes boring down on him as if he were the adult and Viktor the child. The boy is probably curious by Viktor's ashen hair and blue eyes, a foreigner likely uncommon in this part of Japan. At the thought, Viktor smiles at him, and almost offers a commemorative picture, half-mockingly and half-generously.

Before he could vocalize any sort of greeting, he hears his name called across the station's walkway.

"Mr. Nikiforov-san! Apologies for being late," Viktor hears as he turns around to fully greet his sponsorship tour guide, the one he will be working closely over the next few weeks in order to promote tourism to Hasetsu. On an earlier virtual meeting, this man Ken Hisashi had admitted to never being in Hasetsu at all until this year, and was actually more actively promoting cities in Hokkaido, a far cry from the southern Kyushu region. He even vocalized that it was a wonder that Hasetsu was nominated at all for the city selection because no one on the committee could remember when Hasetsu's name was even in the running on the ISU project.

It never mattered to Viktor, for he's glad he's here at all. He already feels at home as Ken chatters on in greeting before Viktor throws a glance behind him at the piano. Strangely, the closed fallboard looks untouched, and there is no sign of the dark haired child that stared him down earlier.

"Oh? Did you want to play the piano?" the guide asks of him, offering an explanation that it's one of those communal pianos that Japan litters around for people to show off their chops in public spaces, which Viktor doesn't feel like saying he already knows about.

He shakes his head no, unsure if it's now anxiousness or excitement in his throat, but now eager to leave the station all the same.

The man drives Viktor and Makkachin in a spacious van, luckily, because Viktor brings nearly all of his things in anticipation for this extended trip. Viktor has traveled plenty in his life, and he usually likes to travel light with just a carryon or a simple suitcase. This is not the case coming to Hasetsu. He had wanted to bring his entire life in his luggage. He wants to share his entire life with the people here, nevermind that he doesn't understand Japanese aside from the polite phrases he'd picked up over the years.

Those polite phrases come in handy when he arrives at his place of lodging for the next month.

It's a quaint but large building with bright flags that line the entrance. Above, a sign reads Yu-topia Hot Springs, and upon entering, he has to take off his shoes as customary. The front of house is welcoming and spacious, with odd knick knacks and massage chairs and an entryway into a sitting area. It's old yet comfortable, a sort of dichotomy that Viktor is starting to recognize within Hasetsu.

He is greeted by an older couple, who smiles with such happiness that Viktor feels that same warmth from earlier. He loves these people already, and even notes that the woman has such a face that relaxes him inexplicably. 

Despite the warmth, a shiver runs down his spine as he hears--thinks?--the word, "Home."

Ken the guide translates between the three of them, and briefly Viktor worries that he won't be able to communicate with Hiroko and Toshiya Katsuki, whom he'll be staying with, until he's assured that they have a daughter who can speak English, just that she is out for the day and will return the following.

It's all innocuous, yet Viktor notes the tightness in Toshiya's smile and a shift in Hiroko's stance as Ken prattles on unaware. Even Makkachin whines little, catching Viktor's attention in passing to follow the dog's gaze down the hall, where he can see only darkness, like a cavern without end.

The darkness seems to bend on itself in the hush, the world around it paused. 

But the momentary stillness shifts. Everyone is back to that welcoming environment as they take Viktor's things to settle in for the evening and say good night to Ken.

With a warm "Vicchan," Hiroko brokenly tells him he can take his time in the room to settle, and, should he get hungry or need the facilities, points out the directions to the kitchens and washroom. Viktor is grateful that he gets to rest, for he's suddenly very tired, soothed by the presence of inn but also exhausted by the traveling.

Uncharacteristically, he doesn't shower after all the traveling, but he does have presence of mind to at least take off his clothes before napping on a clean bed. In his thong, he cuddles Makkachin, and despite being in a new bed, finds himself falling asleep almost immediately.

For all of his travels, Viktor has never been comfortable in a bed, especially in a new environment. He usually opts to sleep on couches or surrounded by hefty pillows hugging him, but in this moment, the warmth he felt earlier wraps him like being spooned, and instantly he dreams.

"Viktor."

What feels like just seconds later, his eyes snap open, hearing his name so clear, as if he's being called right into his ear. He turns and finds nothing but wall, plain and nondescript and eerie all the same. Viktor is unsure what he expected, but nobody is there, obviously. 

He is slightly disoriented, as happens in waking up in a new place, but Viktor thinks it more has to do with the dream he cannot recall or the bizarre feeling on his chest, like a weighted blanket slowly lifting off of him. In the most bizarre factor of all, he is completely naked, black thong no where to be seen, and his penis hard. But with Makkachin at his side, he does not feel compelled to touch himself, even if the dog is fully fast asleep, the only mark that any time has truly passed at all. He checks his phone for the time instead, chalking up the missing underwear to kicking it off in his sleep.

There are notifications from texts and social media and emails, and honestly, he wishes he could swipe them all away, the need to escape deep in his bones. But he responds dutifully, first to Yakov and then to his friends until he checks Instagram. 

The first on his feed is an account he doesn't remember following, but he supposes it makes sense that he does, given it's the official Hasetsu tourism board. It's a silly name, called @hasetsutopia, but the posts are simple with videos and photos of local sights, and maybe an interview here and there.

He clicks on one, which interviews local businesses, and is surprised to find a couple being interviewed in their ice skating rink. Viktor supposes that's why this city was offered up to an ice skater, if there is a local skating venue, but he is pleased nonetheless to see in the video that it's a decent enough rink, decent enough for an accomplished skater in the background of the video to do a beautiful combination spin.

"Wow," Viktor says, out loud to an audience of none. Viktor finds that he accidentally watches the reel loop over six times before he pulls himself away from Instagram and gets up.

It's so early in the morning, at least much earlier than he can expect Hiroko and Toshiya to be able to show him more of Yu-topia, so he recalls Hiroko's direction for necessary body breaks and a snack in the kitchen, the smell of lingering cigarette smoke greeting him in the eating area. A little note on the counter with a wrapped meal makes Viktor feel more at home than any place he can recall at the moment, and he enjoys the meal by himself, lit by only one light overhead. 

Alone in his eating, he doesn't notice the eyes on him from across the way in the dark.

In fact, the stillness of every corner of the room does not make Viktor feel any more alone than before; that is, the knowledge that such a welcoming couple in the rooms above him, in a city that has warmed him since stepping foot into it, eerie staring children included, already is more of a comfort than the oppressing loneliness in St. Petersburg, despite his friends and family. 

Viktor thinks of the word that crossed his mind--ears?--as he walked through the threshold of Yu-topia. In the quiet of the room, his incredulous chuckle cuts into the silence as he wonders how he could already feel so at home in a place he barely even knows the language. The eyes watching Viktor close and retreat further into the darkness to leave Viktor alone as daylight breaks.

In his jet lagged energy and being a morning person in general, Viktor makes quick work of the plates he used and tidies up his luggage in his room. He has no idea how to get to the baths, but he does find the shower near his room easy to use. On his early morning walk with Makkachin, he smiles and waves at curious townspeople who stare him down, and he takes snapshots of the fog clearing at the foot of the mountains. It's an easy morning made easier when Toshiya finds him back in the community sitting room, and through limited communication, they both enjoy a card game that Viktor easily picks up on.

Ken finds him like this when he comes to pick him up for the introductory tour to Hasetsu. 

The tour starts simple enough; from the comfort of the spacious car, Ken takes him around Hasetsu, starting with the shopping center. There, he's amused by the shops' baubles and the cigarettes and porn in vending machines. A shirt with a tiger hanging in one storefront reminds Viktor of what he left in Russia with a pang, and he snaps a quick pic to send to Yuri, who's currently deep in training with the short program Viktor made for him. The tour is oddly fast paced for a sleepy town.

Though Hasetsu is less contemporary than larger cities like Tokyo or Osaka, the modern amenities are still a contradiction to the tradition, like the historic sites that Ken takes him to next. First, Ken shows him what Hasetsu is mostly known for, a set of intricate wooden parade floats that have been in locals' families for hundreds of years; behind a glass window, the Hikiyama floats' enormous, oddly-shaped bodies are displayed in a half circle to only be taken out of storage for the city's annual festival in November.

"They need to be locked away," Ken starts, "because over a century ago, one of the floats mysteriously disappeared. How anyone could have stolen such a large hunk of wood stumps me."

Viktor is surprised by the idea too, not only because these floats are easily two stories tall, but because as he stares where there should be a fifteenth Hikiyama float, it's only empty space, and Viktor wonders how a blank space can speak so much.

Next, their tour continues to a Shinto shrine that blesses pets that Viktor makes note to bring Makkachin next time. Finally, they spend a lot of their time at the Hasetsu Castle, which in actuality is a ninja house, where many of the former warriors were trained. He wonders if that training is similar to what an athlete would do in modern day, if they had to drill and drill just like he did in the early days learning his signature flip. The thought about skating makes him frown.

Strangely enough, skating has not crossed his mind all day. When so much of his life was dedicated to the ice, when his earliest memories consist of gliding slowly on skates or finding refuge in rinks, he wonders how the thought could escape him at all. It's peculiar that it takes speculation about the Hasetsu Castle to even get him to think about his life in Russia. 

The final destination of their tour for the day is up to the Kagamiyama mountain, following a winding, dizzying road. Ken goes on about how before, the people would have to trek up for kilometers, just to pray at the site at the very top. Viktor briefly thinks that he might prefer that if Ken doesn't stop talking soon.

The thought is moot because Ken hypes up the sight just as they park before walking over to the observation deck. Something nags at Viktor to hurry this along, not just because he wants Ken to stop, but more to get them to the peak of the mountain already. With a sudden impatience running through him, Viktor rushes past Ken and other tourists and a convenience store with a shrine attached, cats roaming in his way. As he passes, the cats hiss in his direction, and he can't help but think, it's not like he's disturbing them because he's particularly fond of cats. Regardless, he's more of a dog person anyway.

What an absurd thought to cross his mind when he finally sees it.

All day, it has felt like that Viktor has been on the precipice of something more. As he stands against the railing of the observation deck, overlooking the city and the endless ocean beyond it, he feels like he's just on the edge of of that very precipice. He wants to lean forward, to take the view all in, but also let himself feel alive, the thrill of fear enticing him to push his side into the metal rail.

The vertigo he feels is not from literally looking down, from the steep fall that would, if not kill him, maim him certainly. If someone were to fall, at least it'd be with such a bewitching view of the beach and Hasetsu's sleepy movement as their last look. 

The vertigo he feels is from the want. He wants more of this sight of the city because the more he stares, the more its beauty warps into this hair-raising, solitary view. The light of the sun beginning its setting journey play against the horizon, far and impossible, lovely and lonely. But, he supposes, any view at the top would be lovely yet lonely, Viktor muses sardonically.  

His heart clenches once more thinking about loneliness; he'd come to Hasetsu to escape this feeling, so why was he thinking about it so much? Glaring at the sight of woods and city and ocean before him, the sight that just a single moment ago made him feel something new, he feels disappointment rush him. 

The disappointment is new, but what's also new is a sort of tug, a physical one that forces him to turn his back to the ocean and look towards the mountain. He turns and nearly feels like falling. 

Just beyond the observation deck is a rock--blob? As Viktor instinctually gets closer, barely registering his feet picking up its earlier pace, he idly realizes it's not a blob, but a statue.

Viktor's not sure he has ever called a rock beautiful, at least one that is not even marked by a sparkling texture or marbling granite, but he's not even sure if the word beautiful covers the feelings he has looking at the statue's human shape before him.

Standing just above him is a rock statue of a man, hand over heart and an arm stretched out. From the angle where Viktor stands, it feels like the arm is extended straight towards him. The thought makes him lick his lips. The figure is ethereal, a touch unrealistic in its rock features but shapely nonetheless. Its Japanese features are emphasized by involved robes, which he recalls from his research as sugata. Viktor takes in the statue's hair, slicked back and the eyes sad and longing, familiar in its emotion.

It's almost like the emotion bleeds out of the expression, reaching directly out to Viktor. 

When Viktor blinks, he realizes he's crying.

"Get a hold of yourself," he mutters, but still can't get himself to stop crying at this statue.

"I see you're admiring Yuuri-hiko!" his guide Ken says from behind him. 

At that voice, Viktor scrambles to wipe his face, hoping that it wasn't obvious that he was was moved to tears from a statue of all things.

He asks, low, desperate to know more, "Yuuri-hiko?"

"A local legend that goes back over a century," Ken continues as he now stands next to Viktor. "The story goes that he was the most accomplished warrior in the region, but that he had fallen in love with a rival clan's leader who was eventually pushed out of the country. And when his lover left on ship, Yuuri-hiko had climbed the top of this mountain to watch for his love's homecoming, but in the process he became petrified for a lover that would never return. Like some sort of messed up Hachiko to wait that long."

The phrasing rubs Viktor the wrong way as he thinks that it's all rather romantic. He'd never had someone in his life that would love like that. He's not even sure if Makkachin would pull a Hachiko on him, and she's the closest family he has. 

Viktor makes a humming noise, not wanting his voice to betray the sensitivity that is starting to bubble up in himself at the story. 

"Interestingly enough! Hasetsu's got another mystery with this statue, like the float! The great mystery actually surrounds the ring on Yuuri-hiko's finger, which was supposedly a memento from his lover," the guide says. "Even after all this time, you can actually see that it glints like gold if you look close enough. And it's confirmed that it's a different rock from the rest of the statue. There've even been thieves who tried to take off Yuuri-hiko's finger or hand or arm, or whatever, and something awful happened to them. What a curse."

Something like anger rises in Viktor when he thinks a curse is justified if someone is trying to defile a beautiful statue like this one of Yuuri-hiko, especially with a ring so important to the story.

He moves closer to look at the hand in question, the right one resting against its rock chest. Inexplicably, Viktor feels an urge to touch the hand and hold it, as if the statue could turn itself over and grasp him, but he knows that's crazy, so he takes a step back.

As he does, his eye catches the inscription below the statue.

"If I could see you, eternity will be born from hope," it reads, and Viktor feels his eyes well up once more as he stares and wants. Behind his tears, the words blur in front of him before he blinks it away and sees the English morphing into Japanese characters. He must have been more tired than he realizes since he blinks a few more times and the Japanese never changes from its engraved position.

"Ah, it seems like the park will close soon. Shall we go?" Ken interrupts Viktor's observations before he gives the confirmation to head back to the car.

With a glance back at the statue once more, Viktor thinks how the plain rock seems to shimmer more in the setting sun. 

In the dead of night, Viktor dreams of Yuuri-hiko. 

He's beautiful, just like his rock formation, and soft, very much unlike his rock formation. Around them, it is quiet, including his companion. Viktor cannot make out the words that the Japanese man says, but he reaches out and touches his moving lips, feeling the motion of his talking under his the tips of his fingers. He rubs the bottom lip gently, as if applying lip balm on a lover's mouth. In response, Yuuri-hiko's mouth moves even quicker, as if wanting Viktor to listen, but this time, he reaches out and does the same to Viktor.

His touch is warm and electric and unlike anything Viktor has ever felt. And somehow he knows this is a dream, but it's far from any dream he has ever felt. He's never felt so awake and alive.

"Yuuri-hiko," he says against the pads of the man's fingers. "What do you need from me?"

Still touching his mouth, Viktor can feel the first of the words that he understands.

"Viktor," the dream says, soundlessly but felt all the same deep within Viktor's bones. "Viktor."

"What? What is it?" Viktor's lips move urgently, yet pronounced. He wants his concern to come across. He wants to know that his message is reaching this alluring man. "Please tell me."

"Viktor, Viktor."

"Please, tell me," desperation starting to rise as he realizes the dream is slipping, Yuuri-hiko's fingers getting lighter and lighter on Viktor's lips, and Viktor's fingers frantically trying to push into the man's face, but it's almost like he's pushing the other man away instead.

"Viktor."

"Viktor."

His eyes open to morning light, Makkachin staring down at him, and a weight off his back.

Uncharacteristically, Viktor is awake much later than usual, so by the time he finds his way downstairs, the Katsukis are in full swing with work between the front desk, kitchens, and welcome room. 

At the counter, he meets the eyes of Mari, the daughter whom he'd only briefly met the day before, his sole English speaking companion in this resort. She gives him a long look as he walks into the space.

Mari is not exactly cold, but her demeanor is much more standoffish than her parents. Oddly enough, Viktor still feels as welcomed as he did on day one, even with her presence being a lot more of a block than before. He figures he does well with people in general, so this should not be an issue. They have not had a proper conversation yet where he could fully show how much they're on the same side. They both want to help the city prosper once more.

As he walks up to her, she greets him, somewhat stoically, "Good morning. Did you have a good sleep?"

Despite himself, Viktor guiltily feels fervid momentarily as he thinks of Yuuri-hiko's lips soft under his touch. 

"Ah--oh, yes," he ungracefully replies. He recovers with a, "Yes, every night has been so comfortable here. Very cozy."

"Hm."

He does not like reading into others' statements, so he chooses not to comment and ask, but luckily, she continues.

"You seem oddly tense is why I ask," she says, fiddling with an unlit cigarette in her hands. "Plus, I know how creaky these old walls can get."

Viktor is surprised by that comment, given how every time he has ventured out of his room, Yu-topia is actually too quiet. He also chooses not to comment on that. 

"I guess the nonstop travel does get to me," he admits. "Not that I haven't been comfortable here! Your parents have already taken care of so much. I'm grateful to be here."

She stares at him and then cocks her head. "I wasn't going to ask, but since you're so being so content... why'd you choose here?"

"I told the ISU that it's because I wanted to have a sort of break on my body, and a beach town with hot springs seems exactly the kind of spot that I'd get that R&R treatment."

She continues her gaze and something in it prompts Viktor to be truthful. 

"I'll be honest. I don't really know myself. I just wanted a change of pace, and when I saw the video of Hasetsu, I was drawn to it. I can't really explain, but it feels like I've always meant to come here."

Her scrutiny seems to sharpen at that comment. He almost misses how she glances just behind Viktor, where he knows the entryway is, but it seems like she's taking in every single word of his despite her generally neutral expression. 

"Have you been our onsen yet?"

Admittedly, he hasn't, and comments as much. 

"It's said that there is a quality about ours that draws tourists," she begins. "Dad says that all the way back in his family line, outsiders have claimed that the waters healed them or something. I wouldn't know what they're talking about because I've grown up in these springs. No local would say such a thing. Then again, maybe we're just used to it."

Diplomatically, Viktor says, "Well, a good bath always heals the soul. It's what I'm hoping for, at least."

Mari hums in return, and then in an odd tone, says, "Well, if you do feel anything, watch out in there when you do. Hopefully you get what you need."

Viktor decides that this is the day he tries out the hot spring. He choose to go in at a time when he knows that there is a lull in the resort, less about discomfort with nudity and more about wanting the full calming effect all to himself. 

Before he steps into the changing room, Hiroko Katsuki catches his eye and smiles, a twinge knowing but approachable all the same. He feels more self-conscious, however, when he somehow understands when she says, "Dozo, take what you need in there."

In the onsen itself, Viktor decides to immerse himself fully in the moment, neatly placing his clothes into cubbies and carefully washing himself in the shower before slowly stepping out into the open air baths.

With the crisp morning air fresh from the previous unexpected snowfall, the baths are simultaneously hotter and foggier than he expects. He feels a physical warmth that wraps him almost in a hug, compelling him to step forward into the steaming water. The scenery is serene: in the distance he can see Mt. Kagiyama overlooking the resort, the sky is this blue-gray that complements the greenery surrounding him, the pool of water is lined with a few statues, beautiful and intricate just like that statue of Yuuri-hiko.

In spite of the inviting waters, Viktor is hesitant to go in, as if this step would change something in him. Thinking of Mari's story and warning, he has to laugh and just takes the first dip. 

Immediately, that warm hug intensifies, and he feels it from toe to head, settling in his bones and he's not even immersed in the water yet. He lets himself fall into the feeling, the pull reminiscent as the day earlier on his tour of the mountain. As he allows himself to fall back, back hitting against the wall of the open bath, he positions his body in total relaxation.

The warmth is not oppressive or overwhelming, surprisingly, and instead, he settles further into the water, limbs floating and breath evening out. Viktor's head easily leans against the smooth rock behind him, and he has to force to keep his eyes open. Never has he felt so good; maybe there was something to the waters really healing tourists' bodies? He likens the feeling to a massage chair, loosely ebbing and flowing where his body always aches as a professional athlete. Beyond that, his fingers loosens and closes, grabbing for purchase in the water, like he wants to hold something. He could spend all day in here and wonders how much time has truly passed since he's entered. 

His breath picks up when he feels the pleasure being too effective. The massaging effects continue, not just around his arms or waist, but around his whole body in an unexpected pulse. As if the water is moving only around his erogenous zones, it almost throbs around his penis, the blood that was flooding in his cheeks now pooling down, down, hardening his cock unexpectedly. The water rushes faster around his balls, pushing deeper back, brushing against his hole.

The water is hot against his entrance, and it's almost as if some of it pushes through, making him shiver in spite of the heat.

Viktor does not often get embarrassed, but alone in this hot spring with no one to even witness his arousal, he is ashamed that the thought of water gets him off. 

But he doesn't get up, not yet. In fact, the shame about being outside only intensifies this odd stimulation. 

He sits in the water and lets this feeling build, thinking it will go away on its own accord. Perhaps he will be too relaxed to get any harder. He's proven wrong as his erection does not go away, and Viktor aches. In fact, he doesn't realize at first, but his hips push forward, as if leaning into the water more, and when he breaches the surface of the water with his cock, it feels like the water tightens around him, like he was pushing into--

Viktor feels his imagination getting away from him, and he knows he's taken it too far.

So, he reluctantly gets out of the water to take care of his business in the safety of his room.

Viktor makes quick work of drying and changing, still hard in his comfort clothes, tucking his dick into the waistband of the resort provided shorts. When finally gets to his room, he's still as hard as ever and lets out a sigh of relief at being able to take care of this problem.

Momentarily grateful that Hiroko and Toshiya are so fond of Makkachin, that they are playing with his dog downstairs, he makes quick work of his jinbei without second thought in the solitary comfort of his room. Naked and aching, he falls onto the bed and preps himself, catching his own reflection. He doesn't remember the mirror being positioned in such a way in front of the bed, so it is a surprise to see himself so heated like this, so turned on by next to nothing.

Not nothing, he thinks, but the waters and the solitude. 

Solitude was such an oppressive feeling before coming to Hasetsu, but now, he welcomes being alone because it's accompanied with this comfortable silence here in Yu-topia. Besides, it doesn't feel like he's alone, not truly. With his hand shaking around his cock, lube slick on his fingers already, he feels at the whim of a presence guiding him to touch.

The tight grip around his cock is so relieving, like he needed this for so long. The warmth in his core carries over from his time in the onsen, and the heat branches out from his dick to his toes. He is hot all over. 

"Please," he says aloud in the empty room, needing release as he pumps his hand faster around his dick. He touches his balls, slightly dipping his finger further along to graze his taint.

With his legs spread, he's positioned to see everything in the mirror. He widens his feet slightly even more just so.

And when it feels like there are eyes staring down on him where he is most vulnerable, Viktor comes harder than he ever had before, white jetting across his abs, reaching up farther than he expected.

Coming down from the high, he pants and calmly thinks.

Viktor would be lying if he says that nothing strange is happening around him. He's aware that people watch him in general. He remembers vividly not even a few months ago in Tokyo how fans and curious onlookers would follow his movements; hell, he even gets heads turning back in Russia, if not for his celebrity status, then for looks alone. Here in Hasetsu, the watching feels different.

Aside from the fact that everything in Hasetsu feels different for Viktor, the citizens' gazes feel more intimate and expectant like they know Viktor. He feels it with the Katsukis whenever their eyes crinkle with suggestive smiles, and with the neighbors who stop and stare as he walks Makkachin, and in his room at Yu-topia when Viktor feels most secluded. While it should be concerning, he just lets the feeling wash over him, basking in its existence. He wants to carry the feeling everywhere, so that he could feel the pain a little less.

And it does.

As the days pass, Viktor catches out of the corner of his eye movement, whispers of someone there. On a quiet weekday, it becomes most apparent when Ken calls him and says that he got in contact with the local ice rink so that Viktor could start doing promotion with them. Viktor recognizes the name from the video he watched on the @hasetsutopia account and realizes that, while it looks exactly as it did on video, the energy is completely different in reality as he walks in.

Despite it being completely empty in the rink, the air buzzes with anticipation, maybe an anticipation that Viktor himself is buzzing with. 

For the first time since coming to Hasetsu, Viktor wants to skate.

Strangely enough, the rink stays empty and no one comes to greet him, even though the owners are expecting him. Viktor waits another minute before impatience gets to him; he decides he'll just skate and talk later.

It isn't until halfway through lacing up his second skate that he realizes he actually isn't alone.

A child, dark haired and wide-eyed, stands not meters from him. He nearly startles when he notices her there. She watches him in the way that the others do, curious and knowing and distant. When he greets her hello in accented Japanese, she breaks into a huge grin that nearly splits her face. Her infectious grin makes him smile back her and questions, again in limited Japanese, if she was going to skate.

The little girl ignores the question to ask, "Are you who I think you are?"

It's odd. He recognizes that she is speaking Japanese, but like a filter over her words, he understands clearly as if her words were spoken in his native Russian.

He decides to play coy. "I am."

"Then I hope you'll stay for a long time!" 

"I want to. I like Hasetsu. What is your name?"

"I'm Nishigori!"

He meant to ask for her first name, but all the same, he formally greets her with, "It's nice to meet you, Nishigori."

Surprisingly, she rushes at him for a hug, the movement both quick and startling, but sweet. As he pats her head that reaches his hip, they both hear a commotion on the other side of the staff doors. The noise makes her pull back, and with a toothy smile, she waves at him goodbye. She runs in the opposite direction just as the doors swing open, and he is greeted with five pairs of eyes now at varying degrees of excitement. The family brings with them a disparate energy into the space. No longer is there an anxious buzzing but now enthusiastic, as if it were the audience of a competition greeting him. 

"It's Viktor Nikiforov!"

Three little girls, even younger than the Nishigori girl he was just speaking with, rush at him in a similar, happy manner, clearly fans of his in the way that they shout his name. They crowd him and bombard him with questions that he cannot help but be impressed by their level of English, especially with technical verbiage about skating, at such a young age. 

"Please excuse us, Nikiforov-san, our girls heard you were coming, and they couldn't help themselves from crashing in!" The woman butts in, her arms waving frantically. "It's exciting for all of us. We're such fans."

"Yes! Welcome to my family's ice rink, Ice Castle!" the man says. "I'm Nishigori Takeshi, my wife Yuuko."

"And our girls, Axel, Lutz, and Loop," Yuuko adds.

He chuckles. "And the other one's name is Salchow?"

The children stare at him now, not unlike the girl from before. Slowly, the three start to grin at the same time.

"Ah, sorry?" Takeshi says.

"Your other daughter? Sorry, is her name not related to skating?"

Both of the elder Nishigoris shoot a confused glance at each other. "We, um, do not have another daughter."

The adults all seem to brush it off, uncomfortable with confronting the truth, while the little girls seem to stay grinning at Viktor in this strange way. To be honest, Viktor does not want to disturb the peace he has been feeling so far, so he doesn't comment any further. He'll just ask the little Nishigori girl who her family is the next time he runs into her.

Still, the whole encounter unsettles him even as he steps onto the ice. Skating is second nature to him, no matter the ice, and since this rink does feel solid, he figures he can come into himself. It was never an issue back in Russia, but here in Japan...

As excited as he was earlier to skate, discomfort settles into his heels. He's hyperaware of the Nishigori family watching him, still as a tableau on the side of the rink. But it's not the picturesque scene that unsettles him. The more he skates, the more he feels this space is not his own, not like any other ice that he's been on, and it's like an intrusion. He's the intrusion, carefully putting one foot forward like a child learning to skate. It's the only time since coming to Hasetsu that he is thrown off.

His skating suffers for it, but the Nishigoris are gracious and excitable as any fan when he eventually gets off the ice. Conscious of his newfound role, he answers their questions and asks them questions back so that he could include the rink in his tourist report. 

This tourist report must consist of video essays and write-ups about different locations in Hasetsu; the culminating project will result in a Viktor-led event to invite international tourists, which he's now thinking will be an exhibition titled something flashy like "Hot Springs on Ice." So he throws himself into the different places of note. 

On his own, he decides to revisit the places from the tour, not at all admitting the selfishness out of wanting to visit these places without Ken. 

The long walk to the shrine is one that Viktor savors with an obedient Makkachin at his side. He recalls that the shrine blesses pets, so he is excited to take her. Uncharacteristically, when they arrive at the shrine entrance, she bounds up past the tall gates and does not come back when Viktor calls out for her. 

"Damn," he whispers under his breath as he crosses the threshold to search for his runaway dog. 

The grounds are bigger than expected with statues of different animals lining the entrance and not a person in sight. He keeps missing Makkachin, as out of the corner of his eyes, she seems to be teasing him and running in between the statues. It's so unlike his Makka to disobey him, and at her current age, she rarely runs like this anymore. In fact, when he turns the corner on a muddy path and finds her inside the wooden shrine itself, he is shocked to find her excitedly hopping around another dog. 

Viktor feels like he is seeing double, surprised that the other poodle looks a miniature version of his. And Makkachin, in her animation, doesn't seem to realize the size difference. 

He smiles absently, not wanting to look up from his tea now, and Morooka confirms his suspicions.

"Viktor... no one is there."

But when Mari asks how was his day with the reporter from Fukuoka, there's an edge to her voice at the word Fukuoka. Viktor pretends not to notice it, nor does he pretend not to notice when both Hiroko and Toshiya stop out of the corner of his eye to stop and look at him to listen. He pretends not to notice when from the sitting room, the dinner guests have become quieter than the announcers on the TV.

After all, it's nothing new in this town.

Viktor happily recites the gist of his conversation with Morooka, ending on, "He seemed happy to help the people of Hasetsu. He's been very curious about here."

Mari calmly replies, "He's more than welcome to stay and ask us for a little bit before heading back."

"I think he's been here before," Viktor said. "He seemed like he knew Yu-topia."

"Did he?" she looks away as she asks. "Well, can't say I remember him. People don't usually want to stay longer than a few days after all."

"Really? There's a whole tourism push here. And I've been here for weeks now."

"You're a special case."

At that, Hiroko comes up to them and says something that all he can catch in Japanese is her serene "Vicchan."