underheard | The Fences We Mended [G]

Fandom: Yuri!!! on Ice
Title: the fences we mended
Pairing/Character Focus: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Author:

sophiahelix
What makes this a gem:

It’s always awkward, seeing Yakov again; it brings back creeping, crawling memories of the night Victor missed the podium at Skate Canada last year, when Yakov cornered Yuuri in the hall. The way Yakov picked up the gold medal around Yuuri’s neck and tugged at it, hard enough to hurt. Is it worth it? he'd spat, in his guttural English. Holding him back so you can win? You think love is enough?

This is a short fic, less than 3k words. But after I read it once it haunted me. Here’s something we don’t always talk about in YOI fandom: Yuuri and Victor’s relationship is going to be hard to pull off. It’s a logistical nightmare, its romantic and professional elements are all knotted together, and the people in it are passionate perfectionists who don’t necessarily communicate very well. This is one of the only stories I’ve seen to push that train of thought to its logical conclusion. Both the emotions and the physical details are incredibly grounded in careful thought. It's also a shippy Yuuri/Victor fic, so don’t worry too hard about your heart getting smashed.