( closed ) From time to time I pinch myself

[bringbackgold]

who: otabek altin & yuri plisetsky
what: a proposal
when: february 14.
where: otabek's apartment.
warnings: nada. just... sap. lots of sap. silly in love teenagers.



Otabek had bought the rings almost a month ago. He picked out a set of rings that went together, but didn't necessarily match. One with diamonds within the band - for Yuri, and the other without - for himself. He wanted them both to be able to show off that they were engaged. He had taken a lot of time shopping to find the perfect rings for the both of them, too. He had started shopping just after he and Yuri talked about it, but carefully looked and looked to find the perfect rings. Then, he had to try and find out what size Yuri wore. That was a lot harder, so he hoped it was right. It was impossible to tell without having him there to check for sure.

Then, he went to planning exactly how he wanted to do it. He waffled for a little while over whether he wanted to wait for Yuri's birthday to propose to him, or if he wanted to do it on Valentine's Day. He didn't know if he could wait until Yuri's birthday. It was going to be hard enough to wait until Valentine's Day. A nervous excitement was surrounding him the entire time he he was planning it. He considered maybe Valentine's Day would be too cliche. Predictable. And he was anything but predictable - or at least he tried to not be.

His final plan was recruiting Inzhu, the cat who favored Yuri, to help him with his proposal. Just before he went to bed the night before the fourteenth, just before climbing in with Yuri, he gently removed her collar and hooked it back up again once the ring was on it. He took a deep breath, and crawled in.

He was looking forward to it tomorrow morning. Looking forward to getting down on one knee in front of Yuri, pull that ring off of her collar, and ask him. He knew they were young, sure. He knew that it was possible that people wouldn't like the idea of them getting married at their ages. But this place taught him that things weren't always under his control, so he was going to treasure who he had for as long as he could.

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[bespredel]

Otabek had accounted for almost everything in his proposal plan- everything, save for the fact that unlike him, Yuri did not always tend to sleep through the night. He had been sleeping much better than before, but occasionally something stirred him. More often than not, he was able to shift, roll over, cuddle into Otabek and fall back asleep. Sometimes it took a little more.

He couldn't say for sure what it was that stirred him tonight, but Yuri blinked awake slowly at a quarter past three, feeling disoriented and certainly like he hadn't slept enough. With a sigh, he had already shifted to tuck in against Otabek and try and fall asleep... when Inzhu meowed for his attention, having realized that her favourite human was awake. She moved from her usual place at the end of the bed, walking up Yuri's body, her bell collar jingling as she pranced up. Smiling sleepily, Yuri's hand pulled free of the covers, finding the softness of her fur. She purred, bumping her head into his head, stepping closer and arching her back as Yuri's hand ran along her back, before back to her face, scratching softly under her chin as she mewled. Closing his eyes, Yuri could have easily fallen back asleep like that. Petting his cat, listening to her purr... but his fingers brushed against something unfamiliar on her collar, and Yuri's curiosity outweighed his desire to sleep. Lifting up a little, Yuri shifted, squinting in the half-dark of their room, drawing his fingers along Inzhu's collar to find the obstruction.

Running his thumb across the loop, Yuri's heart skipped a beat. Blinking owlishly, Yuri sat up properly despite Inzhu's protesting whine at the action. He didn't reach for the lamp, not yet- instead reaching for his phone, pressing the home button and pointing it towards Inzhu to illuminate her in the glow of his screen.

A ring.

A ring.

There was a ring. On Inzhu's collar.

Dizzy with possibility, Yuri's breath caught, heart pounding. Otabek had done this. On purpose. But why? Yuri could only reach one conclusion- but without hearing it from Otabek's own lips... he was trying not to get his hopes up. Get ahead of himself. But god. Could it... really mean what he thought it did?

"Otabek!" he hissed, thumping the other in the chest, pulling Inzhu to hold her underneath his arm, not taking the ring off of her just yet. "Otabek, wake up!" Of course, Yuri should have known better than to try and wake Otabek up. It was about as successful as trying to wake a sleeping bear. Other than a grunt, and a mumbled groan, Otabek did little more than roll over and ignore Yuri. He tried shaking him; tried yelling his name. Eventually Yuri became frustrated, stole the pillows and blankets and still he didn't wake up. Screaming into a pillow, Yuri stormed out of the room, too frazzled to sleep, now. Excited, nervous... afraid that the ring didn't mean what Yuri thought it meant.

Eventually, Yuri worked himself into enough of a frenzy to be exhausted. Blanketless, pillowless- he flopped across Otabek, and fell back asleep with his phone clutched to his chest.

[bringbackgold]

Otabek slept like a bear. He was an unwakeable force when he finally got to sleep, and only an alarm - or his own self, would wake him. And he thought that was fine. He had set an alarm for himself, just before when Yuri typically wakes up so he could make sure that he was up and ready before his plans were interrupted. He hadn't accounted for Yuri not sleeping through the night, and he should have known better. He should have prepared for this. Should have prepared for having Inzhu appear at some point in the night and that the surprise would be spoiled.

Still, there was much more to it than a set of matching rings. Yuri's, attached to her, his - in the bedside table near him. It wasn't complete until he said the words, asked the question, and slipped a ring onto Yuri's finger.

He was excited.

He was nervous.

He never wanted anything or anyone more than he wanted this. Even the gold medal at the Grand Prix didn't compare to marrying Yuri now.

He heard his alarm, and he shifted a little, wondering what had happened at night. His pillows and blankets were gone. Yuri was on him, sleeping there. His phone still in his hand. He didn't shift he didn't move. He just enjoyed the view while he waited for Yuri to wake up. He nearly never beat the other awake, so he'd enjoy these few moments of watching Yuri, the love of his life, and hopefully - future fiance, sleep.

He knew, as soon as Yuri stirred, Inzhu would greet him that morning, and he could get the ring off. He had reheared the question many times in his head, and he knew what he wanted to say. At least mostly. He ran through it a few more times in his head. Each time was a tiny bit different.

He wanted to be sure that it was perfect.

He wanted Yuri to know what he meant to him.

[bespredel]

Otabek's alarm going off was enough to begin to wake Yuri. He mumbled, nothing coherent, curling closer into Otabek's side, turning his head into the other's arm to chase away the light. He groaned next, sighing in his sleep and stretching out his legs, swallowing and smacking his lips softly, before stilling once more. As if on cue, Inzhu came running. Knowing that her favourite human had started to wake, a loud howling meow coming from her as she hopped up onto the bed, bumping her head against Yuri's shoulder, and climbing right on him, beginning to purr. Grumbling a little, Yuri rolled slightly, eyes still closed as he clumsily reached out for her, her head finding his hand as a soft smile split across his lips.

"G'morning Inzhu," he slurred, cracking one eye open, before closing it again, tucking his head onto Otabek's shoulder. "Why'sit so cold," he mumbled to his lover, draping one of his legs over Otabek's and pulling himself closer, to steal more of the other's natural warmth. One of his feet tucked underneath Otabek's knee, the chilled appendage seeking it's own warmth too.

Tired as he was, the memory of the night before hadn't settled in again, wasn't remembering the ring on Inzhu's collar, his furious attempts to wake Otabek up- not yet, anyway. Tired as he was, Yuri was soft in a way that he was rarely ever during his waking hours.

[bringbackgold]

Otabek wasn't sure why it was cold to Yuri. Even though his blankets and pillows were absent now, he wasn't cold. It wasn't cold. He was still registering what he was going to be doing as he settled into awakeness. He tugged Yuri close to him, holding him close since the other mentioned he was cold as he watched Inzhu move about and appreciate Yuri's pets and love. He gently reached for her, too, his fingers moving over her collar, feeling the ring there. He felt his heart skip a beat.

He'd give Yuri a moment cuddled in close. He'd give him a few moments of warmth, especially once he felt his cold foot there against his sweatpants. It only encouraged Otabek to pull Yuri in close.

Finally, in an attempt to be sneaky, he slipped one hand up and undid her collar, gripping it tight in his fist as he cuddled against Yuri.

"Good morning, Yuri," he said, finally. "Happy Valentine's Day." Keep it simple, for now. He had so much more to say and the moment was creeping up on him.

[bespredel]

In one of Otabek's older shirts, and a pair of frankly minuscule shorts- well, it was understandable why Yuri might have found it a little bit chilly. Yuri's brain was slow to wake up, despite the fact that he had been so agitated and excited the night before to find out what the hell the ring had meant. Tugged close to Otabek, Yuri's hand over Inzhu's fur went slack, settling instead onto Otabek's chest as he snuggled close, rubbing his cheek against the other's warm skin.

Slowly, Yuri opened his eyes, tilting his head up just slightly as he blinked sleepily, smiling softly as Otabek's features came into view.

"G'morning. Only you would remember it's Valentine's day, you sap," Yuri teased, dropping a soft kiss against the other's shoulder, but smiling, soft and happy all the same. Closing his eyes again, Yuri sighed, settling over the other's chest for a moment- memories of the previous night before finally beginning to trickle back into his slowly waking mind. Him kicking and pulling all of the blankets and pillows off of the bed, screaming in frustration- and then-

The ring.

Going stiff against Otabek, Yuri gasped, abruptly sitting up, straddling Otabek's chest, and gently hitting him in the shoulder.

"You asshole! You wouldn't wake up!!" Grabbing up Inzhu before she could flee (with only the slightest protesting cry) Yuri held out the now collarless cat at the other, almost right in Otabek's face, "There was a ring!! Why a ring!!!!"

[bringbackgold]

"Well, I love you," Otabek reminded him. Of course he wouldn't forget Valentine's Day. He had been planning for this one for so long. Otabek appreciated the minuscule shorts on Yuri and the way his overly large shirt draped over Yuri's frame. He was enjoying the cuddling for as long as he could, but then something changed fast. If not for the words that followed, he could have genuinely appreciated the view, looking up at Yuri like that on his chest.

Yuri - his best friend, his boyfriend, hopefully - his fiance soon, and future husband. Even though Yuri was there, holding a poor cat in his face, he couldn't let himself lose focus. But the view of Yuri there, wearing his shirt could be incredibly distracting.

The corner of his mouth twitched up into a smile. And then - Yuri's questions came at him. The ring still in his fist, he wanted to do this right.

But there was one problem - the weight on his chest.

"First, you know that I can't be woken up very easily."

And then he took a deep breath. "The rings... You're going to have to get off of me." Sure, he could overpower Yuri if he really wanted to, but he was holding a defenseless Inzhu and he didn't want her to get tossed around in the process. "Stand."

[bespredel]

Letting out a high pitched whine, Yuri fussed for a moment over the other's request, before sliding off of the other's lap, and gripping Inzhu tight to his chest. His heart was beating hard- a hummingbird trapped within the cage of his chest. His throat grew tight, nervous. Despite the fact that he could guess what was coming, what this ring meant- until Otabek said it, until Otabek confessed what it was on his mind with the meaning of the ring on Valentine's day Yuri did not dare to guess. Didn't want to hope, in case he was wrong.

For a moment he stood there, holding Inzhu and trying not to tremble. She meowed at him, wanting to be put down- so gently, he settled her to the bed. Waiting, unable to quite manage to breath.

"Otabek-" he forced out the other's name, wanting to reach for him- but it was clear that the other had something in mind; something planned. So Yuri bit his lower lip, hard. Trying to wait, even as his impatience rose higher, and higher. "Please..."

[bringbackgold]

Otabek, dressed in only sweatpants that sat low on his hips, removed himself from the bed. He could see that Yuri was concerned. It was so obvious to him that he didn't want to push it and wait any longer. He didn't want to cause stress or worry in Yuri's life. He remembered back then, when had first asked Yuri to date him, to be his boyfriend, how he had so worried the other when he initiated that. He didn't want to cause that for him again today.

This was exciting for them. This would be the one and only time it would happen in their lives, which was why Otabek so desperately wanted to do it right. Why he wanted Yuri to stand there before him. Why he wanted to express how much he loved him. Why he wanted to drop to one knee.

Otabek had never been romantic, or a man of many words, but Yuri was worth him making a shift to be a romantic with too many words to say. He had rehearsed what he had wanted to say the other in his head again and again since he had bought the rings. And each time he said it, it changed. He knew what he was thinking now, it would be different from any other time he had practiced it before.

So he shifts, dropping to one knee. He holds up his fist and reveals the ring, still sitting on Inzhu's collar. He pulled it off of the collar, then presented it to Yuri.

The words came easily. "Yuri Plisetsky, I love you, everything about you, and the life I have with you." Everything about that life was everything to Otabek.

And then - the words came out. Honest, sincere. "I want to live with no regrets. I want to be with you for all of my life. I'm inspired by you and by everything that you do. We don't know what will happen tomorrow, but I want to cherish what I have now, and that is you. You're my best friend, my boyfriend, and I can't imagine myself with anyone else. So, will you marry me or not?"

[bespredel]

In that moment, Yuri was fairly certain that his brain stopped working entirely. It couldn't process what was happening in front of him- it all seemed to start to happen in slow motion. Everything, from Otabek sliding off the bed, to shifting onto one knee. He knew what this meant, but couldn't quite manage to put it wholly together. A soft, whimpering gasp of, "Oh my god," left him, his hand still clutching his phone, bringing it up over his mouth as his lip started to tremble, eyes beginning to water of their own volition, against Yuri's wishes.

He wouldn't cry, damn it. He wouldn't ruin this by crying!

"Otabek, Otabek!" he choked out, unable to say anything else, despite the fact he knew Otabek was absolutely waiting for a proper answer. Yuri was trying to give it to him, but the words were caught in his throat. Overwhelmed by what he felt for the other, the love he felt so strongly he wanted to burst with it. Wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Laughing before he could help himself, he threw himself into Otabek's arms, wrapping his own around Otabek's neck, clinging tight.

"Yes, yes! Of course yes!" he sobbed, tears beginning to fall, even as his lips crashed to Otabek's, "I love you so much!" he choked out, before kissing the other again.

[bringbackgold]

Otabek was waiting quietly. Nerves settled in his stomach. He couldn't compare the nerves he was feeling now to anything else. He wanted - no - needed a proper answer. He needed to hear that 'yes' before he knew that was the answer. It was scary to him. Scarier than moving around on his own and living in faraway countries - away from his parents and friends and the life he knew in Kazakhstan. This question was about his future.

The answer meant everything to him now, and in the future.

He saw Yuri there crying, and he was sure that he'd get a positive answer. But when he heard that yes, and Yuri held him he knew. He was relieved. He felt his heart leap. And he took the other's kisses greedily. He let his lips linger there. He didn't want to part, so he smiled, lips still so close to Yuri's. "Do you want your ring?" he asked, tugging it off of the collar. He couldn't wait to slide it onto Yuri's finger.

He couldn't show Yuri that he had gotten a set so they both had something that showed the world that they were engaged.

[bespredel]

Unable to speak, Yuri could only nod at the other. Press tender kisses to the corner of Otabek's mouth, tears continuing to trickle down his cheeks. He couldn't help it; as much as he didn't want to cry the emotion that flooded him was almost too much. He had to deal with it somehow, and tears, at least, were probably better than yelling in this one single moment. But probably not in any other moment. Yelling was usually his solid method of expressing overwhelming emotions.

"I can't quite believe that you want a lifetime with me," Yuri managed, his words still strained, his voice tight. None the less, he was smiling- and not just smiling, positively beaming. So excited, so happy by the prospect of a future with Otabek. Of creating a life together, even once they went home. Yakov, his grandpa- hell, Katsudon and the old man were all going to shit themselves- and it was going to be so worth it just to see the looks on their faces.

"I love you so much," he laugh cried, before thumping the other in the shoulder with his free, ringless hand, "Even though you made me cry, asshole. Come on- put it on me... please," he murmured, smiling through his tears as he offered the other out his hand, breath catching in his throat again. Excited for the moment that would make it... real. Solidify their promise to marry each other.

[bringbackgold]

Otabek returned the kisses, each on as tender as the ones Yuri's. His smile got a little broader, a little brighter the more and more affection he received from Yuri. He leaned into Yuri. "I would spend two with you if I could," he answered. His response came so easily, so naturally, when he thought about it. One time wouldn't be enough for him. Yuri did for him what he always remembered his mom explaining what her love for his father was like. Not something he could fully explain, but something he just understood when it was there.

He was okay with not putting words to it always. He knew what he wanted, he knew what he needed. And he knew there was nothing else here or at home that would be a good substitute for that feeling.

He moved his fingers over Yuri's hand, and slipped the ring onto him. It felt so perfect, so real when he saw it. He kept his eyes locked on Yuri's hand, ring on his finger. Then, he added, "I have a ring from this set for myself, too. I want everyone to know."