Viktor Redwood, the man with silver hair that had just finished his morning workout. The way he moved was so smooth that it made his body look like liquid silk flowing through the air. His arms were as thin as sticks, and he could lift more weight than half the gym's staff combined. If you wanted to go against him then there was no way that he would lose, but the fact that he didn't give a damn meant that no one else had even tried before him. He did everything from jumping around on the ice at competitions to training himself in ballet, he wasn't only a master at martial arts and acrobatics, he was also a master at dance. He could move in ways that many other people couldn't and that allowed him to take advantage of the fact that other people were unable to match his skills.
A soft knock on his door snapped Viktor out of his thoughts. He turned to face the person behind the door. "Come in" he said.
The door swung open, revealing a young boy standing there, clutching a clipboard that looked almost too small for his hand. He bowed slightly and spoke, his voice was high-pitched and nervous "Good Morning Sir". "Hiya kid! What can I do for you?" Viktor asked cheerfully, sitting down on the edge of his bed and placing a hand on top of his knee.
"I'm sorry to interrupt Your Highness" the boy began, looking up at the taller man with wide eyes, which were now full of worry "but our gym has been having issues with a few of their students getting injured and we are concerned for their well being."
Viktor sighed dramatically, resting his head in the palm of his hands and looking over at the boy with pleading eyes. "It'll take you guys hours to find the kids. I'm sure there is someone that I can call in and talk to for you."
"We know it's a big job Your Highness-"
"But it will be worth it. You have no idea how much money they can get me."
The boy nodded his head slowly, thinking for a moment before saying "Okay We'd like you to come to the office as soon as possible, if you could please change into something casual?"
Viktor smiled widely, hopping off his bed and grabbing his bag from the floor where he'd dropped it. "Of course I would love to help you out"
~~~
The gym building was huge, it spanned nearly a mile long and had several floors of offices. In the center was a massive ballroom, decorated with marble pillars, gold trim and large windows filled with glass and lit by warm yellow lights. As they entered, the gym went eerily quiet, every worker stopped moving as if they'd suddenly realized that they were doing something wrong. Everyone stopped talking immediately, waiting nervously for someone else to make the first comment. After a few minutes passed, someone spoke. It wasn't a loud or demanding tone, merely an almost monotone whisper. It sounded as though the person speaking was trying hard to keep the words inaudible. Viktor couldn't tell what was going on though, it was as if everyone were listening intently. After another few seconds of silence, the same person who spoke spoke again. This time, her voice was louder and clear enough for Viktor to understand every word she said.
"Sorry about the inconvenience Your Highness, my mistake. Thank you for coming to us." She took a deep breath, and when she spoke next, it was clear and calm "Alright everyone, this is going to be a bit different today, some of our students are getting hurt. So let's get started with this session." The gym instantly came alive once again, with people bustling back to their places as quickly as they left them. Once again, Viktor found himself wondering why someone would want to train here. There was a pool in the middle of the room, and he walked over to it, splashing some water onto his face. When he stood back up, the gym looked like it had a new energy about it. People were still working diligently, but they appeared happier than they'd been earlier, almost as though everyone was finally feeling relaxed and confident again.
"What do you say Mr. Redwood, shall we begin?" The voice was coming from a girl with light brown skin and dark brown hair. Her name tag read: Yuri Plisetsky. Viktor raised an eyebrow at the question; he didn't think anyone was expecting him to answer. But he figured that he'd probably never really done anything wrong in his entire life, so he shrugged and turned around, walking back toward the door and holding it open for the girl to pass him.
Yuri followed him out of the locker rooms and down a hall, passing the bathrooms on their right, where Viktor noticed a group of teenage girls gathered together and whispering furiously between themselves. He wondered what kind of thing was going on inside one of those women's rooms, and why they were hiding it from others.
"So what do you usually do for work Mr. Redwood?" Yuri asked. Viktor hadn't seen her walk beside him until now and had almost forgotten that he had someone new to talk to.
"Usually just practice. Sometimes I take a day off and watch tv. It depends," he responded.
Yuri looked confused, "You're taking the day off? Then why are you here? Are you sick?"
Viktor shook his head, "No, not at all."
Yuri seemed unsure of what to make of that statement. She gave the smallest of smiles and then looked away, her shoulders slumping as she stared down at the ground.
As they walked past the rest area and towards the front doors of the gym, Viktor could feel a strange tension in the air around them. It was almost as if no one was sure whether or not they should actually say something to him, whether or not they should ask him if he had any plans for the day, what questions they might ask. And Viktor, in all honesty, wasn't exactly sure what he planned on doing with the day. He knew that there was nothing better to do, and the thought of spending the afternoon sitting at home reading was far too boring for his taste anyway. So instead he decided to follow Yuri out of the school.
As they reached the lobby, a security guard spotted the two of them. Without a second thought, he hurried up to the desk to speak to the girl. A minute later he returned, giving Viktor a thumbs up sign.
"Follow me, your car is ready outside!"
Viktor glanced back at the security guard, "Thanks"
~~~
When the car pulled up to the entrance, Viktor stepped out and looked around. It was almost midnight, but there was still plenty of traffic on the street and most of the cars in the parking lot were already packed with students.
Yuri stepped out of the car after him. "This way Your Highness" Viktor smiled at the title and followed her to her car. Yuri sat down and Viktor slid into the seat across from her, turning the car key in the ignition. They drove down the road for a while without speaking, and eventually Viktor broke the silence.
"Do I need to put my seat belt on?"
Yuri turned to look at him. Her face was a mask of concentration, as she looked to be debating on whether or not to answer. Viktor waited patiently for her to say something, because although the girl seemed like someone who didn't have time to waste, there was something about her that caught Viktor's attention. There was something intriguing about her presence. And maybe it was because he had spent so many years in America, but Viktor knew that the type of people in Russia were often much more difficult to deal with than those who resided in the United States, and so Viktor always tried to stay out of trouble. But Yuri seemed to be completely unaware of that and it made Viktor wonder who she really was underneath all of her blustering anger and biting insults.
At last the girl spoke. "You don't have to put it on." She shifted slightly in her seat, adjusting herself a little. "And I guess, you could wear it if you wanted. It wouldn't affect the driving, or anything."
Now that Yuri had spoken, Viktor did want to put on the seatbelt. As it turns out, he did need to put it on since the car stopped in front of what looked like a fancy restaurant that sat a short distance from the main street. Viktor opened the door and stepped out of the car, stretching his limbs and taking in a deep breath of fresh mountain air. The scent of pine trees, freshly fallen snow, and flowers greeted him almost instantly. He smiled, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
Before he could start making his way to the restaurant, he felt someone grab him tightly by his arm and yank him backwards. He gasped and stumbled into someone, stumbling further backwards until his shoulder hit a solid object. His head whipped around to see who had grabbed him, his heart jumping into his throat at seeing a blonde haired woman towering over him.
"What are you doing in my territory? Leave and don't come back unless you've got what we want!" She hissed through clenched teeth.
Viktor opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by another familiar voice. "Whoa, lady! No problem. Sorry, my bad. He wasn't doing anything, I was just trying to pull him aside." The woman looked back to see a tall, lean figure standing behind Viktor. She relaxed slightly and nodded in thanks.
"It's fine, Yuri."
She reached a hand out, but the blonde man quickly snatched it back, raising a questioning eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Viktor, who stood staring at her blankly.
"Hi I'm Phichit Chulanont. Yuri's boyfriend"
Viktor's face scrunched up in confusion and disgust.
"Boyfriend? What are you... I mean I'm not..." Viktor stopped speaking abruptly, unable to find the proper words to express himself.
Phichit laughed at this reaction.
"Oh relax, he knows you don't swing that way!" Viktor glared at the shorter man.
"I don't know what kind of rumors you've heard but...I...I don't even know who you guys are!"
"It doesn't matter," Phichit said simply. "He's not interested anyways."
"Why would he not be interested?" Viktor asked.
"Because he likes you. Which means he' d rather be in love with you. But you aren't interested in him, so it's okay. That's how relationships work anyway, don't worry about it. You're allowed to date whoever you choose. If Yuri wants you to go on dates, well..." Phichit shrugged, "Go for it. But I would prefer if you didn't end up hurting him in the process."
The look that Viktor gave Phichit could only be described as pure hatred, yet Phichit continued to smile innocently at him with his eyebrows raised, his gaze unwavering. Finally, Viktor huffed, turned around and went inside the restaurant without another word. Before he stepped inside, he turned back to Yuri and Phichit.
"See you guys later."
"Don't worry, we'll try not to cause you too much trouble." Phichit winked at him.
Without another word, Viktor disappeared from sight. After closing and locking the glass doors, Phichit called Yuri over to meet him.
"That guy is seriously creepy."
Chapter 3
Yuuri woke up very early one morning when there was suddenly a knocking sound coming from the door. He yawned and rolled over in bed, pulling his pillow over his head in an attempt to hide from the sun streaming through the window.
"Come in!" Yuuri called out sleepily, trying to keep his voice quiet enough that his roommate wouldn't wake up.
Sure enough, Yuuko popped her head into his room, a smile on her face. "Good morning Katsuki! I just came over to check in on you. How are you feeling today? Any pain or stiffness?"
Yuuri rolled over and propped himself up against the headboard. "Not much pain really. Still kinda tired though. I think it's just because I haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately..." he explained softly as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stretched, hoping that his body was finally getting used to the changes in his sleeping patterns and would stop complaining about the lack of rest whenever he woke up.
"Yeah? Have you been having any nightmares lately?"
Yuuri shook his head. He could tell from her expression that she wasn't convinced by his answer, but she dropped it and changed the subject anyway. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I'm heading over to Minako's apartment today so I won't be home until late tonight. Is everything alright staying alone? We could always call Vicchan if you need some company." She offered kindly.
Yuuri smiled. "Everything's fine Yuuko, just go hang out with your friend. I can handle myself."
Yuuko sighed. "If you insist Katsuki, but please make sure to eat something and get some sleep tonight ok? You'll feel much better in no time."
With one last worried glance over her shoulder, Yuuko left his bedroom and walked towards her own.
Once she was gone Yuuri sighed again before lying back on his pillow and pulling the blanket up to his chin. He was going to miss Yuuko terribly when she went away for university in Japan next year, but he supposed he'd just live with it.
A few minutes later, Yuuri heard a small noise coming from somewhere under the floorboards in his room. Curious, he climbed out of bed and headed over to investigate the source of the noise.
After searching for several seconds he realised why it wasn't coming from the living room or anywhere else in the house. In his bedroom, his secret hiding spot was under his bed. But now, it seemed that someone was trying to open it, and that someone happened to be none other than his best friend Victor Nikiforov.
The older boy lifted up Yuuri's bed with relative ease. "So, how are things?"
Yuuri crossed his arms over his chest. "They're great!" He answered enthusiastically.
Victor chuckled at this, "Well that's good to hear, I' ll leave you to your boring school life then." With that, he stood up and walked towards the door, placing a light kiss on Yuuri's forehead as he passed by. Yuuri watched him go with a soft smile on his face, glad that he hadn't lost Victor after all these years. Although he still found it strange that he was able to be close friends with someone so close to his age when they grew up in different countries. He wondered why Victor had chosen to move back into his hometown to become an architect when the opportunity had presented itself for him right here, right in Detroit where he knew no one, and where they both lived together with their families.
When he looked down at his hands, he noticed them fiddling with each other nervously.
"Hey," He heard a voice from the direction of the couch. He looked up to see Yurio sitting on the couch with his legs stretched out in front of him, scrolling mindlessly through Instagram.
Yuuri hummed in response. A few seconds later, Victor stepped into the room, wearing a black button down shirt and a pair of blue jeans.
Yuuri frowned slightly, wondering why his friend had dressed up for their walk.
"How do you look, Yuuri?" He asked. Yuuri shrugged nonchalantly.
"Fine, I suppose."
"Great! Are you ready to go?" He turned towards the brunette. "I hope you like hiking trails!"
Yuuri rolled his eyes and followed him to the door.
"Yeah, yeah, I guess so."
***
It was late afternoon when they finally arrived in the hiking trail Victor mentioned earlier. Yuuri leaned against a tree, breathing heavily and sweat dripping down his neck while his stomach grumbled incessantly. He hadn't expected it to be so hot outside. It was already October, not the most pleasant season for tourists to hike outdoors, but he had been excited and eager for it to be summer when he agreed to meet Victor outside of his building. Now his feet hurt so badly and his back was killing him after carrying all his stuff around for so long, especially since he was pretty sure Victor had packed all his things in a duffel bag instead of giving him one of the suitcases he usually carried around.
"Are you hungry, Katsuki? I have some snacks in my bag that should tide you over until dinner." He called out from a distance.
Yuuri sighed. "Yeah, I could definitely use some lunch, actually. Let me take off my backpack, I'll catch up with you." He replied, walking slowly toward the blonde.
He removed the pack from his shoulders and sat down on a bench to unzip it. Victor appeared a moment later and handed him two bags of rice crackers, some grapes, and two bottles of water.
"Thank you," Yuuri replied gratefully. "Sorry, I was just struggling to unpack and I really shouldn't complain when I can't finish unpacking in a single day," Yuuri mumbled sheepishly, taking a bite of the cracker and chewing slowly, savouring every bite. The crunching sound helped dull the pain somewhat, although not completely.
"Hey, don't talk with your mouth full," Victor chastised gently.
Yuuri swallowed and replied sheepishly, "Sorry."
For awhile, neither of them talked as they ate. They were content in their own little bubble, watching the scenery change between the trees as Victor pointed out various plants and animals, occasionally sharing a small conversation here and there.
Suddenly, Victor cleared his throat and glanced at Yuuri. "You know what? Let's continue on our hike. It will be cooler up ahead."
He stood up, pulled Yuuri up from behind him and started leading them along a path that led directly uphill. Yuuri felt slightly nervous with Victor holding him tight in his arms but didn't say anything about it.
They continued up the mountain for a little while longer before stopping at a rocky hillside.