A/N This story is rated T. I hope that everyone understands that this is purely my imagination, and that if you are uncomfortable with murder, you should probably leave now. This story will probably have 5 parts, and today I am uploading the first part. I know it's been a while since I've done something other than a one-shot, but I hope that you'll love it as much as I do. I've even been caught writing in public. Something I've not done for years. Anyways, on with the story. As always, message me, leave reviews and come to me if you have suggestions for new stories!
St Petersburg, Russia. 5 A.M.
Our story begins on a rainy day, in a small apartment in St. Petersburg, Russia. On this morning in April, a ray of light caressed one of the sleeping figures on the queen-sized bed. As Victor looked at the sleeping figure next to him, he smiled to himself. Usually, he would sleep like a starfish, reducing his partner to a cute, but a curled-up ball. He pulled his partner into a hug, and whispered something into his ear, waiting for him to stir as well. From the outside, they could hear raindrops hit the pavement.
A few months ago, Victor had chosen the ideal apartment. His 1930's Russian-style home was situated far from Moscow and its tight controls. It featured a small kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bath. The bath had been a special request from Victor, as he knew that Yuri loved them, having grown up in an inn.
'Come on Yuri, it's time to wake up' he mumbled, more insistent this time. He smelled Yuri's hair, eliciting a soft, protesting moan. 'I'm heading out with Makkachin, but don't forget we are going to go to the ice rink later.' These were the two magic words. As soon as Yuri Katsuki registered the words 'ice' and 'rink' he decided that today would be a good day. He waited for Victor to take his shower, so he could hop in after him. As Yuri assembled his outfit, he realized he hadn't said good morning to his husband yet.
Even though the rules about marriage in Russia stated, that they would be friends forever, in this apartment, as far as they were concerned, they were anything but. Even though they didn't have much, they still had each other. After his shower, Victor did his hair and brushed his teeth. He shot himself a killer smile, before peeking outside and finding out that the rain was coming down hard today. Makkachin had woken up as well, and as usual, the poodle was waiting by the door, the leash hanging from his mouth. 'Yuri, I'm heading out!' Victor yelled, right before he closed the door.
For a second or two, Yuri stood in the shower. He held his arms next to his body, as the warm water cascaded over him. He was reminded of his last Grand Prix, and how he and Victor had decided to take a month off. He let out a soft moan, as the water warmed his shoulders and chest muscles. The apartment complex lacked an elevator. Which meant, that he and Victor had to carry their groceries up to the third floor. He didn't like walking up, but he loved that Victor would share the burden with him as they walked up the stairs together. After the thoughts of Victor passed, he felt or heard nothing for a few minutes. It felt like his body was empty of feeling, somehow unsure, but still searching for something. Yuri truly hoped that Victor wouldn't get bored with him. In fact, before they got together, he had idolized the man. Some days he felt incredibly grateful, and some days he was really anxious. He guessed that today he'd have to man up and show Victor that he was worthy of being his partner. As he got out of the shower, he realized that it was his turn to make breakfast. Victor and Makkachin were nowhere to be found, which meant that he had around 20 minutes to create their breakfast.
Winter in St. Petersburg reminded Victor of Japan. Even though he had been raised in Russia, to him, there wasn't much of a difference between the countries. He was pleased with the current apartment he shared with his husband. Even though the government had decided that homosexuality as a mental illness in 2013, he had decided not to care. Victor really loved the style of houses that had been built in 1935, the ones that were built during a later period just didn't make him feel at home as much. Makkachin had stopped to sniff something on the street, allowing his owner an opportunity to look around. He could see the Neva river from where he stood, and if he didn't have to train today, he would probably have bought himself a cup of coffee and sat near the water. He loved not having to coach or train, this past month had been somewhat of a dream. Ever since Victor was introduced to the ice rink at 14, he never looked back. Even though he had received Makkachin as a present from Simon, his protector, he had been obsessed with ice, ice-skating rinks and becoming the best version of himself. Due to the weather, very few people were outside today. It allowed Victor to really see the architecture and shops that were scattered around his current neighborhood. 'Maybe I'll bring Yuri out for a date sometime,'he said, looking at Makkachin. In response, Makkachin looked away, as if to say, 'I'm not good enough for you anymore?'.
Today was the day that he would return to the ice rink. In a way, Victor was incredibly excited. He knew that Yuri would love watching him for hours on end, as he would attempt to improve upon his decided routine. That and Yuri would be forever surprised at everything he did. 'I spaced out there, didn't I. Makkachin?' Victor said, smiling at himself as his poodle looked up at him once more. 'Let's head home, I'm sure that Yuri will be worried by now'. As expected, Yuri had been reheating miso soup, they had both agreed that there would be a stop to having katsudon as long as Victor hadn't won the oncoming championship. Yuri hadn't noticed that Victor had already returned, as he was currently busying himself with trying to boil an egg and trying to get some of his other foods out of the refrigerator. 'I can't believe Mum sent us this much. We lasted forever with the food she made', he mumbled to himself. 'Good morning Yuri', Victor said, as he cuddled his husband from behind 'Did you sleep well? Thank you for making breakfast.' He could feel the muscles tense, as Yuri clearly hadn't expected him back yet.
'A-ah Anytime. C-can you please stop biting my ear?'
'Only if you stop being so cute.'
'We've got to go soon-,' at that, Victor snaked his arm around Yuri as he held him really close. 'I'm sure the rink won't mind if we are five minutes late'.
For the occasion, Yuri had decided to dress down. He wanted all of the attention to be focused on Victor, as he had no idea what kind of crowd could possibly turn up at his return. Last year, Victor had made quite a show out of telling everyone he did not intend to come back to skating, displeasing a lot of his fans. Today, they had decided to bring Makkachin. They had already obtained permission from the woman who operated the rink, and just like in Japan, she didn't mind opening up earlier if that meant that she could watch Victor train. Victor placed himself behind the wheel, as Yuri loaded Makkachin into his bench in the truck. 'I can't wait to see this' Yuri said, as he petted Makkachin once more. The trip to the ice-rink wasn't that long, and Yuri could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of seeing Victor skate again. He loved it more than he could explain. In the meantime, they had finally arrived at the ice-rink. Victor had been adamant about not coming there, as he believed it would draw him in and make sure that he didn't spend the remaining vacation time with Yuri. As Victor went in to say hello to Lidiya, Yuri started feeling lost. What if there was a major welcoming committee waiting for them? He couldn't blame Lidiya, as it would be a good opportunity to promote the ice-rink as being the place for Victor's comeback, but Yuri thought about himself. What would it mean if he was drowned out by the crowd again? The entrance seemed quite quiet, but as soon as he crossed the threshold, he was confronted with Yakov, Victor's old trainer. 'So you finally made him get his act together?' he asked, not in a confrontational way, but more paternal, as if he had known all along. At that time, Yuri's phone started buzzing. A Twitter notification from Yuri Plisetsky, announcing his arrival at the ice-rink. 'This is going to be a very long day,' Yuri said, accepting that his dream of watching Victor practice by himself, was not due to come true today. 'I'm sorry. As soon as Lidiya called with the news, I had to come in and see it for myself, I hope you're okay with it, Yuri' Yakov said, finally realizing what had been set in motion after receiving the news of Victor's return. 'A-ah no, its quite alright' he replied 'he was your pupil after all. It would be weird for you not to come!' With that, they shook hands and parted ways. At that time, Yuri was having mild flashbacks to the first grand prix hed lost. He had grown so much over the past year, but the arrival of Plisetsky kind of threw him off. He headed for the bathrooms, only then deciding that if Yuri found him there again, he would conclude that the hunt for Victor would be reopened. He didn't want to give him that type of satisfaction, so instead, he proceeded to head for the athlete's preparation rooms.
In his confusion, Yuri had opened the wrong door. What he saw was hard to describe. A man had been murdered, that much was clear. But, his body had been left in a weird position as well. The bench had been drenched in blood, as the man's wrist showed some weird tattoo. The only reason Yuri managed to see it, was because his wrist had been attached to some police-issued handcuffs which had been attached to one of the athlete's lockers. Before Yuri had to leave to vomit, he managed to call out for help, since he wasn't sure if there would be any chance of saving this man. he was simply too scared to go even closer than he had already been when he carelessly walked in. Fifteen minutes later, the police arrived and proceeded to question Yuri. He was lucky he hadn't touched anything but the door, so he was quickly released as a suspect. What he did not expect, was how calm Victor managed to take in all of the information. It was almost like he had experienced something similar back when he was younger. He simply held Yuri until he stopped crying, and told him that he needed to make a few calls.
Happily unaware of his impending trip, Osamu Dazai just sat down at the bar in his favorite restaurant. He had just come back from a long day at work, and Dazai was looking forward to having those Tsugaru noodles with baby bamboo. Atsushi, his new recruit, had morphed into a tiger. In the middle of one of the busiest markets in the city. He understood Atsushi's motivation to do what was right, but he also refused to use 'no longer human' because, frankly, it had been so much fun to watch. Needless to say, it had been the best opportunity for his partner, Kunikida to give him another speech, right in front of the new recruits. 'I just wanted the kid to have some fun' he mumbled, waiting for his order. He could still hear his ears ring a little bit, remembering how Kunikida would go on and on about 'morality, decency and traumatized grandmothers'.
Just as he was about to tuck into his Tsugaru noodles with baby bamboo, he received a call from Victor Nikiforov. 'Vic, long time no see my friend. What brings you to call me at this hour?' Dazai said, holding the phone slightly away from his face. 'Good evening old friend, if time permits, I would like to report a code 187. I don't think there's anyone else I can call at this point. I really need you here, I don't trust anyone else.' For a few seconds, Dazai contemplated. Russia was cold. Where would he sleep? Would this mean another speech by Kunikida? 'I'll be there on the next flight out.'
