"There are no happy endings.
Endings are the saddest part,
So just give me a happy middle
And a very happy start."
― Shel Silverstein, Every Thing on It
The Russian Skater. That's his professional title. It would be on a business card if that's the kind of thing a clean cut, law abiding business man would go for, but that's not usually his customer demographic. Victor considers what he does an art and beauty plays an important role in the execution but more likely than not, the moniker is founded on his love for sharp blades and his demeanor of ice.
If you did a little extra digging though, those who knew Victor well enough called him Goldilocks. Partly because he had a knack for walking into a metaphorical bears den, messing about their property and somehow end up hopping out a window unscathed. Partly because his favourite switchblade is gold plated (because he's just THAT Extra). Plus for the irony since, well… his hair.
Don't let the cute nicknames fool you; he is an intelligence agent, a rogue spy, a mafia asset, an assassin, a business man, A Professional in every sense of the word. Call it what you want, the fact was: no one in the world is as good as he is. When you hire Victor Nikiforov, anything in existence can be yours… for a price.
With no family, no friends (friendly professional associates aside) and no relationships to speak of, Victor was untouchable. The closest to companionship was his guard dog, which isn't exactly an easy target. Victor had no pesky emotional weak spots for enemies to prey on, and certainly none in technical skill. He had the perfect profile to be the best at what he does, and he undoubtedly was.
His long time affiliation with Yakov, a stoic old man rumoured to be ex intelligence for Russia's defence sector gone AWOL, provided a steady stream of high profile jobs thanks to a list of former contacts. The payoff had proved to be very rewarding indeed but the thrill dwindled with each successful mission. The first big job had Victor riding an adrenaline rush for two days straight, the second was like chasing a first time high. Then the third and fourth, well you know how that works. At the rate things were going, Victor was looking at retirement at the end of the year.
That is, until Yakov presented Victor with the most lucrative task to date: Intel on a Japanese hot springs, potentially sitting on billions of dollars in the form of an untapped diamond mine. His client needs any dirt available that could legally shut the place down, of course illegally obtaining the deeds to the land could also work, the pay is the same either way.
Yakov gives him a briefing; Victor's main target was the son of the family, a fresh faced 23 year old named Yuuri Katsuki. Their first meeting was to be a banquet dinner in Sochi for small time business owners looking to network internationally. The Katsuki family has been under a lot of pressure to sell their hot springs and must be looking for some powerful partnerships. This is where Victor comes in, a wolf in human clothing, the only thing left was to decide on was the costume. Victor spends some time debating on which angle he should play. Father figure? Older Brother? Best friend? But then he hears through some grapevine gossip that Yuuri Katsuki is inexperienced in love and a sucker for pretty boys, perfect.
This story has been told again and again and again, Victor knows it in every form imaginable. Happy endings, sad endings, open endings, unexpected ones and those who wait for an ending that may never come (which was arguably, in Victor's opinion, the most realistic of them all).
Books and movies and everything in between trying to capture a Forbidden Love Story, those stupid people. Who believes in such fairytales these days, or better yet, who can afford to? Certainly not someone in Victor's position. He scoffed at the tales of an unconditional and all consuming love between two people who otherwise led two separate and fully functional lives right up until the day they meet. These authors are selling fiction in its very definition, such a love does not exist and those who believe it deserve the disappointment a cut throat reality will inevitably bring. Victor knows this better than anyone else. I am all I need.
A story that's been told again and again and again, and Victor knows it in every form imaginable. So he shouldn't be surprised when Yuuri Katsuki gets inappropriately drunk to compensate for his lack of social skill and zeroes in on that gorgeous silver haired suit and tie eyeing him from across the room. Shouldn't be surprised when Yuuri leads Victor in a passionate tango that ends up with a slurred proposition to be business partners. Victor shouldn't be surprised when his heartbeat picks up because Yuuri's eyes sparkle in a way that reminds him of the diamond mines he suddenly wants nothing to do with.
Victor shouldn't be surprised when he spends that night alone staring at the hotel ceiling, Yakov's number pulled up on his burner phone, thumb hovering above the call icon. The phone screen fades out after two minutes but Victor stays in that position until sunrise. Victor shouldn't be surprised because he knows what happens next.
Yakov knows something is wrong when he calls for an update. Victor plays it off as much as he can, yes I'm in. yes of course it's under control, no he hasn't forgotten about the pay, yes Victor is playing the lover, YES he is Just Playing, no this will not be the job that ruins him. Yakov hangs up on him mid sentence because they both know what happens next.
It happens as it always does, Victor cautiously steps into Yuuri's life intending to get the job done, walk away with clean hands and a 7 digit pay cheque. But the Katsuki family welcomes him with open arms, and maybe Victor overhears Yuuri's mom exclaiming that it's about time he brought someone home, and maybe Victor just barely catches himself smiling for no one in particular.
Days then weeks then months pass, and Yuuri's tightly wound armour of nerves unravels under Victor's gentle prodding (this is just how it's done) and his smiles are sweet so Victor reciprocates (this is just how it's done), these are their roles and this is just how it's done. Victor knows the next part involves throwing caution to the wind and falling head over heels in love with someone he's not supposed to. He does exactly that.
They attend meetings with contractors and property managers and banks, the logistics of their hot springs is laid bare left and right. Victor purposefully blurs all the details in his memory (Yuuri! lets go out drinking to celebrate!), tells himself none of this can be used (everyone flubs the tax forms) and that it's all (mostly) legitimate anyways.
Yakov's phone calls get more frequent and more demanding, the deadline hangs ominously above Viktor's head, he imagines the swoosh it makes when it falls. How does this story end again?
Yuuri pokes Victor on the swirl of his head where his hair is thinning, introduces him to pork cutlet bowls, bathes naked with him in the hot springs but refuses to share a bed the same night. Victor is more hurt than offended (his tactics haven't failed to date), until Victor realizes he genuinely wants to spend the night with Yuuri and then he's just scared.
They kiss one night after a fight, Yuuri has an ugly crying face and Victor never wants to see it again. Then they kiss again another time and sleep with the hotel beds pushed together for a business trip. They make a habit out of that when travelling. Sometimes they hold hands and get food together and go skating and Yuuri gets miffed when Victor is careless with his charms.
Then, the night before a big appointment with the loan manager (the business is losing money but it's still a family thing), Yuuri buys a pair of gold wedding rings for… good luck and jams one on Victor's ring finger. Well, anything for good luck, Victor tells him knowing exactly what it means and puts a matching one on Yuuri's trembling right hand. There is no conflict to where Victor's loyalties lie, none, even though that's not how the story goes. He is losing his place in the plot, the gold ring usually doesn't come until the closing act, right?
On the day of the meeting, Victor and Yuuri are sat in the waiting area of a posh bank in Da Lian and Yuuri is visibly anxious. The future of their multi generational family business is more or less dependent on the next 30 minutes and Victor wants nothing more than to hear the word approved. Forget Yakov, forget the job, Victor wants to see Yuuri happy and he'll fork over the money himself if that's what it comes down to. They've spent the better part of a year fighting for this and Victor cannot remember the last time any job, regardless of pay stirred this kind of desperate burning inside his chest.
They both hold Styrofoam cups with lukewarm instant coffee, they both sip on it purely for the distraction. The room is silent except for the tick tick tick of an unseen clock and Victor is a patient man but seeing Yuuri like this was not something he'd like to do for one more tick. The room is too warm and Victor is actually starting to feel a little nauseous, he turns to Yuuri but the floors are tilting and the edges of his vision is blurring and…..
When Victor wakes up, he's sat on the tarmac outside leaning against a brick wall. It's drizzling and there's puddle under his thigh so his pants are uncomfortably wet. There's a sour smell, like garbage left in the sun too long, it's really not helping with the residual nausea. Victor's mind fog clears up fast enough for him to realize he's in the back alley between a clump of industrial buildings. Oh, Victor thinks, I'm usually on the other side of this situation which means…
"Vitya." Yakov says (is that…pity?)
"You're awake. I'm sure it's been a long day, we can debrief tomorrow."
Yakov is walking away and Victor is asking something he doesn't want to hear the answer to.
"Where is he? Where is Yuuri Katsuki?"
This story has been told again and again and again, Victor knows it in every form imaginable. He also knows the happy endings exist in the vacuum of fiction and divine miracles for stories like his. But Yuuri Katsuki exists in the same realm as fairytales and divine miracles, this story can't end here. It just can't. Not Yuuri, not HIS Yuuri whereishewhereishewhereishewhereishewhereishewhereishewhereishewhereishewhereishewhe-
Yakov takes a long hard look at him (it is definitely pity) and slowly pulls out an standard, white envelope. There is no doubt a plane ticket and his payment in full, too bad Victor wants none of it. He makes no move to take it, he doesn't want it, he didn't finish the job, he doesn't even want the job anymore please just tell me where Yuuri is. please please please please please the story doesn't end here it doesnt please where is he where is yuuri please please
Yakov can read Victor every bit as good as a flashing neon sign but in the end, business is business. "He is where he is supposed to be."
Sorry, you knew the risks.
"Your job is complete, Vitya. Go home."
Yuuri doesn't know where he is, what day it is, or why he can't see out of his left eye. The last thing he remembers is the waiting room, the warmth radiating from Victor next to him, the funny tasting coffee and then nothing. There's a steady drip drip drip, he wonders if it's water, blood or sweat. He wonders where Victor is and if he's in pain.
Yuuri almost laughs to himself, this scene is something out of a movie. The dark damp room with no windows, a single flickering light bulb, being tied to a folding chair while a faceless man with a crowbar works out some deep seated psychological issues on Yuuri himself, no doubt.
The man asks about the land deed to Yu-topia, he says Victor was an undercover agent sent to obtain those papers, that none of it was real and Yuuri has been played and betrayed.
Well the ring on my finger says otherwise.
Yuuri is glad they cuffed his hands behind the chair, it meant he was free to run his thumb across the gold band on his ring finger, it grounded him. If this is how he dies then…so much for a good luck charm. I guess it was an engagement ring after all.
Yuuri tells the man that he knows better than to trust someone who's beating the shit out of him with a crowbar. Which of course earns him another loving strike across his collarbone.
"Still not talking huh?"
Drip drip.
Yuuri closes his eyes and goes back…
It's sunny and Victor invited him out to get brunch, they eat at a little Italian cafe. This was the first time Yuuri agreed to meet Victor without any pretense of business, this was a date. Victor tells him about the time he spent abroad in Italy, about the bits of Italian that stick to his memory, about why it really deserves a place amongst the romantic languages. When they leave, Victor is humming a tune with a little smile. "Stammi vicino non te ne andare" Victor sings, and Yuuri asks him what it means.
Victor blushes, looks away and says, "Stay close to me, and never leave."
Yuuri smiles.
Okay. I can do that.