Yuri fidgeted with the collar of his suit. Be cool, he told himself, be cool. This wasn't his first job ever; the agency had put him on a hundred cases like this before. No… not quite like this. Those jobs were smaller, easier, safer. This would be his first time undercover. A new name, new clothes, new story. He had taken those other cases on as Yuuri Katsuki. This time, he would be Yuri Kuznetsov. A Russo-Japanese precious mineral dealer, seeking out a lucrative business deal with the head honcho himself, Victor Nikiforov.

He had been prepped for weeks, months, on the situation. He knew the name and face of everyone in Victor's crime ring. He knew the signals, the gestures, the slang. You won't fuck this up, you can't fuck this up, he reminded himself. I'm going to be with Nikiforov, up close and personal. No more of this peeking around walls bullshit. If he wants to slit my throat, he will.

"Ready yet?" His partner, Phichit called.

"Don't sass the boss, Fu-han." Yuri teased. Those were the rolls they were to play. Yuri Kuznetkov, the rich, young, entrepreneur and Fu-han, the trustworthy transportation specialist.

The boy sneered at the name. "I wish they'd picked something cooler for me. I mean, I don't even get to speak they whole time we're there." It was Phichit's role to pretend as if he didn't speak a word of Russian, making him less of a threat and more susceptible to overhearing something important.

"You can talk to me." Yuri pointed out.

"Well now that you put it like that, I have something to get excited about, don't I? I get to spend the next four months discussing the ins and outs of pork cutlet bowl." He walked over to where his friend stood in front of a full-body mirror and adjusted his tie. "I just wish I weren't the simpleton side-kick."

"We wish a lot of things, Phichit. That doesn't mean we get them all." Yuri took one more look at himself and decided he was satisfied with the look, even though it was so foreign to him. He wore contacts and slicked his hair back with thick, slimy, gel. "Ready?"

"I should be asking you that. You're the one who's been gawking at his reflection like a parrot for the last half-hour."

"Let's go."

They moved from headquarters to the airport in an unidentifiable black car and boarded the plane without so much as saying a word to each other. Those were the orders. Be immemorable, as if you weren't even there. They followed instructions coldly, despite both of them being shaken out of their skins in fear. They had devised a code, something only the two of them knew. They had discrete body signals for everything but somehow, throughout the whole plane ride, Yuri could only remember one: folded hands and a left shoulder shrug, meaning let's get the hell out of here right now.

You can do this, Yuri. Stop doubting yourself. Doubt equals death. They had drilled that phrase into him in his academy days. Doubt equals death. He repeated the phrase to himself silently but only the word death made an impression. Shake it off! Come on! He coached himself. You can do this, you can do this.

Of the many worries that plagued Yuri, loss of his family dwarfed the others. What if I never see my family again? I couldn't tell them where I was going, they don't know anything. They think I'm a lowly banker, working my way up the company like a diligent, up-standing, young man. They think I'm in China right now on business, securing a promotion. What would they think of me if they knew the truth? What would they say if they could see the amount of ammo I have packed under my clothes right now? I'm a walking bomb. If someone flicked their cigarette bud at me, the Moscow airport would be a crater.

After what felt like forever, the plane landed. It was a bittersweet feeling for Yuri. On one hand, he hated every second that took him farther from comfort but on the other hand, he wished he could've stayed up in the clouds, far away from everything, forever. Now they were in Moscow, the situation was real and final.

"Where are they supposed to meet us?" Phichit asked in Tai.

Yuri examined the signs around them. "Terminal 4- South." He could read, write, and even speak Russian but still, all the signs looked like gibberish to him. His anxiety had fried his mind during the plane ride and his vision had gone dizzy.

"Who's coming?" The boy asked.

"You know as much as I do." Yuri reminded him. "We'll find out when we find out." He peered out on the mass of strangers from beneath his sunglasses, looking for a face he could recognize. He and Phichit trained with flashcards. One side had a mug shot and the other side, a name and description. All in all, there were one hundred and forty-four cards. Now it was time to finally put those months of studying to use.

After a minute, Yuri caught sight of the first recognizable face. "Bingo. 3'oclock." He queued to Phichit under his breath. The boy quickly looked where he instructed.

"Is that…?"

Then it struck Yuri. Victor Nikiforov. And walking with him were Yakov Feltsman and Yurio Plisetsky, the three amigos, the grand trio, Russia's most notorious sinners. Yuri couldn't wrap his mind around the situation. Here they were, all three of them, in broad day light without masks or guards or even sunglasses. Exposed but not vulnerable. They carried with them an unapproachable sense of power, as if their coats were stitched with confidence and their shoes laced with authority. Yuri was dazed.

Phichit prodded him in the ribs with his elbow hard and Yuri regained composer. He pulled off his glasses and made a stern face, trying to mimic their careless strength as they approached. Victor made it known in the group that he was the leader by stepping forward to Yuri, blue eyes piercing and sharp. Yuri expected him to say something smooth like, We've been expecting you or, We finally meet. What came caught him off guard.

"Long flight, isn't it? I hope you got some shut-eye." The man said and flashed him a small, non-offensive, smile.

Yuri nodded. Make a good impression, he told himself. "I'm Yuri Kuznetsov and this is my partner-"

"Fu-han." Victor interrupted. "I know who you two are. Yhy wouldn't I? I do my research, Yuri."

"O-of course." Yuri cursed himself for stuttering but it seemed to please Victor, who chuckled under his breath and smiled. No, no, no! This isn't what I want! Yuri thought. He doesn't take me seriously. We're only a minute into this job and Victor's been playing me the whole time. He's going to eat me alive if I can't reinstate control soon.

Yuri cocked his head and smiled back coolly. "It seems we all know more about each other than we let on, perhaps? I expect we'll make good partners. If we already know everything to know about each other, then there's nothing to hide, is there?"

Victor's eyes widened. He was intrigued by this new boy. When people came in search of his business, especially the young entrepreneurs, he could always throw them into insecurity with a single look. This Yuri character promised a little bit more of a challenge. "I'm a man of my word, Yuri, so let's make a promise. If you promise to believe everything I tell you and never question my version of the truth, then I will never lie to you. That's what will make us good partners. Do we have a deal?"

"Sure, I'll agree to that, if you, in turn, promise to never doubt me. What's the use of loyalty if the one you're loyal to doesn't trust you? Then I'm just a soldier to a foreign king."

Victor considered this for a moment before smiling and patting Yuri once on the head approvingly. "Clever!" He declared. "Okay, Yuri, I will always trust you and you will always believe me. That's our deal."

Yuri shook Victor's hand, controlling his trembling just long enough so that the man wouldn't notice. The silver-haired power-house turned to Phichit, who was cool and collected as ever. He had had longer than Yuri to regain him composure. "Fu-Han." He greeted. They shook hands. "You'll have to excuse me, it's been a while since I last spoke Japanese." He said in heavily-accented Japanese.

"Pleased to meet you." Phichit responded, rather monotone.

"You two are rather cold for being Japanese. Isn't it polite for you to bow to me?" Victor asked.

Yuri took the opportunity to take charge of the conversation again. "You know what they say: When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Victor grew more pleased with Yuri. "Rome is a bit more temperate than Moscow, you'll see. Now, I'm sure you know these two," He gestured with a nod to the men behind him, "So if that's all for introductions, let's be on our way. Is that suitable to you two?" He asked, putting the ball in Yuri's court.

"Plenty." Yuri quirked up a corner of his mouth, stealing a beat from Victor's heart. His charm was undeniable.

They followed the Russians through the airport, trying not to look around with interest and discomfort at the foreign surroundings. "Our car is right outside here." Victor told them.

"Who's the driver?" Yuri asked in response.

"I am."

Yuri wanted to object or at least gasp but he swallowed his reaction. He had to roll with the surprises as if he had planned for them, it was part of the job. He tried to reason in his head why such an important and powerful man as Victor Nikiforov would make himself vulnerable like that. Maybe he usually had a driver but today he chose to do it himself to show off his confidence to the new-comers. That seemed like him. They got out to where the car sat and Yuri looked at apprehensively.

"You don't like my car?" Victor asked, seeing how Yuri stopped a few feet from it and wouldn't come any closer. Victor approached the driver's door.

Yuri tensed. "Who's been watching the car?" He asked, dread causing the hairs on his arms to stand on end. Something seemed wrong to him. You couldn't trust an unsupervised car, everyone knew that. So what was Victor trying to pull? Yakov and Yurio got in without hesitation. Phichit took a step back, sensing danger as well.

Victor smiled good-heartedly. "We're not as notorious as you might believe, Yuri. This isn't some American action movie. Now come on, get in the car, I don't want to stand around in a cold parking lot all day. Here, I'll get the heater running and it'll be nice and cozy, you'll see."

The man opened his door and sat in the driver's seat just as a small, almost unnoticeable flashing red light under the car caught Yuri's eye. The breath got stuck in his throat. "Victor!" Yuri cried. The man didn't respond but to dig for his keys in his pocket and match them up in the ignition. Hot blood pulsed Yuri's veins like venom as he bolted into action. He tore the car door open and yanked Victor out with all his force, throwing himself to the concrete at the same time. Pain shot up his spine from the impact.

The silver-haired man cried out in surprise, Yuri's lithe form cushioning him. "What the fuck was that!?" He snarled.

Yuri still laid on the concrete, gripping his chest and trying to get the air back into his lungs. "Under the car." He wheezed.

Victor got up and discovered the flashing object. He bent down and tore it off in one swift motion then showed Yuri who quirked his eyebrow at it in confusion. "It's just a battery-operated blinker, Detective." He explained. This didn't clear up any of Yuri's confusion. Victor helped the injured man up. "I planted it." He said proudly.

"Wait… what?" The words breathily escaped Yuri's stunned lips.

"I put it there to test how observant you are. I was wondering if you'd try to stop me or not. I didn't expect a reaction that was so-"

Yuri interrupted Victor by snatching the toy from his hand and throwing it hard against the concrete so that it broke into pieces. "That's what this was!? A little joke!? A prank!? A test!?" Yuri conveyed undiluted anger in his expression. "I'm your business partner, not an interviewee, Victor! I promised you that I would be loyal and I'll stick to my word! But don't try to trick it out of me. You said you wouldn't lie, well look there!" He pointed to the broken toy. "That was a lie! Don't pull that kind of shit again." He warned.

Instinctively, Victor took defense. "Don't speak to me like that. Do you know who I am?"

"Not yet, I don't." Yuri fired back, unshakable in his stance. "But I'm going to find out, Victor Nikiforov. You can lie and steal and cheat all you want but I'm just as smart as you and you're not going to fool me. If you're looking for someone to play tricks on, then I'm not your sheep."

Victor stared the smaller man down but he wouldn't back off. "Get in the car." He grumbled in submission. Yuri scooted into the back alongside Phichit and his façade crumbled within seconds. He promptly passed out due to fear and anxiety. Phichit dismissed it, saying he was just sleeping off his jet lag.

Yuri woke up after an hour to see that, 1- they were still driving and 2- that he had no idea where they were or how they had gotten there. He glanced to Phichit and hoped that the boy was making some sort of mental map of the journey.

No one in the car spoke. The only noise came from the radio that played a slow, rhythmic, Russian opera singer with a deep, soothing baritone. Yuri figured there was a reason no one dared to speak over the music so he didn't even try. He just looked out the window and studied the landscape.

We must be somewhere in the countryside, Yuri thought. It's so green. Everything is alive and healthy and lush with foliage. It's actually quite beautiful. I suppose this isn't such a bad place to die when Victor seeks his revenge on me for earlier.

Yuri wondered what it would be. Will he simply keep trying to assert his dominance through body language and aggressive conversation or will he try something more insidious, like pulling a blade on me when we're alone? Whatever it is, I can't ever make it look like I'm avoiding him. That would be handing him his victory. I can't let him know that I'm afraid of him, I can't back down, no matter what. Even if he pulls a blade on me… I have to stand my ground or he'll destroy me.

The drive to Victor's base camp was long. Yuri didn't know what to expect but he had assumed they'd be going to an elusive headquarters or some sort of a bunker but when they pulled up, Yuri couldn't distinguish the building from any old house. It was, in one word, plain. No guards, no fence, no cameras. Yuri had met suburban house wives that tried harder than Victor to keep themselves safe.

The seemingly obliviousness and vulnerability of Victor was puzzling but Yuri certain that the man was not an idiot. He knew how easily he could be targeted but he lived his life openly and without fear anyhow. Perhaps that was what made the man so intimidating. He thought himself a god and so far, no one had proved him wrong.

"Come inside," Victor invited once the music was silenced. "We have many extra bedrooms, you'll be comfortable."

The Asians followed the trio in without exchanging a word. I have to be charming, Yuri thought. No more butting heads with Victor, I want him to like me. Play it cool. "How old is this place?" Yuri asked.

"I had it built three years ago." Victor answered. What amazed Yuri was the excessive detail Victor had put into making it look aged. "The stone, wood, and marble is all imported from torn down cathedrals. The banisters and drapes are from Saint Basil's Cathedral in Red Square, but that's your and my secret, okay?" The man explained with a wink.

He really does think he's God, Yuri thought.

They were shown the house by its proud owner who explained every picture on every wall and every trinket on every shelf. Yuri recognized some of the pieces from news reports, back when they had originally gone missing. What a vain man, he noted to himself. Then, Yuri had a strange stroke of compassion. He must be truly lonely, then. He talks about these things as if they're the most important things in his life. Poor man. I suppose, like me, he has to put his friends and family on the back burner for this job.

Yuri was surprised when he recognized the emotion of sympathy in himself. He tried to dismiss it but it stayed and worsened as he watched Victor parade his belongings around in front of them. He's empty. He has money, but that's it. Look at him, the poor bastard. He doesn't even know how little he really has. God… do I actually feel bad for Victor Nikiforov? Yuri reminded himself of the incident with the planted bomb and the feeling dissipated. He's a jerk. He toys with people, that's why he's so lonely.

"Dinner is being prepared. Feel free to walk around and familiarize yourself with the house. Only one rule: If a door's locked, don't try to open it. I'll respect your privacy, you respect mine."

Yuri nodded, a simple act to show gratitude. "It's a very nice place, Victor. We appreciate your hospitality." He said with sincerity and a small smile. He swore he noticed a change in Victor. He saw surprise flash against his face followed by satisfaction. For a moment, Yuri though the man would forget about retaliation but the satisfaction was soon followed by cold, hateful, determination. Yuri tried to mask the rock that fell slowly down his throat. I've made it worse. Somehow, I made it worse.

"It's no trouble." Victor excused, his voice deep and hard. He excused himself, fleeing down a corridor into the indistinguishable darkness.

Phichit looked to Yuri and bit his bottom lip, meaning: Let's find some privacy then darted his eyes to the door. Yuri nodded and they left. "What was that about?" Phichit asked when they were a few minutes down the road from the house. The friends walked together casually, their guards down for the first time that day.

"That whole mood switch he did there at the end? Beats me. Do you think I said something?"

"It really seemed like he was reacting to what you said, like it bothered him. I just don't see why… You were throwing out your aces. He should be charmed by you by now."

"Quit it." Yuri chuckled.

"I'm serious. You're killing it."

"Yeah, well, on the subject of killing, if you don't see me tomorrow, you know who did it."

"No kidding? You think he's still caught up on that bomb thing?"

"He sure looks like he is, doesn't he?"

"Well… Yeah. I guess he's grudge holder. I suppose you can't expect civility from a mob boss, can you? And- Jesus! Did you hear the way he talks about all the stupid shit in his house!? I thought I was going to tear my hair out! He's so conceded! It's going to be a good day when we stand by and watch swat drag him out of that house kicking and screaming."

Somehow, the thought didn't give Yuri pleasure. In fact, a little pit of commiseration grew at the base of his stomach. He forced himself to smile but it didn't ease the uncomfortable guilt that he bore. Why does it feel wrong? It's not like he doesn't deserve it. He's a criminal, the biggest criminal of the rare minerals world. People have died by his orders. There's so much blood in his past… so why does this feel wrong?

Yuri imagined Victor being dragged through the lawn of his magnificent home by five men, all twice as strong as he has. Victor would be crying and begging like a child as he was torn away from all the objects that gave his existence meaning. He would realize how futile it all was and how he was, despite his best efforts, completely alone. Yakov and Yurio would let him take the fall, explaining to the court officials how the king had given orders and they had followed. Then Victor would wait in a cell for years until that fatal day when they strapped him to a table and hooked him up to an IV… and he would cry, like the lonely child he was.

Yuri ducked off the road and vomited into the bushes. Phichit came to his aid immediately and made him sit down while he checked for signs of poisoning. Yuri knew he hadn't been poisoned. It was something even worse, pity. The thought of Victor's scared, watery, crystal-blue eyes would stay with him, haunting him.

"Let's go back," Phichit proposed. "You can take the night off and try to get better. I bet it's just your nerves. I'll tell the Russians that you're recovering from that jet lag."

"I can't do that, it's an act of cowardice. Victor will think he scared me or that I'm too physically weak to handle the stress of being here."

Phichit wanted to argue with him but he knew as well as Yuri did that the job comes before health. "Take it easy, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." He agreed. They continued walking, hoping the fresh air would cure them of the cold dread that laced their blood but they knew it was in vain. They wouldn't breathe easy again until the whole thing was over with.

When the sun was starting to set, they began on their way back to the house. No matter how hard he tried, Yuri continued to be plagued by Victor's eyes. He hated the way those bright, blue, eyes looked at him. He hated that he pitied Victor. He hated that he couldn't hate Victor. Why, Dammit!? He cursed himself. Yuri remembered his neighbor's son, Takeo, who was a stubborn and miserable child. Yuri had been charged with watching Takeo. At first, he hated the boy. He was always spitting at him and trying to fight him. He would steal things from Yuri then lie about it. As time went on, Yuri learned how to befriend the boy. Takeo wanted to be hated. He wanted people to get angry and leave him alone so he could cry in private. When people worried about him, it made him feel weak. Yuri showed the boy unending forgiveness and love and one day, Takeo just gave up fighting it. A smile snuck onto Yuri's face.

"What are you smiling about?" Phichit asked.

"I'm just remembering someone back home." He said. I figured it out. I have to show Victor that unconditional acceptance. No matter what he does, I have to forgive him.

When they got back to the house and stood on the front lawn, they could hear a young voice yelling from inside. Yurio, Yuri though. "Can you just chill out!? I don't fuck'n know where they went so stop asking!"

Phichit trembled, sensing that consequences were waiting for them inside but Yuri entered the house without hesitation. He came in the front door to see Victor at the opposite end of the room with Yurio at his side. They both looked in his direction. Yurio scoffed and left, saying "There he is." Victor, on the other hand, had a much more complex reaction. He looked to Yuri with worry, then that same satisfaction Yuri had seen earlier. He might have smiled faintly but Yuri might have just imagined it. He wasn't sure.

Yuri took a deep breath and thought of Takeo. An honest smile rested on his face. "I hope we didn't worry anyone," he said gently. "Fu-han and I went to get some fresh air. Being in a plane for ten hours makes you feel so stuffed up."

Victor didn't know how to respond so he sat there for a moment in silence. Finally, he found something to say. "Wash up. Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes." With that, he left the room. Yuri puckered his lips to keep from smiling. I was right. Takeo used to do that too. When someone was nice to him, he would act as if he didn't care. Yuri went to wash his hands. What did he do after that? Yuri tried to remember. Actually, he was usually worse behaved after that. He would take out his frustration by pulling my hair or hitting me in the ear. He liked being shown affection and he got angry at himself for liking it. Then he would act out to punish me for being nice to him.

As Yuri remembered, cold sweat formed on the back of his neck. I was nice to him when he didn't deserve it. I saved him from that fake bomb, I complimented his house even after he had rubbed his wealth in my face, and just now, I did it again. He had no reason to get worked up over us taking a walk but I was kind to him, I smiled. He's going to try to scare me away from him.

Yuri looked into the bathroom mirror and smirked, feeling the same unshakable resolve that he had felt when he was taming Takeo. "Alright, Victor, go ahead." He said to his reflection. "I'm ready for you. You can't break me."

Everyone sat at the table in silence as a team of three servants brought out the food and laid down the plates. Victor looked over the table when it was set then nodded and whisked the staff away with a flick of his wrist. "Dig in, boys." He invited.

Yuri and Phichit didn't hesitate to whop enormous amounts of food on their plates. Yuri suspected that Victor had gone out of his way to prepare a meal that would offend foreigners. The menu included unnecessarily rare dishes like sheep head, duck blood soup, and cow brain. To Victor's disappointment, neither Yuri nor Phichit had any qualms about it. Why does he want to make me uncomfortable? Yuri wondered. He must think I'm strong. I bet he's looking for a way to shake me. Phichit's right, I'm good at my job.

"Hungry?" Victor asked. Yuri looked up from his plate. He could tell that the man was masking his annoyance.

He nodded. "It's very generous for you to have us in your home like this. We were expecting to stay in a hotel."

"Nonsense. You're my guests."

Yuri translated the message into Japanese for Phichit, who had understood it the first time around in Russian but pretended to be interested. He turned to Victor, nodded his head, and thanked him in formal Japanese.

"I hope everything is to your liking." Victor prodded again.

The Asians had not slowed their eating down at all. "Mm-hm." Yuri said with his mouth full of food. "I've searched high and low for sheep in Japan but I just can't get it unless I'm overseas."

The annoyance was now more clear on Victor's face as he bitterly dug into his own meal. Neither Yurio nor Yakov said anything. I wonder why they're so quiet… Yuri thought, cleaning the last of the meat out the sheep's eye socket. They're not comfortable around us. I mean, neither is Victor, but unlike them, he's obsessed about proving that he's the alpha male here.

"Yuri." Victor finally said, breaking the silence. Yuri met his eyes curiously. He knew Victor was going to try to expose his weaknesses again. He was relentless.

"Yeah?"

"How old are you, Yuri?"

"Guess." He replied coolly, catching Victor off guard.

"Hmm… I have a hard time with Japanese faces. So youthful. To me, you all look like children."

Yuri smiled. Cheap shot, Victor, He thought. You can do better than that. "With the workforce of today becoming more and more stressful, soon all our children will look like old men."

At first, Victor had enjoyed Yuri's clever tongue but now it irked him. He hated feeling outsmarted. "Do you face much stress at work, Yuri?"

Yuri locked eye contact with Victor. "That entirely depends on my partner. But I have a feeling this deal will go well."

"How do you know?"

"I have good intuition."

"Is that why you're so successful?" He asked, making a reference to their difference in wealth.

"No. My business skills and team of directors make me successful. It's my intuition that keeps me alive."

"Let me give you a word of advice, Yuri. Don't ever get too comfortable. Your intuition may not know as much as you think it does." Victor tried to seem intimidating but Yuri wasn't fazed.

"It hasn't steered me wrong yet."

Victor was getting glances from his comrades. Even they knew he was losing the fight. He took a moment to recover before firing back. "I should like to visit Japan again sometime soon."

"If you ever make the trip out, you're more than welcome to stay with me. I'd love the opportunity to return your hospitality."

"Do you have a family, ?"

"No need for formalities and yes, I do. They'd be thrilled to have a foreigner like yourself in the house but I must warn you, they're a bit nosy."

"I'd be bringing my friends along." Victor suspected that Yuri was bluffing simply to be polite and that he's say something ridiculously cheerful like, 'the more the merrier!' The response he received caught him off guard.

"Well, as I'm sure you can understand, quite a bit of danger comes with my profession and I must be especially careful when it comes to my family. I wouldn't want anybody I don't trust in the family home. Sorry. I'd be able to recommend some very nice hotels for them, though."

"You trust me?" The words fell out of Victor's mouth before he could process them.

Yuri gave Victor a sincere look of compassion. "I promised I would, didn't I?"

Victor searched Yuri's face for dishonesty but couldn't find it. "Alright. When this business deal is concluded, let's take a holiday in Japan." He said, testing Yuri again.

Yuri's smile grew. "So the deal's on?"

"Sure. Deal's on."

"Great! I can't wait! Japan is beautiful in the summer time. There will be plenty of places for me to show you." The joy in his voice was genuine.

Victor stared. For a moment, Yuri swore that Victor was touched. His eyes glimmered with happiness and gratitude but the moment came quickly and left even quicker. Victor's brows furrowed harshly and that look of hatred returned. He stood and left the table.

Yurio and Yakov mumbled to each other. "I guess that's that." Yurio commented, turning to Yuri. "Now you've done it. We're going to have to deal with his tantrums for the rest of the night. Why don't you two just go to your room and stop causing so much annoyance?"

Yuri nodded and led Phichit off to their room. The boys talked for hours, trying to decide what their next steps should be. "Can we talk about this tomorrow? It's the middle of the night!" Phichit exasperatedly flopped against his bed. "He hates you, he loves you, beats me. We'll find out soon enough, won't we?"

"You mean when you find me in the morning with my throat slit?"

"He's not going to slit your throat," Phichit assured his friend. "There's no gain in that. I'll tell you what he's going to do. He's going to kidnap you and sell you into slave labor. That way, he can use the money he gets from you to buy more pretentious shit for his castle."

"Excuse you, it's not a castle, it's a cathedral where all the loyal subjects can worship the mighty and powerful Victor Nikiforov."

Phichit laughed. "Go take a shower. You stink. You're not going to raise a good price when you smell like a crate of camels."

Yuri took his towel and a change of clothes and went down the hall to the bathroom. He stood there and let the hot water soothe him. Victor's not so bad, he assured himself. I've dealt with children all my life. This is no different, except that he's bigger, taller, and in control of a militant mob force. But still, if I just play my cards right, I can do this. He just needs patience, acceptance, approval, and love. Like a toddler, Yuri, like dealing with a toddler, right? You can do this.

Yuri got out of the shower, dressed, and began to head back to his room when he heard his name whispered from somewhere in the darkness. His heart skipped a beat as he spun around on his heel. "Yes?" He asked. The hallway was dark, he couldn't see anyone.

"Yuri, come here." Now that he was listening, he could recognize the voice as Victor's. The retaliation, Yuri thought. Here it comes.

Yuri walked towards the voice. As he came closer, he could see the man's form illuminated by the moonlight that flooded through the window. "What is it?" He asked.

"What are you doing wandering around the house so late at night?"

"I just took a shower. I'm going to bed."

"Come to bed with me." The man's sultry voice offered. He walked towards Yuri who corresponded by backing up into a wall where Victor cornered him.

Yuri was stunned. "I'm here to be your business partner, not your-"

"I take all my business you bed."

Yuri felt a warm hand slide down his cheek. He shivered. "V-Victor…"

"Ah, I made you stutter again." Victor whispered.

He suddenly felt a hand move along his thigh as smoothly as a snake. It reached his groin and cupped it possessively. Yuri gasped and the muscles in his body tensed in reaction to the touch but he still could not move away. "Victor." Yuri breathed, fear working into his voice.

"No reason to make a fuss about it, is there?" Victor leaned in and pushed his lips against Yuri's, moving with energy and lust. Yuri felt his warm tongue sliding along his gums. He smelled the man's cologne, felt the velvet of his robe and the heat of his breath on his face. As Victor pulled away, those blue eyes locked on his, waiting for response.

Yuri couldn't understand the emotions held behind them. He looked wild and empowered but that wasn't all. There was a sincere desire in them as well. It wasn't all about control, Yuri could tell. There was something else there too. He just couldn't tell what. Yuri took a breath and started to put his thoughts together. Don't say yes. No matter what, don't give him this. Just as importantly, don't react with fear or anger. He's vulnerable. This is like when Takeo would hit me and pull my hair. He's showing me that I moved him but the only way he knows how to react is by taking out his confusion and frustration on me. Okay, Yuri, you can do this.

Yuri reached up and scooted Victor's bangs away from his eyes so they could look at each other clearly. Physical touch always helped Takeo settle down, he remembered. Yuri watched as the act of affection changed Victor's mood. He seemed relieved that he had not been reciprocated badly. He was less aggressive now.

"Victor. You have to let go of me now." Yuri said quietly without threat or malice.

The silver-haired man furrowed his brows. "Why?"

"Because we're not going to have sex."

Victor was confused and embarrassed. Yuri sensed this. He slowly moved Victor's hand away from his groin and the man didn't resist. Good. Good job, Yuri. Be gentle. You can get out of here with minimal damage. "Go to sleep. You've had a long day, right? I know I have. We need some sleep and a big breakfast in the morning. Victor, look at me." The man was confused, hurt, and confused as to why he was hurt. Yuri gently guided his chin forward. "Do you like eggs benedict?"

Victor responded with a slight, almost undetectable, nod.

Yuri gave him a warm smile. "Good. I like making eggs benedict. Now we both have something to look forward to tomorrow." He swiftly moved out of Victor's hold and stepped into the hallway. "See you in the morning Victor."

Without looking back, he began walking down the hallway towards his room. He opened the door, stepped in, and closed it before collapsing into a trembling mess on the floor. He put a hand over his chest and felt his heart race wildly.

He looked to where Phichit laid asleep in his bed. Thank God, he thought. He doesn't have to know. This is between me and Victor. This is our game. It's not about money or precious minerals, it's about us. When he had the energy, he moved to his bed and tried to relax.

No matter what he did, he couldn't stop remembering those moments with Victor. The smell of his cologne filled his nostrils. He still felt that moist breath on his cheek. His tongue was still in his mouth, smooth and seductive. Even when he closed his eyes, Victor's ice blue irises still looked back at him in wonder.

Yuri knew this wasn't a one-and-done situation. He would see a lot more of Victor in the upcoming months. He wanted to see a lot more of Victor.