ACT 1

think before you speak

'Henry pushed Olivia's kinky blonde hair over her shoulder, each strand lingering and weaving through his fingers like the silkiest of fibers. He felt her warmth radiating off her even through the chill of the rain, pelting them both as they stood under the temperamental storm. He lifted his hand and caressed her golden cheek with the backs of his fingers, feeling every curve, every texture, every inch of the warm flush decorating her sweetly round face.

She clutched his fingers and wept softly, and even through the curtain of droplets, Henry saw the tears dripping off her chin. When she spoke it sliced through his heart like a hot knife through butter.

"Don't go," she whispered; she pleaded and his heart splintered into a hairline fracture.

He stroked the skin around her lips with his thumb. "Olivia."

She shut her sea-green eyes, her chin trembling. "Don't leave me, Henry."

"Olivia," he said softly. "Don't make this harder than it already is."

"Henry…" Her sunlight head dropped against his chest. "When will I see you again?"

Henry enclosed her in his arms, drawing her into his chest tightly, feeling her warm, supple body even against the thickness of his jacket. Her hair tickled his nose and the scent of simply her wafted up and imprinted in his brain. "Just know that we will meet again one day."

"Henry—" she gasped, her voice laced with panic.

Henry shushed her gently, his fingers rubbing her shoulders, her back, her waist. "It's okay. It's okay." He knew he had to be strong for her, but even Atlas himself grew weak knees around the woman of his dreams. He checked his watch. Time to go. "Don't forget me," he murmured low in her ear.

"I won't," she whispered. "Never. Come back to me, Henry. I love you."

His rough, calloused fingers tilted her face up to his. "I will. I promise. I love you, Olivia." His mouth covered hers over and over until he could kiss her no more.'

"Viktor, you've read that hundreds of times already," Chris said. "And cried each and every time. It's a good book, but give it a rest, will you?"

A long, high-pitched whine escaped Viktor's throat from his place on Chris' couch. "But Chris," he moaned. "It's so romantiiiic. And saaad. I love it so muuuch." He will forever be indebted to his friend Georgi for introducing this novel to him those years ago, for he has yet to set it down and move onto something else. It's not like he fell in love with it on purpose, so it's not his fault he got obsessed with both the story and the author. But Chris would never understand.

Chris pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his slender nose and smiled slightly behind his laptop. "Everybody knows how much you love it, Viktor."

"Henry has to leave Olivia because he has to take the place of his brother in the war," Viktor whimpered. "even though he had to fight tooth and nail just to get to Olivia in the first place, now this war he's participating in is going to tear them apart and they just found each other like only a month ago oh my god Chris do you not comprehend how awful that is? But he still managed to get to her because he loves her, Chris, oh god, I'm tearing up."

"Drama queen."

Viktor scoffed, hugging his hardcover book to his chest. "Right, I'm the drama queen." He sighed wistfully and leaned his head back against the arm of the couch, his platinum locks falling out of his face. "Chris, it's been two years since this book came out and Kamata Yukiko still hasn't finished part three, as far as I know. What's taking her so long?"

"Maybe she's bus—"

"Maybe she's having trouble deciding how to end the series. Or she's planning on killing off Henry," gasped Viktor. "Chris, do you have any idea how much that's going to affect the rest of the story? That means Olivia's parents aren't going to go through with helping Henry's family immigrate to a safer country since he's not even going to be around. He still has to stay and love Olivia or else she's going to get married off to another guy!"

"I thought they were already married."

"They are! But nobody knows except them! They were never going to tell anyone because they knew they'd be separated! Chris I'm going to die I'm literally going to die this is seriously killing me and I need to know how this is going to end."

"Mm," Chris hummed noncommittally and rested his chin on his fist. "That's nice."

"You're not listening." The audacity of this man.

"Because I've heard this a thousand times already. Look, Vitya—" Chris took off his glasses and set them on the table, rubbing his face. "I love hearing you so passionate about literature, but have you been checking the classifieds lately?"

Viktor sat up and slowly hugged his knees to his chest, setting aside his book for now. "Uh…"

"You see, that's the problem. You're unmotivated," Chris said, and Viktor watched his long lashes fall against his cheek as he shut his eyes briefly. "Please start looking for a job soon, Viktor. I can't support you forever, you know."

"I know," Viktor mumbled. "I know. It's just that—I feel as though I would be motivated if I had another one of Yukiko's books to read."

Chris groaned. "Oh, Viktor."

"And…" Viktor inhaled guiltily. "Chris, I have something to confess."

"Go on…"

"When I told you I was going to the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I was actually going to a class. A language class. I've been learning ASL for the past three years."

Chris slowly lifted his head, furrowed his brows, and gave Viktor an incredulous look. "What?"

"ASL," Viktor said simply. "Because she's deaf."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Viktor squirmed. "I thought you were going to judge me if I told you."

Chris sighed heavily. "I wasn't going to judge you. You should have just told me."

Viktor picked at his nails absently. "Well…"

"Okay. Honestly? I think that's great. That's great, but—" Chris rubbed his face again. "Viktor...I thought you said she's Japanese. Then she wouldn't speak ASL. She'd speak JSL."

"She's been living in the US since she was twelve. I'm pretty sure she speaks both. I thought I told you that already." Viktor shrugged. "You know I would absolutely love to meet her one day if I could. So I took up ASL just in case."

"Just in case what? Nevermind, I don't want to know." Chris shut his laptop down and closed it, pushing himself up from his seat at the kitchen table, still rubbing his face. "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late, and find a job. Really," he sighed and padded to his room.

Viktor let out a long-suffering sigh and moved into his room, the guest room, and plopped on the bed. A job. Right.

Right.

"Look at this," Chris said one day, tossing the newspaper in front of Viktor's breakfast.

Viktor raised an eyebrow. "Look at what?"

"This." Chris pointed to an ad. "A job."

"Hmm," Viktor said, and sipped his coffee.

"A dog-walker," Chris said. "Somebody's looking for a dog-walker."

"Wonderful," Viktor said.

"You like dogs. You have a dog."

"Not at the moment. Until I move out of here, Mila's his owner."

"Whatever. You used to walk him. You know dog things. Dogs like you. So why not?"

"And, what, get ten bucks an hour?"

"Better than getting zero bucks an hour," Chris pointed out. He tapped the ad. "Check it out. This person says to email them. And—" Chris smiled gently.

"What?"

"Keep reading."

Viktor kept reading.

Chris sighed. "They're deaf."

"What?" Viktor attempted to scan the rest of the ad as quick as his eyes could muster. "No way."

"Yes, way." Chris smiled again.

"Shut up," Viktor said. His stomach did an excited flip. "Shut. Up. Chris—" He felt a grin slip up onto his lips so big and so wide he could hardly restrain himself from bouncing up and down. "This is so exciting! Finding a job I can actually be good at! I can actually use my skills—Chris, they weren't useless after all!"

"Yes, I kn—"

"If I take this opportunity, I can show the deaf community that I care! It'll be in Yukiko's name, of course." He pretended to sob and wipe a tear. "She'd be so moved…"

Chris rolled his eyes but nodded in approval. "I guess you pining after some deaf Japanese woman paid off."

"Right," Viktor said. In actuality he did like the idea, working for a deaf dog-lover.

"Email him," Chris said.

"Fine, fine," Viktor said. "Let me eat my cereal first."

To: yu_k236

From: viknikifrv

Subject: Re: Dog-walker

Hello!

My name is Viktor Nikiforov. I saw your ad about needing a dog-walker and I would love to sign up for this position if the spot is still available. I love all kinds of dogs and I think I'd be perfect for this job. I read that you're deaf and I just want to say I have 3 years so far of experience speaking ASL! Excited to meet you!

Thank you for your time,

Viktor

To: viknikifrv

From: yu_k236

Subject: Re:re: Dog-walker

Hi, Viktor!

Thanks for emailing me. I'll sign you up for the position. I only have one dog and I'll go as far as $15/hour if that's alright with you. If you could start right away that would be fantastic. I'll forward my address to you after your confirmation.

I'm elated to see you know some ASL...I look forward to speaking with you!

Y

Viktor walked up the steps to a decent-looking place on the other side of town—a modest little pale blue bungalow with a veranda and a nice-looking garden, too. Lots of tulips and daisies and very pretty pink petunias and a garden gnome or two. It was a cute house and Viktor was curious to see if the interior was just as pleasant as the exterior.

He rang the doorbell—and then immediately wanted to kick his ass. Really? Had he forgotten about the very obviously deaf person he's meeting up with? Seriously, how embarrassing. He pulled out his phone in shame and was about to send a quick email when the door opened.

"Oh," Viktor gasped. He tucked his phone aside. "Oh, um…" He quickly switched to ASL. "Hello!"

There was a young man on the other side of the door, a couple inches shorter than Viktor himself, distinctly Asian with soft-looking dark hair that fell over his forehead and equally soft-looking dark eyes behind blue-framed glasses. He tugged at a thick hot pink sweatshirt that had the word CHILL inscribed on it in black beneath a pair of black overalls. He shuffled his sock-covered, Birkenstock-wearing feet, and Viktor couldn't tell if that was cringey or kind of cute. And the young man was kind of cute himself.

The young man smiled a bit shyly and signed back. Hi. You must be Viktor. Really kind of cute.

"Yes, I am," Viktor said with a polite smile. "It's very nice to meet you." He held his hand out for a shake.

The young man smiled a bit wider and accepted the handshake. It's nice to meet you, too. My name is Yuuri.

Yuuri. "Anyway," said Viktor. "I feel so silly, I rang the doorbell." He grinned sheepishly.

Yuuri raised a dark eyebrow. I know. My lights flicker every time somebody rings it.

Oh. Was that a thing? Viktor didn't know that. "Oh! Cool," was all he could say.

Thanks. Yuuri gave him a tiny, mysterious smile, and stepped aside. Come in, please.

Can confirm, inside was just as cute as the outside. Very minimalistic, with laminate wood floors and black leather furniture and creamy white walls. Very chic. Modern. Simple but stylish. Also a bit toasty—he got a better look and noticed there was a fireplace going on. Wow. Was Yuuri a doctor, maybe?

I'll be right back, Yuuri said, to which Viktor nodded and awkwardly hung around near the front of the house.

Chris was right, this job already seemed better than no job at all. It wasn't exactly a professional career or anything, but it was a good start. And, perhaps, Viktor thought, in the future, he'd be able to milk out a bit more than fifteen bucks.

Oh, Viktor, he scolded himself mentally. Milking a deaf guy? Seriously rude.

(Hey, a different kind of milking wouldn't be too terrible, either.)

Jeez.

He heard a rapid click clack click sound, an awfully familiar sound, too. A medium-sized pooch came padding down the hall Yuuri disappeared in, a curly haired poodle that looked suspiciously a lot like Viktor's own dog. The dog hurried up to Viktor and sniffed around his ankles and knees, tail wagging a thousand miles an hour before he nosed at Viktor's hands and licked his fingers.

Viktor giggled and crouched down. "Hi, doggy!" The dog panted and wiggled happily and whimpered to be petted. "Oh my god, you are so cute!" cried Viktor softly, giving the dog good ol' chin scratches. "What a sweet boy you are!" If this was the dog Viktor was supposed to walk every day, he could live with that.

Yuuri reappeared with a harness and leash in hand. The dog turned to look at him, and Yuuri signed the word for 'sit', and instantly the dog's butt hit the floor. Good boy, Yuuri said, and the dog's tail continued to wag. Viktor was impressed.

This is Caesar, Yuuri said to Viktor after he slipped the harness onto his dog.

Viktor smiled. "Like Julius?"

Yuuri gave a little smile back. Exactly. He attached the end of the leash to the hook on Caesar's harness. I don't know if you want to do the whole hour—you don't have to, but that would be most preferable. Caesar likes to take long walks but it's okay if you don't want to.

"No, an hour would be fine," Viktor said. "I'll get him all tired out."

Thank you, Yuuri said, his smile grateful now. I appreciate it.

How charming. "It's my pleasure."

Yuuri handed the leash to Viktor. See you in an hour. Your signing is really good, by the way.

Viktor bubbled with pride. "Thank you so much."

He waved and headed out the door with Caesar in tow. They turned left on the sidewalk and headed south. "Nice to meet you, Caesar," he said to the dog. Caesar panted happily. "I think we'll get along just fine. You remind me of my dog, you know. And," he said as they turned left again. "your owner's pretty cute, too."

"Well, well. How was the first day on the job?" Chris asked as Viktor hung up his jacket and kicked off his shoes.

"It was fine," Viktor responded.

"Just fine? You did get paid, right?"

Viktor waved the two bills around. "Yep."

"That's good." Chris reclined on his couch and typed away furiously on his phone. When he looked up again Viktor was still lingering by the door. "Viktor," he said suspiciously. "Come on, spill the beans."

At that, Viktor launched himself at his best friend, throwing arms around his waist and burying his face into a warm body that smelled like chamomile tea. "Oh, Chris, the owner is the cutest human being on the planet," he squealed. "And his dog! Is! The cutest! Ever!"

Chris chuckled. "That's nice. What's his name?"

"The dog? The dog's name is Caesar, but the owner's name is Yuuri with two u's."

"Caesar and Yuuri with two u's," Chris mused. "Interesting."

"Yes, it certainly seems that way. The strange thing is that his house looks awful expensive, at least on the inside. I'm thinking Yuuri with two u's is a doctor or lawyer or something."

"Mm. Sounds hot," said Chris absent-mindedly, and tapped away on his phone. "Make him your sugar daddy, then."

Viktor, barely fazed by the comment, smoothly replied. "It wouldn't work out. I'm fairly sure he's younger than me, which means I'll be the first to die, which means I wouldn't get to inherit anything. The trick is to date someone who is years away from dying, not decades. And make sure the rest of his family is dead, too, and he doesn't have any kids, so he has no choice but to put you in his will."

A deep chuckle emanated from Chris' chest. "And here we have our local expert…"

Viktor smiled and nuzzled his friend's stomach. "I've watched a few documentaries, Chris. Documentaries don't lie."

"Sure they don't." Chris yawned, and then whacked Viktor on the head with one of the throw pillows. "Go to bed, Viktor. You have a job now, remember?"

"Ow. You hit so hard, Chris. You're so mean to me," Viktor whined.

"Shoo." Chris grinned and shoved Viktor off him and off the couch.

"Asshole," grumbled Viktor. But he supposed Chris was right. He had a job now, like a man his age should have. A job that he doesn't think he'll be leaving for quite some time.

He retreated to his room and called it a night, placing his book on his nightstand lovingly.

A/N: Yo lol. Happy new year. Back in December, I had this weird urge to write a Viktuuri fic about either one of em being deaf. Not really sure why, but I thought it'd be interesting. It's been fun writing this lil thing.

Anyway, this thing's gonna be exactly 10 chapters and I'll update once a week every week at around the same time. Thankfully it's all edited and proofread so I have no excuse for not updating lmao.

There're going to be a lot of classic novel spoilers! And movie references! Read at your own discretion. B)

btw, did y'all see those figure skaters skate to Yuri On Ice during the Olympics? they fuckin killed it omg!

See ya in a week!

Stay classy.