p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"This was potentially one of the worst ideas management had ever come up with and that was saying something, Krum mused as he circled the pitch once more. Wind buffeted his frame, whipping the Quidditch robes out behind him as he made minute adjustments to stay on his course. It was as natural as breathing, like his heart beating./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"He was made to fly./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emViktor! Are you ready/em?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"And down his spirits fell once more, Icarus tumbling from the heavens. Krum sighed and flashed a thumbs up to his manager. Today was going to be a long day. Idly he cast his mind back as he waited for the next competitor to join him, to that sunny day last week where he had no idea of the storm approaching him./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"-/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor shouldered his bag, flashing his name badge at the security guard as he passed, the faint smell of smoke from the Floo trailing behind him. He could feel the tension rolling underneath his skin, an itch he couldn't scratch, a restlessness that sent him wandering the house at night to the annoyance of his Dad and Papa. And now he would get to fly once more./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Flexing his fingers he rubbed his thumb over the freshly healed mark on his right palm. Nina's face had turned an odd shade of green when he had returned after the test match, a shard of wood skewering his hand, broomstick partially shattered and the snitch clutched in his other hand. He had also never heard her yell so loud when he attempted to fly the next day, her voice carrying easily across the pitch to where he was half concealed behind his taller team mates./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"And so no flying until his hand healed, accelerated by magic but still painfully slow./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emViktor/em!"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Speak of the devil. Viktor inclined his head towards her, wriggling his newly healed hand in her direction./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"I can fly,/em" he informed her brusquely, aiming to cut off any objections before they left her lips./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emNot that. I have had a wonderful idea./em"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"That never boded well. Already Viktor felt his heart drop, casting wistful glances towards the small patch of blue sky he could see in the exit over her shoulder./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emDo not look like that, it is a wonderful idea."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Nina paused, ducking down to inspect her lipstick in the shiny reflection of a trophy before continuing on her walk, herding Viktor towards the back entrance to the pitch./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWe need a backup you. You know this yes/em?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor nodded. He had chosen to fly with broken limbs, rather than forfeit the match, a decision that had required him to climb from his window in order to not invoke the wrath of his Papa. The news coverage of the map meant that his deception was uncovered immediately but it had been worth it./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWe need someone who is talented like you, intuitive like you, committed like you."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Another nod./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"So what better way than have them race agains/emt you?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor stopped dead, turning his head slowly, every muscle screaming at him to run, to fly, to get away from this grinning demon./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emThat is an awful idea." /em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"It will work Viktor, trust me."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"-/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"It had only been five days and they were the longest five days of Viktor's life. Too many had taken the opportunity to just get close to him, and their gazes made his skin crawl, sending him farther and faster to get rid of them. Too few showed any promise at all, but Nina remained hopeful and so Viktor remained here./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emGood morning."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"The voice was not a native speaker, traces of an accent twisting the syllables slightly, words formal and polite. Viktor twisted in his seat, legs tensing to accommodate and saw his next competitor. He had no face./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"No. He had a face, it was just concealed beneath a Hide Me charm. What mouth Viktor could distinguish curled up in a smile as the other waved, the skin between glove and robe scattered with freckles, red hair cut short on the sides and pinned up at the top./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWhy the charm/em?" Viktor asked, flying a touch closer so the man could hear his words, smoothing out his accent slightly./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emMy family very big England supporters. Unhappy with me if they see/em," the man explained slowly, fingers curling and uncurling around the broomstick, brow furrowed in concentration. Viktor felt his lips curl upwards in a smile and nodded./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emMy Papa supports England, my Dad Bulgaria. Good luck/em."/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"And with that, Viktor wheeled around and flew to the other end of the pitch, wind rushing past him, half sensing the changes in the air as he shifted himself minutely until he reached his destination./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emReady/em?" Nina called, her voice amplified, a manic grin spread across her face as the other man took his own place at the identical aerial obstacle course. Viktor gave her a thumbs up, one last side glance at the mysterious man to his left, before returning his attention to the course./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Matthias has been in charge of setting it up and it showed, the man's chaotic leaping mind that worked so well in producing tactics and psychological warfare to use against the Away team, translated directly to the mess of shifting wires and beams, enchanted balls and dummies scattered before them. In long, it was a death trap; in short it was beautiful./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor smiled, the sheer joy of being in the air of waiting for the instruction to go, every nerve wound and focused on the one moment bringing a rush to his head. The man, his competitor, was nothing but a distant memory now, a shadow at the corner of his eye./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"There! Sparks! Go!/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor ceased to exist. He was air and wind, all focused on one singular target: the tiny golden ball dangling at the very end. He was there, arm stretched out, fingertips feeling the chill of the metal when another hand, patterned with freckles plucked it almost from his grasp; the man upside down, a manic grin plastered across his features./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Everything was dark and confusion after that. Blood oozed thickly out of his nose staining the towel pressed to it; Alice, the team medic, a warm presence at his side as she held his head still, one hand carding through his hair./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emOne of the applicants was faster than him, he must've got a shock and went straight into a beam/ememthat had shifted out of alignment/em," she was saying over his head./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWhy that one? Why him/em?" Nina was wailing across the room, hands swinging to the danger of anyone in her immediate surroundings./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emOne pretty boy smiles at you Viktor and you go to pieces/em," Ivan laughed seeing Viktor's eyes blink slowly and focus, slightly sluggishly in the way they tracked Nina's striding heels./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWhat is Nina talking about?" /em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"Sit. Down/em."/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor aborted the motion to stand, a sharp stabbing pain in his head radiating through his once more broken nose./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emThe man who was faster than you? He can't be our reserve seeker. Didn't know that at the time but/em-" Ivan shrugged, spreading his hands, "emDon't even know his actual name, it's got lost in the paperwork/em."/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emI need to know who he is/em," Viktor mumbled, sitting up and swaying, eyes unfocused but mind focused on clouded features and a shock of red hair with a smattering of freckles on every visible inch of skin./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"-/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emYou want to do what? No."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"But Papa-"/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"I said no Viktor, not again. Will you back me up in this Dragomir/em?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor's Dad kept his head buried behind the paper, curled up in the big armchair in the corner of the sitting room so that not even his socked feet could be seen./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emYou're doing such a wonderful job, light of my life. I didn't want to ruin your stride/em."/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor glared at the paper which shook slightly with repressed laughter as Viktor's Papa snarled at the wall of black text, rounding on Viktor once more like a wounded bear./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emYou climb out of a window on a broken ankle-"/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"Once!" /em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"A glare and a pointed figure quickly put a stop to any future objections as his Papa geared up for his lecture./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWhy do you need to find this one man?/em"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Deflating visibly, his Papa wheeled around to gesticulate at his Dad, giving up and walking briskly into the small kitchen, the sounds of roughly handled porcelain echoing in his wake./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emIt's not attraction/em," Viktor said firmly, keen to nip that line of thought immediately in the bud, "emMore curiosity. Fascination/em?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"His Dad nodded, scratching his patchy stubble with one hand before nodding towards the kitchen door./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emYou are going to be on bed rest for a while for making your Papa worry, yes/em?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor sighed, lying further back into the cushions, the rush of the air whipping past him still present on his skin, enough to calm the compulsion for a few days at least./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emYes Dad. I am sorry."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"Do not worry. Flying into a beam is hardly the most stupid thing men in our family have done while not thinking."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"After all I married you/em!" His Papa shouted from the kitchen in reply, as his Dad roaring with laughter at the oft repeated joke pressed himself into the cushions, one hand pressed to his heart and a wounded expression on his face./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emThe man, his family supports England. He could be English/em?" Viktor wondered, a few fragments of conversation floating back through his mind./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emI like my future platonic son-in-law already."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"Papa!"/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"What? A man can but dream."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"A cup of boza was pressed into Krum's hands, his Papa smoothing his hair back reflexively as the tray floated past to deposit another drink next to his Dad. "emMystery man later. Now rest."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"He was made to fly./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emViktor! Are you ready/em?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"And down his spirits fell once more, Icarus tumbling from the heavens. Krum sighed and flashed a thumbs up to his manager. Today was going to be a long day. Idly he cast his mind back as he waited for the next competitor to join him, to that sunny day last week where he had no idea of the storm approaching him./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"-/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor shouldered his bag, flashing his name badge at the security guard as he passed, the faint smell of smoke from the Floo trailing behind him. He could feel the tension rolling underneath his skin, an itch he couldn't scratch, a restlessness that sent him wandering the house at night to the annoyance of his Dad and Papa. And now he would get to fly once more./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Flexing his fingers he rubbed his thumb over the freshly healed mark on his right palm. Nina's face had turned an odd shade of green when he had returned after the test match, a shard of wood skewering his hand, broomstick partially shattered and the snitch clutched in his other hand. He had also never heard her yell so loud when he attempted to fly the next day, her voice carrying easily across the pitch to where he was half concealed behind his taller team mates./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"And so no flying until his hand healed, accelerated by magic but still painfully slow./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emViktor/em!"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Speak of the devil. Viktor inclined his head towards her, wriggling his newly healed hand in her direction./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"I can fly,/em" he informed her brusquely, aiming to cut off any objections before they left her lips./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emNot that. I have had a wonderful idea./em"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"That never boded well. Already Viktor felt his heart drop, casting wistful glances towards the small patch of blue sky he could see in the exit over her shoulder./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emDo not look like that, it is a wonderful idea."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Nina paused, ducking down to inspect her lipstick in the shiny reflection of a trophy before continuing on her walk, herding Viktor towards the back entrance to the pitch./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWe need a backup you. You know this yes/em?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor nodded. He had chosen to fly with broken limbs, rather than forfeit the match, a decision that had required him to climb from his window in order to not invoke the wrath of his Papa. The news coverage of the map meant that his deception was uncovered immediately but it had been worth it./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWe need someone who is talented like you, intuitive like you, committed like you."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Another nod./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"So what better way than have them race agains/emt you?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor stopped dead, turning his head slowly, every muscle screaming at him to run, to fly, to get away from this grinning demon./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emThat is an awful idea." /em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"It will work Viktor, trust me."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"-/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"It had only been five days and they were the longest five days of Viktor's life. Too many had taken the opportunity to just get close to him, and their gazes made his skin crawl, sending him farther and faster to get rid of them. Too few showed any promise at all, but Nina remained hopeful and so Viktor remained here./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emGood morning."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"The voice was not a native speaker, traces of an accent twisting the syllables slightly, words formal and polite. Viktor twisted in his seat, legs tensing to accommodate and saw his next competitor. He had no face./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"No. He had a face, it was just concealed beneath a Hide Me charm. What mouth Viktor could distinguish curled up in a smile as the other waved, the skin between glove and robe scattered with freckles, red hair cut short on the sides and pinned up at the top./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWhy the charm/em?" Viktor asked, flying a touch closer so the man could hear his words, smoothing out his accent slightly./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emMy family very big England supporters. Unhappy with me if they see/em," the man explained slowly, fingers curling and uncurling around the broomstick, brow furrowed in concentration. Viktor felt his lips curl upwards in a smile and nodded./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emMy Papa supports England, my Dad Bulgaria. Good luck/em."/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"And with that, Viktor wheeled around and flew to the other end of the pitch, wind rushing past him, half sensing the changes in the air as he shifted himself minutely until he reached his destination./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emReady/em?" Nina called, her voice amplified, a manic grin spread across her face as the other man took his own place at the identical aerial obstacle course. Viktor gave her a thumbs up, one last side glance at the mysterious man to his left, before returning his attention to the course./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Matthias has been in charge of setting it up and it showed, the man's chaotic leaping mind that worked so well in producing tactics and psychological warfare to use against the Away team, translated directly to the mess of shifting wires and beams, enchanted balls and dummies scattered before them. In long, it was a death trap; in short it was beautiful./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor smiled, the sheer joy of being in the air of waiting for the instruction to go, every nerve wound and focused on the one moment bringing a rush to his head. The man, his competitor, was nothing but a distant memory now, a shadow at the corner of his eye./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"There! Sparks! Go!/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor ceased to exist. He was air and wind, all focused on one singular target: the tiny golden ball dangling at the very end. He was there, arm stretched out, fingertips feeling the chill of the metal when another hand, patterned with freckles plucked it almost from his grasp; the man upside down, a manic grin plastered across his features./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Everything was dark and confusion after that. Blood oozed thickly out of his nose staining the towel pressed to it; Alice, the team medic, a warm presence at his side as she held his head still, one hand carding through his hair./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emOne of the applicants was faster than him, he must've got a shock and went straight into a beam/ememthat had shifted out of alignment/em," she was saying over his head./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWhy that one? Why him/em?" Nina was wailing across the room, hands swinging to the danger of anyone in her immediate surroundings./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emOne pretty boy smiles at you Viktor and you go to pieces/em," Ivan laughed seeing Viktor's eyes blink slowly and focus, slightly sluggishly in the way they tracked Nina's striding heels./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWhat is Nina talking about?" /em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"Sit. Down/em."/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor aborted the motion to stand, a sharp stabbing pain in his head radiating through his once more broken nose./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emThe man who was faster than you? He can't be our reserve seeker. Didn't know that at the time but/em-" Ivan shrugged, spreading his hands, "emDon't even know his actual name, it's got lost in the paperwork/em."/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emI need to know who he is/em," Viktor mumbled, sitting up and swaying, eyes unfocused but mind focused on clouded features and a shock of red hair with a smattering of freckles on every visible inch of skin./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"-/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emYou want to do what? No."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"But Papa-"/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"I said no Viktor, not again. Will you back me up in this Dragomir/em?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor's Dad kept his head buried behind the paper, curled up in the big armchair in the corner of the sitting room so that not even his socked feet could be seen./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emYou're doing such a wonderful job, light of my life. I didn't want to ruin your stride/em."/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor glared at the paper which shook slightly with repressed laughter as Viktor's Papa snarled at the wall of black text, rounding on Viktor once more like a wounded bear./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emYou climb out of a window on a broken ankle-"/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"Once!" /em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"A glare and a pointed figure quickly put a stop to any future objections as his Papa geared up for his lecture./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emWhy do you need to find this one man?/em"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Deflating visibly, his Papa wheeled around to gesticulate at his Dad, giving up and walking briskly into the small kitchen, the sounds of roughly handled porcelain echoing in his wake./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emIt's not attraction/em," Viktor said firmly, keen to nip that line of thought immediately in the bud, "emMore curiosity. Fascination/em?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"His Dad nodded, scratching his patchy stubble with one hand before nodding towards the kitchen door./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emYou are going to be on bed rest for a while for making your Papa worry, yes/em?"/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"Viktor sighed, lying further back into the cushions, the rush of the air whipping past him still present on his skin, enough to calm the compulsion for a few days at least./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emYes Dad. I am sorry."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"Do not worry. Flying into a beam is hardly the most stupid thing men in our family have done while not thinking."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"After all I married you/em!" His Papa shouted from the kitchen in reply, as his Dad roaring with laughter at the oft repeated joke pressed himself into the cushions, one hand pressed to his heart and a wounded expression on his face./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emThe man, his family supports England. He could be English/em?" Viktor wondered, a few fragments of conversation floating back through his mind./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;""emI like my future platonic son-in-law already."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"Papa!"/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"em"What? A man can but dream."/em/p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"A cup of boza was pressed into Krum's hands, his Papa smoothing his hair back reflexively as the tray floated past to deposit another drink next to his Dad. "emMystery man later. Now rest."/em/p