Needles

'I don't want to be here. I don't want to be here…' A young man repeated to himself over and over.

In a ballroom of a ritzy hotel in New York, a well-versed surgeon tugged on his blue tie nervously.

'Just because I'm your 'best surgeon' doesn't mean I'm 'the' best- oh my word, is that Dr. Yakov? His in-depth stem-cell research is phenomenal! Why the fuck am I here?'

"Doctor D'ros!"

The lamenting doctor straightened up with a start and turned around to meet face to face with a tall man with long dirty blonde hair that was pulled back into a pony tail.

"C-Celestino! I haven't seen you for years! How are you?"

"I'm good! Let's catch up!" He replied with a broad smile. "These fancy gigs, be it conferences or charities, can be stuffy if you don't know a whole lot of people."

The young surgeon grinned, relieved to find someone who he did. "Heh, you're telling me."

High on the top floor of the same hotel in a richly decorated suite sat four men surrounding by a good handful of hired muscle.

"P-Please see reason, sir. You came all this way and you'll see we have much to offer."

Annoyed blue eyes stared back at the squirming American across from him. "Yes, I did come all this way and your boss doesn't even want to grace me with his time? I don't, won't, work like this."

Another American who sat beside the first adjusted his glasses. "I-I've explained why."

The visitor pursed his lips. "Bonds to be forged are better in person. There are others who understand at least this curtesy." The visitor rose up. "This is over. We have waited long enough."

"B-ut please I-"

A blonde attendant, who was sitting beside the blue-eyed individual, rose up and stood in front to physically show, no, this was done.

Taking long strides towards the door the visitor sought to leave. "I'm going to make an appearance downstairs," he finalized, fixing his cuff link. "I suggest that neither of you unprepared men join me."

-Ding-

Sliding of doors.

"I'm just saying is all, are you sure you couldn't?"

Brushing back his silver bangs as he and his blonde, right hand man strode towards the social event he shook his head. "As a boss myself, accepting a deal with that kind of impression would only make me look soft or needy. Besides. It's hardly a demand if I'm asking for basic respect. Now, if you excuse me, I'd like to keep our extra men outside of the party. I'll be back shortly after making a round or two."

With orders he scratched his stubbly chin. "Whatever you say, sir."

"Oh please, I'll be fine."

'You yes. Them, probably not.'

Quick to grab a glass of champagne to take the edge off from his irritation towards the poor meeting, the international traveler slid into the crowd to show he, as a sponsor, was in attendance, to glad-hand and chat with others who had excelled in their field.

A bump from behind.

"Ah, pardon m-"

The surgeon and the sponsor froze. Still as statutes.

'His hair is short now…'

'He's wearing glasses?'

What happened? It was a question that was better safe in the back of their minds as far from friendly emotions stirred within them with a vengeance.

"Yo, D'ros, who's your friend?" Celestino asked, returning with a glass in hand, finishing off a couple of finger foods.

Brown eyes dulled as a silver brow arched in confusion.

"Ahem, Yuri, are you going to stand there or?"

Yep. He was just going to stand there.

"The name is Victor Nikiforov."

The blonde man returned the offered handshake eagerly. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you, sir. I'm Doctor Celestino Cialdini. I used to be Dr. D'ros' go-to during his internship in Detroit years back."

Cold, blue eyes looked back to brown with a masked indifference. "You don't say…what a small world after all…"

'Indeed it is son of a...' Yuri balled his hands into a fists within his pockets.

A coy smile tugged at Victor's mouth in which he hid with raising his glass of champagne to his lips. "Ya znal chto naydU tebyA."(1) He then took a sip.

Brown eyes flashed, his throat became taught, it took everything Yuri had to not lunge forward, resigning to look away instead.

Victor briefly pursed his lips and turned to set down his half empty glass on a server's tray before looking back to Yuri's mentor. "Nice to meet you, Celestino, but I have to go."

The fellow doctor nodded. "Sure, I bet you have others to see."

"Actually I have to catch a plane, but please enjoy the party."

Yuri kept looking away until he sensed Victor walk away. 'Roughly three hundred years and you can't hold a three-minute conversation asshole?'

Celestino placed a hand on Yuri's shoulder. "Oi…you look down, are you okay?"

"Sorry," he muttered, "but I think I'm going to call it a day."

"Do you need a ride home?"

Yuri shook his head. "No. Sorry to cut our reunion short, but-"

"Did Mr. Nikiforov really throw you for a loop?"

"Am I that transparent?"

Dr. Cialdini nodded. "But I know it's not my business. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Sure thing."

After swapping phone numbers Yuri headed out, mindful of his surroundings.

"Ah!"

But wasn't mindful enough.

Pushed and shoved into a back seat of a car from behind, if Yuri wasn't before, he had certainly been thrown for loop now.

-Slam- -Slam-

A screeching of tires.

"O-Oi! Let me out!" Yuri scrambled back up as fast as he could within the back seat moving vehicle.

A cold hand grabbed Yuri's wrist before he reached for the door.

"Why aren't you with your family?" A collected voice asked.

Yuri froze for a moment. Without a word he looked over his shoulder to glare into blue eyes of who sat beside him.

'Not your business…'

Silver eyebrows furrowed. "How in the world did you come up with D'ros?"

Yuri took back his hand with a firm yank, kept silent, put on his seat belt, and turned away while adjusting his glasses.

'Sounded nice. I don't need to explain myself to you.'

Victor pursed his lips after a long period of time. "Silent treatment is not very princely of you."

"Oh please, were any of us truly royalty anyway?" Yuri caved in, but continued to stare out the window with folded arms and crossed legs.

Victor huffed and rested his head in his hand. "As the world changes so do our roles. Fact of having an endless life. I'm lord of something else entirely these days. Sorry though, I don't see why I have to spell it out further."

Half listening, Yuri watched the cars go by as they made their way down the main street. "Oh? But I have to explain my life story?"

Victor reached out and gripped Yuri's chin, forcing the shorter one to look at him. "I think a why would be nice after a few centuries."

Ice cold daggers into an ever present wound, Yuri cringed at those words but held fast to his anger, gripping the car seat with both hands. "You already know why."

"Tch." Victor roughly let Yuri go. "Ditch the glasses. They're unbecoming."

Yuri looked back out the window. "Sod off. Where are you taking me? I have an appointment tomorrow."

"I imagine so, since you attended that conference I can only assume your accomplishments, but how in world are you not going crazy in the medical field?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Yuri retorted.

Nikiforov folded his arms. "Administration is different that surgery, come on."

Yuri sighed irritably, but figured if he got these inquiries out of the way, the faster he'd be let go. "With Phichit working the blood bank of the hospital its easy access to such. It's less mess or risk with investigation. Unlike some, I do exercise restraint to what I consume."

"So he's alive and with you too." Victor nodded as he ignored the jab and looked out his window. "Good…The world as grown so small…"

The young surgeon gripped his pant legs with both hands. "Where are you taking me?" He repeated.

Victor continued to look out the window. "Home."

Yuri's brow furrowed. "You don't know where I live."

"No…."

Overhearing the conversation, the driver took the no as a cue to strike a button before Yuri sought to jump out of the car.

Yuri rapidly pulled on the handle. "Let me out driver or I'll break the window!"

The privacy partition separating the front from the back scrolled down, revealing the driver to be Victor's attendant from before.

Yuri's eyes went wide. "Ch- Chris!"

Green eyes looked back using the review mirror. "Hello your Highness, it's been awhile!"

"Shut up!" Yuri seethed before he turned towards his ex and grabbed his shoulder. "I will break it and you'll be stuck explaining to the police."

Victor leaned forward. "Do it," he challenged. "But understand you'll be just as exposed as I would be. Last time I checked, scientists love to put oddities under the microscope."

Though scowling, Yuri knew it was better to a secret than be publicly be considered a freak show.

Victor's hard eyes soften slightly. "You know as well as I do humans aren't so superstitious anymore. They don't fear the unknown as much."

Yuri let go and ducked away from Victor's reaching out hand. "Don't you think I know that? Humans can break windows too, its not like it would've been that big of a deal."

"Ah, but to run out on a busy street uninjured? Social media would have a hay day," Chris added.

'Damn.'

The former Katsuki prince struck the seat with his hands. "Fine, but let me out. You kidnapped me and I will not stand for it." Yuri pointed to Victor. "If you were hoping for some kind of reconciliation, hardly a way to start off."

Yuri felt a chill run down his spine as blue eyes hardened once more.

"D-Don't give me that look."

Nikiforov kept looking anyway. "Christophe, go to our hotel."

"Yes boss."

The car turned left.

"B-Boss?" Yuri stuttered as the orders were followed through.

Notes:

Thank you for reading!

Taking Google Translations with a grain of salt… XD

(1) I knew I'd find you.