Hmm...No.
No...No...
Pass...Pass...Pass...
UGH!
Since when did my wardrobe get so sad? I woke up in such a good mood, too. My date with Yuri was today. We'd get to know each other even more. I could find out what he sees in Princess Yuko that I don't have and figure out how to adapt it into my own personality. Everything would be great! Until I look in my closet and realize I had nothing to wear. Then, I start to get a little pissed and the day begins to go downhill.
I threw myself onto the chaise lounge, entirely defeated. Nothing. I had nothing. Nothing was good enough. How could I have everything, but have nothing at the same time? This was maddening. I could've sworn I hired a stylist a few months back. They wouldn't be a help anyway. There's nothing here! My date with Yuri was rapidly approaching and by the way things were going, I'd be going naked. It's only the first date. We'll save the nudity for some other time. Just because he's a knight doesn't mean I'm any less of a gentleman.
"Vitya...?" my saving grace knocked, "Are you alright?"
"Hi, Mila," I groaned into the pillow, "To say I'm a mess would be a serious understatement."
"Clearly," she sat with me, "What's wrong, brother?"
"I'm nervous," I confessed, "I never get nervous, yet here I am, actually nervous."
"If I didn't know any better," Mila guessed, "I'd think you had a date or something. You're more nervous than a schoolgirl."
"I do have a date," I confirmed, "With Princess Yuko."
"But what about Yuri?" she wondered, "I thought Yuko wasn't floating your boat."
"She isn't," I went on, "That's why I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. Princess Yuko doesn't travel by herself. She always has her knight with her."
"Victor, you sneaky boy," Mila praised, "You're making Princess Yuko the third wheel?"
"I know it's underhanded," I sat up a little more, "But it's the only way we can do this."
"Other than being honest about it," she pointed out, "But trust me. I understand. Do you need some help?"
"No," I got up entirely, "I think I got it. I'm just being overly dramatic."
"You?" Mila giggled, "You're being overly dramatic? I never would've guessed."
"Your sarcasm is greatly appreciated in my time of anguish, dear sister," I went back to looking through my clothes.
"As is yours," she kissed my cheek, "Let me know if you need anything, ok?"
"I will," I assured, "Thank you, Mila."
"And Vitya," Mila stood in the doorway, "If you're looking for a little friendly advice."
"Always."
"Dark blue near your face," she suggested, "Brings out those bright blue eyes of yours. And since it's a neutral color, it'll only make them stand out more."
"Really?" I wondered.
"Oh, my dear brother," Mila groaned, "You're so lucky to have me. Yes. Trust me. I know what I'm doing. And as strange as this is going to sound, wear something tight."
"Why tight?"
"Related or not," she explained, "You have a killer body. I've seen other princesses around you. Hell, some of the other princes even give you looks. I bet if you show that to Yuri, he'll think the same."
Like a reflex, I threw my arms around my sister, "I love you, Mila."
"I love you, too," Mila smiled, "I'm going to leave you to it then. Can you manage without me?"
"I think so." It's times like this where I was so thankful my closet was organized by color. I went into the section of dark blue and pulled a few things out. Something tight, huh? Alright. I can do that.
Not soon enough, I took a carriage to Yuko's castle just as I promised. She stood outside with a cutie of a knight standing next to her. I knew what was behind that helmet. I saw it with my own two eyes last night. Looks like my predictions were right. Yuko doesn't go anywhere without her knight. Score.
"Hello, your highness," Yuko bowed to me.
"Good afternoon, Princess," I extended the same courtesy. Although, it was nearly impossible to keep a smile off my face, "Yuri..."
"H…Hello, y-your highness," Yuri quivered. Always still so nervous in front of me, are you? And so formal in front of your princess? I thought I told you to call me Victor last night. Little do you know, though, I'm nervous, too. I'm just better at hiding it than you. It's alright. I'll be strong enough for the both of us.
"Shall we then?" I offered Yuko my arm, wishing with every fiber of my being that it was Yuri instead. Much like the party last night, this was nothing but a formality...And an excuse. And all for the same reason.
"Let's," Yuko graciously accepted, "You don't mind if Yuri comes along with us, do you?"
"Not at all," I allowed. I'd be an idiot if I said no to that. Typically, I traveled alone, but it'd be an insult if Yuri didn't come with us. I understood this was supposed to be a date between Yuko and me, but I had bigger game in mind. Maybe if I get in good with Yuko, it'd only make me that much closer to Yuri.
"Thank you," she smiled as I helped her into the back of the carriage, "Where are we going?"
"There's a little grove on the edge of my kingdom's border," I told her, keeping watch over Yuri from the corner of my eye, "It's a beautiful day. I thought we could go there."
"A little cold, though," Yuko pointed out, "But I like the cold."
"I do, too," I agreed, "Warm drinks, blankets..."
"Drowning in a sweater," she melted in her seat.
"An excuse to get a little closer," I flirted, making Yuri's armor rattle, "Those bitter, cold mornings where the only thing that can make it better is cozying up to a warm body."
"That does sound nice," Yuko moved closer to me while her knight subtly inched away. No, Yuri. Don't do that. Did I come on a little too strong? I'm sorry. Come back.
"It does, doesn't it?" Stay strong, Victor. Stay strong.
At the edge of the kingdom sat a grove that looked like something off a postcard. It was the most picturesque place in the whole kingdom. Especially this time of year. The leaves had already turned and fell to the ground. Even snow has fallen once or twice. Not much, but enough. This felt like my best kept secret. Other than the obvious. Most of the time when I sneak out of the castle, this is where I can be found. It's calm. It's quiet. It's serene.
"Prince Victor," Yuko was left in awe, "This is beautiful."
"I love it here," I helped her down. And Yuri shortly after. He tried to take my forearm, but I wasn't passing that opportunity up. I took Yuri's hand as I would Yuko. If I could see his face under his helm, I could almost guarantee he was bright red, "I thought a walk would be nice. It'd give us a chance to get to know each other."
"That sounds nice," Yuko wrapped herself around my arm. I tried to keep my cringing under wraps as well as I could. I don't think she noticed.
Yuko and I made small talk while Yuri followed us closely. If it weren't for the clinking of his armor, I wouldn't know he was there. Playing the role of her faithful knight as ever. Hopefully, the misery with Yuko would be worth it. I mostly tuned her out. There was nothing I hated more than forced small talk. This was my own personal hell. The things I do for you, Yuri.
"You know, your highness," Yuko broke away from talking about her kingdom and her cat for two seconds for a change, "I want to thank you for giving me a second chance. When I was in your throne room the other day, I didn't think you'd even give me consideration. I'm really glad you did."
"It was my pleasure, Princess," I gave her a halfhearted smile, "I'm not the one you should be thanking. Your knight made quite the argument for you."
"He did?" she looked to Yuri, who only got more fidgety. So, he was listening…
"That's right," I nodded with a sense of satisfaction in my heart, "He told me how much your eyes sparkled when you saw me."
"Yuri!" Yuko squeaked, giving him a swat as the blood rose in her cheeks. It's not like it was going to do anything to him, but if it made her feel better, "I told you that in confidence!"
"I'm sorry!" Yuri had the same enthusiasm, "I didn't mean to! It just slipped out!"
"In his defense," I stepped between them, "Yuri and I did have a bit of champagne between us. These things happen. And it's nothing to be embarrassed about, my princess. It's a shame we had to be arranged, though."
"Yes," Yuko looked down at her feet, "I wish we could've fallen in love the natural way."
"But you know what?" I lifted her chin back up.
"What?"
"I'm glad we met this way," I looked over Yuko's shoulder, giving a little wink, "I really am."
I didn't like this. I was hardly flirting with her. I defended Yuri immediately. Yet, he hadn't looked my way once. He even turned away just now. What the hell? Was he doing it out of respect? Was it because I was on a date with Yuko? I did get him a little drunk last night. Maybe liquor was the key to getting him to open up enough to fall in love with me. And that was only champagne.
"It's getting kind of cold out here," Yuko shivered, "A cup of tea sounds nice."
"You're right," I agreed, shaking off Yuri's obliviousness, "I know somewhere we can go."
There was a small, outdoor café not too far into the grove for just this occasion. The man who ran it made some of the best tea in the entire kingdom. It's a shame he didn't get much business. Although, I think I might have singlehandedly kept his business running. If not at least ninety percent. Especially given what his café is sitting on. The main reason why I kept coming back.
"That pond must be frozen quite a ways down," Yuko thought, "Do you skate, your highness?"
"I do," I nodded, "You?"
"I'm not very good," she brushed me off, "But Yuri is! He's really good! Ever since we were little, I've always loved watching him skate."
"Yuko!" Yuri blushed.
"Now, we're even," Yuko beamed, getting her revenge for earlier.
"Yuri," I requested, "Would you show me please?"
"Um…" Yuri wasn't sure what to think. Then again, I did ask him out of the blue, "I don't know, your highness. I haven't skated in a while."
"Come on, Yuri," Yuko begged, "Please?"
"Ok," he obliged, "Give me a minute. I can't really skate in armor."
"Alright," I let him go, "If you're looking for skate rentals, they're over there."
Yuri went to get out of his armor and get a pair of skates, giving Yuko and me a little alone time. I'd be lying if I said this wasn't making me sweat. The only reason I agreed to this was because of Yuri. I feel like I've already spent all day with Yuko and that she's told me her life story in the course of an hour. I didn't need to hear any more. Princess Yuko was a sweet girl, but not the one for me.
"There he is!" she chimed, "You have to see this, Prince Victor. He says he's not very good, but trust me. He lies. Or, rather…He underestimates himself."
There he was. Not many were on the ice today, but Yuri was there. And by the looks of him, he took Mila's advice, too. I didn't take Yuri for the skintight type, but damn, I'm glad he did. His limbs were thin, but defined. And his ass went on for days! Yuri was curvy and I loved it. I watched carefully, studying his every movement. Every axel, every lutz, every flip. Some were doubles, some were triples. He even did a quadruple flip that impressed me. It was my favorite move, too. However, more importantly, Yuri told quite the story through his movements.
Clearly, it was about a young knight. I could only assume it was Yuri. But his steps quickly turned into a ballroom step. A waltz, maybe? Yes. Definitely a waltz. My kingdom was well-known for a waltz. It was the music of our kingdom. But then, by the looks of his final spin, Yuri was projecting the knight's thoughts. They spiraled. And they kept spiraling. His spins grew faster and faster until he collapsed, reaching up to the sky. But then, he pulled himself back up. Or maybe…He was pulled back up by someone else. Yuri bowed to whoever it was that pulled him onto his feet again. Was this deliberate…? Because I'm pretty sure the one that pulled him up…
Is he…?
I let out an inaudible gasp as my little heart exploded seven ways to Sunday. Yuri knew how I felt! Unless this is purely coincidental. No. Not my Yuri. My Yuri seems more calculated than that. Something about him under all of the emotion and anxiety felt a bit sadistic. And if loving him made me a masochist, then so be it. I kind of liked it. When Yuri came back to us, I nearly broke down, but I had to pull myself together. Not in front of him.
"How did I do?" Yuri asked as Yuko was practically in tears. She was making it even harder for me to keep my own in.
"You're so good, Yuri," Yuko swooned. No, no…Back up. Because I know he's in love with you and I don't need someone coming in and ruining my chances. However, after what I just saw, I think his feelings may be changing.
"Thank you, Yuko," he smiled, making my heart skip a beat.
"What about you, your highness?" she wiped her eyes, "You said you could skate, too."
"My dear," I cradled Yuko's face in my hand, getting my own vengeance. Yuri almost made me cry in mixed company. We can't have that, "I'd much rather see you skate instead. I've had my fair share of injuries and I'd rather not aggravate them."
"Ok!" the smile returned to Yuko's face, "I'd love to!"
"Go on," I gave her a nudge toward the rental booth. Though, I must admit I had an ulterior motive for sending her away. It meant some time alone with Yuri. And he and I needed to have a little talk.
"She's not as bad as she says she is," Yuri promised, "Yuko and I used to skate together when we were younger a lot."
"She said the same thing about you," I bit my lip, "A little passive aggressive in your message, don't you think, Yuri?"
"What do you mean?" he played innocent. Ok. I could do this.
"You know exactly what I mean," I moved a little closer to him, "You didn't have to say a single word, yet your body told quite a story."
"Did it?" Yuri hid his face from me, "I don't know what it told you…"
"Yuri," I took his hand behind the railing, "I want you to do me a favor…"
"What?" he shook in my grasp.
"I want you to meet me at my balcony," I insisted, "Tonight. Midnight. Can you do that for me?"
"Um," Yuri blushed a little, "Yes, your highness. I'll try."
"Yuri…"
"I'm sorry, Victor," he already knew his mistake, "It's a habit."
"Tonight," I reiterated, "Midnight."
And with that said, I brought Yuri and Yuko back to her castle with a quick, innocent kiss to send her off. As soon as I got back to my own palace, I threw myself on my bed, rolling around, doing my best to keep my squealing to a minimum, flustered to all hell, but in the best way. I didn't have to be nervous this time around. Because this time, I didn't have to worry about behaving myself as a royal. Yuri knew what being around royalty was already like. And we've seen each other slightly drunk. I'm sure he didn't care.
He was falling for me, wasn't he? At least I hope so. It sure looked like it on that ice today. And he really was better than he gave himself credit for. Yuko and I could agree on that much. But our love for her knight was the only thing we really had in common. She was sweet and cute, but she wasn't for me. She wasn't Yuri…
"Victor!" an angry voice growled at my door, "Why the hell are you so damn happy?"
"Love makes you do crazy things, little brother," I beamed, "You'll see one day."
"Yuko had that much of an impact?" Yurio asked.
"Yeah," I giggled, "It was Yuko."
Or maybe Yuko's knight instead…
A/N: SO! I got a comment last week saying that Victor and Yuri should just kiss already. I like this idea better. A little more teasing. For now anyway. By the way, tomorrow, in case you don't know, is going to be YOI's first birthday! Our beloved fandom has grown up so fast and I love you all dearly. And I'm pretty sure you're going to love me next week. Because, oooh, buddy…Do I have plans for that. Victor did say midnight, didn't he? And with that being said, I'll see you next chapter.