Viktor walked towards his 18 year old subordinate who waited for him at a table in the far corner of the bar.
"What's this?" Viktor asked, pointed at the piece of paper then sat down, opposite of Otabek. A waitress approached and he ordered a coffee.
"It's what you asked for, duh," Otabek replied then told what he knew about Yuuri. "Yuuri Katsuki was born in this town where his family owns, as you might know by now, the last bathhouse inn in this town. He began figure skating as a child at Ice Castle and ballet classes at Minako's ballet school. Currently, he's a top figure skater certified by Japan Skating Federation. When he was eighteen years old, Yuuri Katsuki moved to Detroit to train under coach Celestino Cialdini, and ended up staying there for five years. During those five years he befriended Phichit Chulanont who was also his roommate."
Viktor listened while stroking his chin then said, more to himself then to Otabek; "So he is a figure skate after all. But why would Yakov use a figure skater to get to me?"
"You seriously think he has contacts with Yakov?"
"Well, you were there when we returned his lapdog. How would he know about my 'little meeting' with the piggy? I bet he send his lapdog to intervene so the piggy could escape."
Otabek thought for a moment then said; "Well, Yakov has many eyes and ears working on the Russian streets, so maybe either one of them got him in contact with Yuuri Katsuki. You want me to investigate this?"
"Yes," Viktor replied, sipping from his coffee.
Otabek nodded then eyed his boss and stepfather for a moment, debating with himself whether he should tell him the other bit of information he had found about Yuuri. Knowing Viktor he wouldn't back off. He would probably poke deeper, which was in this case extremely dangerous.
"Is there something wrong, Beka?" Viktor asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "On the phone you said you had something that would excite me and what you told me so far didn't excite me. Are you suddenly deciding to hide information from me?"
Otabek closed his eyes then inhaled deeply and said; "It's just…we might be getting into dangerous waters here with this little crush of yours."
"Trust me, Beka, I do not have a crush on the little piggy. But within a few days the piggy might be in love with me."
Otabek snorted; "Yeah, or within a few days you're in jail."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Realizing he might as well tell his boss the story now, Otabek inhaled deep and said, slowly; "Remember you asked me two find stuff about Yuuri's childhood? Well…it's sealed."
"Sealed?" Viktor frowned. By who?"
"By the intelligence agency," Otabek replied, taking a piece of paper from his inside pocket. "As you might know there are only 2 type of people who will be treated like this by the national intelligence agency. One is the extremely dangerous criminals and the second type is the people who know too much and need to be protected."
Viktor stroked his chin. "So, whatever the reason is, it must have something to do with little piggy's past, which he doesn't seem to remember."
"Or, maybe pretends…"
"My thoughts exactly," Viktor said. "Any chance you can find out?" Otabek shook his head then, after a long silence, Viktor dragged in a deep sigh and smirked; "Then I'll suppose I'll have to find a way to get the information from little piggy myself."
Otabek rolled his eyes. "And what are we supposed to do while you play this foolish lover's game?"
"I don't know. Have some fun as well," Viktor shrugged then finished his coffee and left money on the table as they left.
Yuuri opened his sleepy eyes and came to the realization someone was sitting on top of him, slowly reaching his hand out to his bed covers. Knowing who this person was, and knowing what this person was planned to do, Yuuri grabbed the bed covers and clutched it around himself protectively.
"Oh, you're awake…" Yuuri definitely heard a smirk in the mafia leader's voice. Viktor then pressed his hand into the pillow beside Yuuri's head to support himself as he reached out to the nightstand beside Yuuri's bed, grabbing for the glasses. Once he had them, he moved back up and slid the glasses onto Yuuri's nose.
Why he was momentarily astonished, Yuuri didn't know, but he couldn't help notice how friendly Viktor's face looked once he had his glasses on. He looked different, less intimidating. Yuuri felt his cheeks warm up when his brown eyes found Viktor's blue ones, and saw the softness in them as he waved in front of his face playfully.
"Good morning, my little Yuuri. You can see me, right? If not, I can clean your glasses for you."
"N-No, it's fine…" Yuuri stuttered, slowly trying to escape from under Viktor by sitting up and pressing his back against his headboard then took a quick glance at his alarm clock and asked; "W-Why are you here…so early in the morning?"
Viktor, still sitting on top of Yuuri's legs, chuckled nervously for a moment. Yuuri was surprised seeing him like that. Viktor never seemed nervous before.
"Ah, yes, about that…" Viktor scratched the back of his head, then, suddenly switched back to his normal self and blurted out; "I came here to see your scar!"
"And…he's back to being intimidated again," Yuuri thought to himself as he pulled the covers up then asked with shaky voice; "W-Why are you so fixated on my scar?"
Viktor eyed the young skater momentarily, wondering if he should tell him about his latest discoveries and see his reaction. Maybe the man before him knew more about his past than he let on.
"The first time I saw it in the onsen, it looked like a scar caused by burning. I just want to see it up close, to see if I'm right," Viktor said, his fingers lingering back to Yuuri's covers. "Just show me, and I will leave you alone…"
"NO!" Yuuri shouted then pushed Viktor off of him and rolled from his bed to the floor. Then he scrambled back onto his feet and grabbed his morning robe, pulling it on as he yelled; "You can't just walk into my room, Viktor!"
Viktor quirked and eyebrow then asked; "Wait, didn't we agree you would call me Vitya?"
"Not when I'm angry! You just invaded my private space. You can't just do that!"
Viktor sent a cocky smirk. "You invaded my private space a few days ago, remember? I was enjoying a nice bath then suddenly you charged inside and jumped straight on into the onsen."
"That was…not supposed…to happen!" Yuuri chocked out, feeling his cheeks burning with embarrassment. Then he turned his back towards Viktor and whispered; "Vitya, please leave so I can get changed and…"
Suddenly Yuuri regretted he had turned his back on Viktor, because one second he was still standing on his own two feet and the next he was in Viktor's arms. A high pitched yelp emitted from his lips.
"How about we take a bath first?" Viktor smirked after he had scooped Yuuri into his arms, fast as lightning. Without waiting for a reply, Viktor swung Yuuri over his shoulder and walked out the room.
"V-Viktor! Let me go!" Yuuri whimpered while punching Viktor's back and kicking his legs. However, his endeavour was futile. Viktor didn't seem to care at all and it only took a few minutes for Viktor to take him from his room into the hot spring. Sadly for Viktor, but maybe luckily for Yuuri, someone else also decided to take a quiet bath. Viktor growled annoyed. "Yurio…Otabek…OUT!"
"WHAT?! NO!" Yuri shouted angrily. "We got here first! Try find another bath, there are more than enough!"
"We prefer this one, don't we, little piggy?" Viktor asked, patting Yuuri on the butt with his free hand. "I have so many special things in mind with you."
"You know what, I'm out of here!" Otabek announced with his stoic scowl then got up and grabbed a towel to cover himself with. Yuri threw Viktor a hatred look for that, then quickly followed Otabek in tow trying to persuade him into getting another onsen.
"Guys, don't leave me with him!" Yuuri whimpered at the two teens who stomped out the door. Then he hung his head down in defeat. Of course he should have known they would never help him.
Viktor chuckled loudly then stepped into the hot water before lowering Yuuri down then smirked widely. Yuuri was too afraid to do anything and looked away while Viktor got rid of his own shirt and the underwear he was wearing, throwing them onto the side. Then he started to close in on Yuuri.
"I want you now!" An alluring glint sparkled in Viktor's blue hues when he said those words then moved his hands underwater and searched for Yuuri's robe's waist band. Yuuri flinched then grabbed Viktor's hands, stopping him from taking it off.
"Please, don't…" Yuuri shocked out, hearing the loud thumps of his own heartbeat ring in his ears when Viktor's lips were closing in. Yuuri quickly turned his head before Viktor could steal a kiss again.
"Woof…" Viktor suddenly said, mockingly. Yuuri's eyes widened in surprise then stared at Viktor, wondering what just happened. Viktor just stared back with a blank glare and said, slightly annoyed; "I'm obviously not as adorable as a puppy."
"W-What? You and puppies are a totally different thing!" Yuuri stuttered, trying to figure out why Viktor suddenly brought up puppies. Was he seriously jealous of that cute little puppy that looked so much like Makkachin?
Viktor pierced his blue eyes deep into Yuuri's then said, still with a stoned look; "You have no problem with making kiss faces at them, but when I ask you for one simple kiss, you suddenly act like I'm some creep." Viktor took a deep and said ; "Woof, Woof."
Though it looked very comical and maybe even cute, Yuuri didn't dare to laugh and rather disappeared. He looked away nervously. Viktor clearly didn't like to be ignored and took Yuuri's chin in his hand, forcing the young skater to look up.
"Now, I can be a bit more forgiven if you took the initiative and kissed me," Viktor said, eyes filled with an alluring sparkle. "It shouldn't be that hard, right? I gave you permission to call me Vitya, even promoted you to being my mistress."
Yuuri's eyes widened after hearing the word 'mistress' then exclaimed; "What?! Since when?!"
"You like that, don't you?" Viktor smirked instead of answering Yuuri's questions then said, flirtatiously; "Now, be a good mistress and kiss me. If it catches me off guard and makes me flush, you might even be promoted to being my lover."
"What?! NO! You said…" Yuuri gasped then a soft squeeze in his chin forced him to swallow his sentence. The look in Viktor's eyes told him that part of the promise had reached its expiration date. Yuuri hung his head and shoulders in defeat then stuttered, nervously; "I can't. You know I can't."
From the corner of his eyes, Yuuri saw how Viktor closed his eyes and slightly parted his lips, waiting for him to make the first move. Realizing he had no other option, Yuuri sighed before taking a step closer towards Viktor. His heart pounded loudly in his chest. Viktor's face was just the same as always, expressionless. Even if he was nervous, like Yuuri, he definitely was an expert in hiding it.
Viktor waited with his eyes closed, his lips slightly parted. Yuuri definitely took his time, which he kinda expected to happen. The only reason he knew he hadn't bolted out of the onsen yet was because he could hear him breath, nervously.
Just when Viktor thought Yuuri wouldn't make his first move and he was about to open his eyes, he felt the smooth skin of Yuuri's hand caressing his face. The sudden touch made his own heart thump loudly in his chest. What just happened he never thought would even exist. His heart never raced this fast when one of his other 'mistresses' touched him. Then again, he never called any of them his mistress. The only reason he named Yuuri his mistress because it was part of his plan. His plan to make the little piggy fall in love with him, not the other way around, right?
"Focus. Keep your mind in the game…" Viktor thought to himself then felt Yuuri's chest pressing against his. He had to stop himself from smirking when he felt the young man's rapid heartbeat.
Yuuri swallowed anxiously when he moved his index finger under Viktor's chin, lifting his head up to have a better access to his lips. Their lips were now mere inches apart from one and another.
Viktor could feel Yuuri's warm breath against his lips, and waited for the kiss. Just when he thought Yuuri was finally giving him what he wanted, Viktor felt something fall against his chest.
"I-I can't do it!" Yuuri sobbed, head against Viktor's chest. "I'm sorry…I can't force myself to kiss someone I don't love!"
Viktor was momentarily shocked then entwined his fingers into the hair on the back of Yuuri's head while lifting his chin up with his other hand. Once their eyes locked, Viktor smirked cockily; "Then I'll suppose I'll have to keep doing it until you love me enough to make the first move."
Before Yuuri had the chance to reply, Viktor's lips were placed over his, and his eyes opened wide not only in shock but curiosity as well. For some reason, the kiss seemed different this time. It was full of longing and need. Yuuri felt his cheeks warm and his heart flutter which was odd. Why did his heart flutter?
The kiss grew more heated and Yuuri felt himself move back through the water until his back was pressed against the pool side. Viktor's hands slowly slid down his back then under the wet morning robe.
"No, stop!" Yuuri mumbled, breaking the kiss and putting all his strength into pushing Viktor off, his face bright red. The mafia leader however, held no blush. All he had was a longing desire for Yuuri. Viktor slowly inched closer but Yuuri forced him to stay where he was and choked out, nervously; "I have to go!"
Yuuri didn't make eye contact when he climbed out the onsen. He was too scared to see Viktor's reaction, whatever that reaction was.
The next few days were even harder for Yuuri, though, Viktor did keep his distance. But for some reason, he still looked like a predator waiting in the shadow patiently then attack when he'd least expected it.
Mrs. Katsuki wasn't at the hospital as much as she was at the start, which gave Yuuri more opportunities to take more shifts at the pet store. He refused believing Viktor had paid off their debts with Seung-Gil out an act of kindness and was determined to him back every cent. Being at the pet store also felt like a bit of relief, which was the only place Viktor didn't stalk him.
After another morning of avoiding Viktor's awkward conversations, Yuuri entered the pet store with a heavy sigh. It seemed a quite morning, like always. Yuuri put his stuff in the back then grabbed the dog food to start his daily routine, feeding the pups and give them a little cuddle. When he reached the dog crate of his favorite pup, the brown poodle, Yuuri saw it was empty.
"What happened to little Vicchan?" Yuuri asked one of his fellow employees.
The girl looked at him then replied; "Someone bought him yesterday."
"What?" It felt like something clenched its cold fist around his heart.
"I'm sorry, Yuuri-kun! I know you wanted to buy him, but the person who took him was some rich guy and kept offering more and more money until the owner gave in. You know what he's like, no heart and only eye for money."
Yuuri felt a lump in his throat and tears were burning behind his eyes. It felt like an eternity, but once he found he voice he stuttered; "Who-who took him? How did he look like? Did he look friendly?"
The girl shrugged then replied; "I just saw him from behind while I was stocking the shelves. He seemed foreign and from what I could see he had blonde hair with a brown undercut."
Yuuri hung his head down in sadness. Why, of all the puppies this rich man could buy did he buy Vicchan? The rest of his shift Yuuri did what he had to do then left to Ice Castle. It's been a while since he had been there and he felt like he could use a friendly face. That and ice skating always helped him with his emotions.
"Yuuri-kun, I am so happy to see you!" Yuuko ran towards her friend, greeting him cheerfully. Yuuri instantly felt more guilty for not visiting sooner. When he apologized himself for that she said she understood with everything that had recently happened to Mr. Katsuki.
Suddenly Yuuri felt a slap on his back then saw Takeshi, laughing; "Great to see you, Yuuri! I bet you came to skate!"
"Yeah!" Yuuri chuckled. "If the ice is free this afternoon, I would very much like to practice a bit."
"It's a slow day, so you can use the rink," Yuuko said. Yuuri nodded then walked towards the changing rooms.
Once Yuuri stood on the ice, he realized how much he had missed it. His mind slowly wandered to Phichit, wondering how he was doing. He certainly must be very busy preparing himself for the first free skate. He would have tried the same thing if he hadn't been too stupid and flirted with a fearsome mafia leader.
Yuuri was in the middle of his thirty minute warm-up when he suddenly heard Yuuko's voice, calling for him and telling him there was someone who wanted to see him. Yuuri stopped then looked over and found Viktor.
"Hiya, Yuuri!" Viktor waved holding a pair of rental skates. He was even wearing a grey jogging bottom with a casual black shirt instead of his usual fancy, intimidating business suit. It was curiosity that forced Yuuri to move over to them, though, the pleased grin on Viktor's face did give him an eerie feeling. "I wanted to pick you up from work, but then I saw the marker I secretly put into your phone head towards this skating rink."
Yuuri's mouth dropped agape then exclaimed; "You bugged my phone?! Why?"
"Because I wanted to keep track of you, duh," Viktor replied, not taking off his cheerful smile. "It's a good thing I did because now I found you here. I rented a pair of skates and you are going to teach me how to use them."
Even if he wanted to, Yuuri couldn't muster any anger for the fact Viktor had put a tracker device on him. Nor was he in the mood to be a teacher. However, the look in Viktor's eyes made him realize it was more a demand then an option.
"Have you ever been on the ice before?" Yuuri asked reluctantly, watching Viktor putting his skates on. The mafia boss shook his head, but didn't lose the gleeful sparkle in his eyes. Yuuri started to doubt Viktor's plan and sighed; "You might break something."
Viktor grinned confident; "Nah, not with you around. Trust me, I will make sure I will hold you close, and never let you go."
"Are you referring to my last year's program?" Yuuri frowned then remembered it was the actual program that had drawn him to Hasetsu after the triplets placed it on the internet. But still, why would Viktor still remember it? He didn't seem like the type of guy who would be interested in figure skating at all.
Viktor smiled; "Yup! Now…be a good teacher and assist me back on my feet. I mean, it would be a bad thing for my smoulder if I made a terrible face-plant within the first few seconds, right? I might need it to sweep you off your feet."
Yuuri looked away, hiding the warm glow on his face. He didn't know what annoyed him the most, the fact that Viktor turned every moment into a flirtatious game or the fact that he was caught off guard so easily whenever he heard sweet words. Especially, sweet words coming from the most notorious gang leader.
"What's wrong?" Viktor asked, getting the wrong impression when Yuuri looked away instead of assisting him. "Do you find me that…repulsive?" Viktor's voice broke at that last word.
"No, on the contrary," Yuuri thought while trying to come up with something to say. His eyes scanned Viktor's face then found his eyes that now seemed to look saddened. Yuuri tried to muster the courage to say something then whispered; "S-Sorry…I-I was just…I didn't mean to give you the impression…"
"It's fine," Viktor said, cutting Yuuri off then reached his hand out. "How about you show me how these things work?"
Yuuri nodded then took Viktor's hand into his, slowly helping him up his feet. He moved across the ice a bit wobbly at first, but quickly became a natural. Yuuri started to doubt it was his first time.
Viktor, sensing Yuuri's suspicion, grins; "I kinda lied. I've been on the ice many times, with my papa. But I was still a kid back then."
"You could have told me ," Yuuri said, even though he wasn't even entirely sure whether he wanted to know more about Viktor's past or not. Knowing more about him would mean 'bonding' and it's something he didn't want, right?
"I could have," Viktor shrugged nonchalantly. "But then again, you never tell me anything about when you were little."
Yuuri hung his head down then mumbled; "I told you, I don't remember anything from when I was little. All I remember is the things after I woke up in a hospital."
"Hmm…" Viktor hummed and stroked his chin. "It looked quite severe, if you ask me." Yuuri frowned confused, wondering what it was Viktor was referring to. Viktor noticed it and explained; "The scar on your chest definitely looked severe. If you'll just let me take a closer…"
"No!" Yuuri wrapped his arms around himself, protectively, then looked away, hiding the burning tears behind his eyes. "Unlike my memories about my past, this is something from my past that never goes away, though, I wish it did! It's ugly and I wished you hadn't seen it!"
Yuuri suddenly felt his head turn when Viktor grabbed his chin gently then caressed his lips with a gently smile and said; "There is nothing ugly about you, at all. Besides, I have scars."
Before Yuuri had the chance to stop him, Viktor turned around and pulled his shirt over his head to show Yuuri his bare back. Yuuri turned bright red then darted his eyes around nervously, gasping; "Viktor! You can't just do…" Yuuri swallowed the remaining part of his sentence when his eyes land back onto what Viktor tried to show him. across his back, from his right shoulder to the left side of his waist ran a long, very severe looking scar. He had other scars as well, which was quite obvious for the rough life he lived in Russia, but this scar caught his attention the most. To him it looked like a scar caused by fire. "How…" Yuuri whispered, fighting the urge to touch it gently. He wasn't sure what Viktor would think if he did touch it.
"I was sixteen years old and got caught in a burning vehicle after it was crashed off the road, presumably by a rival gang member's car," Viktor said, pulling his shirt back on then turned around to meet Yuuri's eyes.
"Presumably…?"
"Yes! By then I thought it was, but over the years I learned the truth, which isn't important for you to know now, unless…" Viktor grabbed Yuuri's chin again, a bit firmer this time. "Unless you work with this pig of a man!"
Yuuri's eyes widened, noticing Viktor's eyes filled with a glow he had never seen before. Viktor had many looks. Looks that frightened him, confused him, even made him curious. But this look seemed like pure hate. Yuuri just couldn't find a better word for it.
Yuuri parted his lips to form words, to muster the courage to say anything. But he ended up skating to the side where he took his blades off and ran as fast as he could, away from Viktor as far as he possibly could. Tears streamed down his face as he ran. Never, as far as he could remember, anyone had ever looked at him like that.
After running for ten minutes without even looking where he was going, Yuuri stopped then screamed as loud as he could; "Why, Viktor?! What brought you really here?! Why can't you just leave me alone?!" He knew he had to say those questions straight into Viktor's face, back at the rink instead of running away. He wanted too, but again, he was too scared.
Yuuri felt his knees weaken right before he sank down, sobbing uncontrollably. He was too upset to notice the van that pulled up next to him. He was too upset to notice the three men who came out of the van.
It was a black sack being pulled over his head that made Yuuri realize things had become a whole lot worse.
