I wasn't sure which ones you liked, so I sliced up an apple, nectarine, and pear," Yuuri told him, a bit sheepish.
Viktor's mouth watered. The apple looked crisp, the nectarine's flesh was a brilliant gold, and the pear looked perfectly ripe and inviting.
"Oh! And don't worry about eating all of it, I'll gladly take any extra. Just eat what you want."
Viktor walked over and extended his hand to take a piece, then glimpsed the dirt covering his hands and caught under his fingernails. Feeling guilty, he bowed his head and excused himself, then went to the bathroom to scrub his filthy hands.
He looked over his shoulder, afraid that Yuuri would look disgusted at his dirty slave. But no. His master was peeking into the pots, a look of wonder gracing his face. Viktor felt foolish, and turned on the tap. He scrubbed his hands with lots of soap and hot water, washing all over and under his nails until not a speck of grime remained and his skin was red and irritated. Even though he could see that he was clean, he still felt tainted. He wondered if he would ever feel truly pure.
Viktor fluttered his wings, toes brushing the floor, and settled his feet back down when he reached Yuuri's side. Yuuri's expression was almost comical.
"I-I didn't know that you could do this," he marvelled, eyes wide. Viktor smiled with a stirring of pride. "Can you do any other things with magic?" Yuuri inquired, curious. "I-I mean, you don't have to answer if it's too intrusive" he quickly added, waving his hands.
"It's alright," Viktor replied. "I can also relieve pain somewhat."
"Oh!"
Viktor found Yuuri's interest very endearing.
"The other Yuri showed some of that the other day. He's quite skilled." 'But not as experienced as I am,' Viktor finished silently. Yuri still had a lot to perfect in his technique.
"If you can soothe pain, couldn't you…" Yuuri trailed off, then his eyes drifted down to the floor.
"Help myself?" Viktor guessed quietly. "I cannot. The earth spirits blessed fairies with the gift of healing so that we could give comfort to others, not ourselves."
"I didn't know that." Yuuri seemed to be genuinely engaged in what he had to say. "Oh!" He handed the plateful of food to Viktor. "Sorry, you're probably hungry."
"Thank you," Viktor offered him a smile. He was so very grateful that Yuuri went out of his way to prepare him delicious things to eat. He gently accepted the plate and sat down on the sofa, staring at the beautiful fruit. Yuuri had painstakingly arranged it into a pinwheel shape for him. They glistened with juice, and Viktor suddenly felt very hungry.
"Oh, let me get you a napkin." Yuuri left, and Viktor gingerly picked up an apple slice. He brought it to his lips and took a bite. It made a snapping sound as he sunk his teeth in. The tiny cells in the apple burst in his mouth, filling it with a decadent sour-sweet flavor. It was delicious.
Tears welled up in Viktor's eyes at the taste, and he thought about the last time he'd had fresh fruit. His old master had fed him mushy, wormy apples; the ones that farmers sold for livestock. It had been way back when he was a child and living in the forest that he'd tasted fresh fruit. The fairies had an ancient orchard filled with all kinds of trees. The flavor of the green apple brought him back to the grove, hands sticky with juice and heart full of joy.
Yuuri came back in with a cloth napkin and softly placed it on Viktor's thigh. He glanced up and must have seen Viktor's teary eyes.
"Are you alright?" he asked, voice wavering with concern. He extended a hand as if to brush the tears away, but stopped short and withdrew it.
"Yes." Viktor beamed, and the movement made a droplet slide down his face. The little beads of water caught on his eyelashes like dew. He ate the rest of the apple slices, savoring every bite then began on the nectarines. They were even better than the apples had been. They were delightfully sugary and tangy. Each mouthful was pure bliss. He kept crying, and he kept smiling.
He ate as much as he could (which was only a modicum) and wished that he could consume more. He didn't even get a chance to try the pear. Instead of making himself sick, he offered the plate to Yuuri. Yuuri looked at him with a worried expression, then slowly ate the remaining slices. Viktor waited for the waterfall of tears to slow, and then dried his cheeks with his arm.
There was a nostalgic, bittersweet feeling tugging at him.
"I'm sorry," he apologized softly. Yuuri gave him a comforting look.
"Please don't be. I cry all the time."
Viktor felt warm to his core, and the two of them quietly laughed.