Chipped Marble

"O-Oi! Are you all right? You're completely soaked. Did you not have an umbrel- you!"

Drenched and slightly shivering, the Master of the household propped himself up slightly with both hands, and shook his head before looking in Yuri's direction in the form of a half-lidded, sideways glance. Victor sighed through his nose, steadily got back up, and shut the door.

"Are you all right? Where have you been to be out so late?"

Victor didn't bother to answer either of the young man's questions, instead the Colbran just stood there.

Yuri quickly noted the odd behavior. It unnerved him, but Yuri shook his head to focus. "Well, okay, I guess you don't have to answer, um, oh, let's get a towel. I don't know about you, but I'm not getting sick. I replaced the towels in your room since it was laundry day, I'll find one downstairs."

Yuri looked down to his coat to take the garment off only to stop. It was absentminded of him, but was out of habit.

"Ah! What the? Why is my side all blue and sticky?! What is this stuff?"

Yuri looked to Victor for answers; immediately, Yuri found what he sought and felt guilty he hadn't noticed.

Victor's whole form was shaking at this point. His face was downcast with a laboring breath while his right hand was pressed up against his left side.

Yuri bolted to Victor's side. "Come on! The supplies are in your bathroom upstairs. Can you walk anymore?"

He took the Noble's free arm and supported him until they reached to the chambers. The pair made way through the bedroom until Yuri sat Victor down to doctor the wounds in the Master bathroom.

"Here," Yuri placed a towel over Victor head, "at least this will keep your hair from drippin' on my face."

The Noble's dress shirt was torn around the deep grazing cut. Yuri took a pair of hair scissors and cut away the surrounding fabric to better see the problem.

"Jeez, I hope we didn't make a trail of blood all the way up here. What, did you get into a dual or something? This looks pretty bad."

In haste, thankful Axel had drilled him on what supplies and purposes, he found a stash of what he needed in the medicine cabinet.

'Jeez, does he get attacked often?'

"I'll finish wiping up what I can, disinfect, wrap it, and then we need to call someone to properly stitch you up."

"N-No...no healers," Victor weakly replied.

"Don't be stupid, okay? You need stitches and I sure as hell can't even sew a straight row let alone a create a seam of flesh. Give me a break!"

Victor bowed his head a bit. "That is not what I mean."

"Aw hell, you telling me you Colbran's can heal now?"

"W-Well...not all of us…" Victor panted. "Our abilities do vary... healing depends on the situa- that hurt," he hissed.

"Suck it up and deal. Any good disinfectant will always sting like a mo-fo."

Victor cocked an eyebrow. "Mo...fo?"

"Er...never mind." Yuri dismissed with a shake of his head.

"Whatever you say...my butler."

Yuri's eyes widened and his heart thudded for a moment when Victor whispered the last part, but quickly shook his head to dismiss this involuntary reaction.

"H-Hey! You did that on purpose!" Victor cringed when Yuri applied more, unnecessary, disinfectant.

"No I didn't." Yuri fiend innocence, happy that his head was tilted down enough Victor couldn't see his face.

"Ah-arg, you are enjoying this," Victor panted, shaking his head while biting his lower lip slightly, "my pain."

Yuri switched to a clean cloth soaked with lukewarm water and pressed it up against the wound. "There, you big baby, this should stop the stinging. I'm going to get dressing for the cut."

The following moments shared between the two were dead silent while Yuri worked to wrap the Noble's torso. Not once did Yuri dare to look up nor did the Noble make any move beyond Yuri's instructions.

Katsuki then moved to the sink to wash his hands. "It's done, finally, let's get you to bed."

"Look at you…being all authoritative…" Victor drawled, exhausted by the blood loss.

Yuri then leaned over to support Victor body weight. "Shut it. If I had left you to bleed you could've-"

Victor halted. "What?" It wasn't angry, just asking.

Yuri wondered if all this was really necessary now that he knew Victor could heal himself.

'Well, it's not like I know how long it would take. Evidently, his so-called healing ability isn't instant.'

He shook his head. "Never mind."

The two made it towards the bed in silence.

"Okay, there you go. I assume you can tuck in yourself."

"Yes, yes. This will do."

"Good."

When Victor propped up on his bed, Yuri saw no point to stay any longer than he had to, but the need to ask one question triumphed the urge to walk out.

"Why?" Yuri put his hands into the coat pockets, "why were you out there in the rain if you were bleeding?"

A smirk played on Victor's lips. "Is curiosity about to kill the cat?"

Yuri clenched his hands. "Don't butcher human sayings and just answer the damn quest-" He took in a breath and sighed, frustrated Victor still could get under his skin. "…Please."

Victor sighed and gave in. "Fine...I guess the storm muted the noise, but tonight I have been shot."

Yuri's head snapped up. "Shot?!"

"Well, as you saw, I was more or less grazed. I have been out late for the past months trying to pinpoint who has been harassing me with messages, this started back the day after the parlor incident."

"I remember Axel giving you a message in the study, you have been wanted since?" Yuri asked.

"Well actually, no. They have been after you," Victor informed bluntly.

A chill went down the man's spine. "Me?"

'What? Why? What have I done?' Yuri thought in a whirlwind.

"By who?"

"Don't concern yourself."

"B-Butler's Privilege!" Yuri blurted.

Victor nearly gawked at him and furred his brow. "What now?"

"I-I have to know! A butler is his Lord's confidant! B-Besides it was me they were after."

Victor rested his head back on the wall and grimaced through the pain of his side. "Fine…whatever…that Sara girl, when I ended her life. Emil, the late Baron's nephew announced themselves tonight, demanding you as some rash form of compensation. Honestly, I don't get it… Tonight, when you moved in the hallway, I had to move when you decided to make a mad dash and I got shot. It's as simple as that."

"Hah?! You could see me in the rain?!"

'How? But wait…he protected me?'

Victor adjusted slightly. "If you don't believe me fine…but I don't think that matters…" he winced as he pointed to himself, "Exhibit A…"

"I-I-uh-I..." Yuri couldn't form any words. He fell to his knees and rested his head on the edge of the bed, feeling all of the sudden limp from shock.

"Now see here…don't go into a panic. Emil isn't a threat to me and was a fool to skirt around the issue like he had."

"Y-You didn't kill him though, right?!"

"No. We do have a system, Yuri. I'd like to reiterate that Sara was out of control. She was on the brink of throwing that knife. I didn't want to take that risk."

Though Yuri heard him, the young man experienced a wave of various emotions all at once. His life was threatened again, his understanding of Victor's motives was under inspection again, and here he was losing face.

'Again!' He cried in his thoughts.

Victor placed a hand on Katsuki's shoulder, "don't let the fire out, you need to be strong."

Eventually, the young man withdrew from the mattress all the while looking down on the ground.

"Thank you," Yuri mumbled almost inaudibly.

"Hmmm, did you say something?" Victor asked.

"I said-! Er...thank you." He finished with calm sincerity, although his eyes were glanced to the side.

The Noble leaned sideways, just enough to take Yuri's hand. He pulled the young man closer to wrap free hand around the back the human's neck.

From Yuri's perspective his body was pulled right up against the edge of the bed, forced to bend over slightly before cold skin wrapped around his neck and a pair of lips pressed against his. The kiss was chilly and slightly damp, but was long and felt almost desperate.

The Colbran knew he was stealing from Yuri, and wondered if the human would just storm off like normal, but, for now, the human was just here and that was enough.

Victor pulled back. "Hmm, you're welcome."

Yuri felt he had been shocked numb.

'You missed this…'

In his hesitation he was, arguably, taken advantage of with a second kiss.

Yuri pulled back. "Nuh uh, I can't do this," Yuri admitted, his eyes cast downwards onto the sheets.

Victor kept Yuri's body where it was, but the Noble loosened the grip.

"Is it because of such advancements before?" Victor wondered aloud.

Yuri looked off to the side. "Before? Oh that...um, yes, but more importantly I just don't feel this is right. It's late, you're wounded and-" Yuri rambled.

Victor sighed. "Most of that sound like excuses...but I was…out of line."

Yuri returned his head to the center and looked up, blinking purposefully. "Huh? Now wait a minute I-"

Victor dropped Yuri's wrist and took that hand to firmly take Yuri's chin. "But as your Master, give me a reason why I can not ask you to stay?"

"Ha, why mess with me anyway?" Yuri blurted before he could stop. "I'm hardly a looker."

There was silence.

'I'm the god damn cat, aren't I?'

"Th-That's not an invitation! I'm o-outta here! Gah!"

Yuri found himself sprawled over the top of Victor's form with both of his forearms captured within the Colbran's hands.

"There we go. Much better," Victor whispered with half-lidded eyes. "Ah! Ow!"

Yuri grabbed the sides of that silver hair. "I'll pull it out! I'll make you bald!" Yuri brought up his legs that were on either side of Victor's to stabilize himself.

The icy hands let go, only to latch around Yuri's neck.