Crash
Yuri remained where he was, breathing long and hard, trying to steady his heartbeat which continued to ache painfully as he looked at the closed door.
He scratched an itch only to realize he was still in that blood-dried coat.
'Damn this thing…'
He proceeded to take off the belt, figuring the girls had put some clothes in the room.
"Actually, you know what?"
Yuri drew in a quick breath and froze.
"Now that I think about it?"
The door was reopened and then shut immediately with Victor up against it.
"You are the worst." He smirked.
Brown met golden-blue, and it was unwavering. Yuri felt his whole self shiver under that wanting gaze. Caught with the coat half down his back Yuri exhaled. From holding it in way too long he could only nod. In the next moment he was scrambling forward, choking back a sob.
Victor was over in two strides and helped Yuri up to stand, who had let the raincoat fall to the floor.
Victor continued to hold Yuri's wrists and leaned in. "How about my little butler take some responsibility?" With a chaste kiss to start, Yuri was already blushing as Victor raised an elegant eyebrow. "Neh? You kiss me this time." He let Yuri's hands go, giving him a choice.
So close to each other Yuri swallowed hard.
"I still don't forgive you…" Yuri exhaled as he firmly, slowly, pulled Victor's head towards him with one hand, holding onto Victor's red shirt with the other.
Victor wrapped his arms around the man torso. "I figured, and believe you. I'll be sorry forever until you forgive me, but I want an apology too."
"Then…shut up?"
When tense opposites collided it allowed a respite to be chased down and kept.
Their kiss was hungry and spoke more than either could in a day.
In a fluid motion, Victor crouched down and lifted Yuri up. Katsuki wrapped his arms and legs around Victor, digging his hands into his silver hair while they turned around and he was carried until his back was flush with the wall.
"phwa~ open your mouth…Yuri…"
Yuri shuddered at the sound of his name as he complied.
They soon broke for air. Foreheads flushed together.
Victor let Yuri down slowly. "Someday…I hope to see you…in red…"
"I make no promises." It hurt, but Yuri was determined to hold his ground.
Victor's smile faltered, but he combed the side of Yuri's hair. "I know..."
'Seriously this is fucked up. In four days and he hasn't touched me. That's good, gives me time to think, but…'
"Oi!" A waved in front of his face.
"Ah! S-Sorry…I spaced out there."
Lutz sighed. "We need to get you ready for Lady Mila's Birthday. You're going with Loop and Master. Got it?" Lutz insisted, blunt as always.
'Three days and and now this…Duty calls I suppose...'
Yuri breathed through his nose and nodded. "Got it."
"Good. Now then..." Lutz's voice trailed off, taking out the latest outfit.
Yuri outwardly sighed. He still didn't want to, but who was he to argue. Just when Yuri was dressed Loop arrived to get dressed herself behind a curtain in the room.
The attire was formal, a pair of navy slacks with a matching jacket over a lavender shirt, vest and a suitably contrasting scarf around the neck.
Once dressed. Lutz helped him slick back his hair.
"I can't help but feel this is too good…"
"If we look good so does he, no?" Loop smiled as she slipped on her black shoes.
"What is with us being color coordinated?" Yuri remarked with a sigh.
"Oh that's an easy one," Loop chirped. "This time, when invited to a fellow Noble's estate it is customary for servants to be dressed in the colors of their master's household crest in display of hier…Hieray..."
"Hierarchy," said Lutz. "But, no, it's Heraldry, whatever that means…I assume that's important."
'Ju~st a bit…'
Yuri shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious. That's why?"
"What's up now?" Ms. Blue rolled her eyes.
Yuri couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Sorry, it's just household crests aren't even used in human society anymore. Then again, who am I to say its not their own thing? However, so far coming here to this estate I've experienced nothing but a reenactment of a bizarre ren faire."
"Ren...faire? What's a 'fair'?" Loop innocently asked.
"Which part of history?" Lutz added.
Yuri folded his arms and smiled. "I'd tell you but won't we be late?"
Loop jumped a bit and both girls refocused to the task at hand. She still needed her corset laces done and her shoes polished and laced as well.
'Whew, that was close.'
"Presenting the lady of the hour! My daughter, Lady Mila Babicheva!"
"Happy Birthday!"
"Cheers!"
"To good health!"
The party in the richly decorated ballroom was nothing short of glamorous. Upon arrival, everywhere Yuri looked there was food, crystal, polished gold and jade figurines. The sculpted stone was absolutely everywhere! Each servant of the host house wore an accessory made of jade which stood out in splendid contrast against the deep purple uniforms with silver accents. He knew the Babicheva family, like the Nikiforov line, was one of the eight who had helped raid Earth, however, tried as may, he couldn't find himself angry. He couldn't help it but just stand or walk around impressed. In the end it was all stuff to him, things, in fact, one could argue they saved a part of history.
It had been an hour into the party before the announcement was made at the top of the ballroom's magnificent, golden staircase. All the mingling guests had a drink to toast with while the servants stood by their respective Masters with their hands at their sides when an elderly Colbran stepped forward to announce his daughter.
Lady Mila stepped out from behind the curtain and to no one's surprise the usually eccentric manager of Ice Castle was dressed finely tonight. Head to toe in a light green ball gown with gold accents. After she was toasted to, she traveled down the staircase. Her long red hair was in an intricate hairdo that had to have taken hours. Strung onto the many thin braids were dozens of green beads, with golden flecks if one looked closely enough.
"She is so pretty tonight," Loop whispered.
Yuri nodded. "I agree, she does."
Victor, dressed in a deep rose pink tail coat and black slacks, cleared his throat and glanced over his shoulder. "Careful. Compliment her directly do not whisper about. You look like you are gossiping."
"Ah, yes, Sir," Ms. Pink complied, lowering her head.
Victor gave Yuri a lingering glance.
"Y-Yes?" Yuri asked.
Victor shook his head and stood up straighter, looking to the side. "Nothing."
"Um, all right…so should I get us something to drink?"
Loop shook her head a little. "Not necessary. The host's servants go around enough."
'Then what the hell is our purpose?'
It was only a second later Yuri realized how silly his question was. He and Loop were there to be showed off again.
Then Hierarchy came to mind.
'Or was to it to keep other Nobles off his back?' Yuri wondered. 'A show of power…'
The concept was old, but never, frankly, not used.
Yuri's eyes began to flit around nervously when a chill ran down his spine. The more he listened to what was going around him as well as certain looks Victor was receiving, it didn't take long for Yuri to convince himself.
'Was that it? Was that the real reason servants came along to such events?'
Yuri didn't get much time to ponder because the giggling birthday girl wrapped him in an embrace.
"You came, Yuri Katsuki! Loop Pink too? I'm glad, Lord Victor Nikiforov, you decided to have a cheery couple visit my home."
He felt his cheeks burn slightly, suddenly bashful. "Th-Thank you for having us, ma'am."
She beamed. "The three of you enjoy yourselves. Victor, I look forward to a dance, all right?"
Master Nikiforov gave a curt nod in reply before Lady Mila showed off her brilliant smile and glided off to greet more guests.
Then Heraldry came to mind.
'Lords and Ladies, Barons, Nobles …then Declotes? That. Doesn't make sense…'
The concept was old, but this was too human of a rendition.
'The human clothes, treasures, mannerisms…God…do they have anything for themselves?'
Power.
The more Yuri thought, the more he perspired from trying not to wig out. The true notion behind such order and social pretenses among the Colbran Nobility.
Was to pretend.
'Look like the enemy, court the enemy…but the war is over, that can't be it…gah!'
Yuri shook his head.
A dinging of a few glasses quieted the room.
"Time to cut the cake!" Lord Babicheva declared.
'Was it all all farce?' Yuri wondered still.
Guests oo'ed and ahh'ed at the sight of an elaborate cake strolling in on an ornate cart of gold and embossed wood.
'Perception...appear familiar to us and we eventually feel more accepting of our place. Loop and I are here to keep up the…illusion? Or was it, like Victor had said? They found humanity intriguing?'
It was a wild idea, a bunch of lose thoughts, but Yuri still clenched his teeth.
'Then why, the fuck, did you kill us!?'
"Yuri? You're okay, no?" Loop whispered. "We are dragging a little too far behind Master.
"Ah, sorry I-"
The startling, loud smashing of window glass as well as glasses once held by frightened guests, rounds of shots blitzed in through and disrupted, thereby canceling, the event. The firing rounds destroyed the decorations while blazing torches following the bullets lit up various parts of the room. Pushing, shoving and screaming could be heard from all over.
The next thing Yuri registered was the whole place had been overrun The band of invaders was large and were entirely dressed in mismatched gear varying in musty, dark colors and textures. Yuri held a quivering Loop in his arms. Both had been separated from their Master from the the frantic hustle of the frightened crowd.
'What do they want?!'
"Y'all Nobles and bitches listen up! The whole place is surrounded with Fixers so don't anybody try to pull a stunt or trick on us!"
'Who the hell is this guy?!'
A strongly armed individual with green and violet eyes and a cocky smile, dressed in all black, held up a massive weapon and fired it up into the ceiling, thereby shooting one of the massive chandeliers down with a grand crash. The act was followed with more cries and wails by both frightened Colbran and humans alike.
Mila's father was so furious one could swear to see steam rolling off his shoulders. Lord Babicheva stormed up to the gunman. "How dare you storm into the home of my family!"
The intruder knocked Mila's father down to the ground. "That's Viletto Leroy to you! You maybe one of the eight, but you know damn well which family is ranked four that is above your own."
'Declotes and now Viletto? Is that like a Viscount? But he looks too militaristic for that…'
Lady Mila Babicheva cried out when she saw him falter to the ground and rushed up to him like any devoted daughter would have. "Father! Why is this happening?"
The smug Colbran slung the gun behind him and bowed. "Well hello, milady. Sorry for the intrusion. But you know how we get when once offended. It's always best to make a stand and ask questions later to prevent certain, native, abilities to come up into play."
Mila stomped her foot. "This is an outrage! You better have a good reason-!"
"Oh I do little Lady! Your family's party has invited person suspected of planning treason!" Sir Leroy besmirched.
She stomped her foot again. "How dare you! Surely there were other means to go about this. More importantly do you have any proof?"
"Just nipping it in the bud, darling. A show of force to stop any one else from getting any ideas. Now…" Sir Leroy took a step forward to Lady Mila, "if you care to explain why this isn't a good strategy to the Declotes Herself…" he took another and another until he stood right next to the young hostess, looking down at her, who was meek in comparison. "then by all means…"
"Viletto Jean-Jacques Leroy! How happy it is for you to be here!"
'Oh no…' Yuri's blood ran cold.
The one addressed looked up and took a step back. His eyes widened with surprise. "Ah~! Lord Victor Nikiforov...fancy you're here. You appear to have seen better days."
'What are you doing?!' Yuri frantically thought.
Victor dusted off his sleeves and ran a hand through his hair. "Yes well, had a bit of a run in with a rambunctious crew I am afraid."
"Ha! Always ready with a retort, aren't you?" Jean-Jacques chuckled with a flashy smile.
By this time the two Colbrans stood in the middle of the destroyed ballroom. Meanwhile, Lady Mila took this opportunity to step to the side with her father hobbling along.
"Now then, do tell me good sir, why are you here?" Victor asked as if this was just another average, casual conversation.
"Several reports of high Nobles and their associates have been seen, gathering at clubs and all too random locations." He put a hand on his hip and pointed with his gun. "I'm here for for you, actually."
Several around the room gasped.
Victor continued to play along. "Is that so?"
"The thing is, they seem to always go behind close doors and you always seem to be there. Your hair is hardly a type to be missed after all."
'What about his hair?' Yuri wondered. 'Who cares if is-'
Yuuko's white hair flashed in his mind. Silver was close.
Yuri shook his head. 'Th-That's impossible…'
