Chapter Two
Yuuri was screwed. And not in the fun way. In fact, there was more of a chance for him to be screwed in the literal way than the fun one.
Phichit did not share his opinion.
"It's really not that big of a deal."
Oh, right. Because keeping an eye out for a guy you barely knew because his guardian spirit sort of tricked you into it fell into the realm of normal and expected. Finding an excuse to watch out for said guy was probably just as simple and somewhere out there, there had to be a perfectly reasonable explanation that wouldn't make Yuuri seem like the awkward stalker he currently felt like.
"Phichit, how can I help him if I don't spend time with him? How can I spend time with a person I don't know?" Yuuri whined, letting his head fall back against the ragged couch they were sharing. His glasses were off at the moment and he rubbed at his eyes, letting the exhaustion settle in peacefully.
Phichit plopped down next to him, feet already crisscrossed. "I believe this is usually the part where you get to know him then." He shrugged, as though what he didn't just close caption his problem. "Make a new friend."
Yuuri raised two very pointed brows at him. "Phichit. It's me."
A soft chuckle escaped his friend's lips at the deadpan comment, his hands raised in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. Are you absolutely certain you can't just explain the situation to him? I mean, maybe he knows about Guardians? He has one."
The ding of the microwave forced Yuuri from his seat, his voice increasing in volume to be heard as he wandered off to the kitchen. "Even if he does, how do I go about asking him that? Oh, hey, any chance you know your dog is magic? I don't think that's going to go over very well…"
His friend contemplated that, the pout on his face promptly brightening up at the sight of him returning with the questionably fresh popcorn he had gone to fetch. "You could…" Phichit trailed off, tilting his head to the side. "… show him? Hey, bring Scribs with you on your next date!"
"On my what?"
"I like how you're not protesting the possessed pen."
Yuuri scoffed, getting up with newfound determination to get revenge on his roommate. "That's it. I'm picking the movie- no, buts. And don't diss my pen. You love my pen. You used my pen to cheat."
Phichit at least had the decency to look a little sheepish about the whole situation, even if he wasted no time to defend his actions. "Well, of course I did! With an ability like that, it would be an insult not to use it." He frowned slightly, however, as he recalled the incident. "It did act a little weird though." Yuuri looked back at him, a silent question in his eyes. "I mean- would you believe me if I told you it was being dramatic? Like, full on, Light Yagami massacre by Death Note dramatic. It was actually a little embarrassing." He let out an awkward chuckle as he recalled the wild hand motions, his desperate attempts to appear nonchalant about his seemingly possessed hand despite the stares coming his way. If a class full of stressed college students could stop in the midst of their exams to look at him, then it must have been bad.
"Oh, no, that was me."
"Yuuri!"
"Yeah, I might have done that on purpose."
Seeing Viktor again was easy, in theory, but next to impossible in real life. Unless he wanted to abandon all sense of personal pride and logic, in which case it was probably the opposite. He could just go find him, he could if he wanted to, but stalking people with your supernatural powers would be generally frowned upon. Even if that was technically what he was trying to do in the first place.
Staring at his phone with a pained expression on his face, all thoughts of justified, altruistic stalking fled from his mind to be replaced by a thousand different excuses as to why this was a Very Bad Idea. The name on the new contact in his phone seemed to mock him, his conversation with Phichit on the forefront of his mind, halting him.
You got his number right?
Well, yes, but what if- Oh, no, what if he thinks I'm flirting with him?
Have fun with it?
PHICHIT!
He groaned, letting his head fall forward in his hand. A second away from throwing his phone aside and googling how to apologize to spirit dogs for failing them, it rang in his hand. Instead of throwing it away, he threw himself two feet in the air with a rather undignified squeak to complete the picture.
With his eyes blown to twice their size, he tilted the screen to stare at the caller ID.
It wasn't Viktor.
He still had a job, after all.
"So what happened, exactly?"
Yuuri tugged his scarf tighter around himself, as he took in the small disaster in front of him. The advertising sign lay broken on the ground, a small puff of smoke emerging from where the light inside had broken. The name of Phichit's favorite ice cream shop was split apart in two pieces, its owner looking at it with a pained expression on his face from the back of the place. Yuuri's heart twinged at the sight; they had spent many afternoons here with his friend, celebrating this and that, or trying to cheer each other up after a bad day.
He sighed. Phichit was going to be pissed.
"I wouldn't think too much of it," scowled Henry, the man who had originally requested him. "But this is the seventh incident like this around here lately, Mr. Katsuki and it can't all be faulty construction." He led Yuuri further inside, bypassing the employees to get to the back of the store. "It's a blessing no one was hurt when it fell. This can't go on."
Yuuri flinched. He had been called in back when the incidents had been only three, which were already more than he should have allowed to begin with. "I-I know. I know, I'm- trying, really." Chocolate eyes roamed the walls around him, sparkling as he focused. Shaky fingers gingerly reached out, brushed against the walls. "I don't get this," he whispered to himself.
Henry watched him with open curiosity, yet knew better than to speak. The respect in his silence made the guilt in Yuuri's stomach settle more heavily when he had to turn around and shake his head, already lowered.
"I will get to the bottom of this, I promise," he nodded, despite his apparent and repeated failure.
Thankfully, there was no backlash for his current incompetence, even if the man's sad smile fed the ever-growing disappointment in himself.
"I know, son. I'm just worried, you know?"
Oh, how he knew.
In fact, worrying is exactly what he did, when two voices reached his ears from the entrance of the shop. Worrying which threatened to spiral into panic any second now. These things didn't just happen.
"What the shit? It's closed!"
"Wow. What happened here?"
As if on cue, an excited woof confirmed his suspicion and without fail, their attention shifted to one very confused, quietly panicking witch walking out of the store, willing himself not to search for an escape too indiscreetly. All plans were halted however, by one thrilled guardian spirit.
Makkachin rushed to his side the moment she saw him and promptly jumped on him to shower his face with kisses. Yuuri barely had enough time to react before sixty pounds of pure fluff fell onto his arms, but he managed to hold both their weights upright. The poodle's front legs were on his shoulders and the sight of them all but hugging brought a bright wave of chuckles to her owner.
Yuuri couldn't even bring himself to be mad, the dog's happy panting a sweet comfort to his ears, easing the worry pooling in the pit of his stomach.
"Yuuri…?" Viktor asked between his laughter, shifting his angle to see the man hidden behind all that fur. "Is that you?"
He laughed too, a little breathless from the precarious position. "Hi, Viktor…"
Makkachin shifted to be released moments later, though she refused to leave his side, nudging him with her head for scratches he was all too willing to grant her. He wondered briefly, if the guardian could sense his distress and was trying to protect him almost as much as she would her human.
Or perhaps she was sucking up to him to make sure he would stand by his promise.
Viktor's gentle smile betrayed his amusement at the sight, no hint of annoyance marring his gaze. Once more, Yuuri was grateful for the man's just roll with it attitude. This situation would be a lot more awkward otherwise.
The same however, could not be said for his company, whose scowl seemed like a permanent fixture on his young face. The boy took one long look at Makkachin and him and scrunched up his nose even more. "Old man, I think your dog's in love."
Now, Yuuri could probably burn that kid's behind in zero point three seconds if he got startled too badly, but when the glint in those green eyes turned to him, he could do nothing but stare back, gaping, frozen.
"And who the fuck are you supposed to be?"
"Y-Yuuri?" he stammered, barely a whisper, as though his name alone was an insult.
"Yes, but who are you?"
"No, I'm-I'm Yuuri, that's my name."
"Hell no." Apparently it was.
Viktor chose that moment to free him from this hole he had dug himself into. He threw an arm around his companion (who wasted no time in shoving him away) and diverted at least some of the attention towards him. "Yura, be nice."
Yuuri gave Makkachin a side look, causing a suspiciously guilty whine.
"Whatever," the other Yuri scoffed. "Do you have any idea what happened here?"
A brief summary of the situation later, minus the suspicions of magical foul play and Yuuri's own involvement in the situation ( "I'm just familiar with the owners, that's all…!") and Yuuri could have sworn he saw the teenager's hair rise to match his agitation. And though the irritation slowly accumulating was noticeable from the beginning, Viktor being the recipient for it was not something Yuuri had seen coming, until suddenly he had both too much and too little information shoved his way.
"Fuck! Viktor, I swear I'm going to kill you!"
The shove was harsh enough to make him stumble. Belatedly, Yuuri made a gesture with his hand to grab him. Viktor, on the other hand, wasn't too bothered by the rough treatment, though he did sound surprisingly regretful.
"C-Come on now, Yuri, you can't blame me for-"
"I blame you for everything! Every. Damn. Time. You're a walking curse, Nikiforov!"
Yuuri's heart stopped beating.
"W… What's going on?" he breathed, his fingers curling deeper into Makkachin's curls.
Yuri threw his hands up in the air, his full attention on Yuuri, the opportunity to diss on Viktor too good to pass up. "Every fucking time! Wherever he goes, everything gets fucked up! It's ridiculous. You cannot be this unlucky!"
Regret pooled in Viktor's bright blue eyes, silently backing up the statement, even as his words protested it. "Yura, that's a little unfair…"
The younger crossed his arms defiantly, the scowl returning with a vengeance. "You moved here two months ago. Don't fuck this town up too, moron."
"Yuri!" Viktor whined, oblivious to the ever growing horror they were causing.
Two months ago…
Two months ago.
Seven incidents.
Seven incidents, the first one-
"Two months ago…" Yuuri gasped, a trembling sound edging beyond his control. He shut his eyes tight, ignoring the curious looks he was given. Okay, okay, don't freak out in front of them. It made sense, it made sense. Or rather- it was a clue to making sense of everything that was going on. No wonder his spells weren't working, if they issue was a person instead-
Stay calm. Leave. Think this through.
A hand grabbed his shoulder and he flinched away. Warm eyes waited for him when he lifted his gaze, the shock at being turned down overthrown by the soft concern still resting there. "Yuuri- Are you okay?"
Then save him.
Yuuri backed away, frantically shaking his head. "No, no- I-I mean yes. I'm fine. Look, I have to- to go." A second away from bolting, he didn't even register the protests. "Um- you have? You have my phone number, right? I- I can show you around then. Since you're- new here."
He spared one second to marvel at both his courage and his embarrassing stupidity, before getting out of there as fast as he could, not even giving Viktor time to respond to his offer.
At the very least, he mused, once in the safety of his home, most of his current problems had merged into a singular, though widespread mess in need of solving.
He could only hope that didn't make it even worse.
Phichit laughing at his predicament was something he should have seen coming. It didn't make it any less annoying when it came.
In their shared apartment, the food preparing itself in the kitchen and filling the place with a rich scent to make their mouths water, the two tried to make some sense of the current situation. Or rather, Yuuri did, while Phichit waited to be finished with his first round of laughter before actually shooting any ideas his way.
Yuuri used that time to groan pitifully into one of the couch pillows, silently cursing his existence and his love of dogs.
"Okay, okay, but at least you know how to go about helping the town, right? All you have to do is figure out what's wrong with Viktor."
With his face still buried in the pillow, his words were almost intelligible, but the whine behind them could not be mistaken. "Sure. Simplest thing in the world." He let his head fall back, skin a little red where it had rubbed against the rough fabric. "Isn't getting close to him for my job a little unethical to begin with?"
Phichit raised a brow at his direction, unamused. "You're saving his life. Be unethical. Besides-"
Both boys looked up at the sound of the doorbell ringing. Phichit turned to him, confusion written all over his face, before getting up to answer. "Besides, you might end up liking him. It won't kill you to make a new friend."
"Oh? You want to pass on the title of best friend?"
"I said friend, not best friend. That will kill you. Or him."
"How so?"
"Beware of my wrath, Yuuri."
They had less than a moment to laugh it out, for that was when Phichit opened the door, only to freeze at the sight in front of him, distraught.
A tiny fluffy spirit bounced inside, faster than Yuuri had ever seen him move and launched himself into his human's arms, jumpy and panicked and oh so clingy, trying to bury himself in Yuuri's embrace. The whines wouldn't stop, even as he pulled him closer against him, trying his best to provide some comfort.
"V-Vicchan? What are you doing here? What- Mari?"
His sister rushed in after their small guardian, her gaze harsh not with anger, but with what, Yuuri realized as she pulled him into her arms, was nothing other than concern. With her head in her brother's hair, she sighed once, then stepped back a little to see him.
"Are you all right?" She demanded and he stammered, at loss. "Vicchan has been going crazy since yesterday. He's still bound to you, I thought something had happened!"
Phichit joined them, lips pressed into a thin line, looking at Yuuri from behind her back.
"Mari-"
"What have you gotten yourself into?"
A/N: Thanks for the response on the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one too! Don't forget to leave a review before you go and find me on tumblr at saltfics. tumblr. com !