Chapter Three
There was an overactive ball of fluff wiggling in his arms and for once he felt all right, despite the madness around him. Vicchan rubbed his muzzle against Yuuri's cheeks, stretching impressively to reach that far. Featherlight licks blessed him over and over again, as he held the little puppy close. It had been far too long since they had seen each other. Regardless of the circumstances, he was glad to have him in his arms so close.
He dared a glance at his sister, sitting across from him, eyes fixed to the hint of steam rising from the tea clutched tightly in her hands. Maybe she thought he wouldn't see her shaking that way.
A prickle of guilt poked at his heart; he hadn't meant to make anyone worry, much less his family.
His lips parted to speak, but she beat him to it.
"I don't like this, Yuuri…" Mari sighed, the frown previously directed at the innocent beverage, now facing her guilty looking little brother. "I mean, you've worked with some shady people before, I know that much, even if I don't necessarily like it." She narrowed her eyes at the look the two boys shared- or rather, the amused side glance Phichit gave Yuuri, who was quick to look away from him, yet not without a suspiciously sheepish grin. "But this is the first time Vicchan gets so worried about you, little brother. I don't like it. I don't like anything that makes your Guardian worry for you three towns away."
Phichit pulled his knees close to himself, resting his head on the ridge between them. "How did he even realize it?"
Mari gave another sigh. Each seemed to age her about five years, while they dumped about a metric ton of guilt on Yuuri's shoulders. "That's what worries me. He was able to sense it so easily!"
Yuuri pulled back slightly, a yip the only protest at the sudden distance. Staring at the pup in his embrace, he searched for answers, yet all he found were charcoal black eyes looking back at him with all the devotion in the world.
A different hand suddenly entered his vision, petting the top of the poodle's head fondly, the puppy closing his eyes at the gesture. Yuuri looked up to Phichit's grinning face, the combination of man and dog a sliver of light in the gloomy mood that had descended upon them.
"I know the situation is really tense right now," his friend admitted. "But I, for one, am happy to see this little guy here again." Yuuri sighed fondly at the truth of that statement. He had missed his dog. Even if he still got to see him when he went to visit Mari, it wasn't the same as having him with him all the time. "Oh, and I guess it's fine if you stay here for a few days too, Mari," Phichit added, fearless or perhaps just that stupid.
Rest in pieces.
After Mari had managed to remind Phichit of what fear looked like when it glared at you silently but full of challenge and a promise of revenge, they agreed that Mari should stay a few days. Or rather, Yuuri didn't mind and Phichit could no longer bring himself to say no, even if he wanted to. With his bed half-heartedly offered to his sister, Yuuri settled in on the couch, the warm companion resting peacefully on his stomach worth the aching back he would no doubt be faced with in the morning.
With his fingers curled around soft fur, he let himself fall asleep, for once leaving the worrying for the morning.
Early in the morning.
Immediately in the morning as the sound of a text served as his alarm for the day.
[2 New Messages From Viktor ]
"Good damn morning to me."
He pushed his glasses off just a tad to rub the sleep from his eyes, the text message glaring at him from a screen far too bright for his tired mind.
[6:05] Viktor:
good morning c:
i have a question for you
His heart sped up a little at the message. Every possible -disastrous, catastrophic- scenario for Viktor's possible question crossed his mind faster than he was able to keep up with it. With how many things he was hiding, the man could have picked up on anything and Yuuri couldn't fathom how he could explain a single one of them.
Before he could drive himself into a panic however, a certain detail caught his eye, just enough to distract him from the assault of questions. His head snapped to the clock on the wall, the hands mocking him from their borderline offensive position.
[6:15] Me:
it's 6 am
On a Saturday.
He took a deep breath, trying not to let himself wander into the mental train of subject of the most awkward job I've accept this far just woke me up at 6am on a Saturday morning and if this goes something like 'do Christmas trees like being decorated' I'm going to let him die instead.
[6:16] Me:
What's the q?
[6:17] Viktor:
ono did I wake you?
i'm so sorry i didnt mean to wake you!
ʕ ಡ ﹏ ಡ ʔ
Yuuri blinked at his screen. Well.
[6:19] Me:
that's… fine
what's up?
Vicchan whined at his feet and he bent down to pick him up in his arms, before heading to the kitchen to make some much needed coffee. No use in going back to sleep now, thank you.
Phichit wandered into the kitchen, barefoot and with the legs of his pants stuck on his calf on one side. One hand tried to stifle his yawn, while the other scratched randomly at his bedridden hair. Sleepy eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of his roommate making coffee though, despite how it was most likely the rich scent that even cheap coffee shared into the room that got him stumbling here in the first place.
"Why are you of all people up?"
He should have been at least a little offended at the dig about his sleeping habits, if only he hadn't been the one to growl, whine and on occasion, yell at Phichit for waking him. A pillow may have been thrown once. Or twice. Phichit was the victim of Yuuri's inability to morning like a normal person and he had every right in the world to tease him for it.
"I hate my job," he mumbled instead, just as his phone chimed again. Great way to prove his point, Viktor.
[6:32] Viktor:
oh I was just. wondering.
if you were serious about your offer to take me sightseeing?
i AM new here after all
八(＾□＾*)
Phichit peered at his phone curiously, biting his lip to stop from laughing at what he saw. "Dude, is it that Viktor? Bad Luck Reincarnated guy?"
"Phichit! We don't know if that's the problem yet," he reprimanded, shaking his head at both his friend and the man at the other side of his text conversation. "But yes. It's that Viktor. What do I even tell him?"
"Take him sightseeing," Phichit shrugged, offering him a grin at the glare he was given. "Well, you're the one who offered."
Which, okay, was fair. Besides, this was a job he had promised himself he would do- no, most importantly, he had promised Makkachin he would do and he couldn't back down now. Tour guide it is. At least this time he would actually show up invited.
[6:41] Me:
Maybe
But you're buying me coffee since you woke me up
[6:42] Viktor:
(*ﾟOﾟ*)
deal!
Yuuri blushed at his forwardness but all in all he was satisfied with how this conversation had gone. When Phichit started snickering however, he knew he must have done something wrong.
"You do realize," he eventually said. "that Viktor probably didn't mean right now but you assumed so anyway?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake…"
They had settled for meeting about an hour later and Yuuri hadn't dared to ask if Viktor had originally meant to meet up in the afternoon instead. It took about one glare and a firm "you're taking the dog," from his sister to convince him she wasn't messing around. Viktor did have Makkachin of course, but if push came to shove then the Guardian would always prioritize her human and he doubted it was him Mari was concerned about.
Not that he'd ever let Vicchan get in the way of harm.
And that's how he ended up with a small poodle at his side, jumping around his feet, excited to be walked but his favorite human once again. Yuuri laughed at the sight and Vicchan woofed happily to join him. The little Guardian's presence eased his mind about the stressful situation he was going to be in. Viktor was nice enough but this was a job, this was a job, he had to remind himself so he wouldn't freak out about it- but what if Viktor wasn't nice though? Or they had nothing to talk about and it turned awkward? He couldn't let the man die because Yuuri couldn't hold a conversation!
Vicchan whined, nudging him with his muzzle. Right. Easing his mind. He could do this. Two puppies believed in him.
He tried to keep said puppies in mind with an odd kind of desperation when his eyes landed on Viktor, leaning against the wall of the coffee place where they had first met. A deep red, thin sweater fitted him in all the right places, the silver of his windswept hair and the black of his tight pants contrasting it beautifully.
Apparently appearance was the only part of his life that his bad luck hadn't affected.
Maybe he was so unspeakably unlucky as Yuri had claimed, because the luck he was entitled to had been spent solely on creating… well, this.
It was a hypothesis worth investigating. For purely research reasons. Job. Right.
A steadying breath later, Yuuri called out to him. "Viktor!"
It came out louder than expected and he had to swallow back whatever his mouth wanted to awkwardly stammer in means of an apology. Instead, he gave a shy little wave, ignoring the heat gathering rapidly to his cheeks.
A smile graced Viktor's lips the second he heard his name and he turned to greet him, blue eyes roaming over him, shifting to the ground and-
Yuuri looked on, horrified for a second, as Viktor's smile faltered, brows furrowing in an expression of- was he sad? Was that sad? Why?
"Yuuri," Viktor gasped, not blinking once he came closer, seemingly in a daze.
Yuuri looked around, trying to sense any sort of danger that could have brought forth this reaction. "What is it? What?"
The distressed man was right in front of him now and Yuuri still couldn't tell what the issue was, what was wrong, how could he help, Viktor- Viktor bent down to-
Oh.
Oh.
"He's so small!"
You scared the crap out of me… he wanted to say, yet as he looked down at Viktor already holding a pleased looking Vicchan in his arms, he could only laugh softly at them both. Besides, seeing Vicchan lick at his face happily as Viktor tried and failed not to coo between his ecstatic giggles, was a comfort to Yuuri. Like Makkachin, his own poodle had great instincts and if he liked him enough to shower him with kisses the same way he would do to his owners then Viktor was okay by his books too.
All they needed to do now was save him.
"Yuuri, can I keep him?"
And stop him from kidnapping his pup.
"Please? He and Makkachin will get along so well!"
Yuuri raised a brow at him. "Oh, you're right. You should definitely hand over Makkachin then."
The offended mock gasp from the other had Yuuri laughing for far longer than he should have, all the way to them entering the coffee shop and placing their orders. Viktor still held the puppy in his arms, scratching him behind the ears with a dejected pout on his face that trembled into a reluctant smile every time Vicchan voiced his appreciation at the treatment.
"If you're done laughing at my general lack of foresight, what's his name?" he eventually asked, risking a look at Yuuri who had settled into a smile by then.
"Vicchan," the name rolled off his tongue with a fondness etched to it as though it was impossible to pronounce without the love and the warmth associated with it. The dog looked his way at what he thought was a call and Yuuri reached out to pet him, trying to ignore the way his arm brushed against Viktor's as he did so.
"Hi, Vicchan~" Viktor cooed and Yuuri cursed himself for blushing at the sight. "Ah, he's so cute! Does it mean anything?"
"I'm sorry?"
"The name? Does it mean anything?"
"Oh," Yuuri paused, wondering if there was a good way to explain how Guardians' names came to be. There wasn't a choice involved, not truly- at least not when witches were involved. You just… knew. And they knew, too. There was supposed to be a reason for each name, something meaningful, something that may make sense in the future, or perhaps you'd never understand it yourself, but there was always something that led you to it. Yuuri had taken one good look into the spirit's ink black eyes full of love and his lips had moved on their own to form the name. The puppy let out an adorable, faint little howl as if in agreement and Yuuri had tried to ignore the look of utter bewilderment on his sister's face for peeking a foreign name, because they may have called him Vicchan but his name was-
"Viktor," he gasped. Lips remained parted into a silent o, his gaze shifted between the two, mind blank, uncomprehending. Viktor was frowning at him, no doubt alarmed by the sudden change in demeanor, but Vicchan-Viktor was looking at the human holding him, eyes sparkling, utterly pleased with himself.
"Yes? Yuuri, are you okay?" He held on to the puppy tighter with one hand to use the other to reach out to him, yet hesitated just before touching him. "Yuuri?"
There was always a reason for Guardian names, when it was the witches who named them.
Something that would make sense in the future.
"Yuuri!" Viktor did end up grabbing his arm after all, when his silence had stretched too long not to be worrying. It worked well enough to startle him into speaking again.
"I'm sorry! I-I am so sorry, I got distracted! I just remembered something, I-"
The frown on his face deepened considerably, though his worry had shifted into something else. "Do you want to- Would you like to take a rain check? If you're not feeling well?"
Oh, great. Did he make him feel uncomfortable? Did it look like he didn't want to be here? He didn't want to, not that much, at least not at first, but it wasn't actually half as bad as he thought it would be. Viktor was nice, Vicchan liked him, he still had a job to do damn it. That said, there was no way he was just going to tell Viktor that apparently his dog was named after him because of reasons he couldn't even begin to understand, much less explain to someone else. Of course, there was still the chance that he knew of his own dog's magical capabilities, though the longer he remained in the man's presence the less he believed it to be so.
"No, n-no! Sorry, I didn't mean- Uh-" Yuuri stammered, shaking his head a little too prominently. "Something's on my mind, that's all. I'd like for us to-to continue our…" Um. "… to continue this. If- if you'd like, that is."
Viktor beamed.
[12:30] Phichit:
yuuri
yuuuuuriii~
you gonna be done by lunch?
[12:32] Phichit:
are you going to abandon me with your sister
who i still am NOT convinced doesnt want to murder me
(ノロ`)ノ
[12:35] Me:
i'm sure if she wanted to kill you she would have done so already ;)
[12:37] Phichit:
ヽ(Д´)ノ (д´ノ) ヽ()ノ (ヽ) ヽ(´`)ﾉ
"Everything all right?" Viktor asked, as Yuuri placed his phone back in his pocket.
They were at the edge of the lake yet again, a simple alternative to the promised tour Viktor had suggested as soon as Yuuri's wide eyed expression silently clued him in on how he hadn't actually spent any time planning on where he was going to take him, even if he had been the one who suggested the outing in the first place.
Truth was, Yuuri spent way too much time being concerned over going out with Viktor to spare a thought to what they were going to do when they got to that part.
So here they were, pen and a wretched old notebook in hand, jotting down all the places they could possibly go to. It was better like this, in a way. At least by getting the man's opinion on it, he could pick what he liked and Yuuri would have one less thing to worry about. Or, that was how it was supposed to go, in theory, until Viktor decided to be unreasonable about the whole thing.
"I don't have a preference!" he grinned when asked, oblivious to his tour guide's ever growing frustration. "I want to know what you like about this town, Yuuri."
Which… Okay, it was kind of sweet.
But also totally inconvenient.
"There has to be something you want to do," he insisted, pressing the tip of his pen into the paper hard enough for the ink to stain a couple of pages behind it. "Just one thing? To start with? To… geographically locate me somewhere at least?" He was all but pleading by the end and Viktor just smiled at him, shrugging. That jerk.
Before he could try again though, the other sighed, index finger placed on his lips as he thought. "Well, how about we start with this? What is your favorite place in this town?" Viktor turned to him, blue eyes sparkling against the stray rays of sunlight peeking through the trees around them. "Where do you find yourself gravitating towards, Yuuri?" And there something about the way his name rolled off his tongue, the u elongated, the r's thick with an accent that somehow complimented his name in a way it shouldn't, that Yuuri couldn't be mad at him for that question, only answer as sincerely as he could.
With a soft laugh and an uncertain smile tugging at lips gaping half a second before, "That doesn't help much," he sighed, the frustration leaving his body with that one deep exhale.
Viktor tilted his head, disappointed. "Why not?"
Finally, he broke their eye contact with some difficulty, his own gaze shifting instead to roam freely at the area around them. The ice of the lake sparkled under the sunlight, little diamonds trapped in its cold surface, waiting for the rare few months where water took the place of the frost and the sun was finally allowed to shed some warmth to the life beneath.
"Because we're already here."
Viktor's expression slackened for a moment, the oh silent but implied, before he let out a content exhale, joining his companion in admiring the view. "That's good…" he mused, tone lighter, more tender than it had been so far. "I like this place… There's something… different about it."
Yuuri turned back to look at him. Viktor was leaning back against his palms, head tilted lazily to the side as he looked over at the lake. A half smile graced his features, the epitome of casual contentment. "Different how?"
He laughed once, short but genuine. "Don't mock me for it."
"I'd never."
When that piercing gaze of his was directed his way, radiating a confidence you couldn't have guessed by his previous request, Yuuri froze under the intensity of it, long before the words even registered in his mind.
"I could have sworn, it feels like magic."
A/N: Vicchan deserves all the love he can get, okay?
I wanted to include the entirety of their 'not-date' but the wordcount would kind of skyrocket, so expect the rest of it in the next chapter!
Hope you liked it, don't forget to leave a comment before you go!
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