Flowers Fall (viktuuri AU)

Chapter 8- ...and Party Plans

Victor clumsily fiddled with his apartment keys, softly cursing under his breath when he'd picked the wrong one for the umptieth time. It was already getting late and Katherine would be getting home in less than an hour, and he had until then to make everything perfect . The lock finally gave in and he gently pushed the door with his elbow, promptly dropping the bags he was carrying. He was immediately greeted by two large masses of pure fluff, joyfully barking and yapping as they climbed onto his legs.

"Awe, hello, boys," he chuckled, engulfing the dogs in a big hug. "I missed you too." he said, before locking the door and discarding his shoes. The pets seemingly had enough of their owner, because they quickly left him for their own endeavours, like napping.

Victor then began rummaging for decorations. His every action was swift and automatic. He had no thoughts in his head, his mind was completely blank.

In a matter of twenty minutes, he'd managed to decorate nearly the entirety of the living room. Colourful fairy lights hung on the walls, accompanied with some loose flowers. Balloons lay on the floor around the furniture or float in the air. He then retrieved a mannequin and placed it in a corner. He carefully dressed it with the now physical version of Katherine's dress, making sure not to leave any folds or pieces of lint.

It was perfect, or almost.

One thing was missing. The flower pot. Victor had managed to take good care of the lilies for the few days leading up to Katherine's birthday. He had also done a moderately good job at hiding it. They rarely use their balcony, so it seemed like an awfully good spot for something so large. He cautiously lifted it and placed it on the coffee table, brushing off any loose leaves. Now , it was perfect.

He plopped down on his couch and let out a large sigh. He was more exhausted than usual, not seeming to be in the mood for any kind of festivities. What was wrong with him today? Everything was fine just a few hours ago, so what was it that made him feel so drained?

He still had a good thirty minutes before Katherine came home. What could he do until then? Cooking supper was an option, and he sure was a decent cook, but his every attempt at lifting himself from the couch bore no results. He sighed again and resolved to order pizza. After all, who didn't like pizza?

As he ended his call with the local pizzeria, his gaze fell over to Yuuri's business card sticking out of his wallet. He examined it another time. It was beautifully designed with filaments of flowers and falling petals. In the middle was written the name of the store, as well as the contact information just beneath. He stared at the numbers for a minute or so, wondering whether or not he should contact Yuuri. They did exchange numbers for business purposes only, but would it hurt just to have a friendly chat?

Probably not, right?

He carefully began typing, taking his time to pick words.

Good evening, Yuuri. This is Victor speaking. I hope that you wouldn't mind having a conversation unrelated to busi|

"God damn, I sound like I have a stick up my ass..." Victor muttered and quickly got rid of the terrible text message. He sighed and started again.

Victor Nikiforov: Hello! This is Victor. I hope you don't mind me texting you :)

"This sounds...acceptable." he mumbled and hit 'send'. He stared at the blank screen, his heartbeat slowly picking up its pace as seconds stretched into minutes. What if he didn't want to talk to him? Maybe it was a mistake?

His train of thoughts got interrupted by the swift ringing of the notification bell.

Yuuri Katsuki: Hey, Victor! Of course I don't mind talking to you. What's up?