"Who ez this pig?" a thick accented voice yelled out as Viktor slipped away from Yuri.
Chuckling the man spoke in his native language. Yuri had no idea what he said. The boy, for he couldn't be more than a young teen, looked over the two of them. His narrow nose rose up in a disgusted expression. He spoke to Viktor in their language. After a bit of an exchange, the blond teen shouted out.
"How dare he! We cannot have the same name!" he cried incredulously. Viktor laughed.
"Well, dear, there you have it." He spread his hand to indicate the tantruming teen.
"You must change your name." Viktor was fighting to not laugh outright.
"Why? I'm older!" Yuri insisted.
"Zes, but I can skate!" the teen snorted.
"So can I!" Yuri insisted.
"It's just been awhile." He muttered.
"Enough!" another man appeared..
He was short, balding and looked extremely like a grumpy garden gnome. He walked down the steps to reach the ice. His hooded eyes darting between the two skaters.
"Get your toy off of the ice. Yuri needs to practice. You know he has his debut in another month!" the man ordered Viktor.
"Ya, ya, Yakov!" Viktor waved his hand dismissively at the old man and teen.
He took Yuri's hand to pull him to the side of the rink. Leaning over he reached the blade guards easily. He held them out to Yuri. The dark haired man slipped them over his skate blades. Viktor leaned against the divider wall. He smiled at Yuri as if he was the most tantalizing thing on the menu. Just how was Yuri not to fall for this?
It was an act. All an act! Yuri intoned in his head. It was an hour later. Viktor had told Yuri to go, since practice was private. He had insisted they would see each other for diner. Yuri's departure was highlighted by Yakov yelling that Viktor was in training. Once more the sliver haired devil simply waved the coach off.
Yuri went to work. Today he was suppose to go get shots of the latest JPop crazed group that was striking up the charts. He knew he could have sold any shots for a lot of money. He sighed. Well, good thing he had Viktor to fall back on!. Smiling to himself, Yuri went to the small office space he rented in town.
It wasn't large at all, in fact his apartment was bigger. There was a large glass window, a wall divided it between Yuri's space and the martial arts dojo next door. Yuri's name was printed in a simple design denoting him as a photographer. He unlocked the door.
Walking in, he was in the largest room. It was six feet by ten. He had a small waiting area with two chairs, an end table and a magazine rack that held a portfolio of his works. Across from this sat a receptionist desk. There was a divider that separated this from his own desk/ workspace. Then in the back was a closet sized storage area, where Yuri kept the cleaning supplies and a few props he owned. Next to it was the same closet style half bath room. There was one more door on the other side of the hall in between these two. It was four feet squared.
Here was where Yuri took some of his pictures. It had a staged area and his equipment. Sometimes he would just black out the front window, using screens and lighting, take pictures in the main area of his office. This he only did if it was a large group. Which was very rare.
It was rare that he had clients come here for their photos to be taken. Most of his work was in the field. Yuri hung his coat up, still filling his head with his own mantra. It was all an act! He checked his messages. There were a few clients, a couple debt collectors and his sister had called, laughed then insisted she hit the wrong number and would call his cell phone.
He took notes of each call. Spending the morning calling his clients back. He arranged for two appointments. The client would come in to discuss what they wanted, where they wanted and stuff like that. The other two wanted him to come to them, see the venue they were going to get married at, that sort of thing. Yuri arranged all of this.
Just before noon, he was finishing updating his calendar, when the door chimed jingled. Yuri stepped around the divider. There stood the owner of the dojo next door. The man smiled broadly at Yuri.
"Ah, Yuri!" He called bowing slightly.
Yuri returned the greeting. They looked at each other, before Yuri asked what he could do for the other man.
"Ah, I was wondering if you could give me a price list for you photographing our next meet?" The man asked.
Yuri took him to his "office". They spent over forty five minutes discussing just what the dojo owner wanted and negotiating a suitable price. Coming to an agreement, they shook hands. The dojo owner insisted he would drop of the deposit before closing that day.
Yuri thanked him, but was a little upset with this. He hadn't wanted to spend the entire day in his office! Now he would be forced to. With a sigh, he put his coat on to go get lunch. There was a small Café a block and a half away. Yuri walked down to it.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket as he got in line to order. While at the office he hadn't checked his cell phone. Apparently Viktor was the needy type. He had texted Yuri after morning practice, then again after morning workout, then called when Yuri failed to respond to either. Then he started blowing up Yuri's phone. After about an hour of that, there was nothing.
Yuri had a pit form in his stomach. What had Viktor been upto for the last two hours. Yuri quickly responded that he was at his office taking care of his business. He sent this. Then said he was just out getting lunch now. He sent that as well.
There was nothing from Viktor. But, seeing his name in his phone, got Yuri thinking. If Viktor could use him for his family's money, why couldn't Yuri use Viktor for his business? He would ask the man when he saw him again.
Yuri tucked his phone away to order. Just as he was finishing up, an arm slipped around his waist. Viktor added to the order. Yuri gazed up at him amazed that he found him! He pulled his phone out. No response to his texts. He shot Viktor a look, but said nothing to him. The sliver skater paid for their meal.
"I was going too..." Yuri began.
Viktor picked up the tray, gently nudging Yuri with it. They sat at a table under dropping greenery in the front window of the shop. It was very beautiful here. Yuri realized. He starred at Viktor. Seeing him with the flowers around him, Yuri began to imagine the photo shoot he could do.
"Yuri, you're not listening to me!" Viktor whined.
"S, sorry. I was just amazed by how good you look with flowers." He muttered.
"I look good with everything!" Viktor winked. Yuri chuckled. It was technically true.
"Viktor, can I ask a favor?" Yuri began.
Viktor's hand covered Yuri's on the table. He ran his thumb along it. The touch was nice. Yuri looked down watching the long slender thumb make its trek along his hand.
"Anything." Viktor purred.
"Oh, um." Yuri shook himself.
"Can I use some of the shots I have of you to draw in business?" He asked.
Viktor sipped his drink. "Mmm, no!" he waved his chopsticks in the air.
Yuri felt his stomach drop. Why not? He was helping this guy after all! But of course Viktor was paying him. Maybe that was why. Too many times he was used for his star status. Yuri just nodded bowing his head he was about to apologize for asking.
"You can take better ones and use them though!" Viktor giggled like a school girl.
"Yuri, love, why would I refuse you such a simple request!" He laughed at the surprised look on Yuri's face.
"Thank you." Yuri giggled.
"What are you doing after lunch?" Viktor asked.
Yuri explained how he was going to have to stay at his office. Viktor clapped his hands over his empty plates.
"Perfect! Let me go get a few changes and we can do the photo shoot!" He cried.
Yuri smiled, happy at the delight in the man's face. He gave Viktor a card with his office address on it. Viktor giggled, pulling another one from his wallet. He set the two beside each other.
"Twins!" He cried with a delighted laugh.
Yuri was finding that he liked the sound of it. Viktor left, kissing Yuri on the cheek as he hurried into a waiting cab. There were several on lookers that looked startled by this. Yuri blushed as the cab whisked Viktor away. He went back to his office.
It wasn't long before the door chimes jingled again. Viktor strolled in with two assistants. Each had their arms loaded down with garment bags, shoe boxes and who knows what else.
"How quaint!" Viktor cried stripping his sunglasses off.
His icy blue eyes took in the simple room.
"I love it, but you should get some plants."
He insisted. Yuri chuckled stating he was considering it after seeing Viktor surrounded by the ones at the café.
"How about a tour." Yuri offered. He turned around.
"This is the waiting room." He pointed to the single small desk that could be seen through the window.
"Yuuko sometimes helps out as my assistant/ secretary." He offered.
He showed Viktor his own desk, the bathroom, the storage room then finally the photo room. Viktor huffed as he glanced over to Yuri.
"What about changing room? Or do I just do that before you?" He smiled seductively as he sashayed up to Yuri. Yuri tried to laugh as the heat rose to his face.
"Oh, um well you could, um use the bathroom..." He pointed.
"Too small!" Viktor wrinkled his nose.
"Then, uh you could use this while I step out." Yuri offered.
"Mmmm, no. You're my boyfriend now! You can see me change." Viktor kissed Yuri making the shorter man's face turn a deeper red.
The afternoon turned out to be a lot of fun. Yuri had laughed more than he had ever done before. He also scheduled, yelled at became more frustrated than he had ever been before. Viktor knew how to pull out his deepest emotions.
By the time the dojo owner gave him the deposit, right before five, Yuri was alone. He had been reviewing the pictures of Viktor. One stood out to him. He printed it off, he was going to make an enlargement of it to hang in his office window.