PAIRING: OTAYURI (OTABEK ALTIN X YURI PLISETSKY)
VALENTINES SPECIAL 2/?
***
that night, otabek went out of his home and walked through the empty town, carefully and silently. he made his way inside the castle with ease. he was so used to it by now, given as how many times he had been sneaking inside the castle. he knew the place like the back of his hand, going through the same hallways to the garden where he'd meet yuri, the prince he had taken care of for three days, that prince who went by the name of alice, living as a normal person despite the royalty in his blood. otabek's face flushed red as the image of him kissing the prince resurfaced in his mind. that was a very unexpected thing to do, not even otabek realized what he had done.
and so, he finally reached their meeting place, and as usual, yuri was sitting on a chair, hands gripping on a cup of tea, green eyes gaing up at the sky and reflecting the stars with a dim glow. it made the man smile. he was perfect, whether or not he is a man. "good evening, yuri." otabek's voice made the prince turn to look behind, and the sight of him brought ease to yuri.
"ah, i see you're once again successful." yuri smiled and beckoned otabek to join him for a cup of tea, to which otabek just complied with. "i was getting impatient and i almost concluded that you won't be coming over tonight. you seemed busy with your work recently."
oh, so that was why yuri didn't invite him over during the past few days. "so that's why you don't invite me." otabek nodded in understanding and looked up at the sky, "i hope you realize that i will do anything for you."
"i know that very well," yuri replied and sipped the contents in his cup of tea, before setting it gently on its saucer, "but i do not want you to overwork yourself, you might put yourself in trouble."
"don't worry so much." the other took hold of yuri's pale yet soft hands, and gave it a light squeeze, "there's nothing to worry about, i'll be fine." and there, otabek placed a gentle kiss on it, causing a red tint across yuri's cheeks.
the two of them talked for a little more, about things that did not include futures, and marriages, and other things that yuri wouldn't want to talk about. they laughed at each other, joked with each other, and enjoyed each other's company. and at some point, they ran out of topics to discuss about or to laugh about, and they were left with a veru comfortable silence, that one yuri never had when he was with the maiden he was supposed to marry.
"the stars are bright tonight, even with the moon dimming out their light." otabek spoke out of the blue, and yuri nodded, smiling ever so faintly. "i guess you are right," said the prince, who still never let go of otabek's hand. in that moment of silence, yuri was put back to the time he met the man. he fell in love and he knew it was wrong, yet the love felt so real, so warm, and so... right. it wasn't the kind of love he felt whenever he's with the maiden, the princess of the south. he felt the love and he knew that love fit him so much.
"i shall leave now." otabek stood up, "there are guards who go around and about the whole town, and if they were to run across me, i'd be in big trouble." yuri smiled at otabek sorrowfully, "i understand." said yuri, and he stood up as well.
holding yuri's soft hands, otabek leaned forward and closed the gap between their lips, giving the prince a passionate kiss, that one which yuri couldn't resist to melt into. it lasted for a short while, and that was the last thing they did before otabek turned his heels and walked away, leaving yuri with a smile on his face.
what they didn't know was that they were being watched.
a frown graced upon her lips with a tint of disgust gleaming in her eyes. this was unacceptable. what she witnessed was unacceptable-- unforgivable! a sin made by both men. it was a sin that even god wouldn't be able to forgive.
"why..."
***
the next morning, the first thing that yuri knew was that his father barged in his room with an aura filled with rage. as soon as his father spoke, yuri's mind went into gear and woke quickly. "you are a disgrace to this family!" said his father and yanked him out of his comfortable bed. "you were gone and you made us worry for three whole days, yuri. and this is what i hear after a week of your reappearance!? you, seeking a man and having a romantic relationship with him!?"
"father, i--" even if yuri tried to reason with his father, he remained unheard and voiceless as he was dragged out of his room, and out of the castle. seething with rage, his father sent him inside a carriage and what yuri heard from him made his heart pound hard and scared, "take him to the chamber and lock him there. he needed not to stay in this castle anymore for he has been a disgrace. and while you're at it," his father turned to his henchmen, "search for the man who he seeks with, and lock him up for punishment!"
before the carriage took off, yuri met gazes with the maiden, and he swore he saw a smile on her face.
***
"let go of me!" yuri yelled as he tried to get out of the guards' grasp on his arms, "i said: let go of me! i can go inside that cell alone, for heaven's sake! and i won't even try to get out!" with that, the guards were forced to let go of him, and he went inside the cell that had nothing but dried hay in it. "just so you know, i may be disgusting, but you all are such disgraces."
"oh, do not speak like that, my prince." his eyebrows furrowed as soon as he heard a feminine voice.
"you."
"i'm sorry, i didn't mean to tell father about it." she walked towards the cell and smiled down on yuri, "but i can't help but tell. it was interesting, really. and here i thought you'll soon be the king to rule this land."
"..." gritting his teeth, yuri knew he had nothing to argue. she saw the two of them that night, and it could either be an accident or on purpose that she watched them. after a two minute silence, she laughed and held both her hands, "what, cat got your tongue...
...brother?"
***
he had been in this place for who knows how long. he was hurting all over. wounds, bruises, everything hurt. even when he opened his eyes, he felt pain all over his body. he remembered his front door being bust open, and guards filing inside the room ssearching for him. and when they knew it was him, they tied his hands and dragged him to this hell chamber. what did he do?
"otabek, so that's your name." he heard one of the guards speak up in front of him, "you are captured and punished for engaging a sinful relationship with the prince."
his mind went awake and he saw yuri's image before him. "where is he!?" he asked, abruptly sitting up, causing his new and fresh wounds to make conact with the dried hay underneath him, but he discarded the pain. he had to know where yuri was.
"the prince is currently in a separate chamber." one said while sharpening the knife he was holding, "but that is not your business to interfere. we left behind an important appoinment because you passed out."
"appointment?" otabek's eyebrows furrowed as the guards neared him once again. he wished he could run away, but the ropes around his hands and feet restricted him from doing anything.
"yeah; appointment with hell."
***
"i hate this place." yuri said. he had been locked inside the chamber for weeks and even months. sure, he was being fed and taken care of, but it was dark and cold. and he wanted to get out, but couldn't find a way to do so. turning to the pieces of cloth on the other side of the cell, yuri remembered the times he was wearing a dress and how it hid his identity with success.
it gave him an idea.
not long after, the guards started to reappear to give yuri his daily meal when they saw a woman in the cell where the prince was supposed to be. yellow hair tied in a messy ponytail, and ragged clothes as dress, the woman woke up, "w-where am i...?" she asked with a quivering voice, "why... why am i here?" one of the guards walked to the cell and asked, "what are you doing here?"
"shouldn't i be asking you that, sir? i don't know where i am. where is this place?" she asked and looked around in panic, "this is bad, i am supposed to be home by now. my family--oh, my poor family is waiting for me. i have a brother unfed for days. i went to fetch some bread to the bakery when i was put out of my consciousness, and wound up in this... dark place. tell me, mister, where am i? i'm deeply worried for my brother."
without another thought, the guard took the key and unlocked the cell. yuri grinned deep inside as he stood up wearily, as if tired still. one of the guards took him in his arms, and that was when yuri had the chance. balling his hands into a fist, he swung it up with full force, knocking the guard with one forceful punch. the other nearly dropped the key and charged at the prince. yuri swiftly avoided the punches thrown at him and kicked him with enough force to send it tumbling down a few feet away from him. both guards were knocked out cold, and yuri knew it was the chance to escape.
he avoided all the hallways that he'll probably run into some guards. and whenever someone would see him, he'd pretend as the weary woman who wound up in the cell, then right after knocking them unconscious.
and at last, he caught a glimpse of sunlight.
***
otabek felt his lungs burning, and his muscles aching with great pain. he felt like he could die at any moment if their torture continues. groaning, he tried to open his eyes, and there he saw a figure wearing a white cloth tainted with dirt and dust, as well as blood. "otabek!" that was yuri's voice, and immediately, the footsteps drew near him.
yuri had tears brimming in the corner of his eyes. seeing otabek badly beaten and tortured-- he didn't deserve any of these. "oh my goodness, otabek, i--"
"...yuri." otabek's lips curved a pain-filled smile, "i'm... i'm so glad.. you're alright." and after that, otabek coughed up blood. yuri felt his heart broke to millions of pieces, he felt a dreaded feeling closing in him.
"no, otabek. i'm sorry, you don't deserve this." yuri said, carefully putting otabek's weak body in his arms, "i'm sorry... i'm really sorry..." and from there, the prince couldn't fight the tears anymore, causing salty droplets of water to fall down on the other's bruised cheeks. yuri repeated the apology over and over again. the pain was unbearable.
"yuri, listenn to me..." otabek spoke and gently put a hand on yuri's cheek, "i... i don't regret this. fighting for you until i'm in this dying situation... i just want you to know that i... have geniunely fallen in love with you, whether or not you are... alice."
yuri cried even more, his tears spilling down from his eyes, he knew the dreaded feeling was coming closer to him, as if creeping up behind him to give him the news he never wanted to hear.
"o-otabek..." yuri called, his voice quivering, "i'm sorry..."
"you need not to apologize." otabek's smile widened a little, but it was painful, and yuri knew it so well.
"we are punished and cursed because this is a sin against god." yuri spoke, "we are unforgivable, but they are also unforgivable for putting us through the hell we never deserved. otabek, promise me; promise me that we will meet again in another life, and in that second life of ours, we will be able to love each other without anyone going in our way."
"and even if we are separated..." otabek added, his life barely clinging onto consciousness, "i promise to look for you."
"i promise to look for you." yuri repeated. otabek felt at ease, and his vision blurred out. and he let darkness eat away his weakened life.
***
standing with all he could, he gazed down the people looking up at him. he smiled a mournful smile, didn't even care if he had such tattered and blood-stained clothes. "disgrace, huh?" he muttered and let his grip against the windowsill grew loose, sending him falling down to the ground.
he felt the hard ground hit him, and in an instant, his life faded away.