Viktor silently made his way down a newly paved sidewalk. He had just recently moved to a new town, out of the Hollywood spotlight and paparazzi mobs. He has a career in fashion design, and is world renowned for his interesting tastes and combinations. Hollywood has no idea where he moved to, and he is grateful for that.
The town that he moved to had it's own crazy style. Cobblestone streets on one side, freshly paved streets on the other. He knew he would like this place and what it had to offer, though he has no idea where he's going.
The silver haired male stumbled into a small coffee shop. It was just after a lunch break, so the only people who were here were students, most likely catching up on their assignments and studying. Wooden walls, low lamps, and hanging plants gave it a warm and cozy atmosphere. In the back hanging on the wall where three chalkboards, presenting the menu and what it had to offer in white calligraphy.
Light struck off of something shiny, it's ray striking Viktor in his left eye. He looked in its direction and saw a man with pitch black hair cleaning off an espresso machine. The man made his way over slowly and smiled. "Umm.. Excuse me?" Viktor asked softly. The other jumped, glancing at him with a blush of embarrassment. "D-do you need something sir?" He asked, dropping the cloth and making his way over. He had blue glasses, dark chocolate eyes and a well-rounded face that made him look young and innocent.
Viktor chuckled softly, pushing his fringe out of the way of his left eye. "Actually, I need one of two things. First, I would like a drink." "Alright. What kind of drink?" The man asked, fingers wrapping around a pencil next to the register. "That's the problem. I don't know what to get. What would you recommend?" Viktor questioned, watching the other man. He watched him press the eraser to his cheek, one eyebrow raising as the other creased. "All of the drinks here are pretty great, but the one everyone likes is the raspberry iced tea. Especially during the summer." He said softly. "Alright. I'll have that. Medium please." Viktor smiled, his mouth forming a small shape, similar to that of a heart. His eyes scanned the other man down, his eyes falling on his name tag.
Yuuri
That name was commonly used back in his native country. He had a cousin with the exact same name, though personality wise he wasn't the same.
"Oh yeah." Yuuri spoke, glancing at Viktor. "What was the second thing you needed?" Viktor blinked and smiled sheepishly. "I'm new to this town and have no clue where I'm going. Could you..show me around?" He didn't want to sound too forward, so he hesitated with the final part of his question. Yuuri smiled, tugging at the baby blue apron that was a part of his uniform. "Sure I'd love to." Viktor smiled back, his heart fluttering at how beautiful the smile was on Yuuri's face.
"By the way, your total is four dollars and thirty-eight cents."
Yuuri's shift was cut short when his mother stopped by. She was a cute little woman, her skin tone was much darker than her son's, but she had the same smile and eyes. She even offered Viktor to have dinner with them, but Viktor declined the offer when he saw the embarrassed look on Yuuri's face.
Maybe someday he'll have dinner with them.
He also learned that the Katsuki's (Hiroko introduced herself formally, as well as Yuuri) own said coffee shop he stumbled across. It's name was Yutopia, an interesting name Viktor thought.
"..and down this street is the train station. We've got some people who use it to travel to the city, which is a good 15 minute ride from here. Most of the people who live here are big business owners, but what blows my mind is that people with all this money would rather live here in a small home than somewhere else with a large home." Yuuri said, eyes furrowing in confusion. "That's the stereotypical way of living, Yuuri. There are some people don't like living in big spaces. It could only be them and no one else." Viktor hummed, eyes flickering down at Yuuri. The smaller male sighed softly. "You do have a point." The two men crossed the street, Viktor's eyes flickering around at all of the different sights.
"This is the town's park. There are cherry blossom trees everywhere, and it's really pretty when they all bloom in the spring time." Yuuri hummed as he looked around. "Guess I moved here at a good time." The Russian chuckled. Yuuri smiled, nodding at Viktor's response. "The trees will be blooming in at least two weeks." "How do you know when they bloom?" Viktor asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Well.." Yuuri started, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt. "My family's roots are from Japan and God only knows when this started, even my parents don't know when it started. But, each year, my family members have always predicted when the cherry blossoms would bloom and they've never once been wrong." Viktor's eyes widened, his face lighting up. "Wow Yuuri! That's amazing!" Yuuri blushed slightly and smiled up at him. "I should be moving into my apartment by then." The silver haired man spoke, slipping his scarf off and folding it. "Where are you staying at the moment?" "My friend Chris comes here whenever he has to model, so I'm staying at his place with him." Yuuri's mouth opened slightly, his chocolate eyes widening ever so slightly as he stopped walking. His breath caught in his throat and he looked up at the other man.
"What's your job?"
Viktor looked at him, his sky blue eyes locking with Yuuri's darker ones. His expression was panicked, Viktor couldn't understand why.
"I'm a world known fashion designer. Do not tell anyone. The press doesn't know I'm living here."
"Why don't you want them to know?" Yuuri asked softly, unconsciously fixing his hair. "I want to live my life in peace. I don't want to have to look out my window and see people standing there with their cameras." Viktor said softly. It was the honest truth. Two years ago, he rose to fame because of the designs he released at the New York Fashion Week. He got the chance to go to Paris and work with prestigious designers for a short while, before moving back to the states. All was great until more private pictures of himself began to surface on the Internet. Viktor grew frustrated, and left in the middle of the night.
Yuuri nodded, glancing down at the ground. "I get it. I wouldn't want strangers prying into my private life. Just thinking about it makes me upset and sick to my stomach. Anyways, your job sounds interesting. It must be fun designing outfits, and traveling around the world. I've only ever travelled once to Japan, but that's when I was little so I don't remember much." Viktor smiled and glanced down at Yuuri with a soft expression. "If you want, I can show you some of my designs. 'F course you'll have to wait a bit, as almost all of my things are still in storage." Yuuri giggled, looking up at Viktor. "I'd love to, thanks."
The two continued to walk around town, an awkward silence hanging among them for most of the journey. Yuuri engaged in small talk here and there about the town's hotspots, but that was about it. They were on their way back to the coffee shop now, the sky colored in a lavender and azure ombré. Street lights gave a soft, orange glow and a car or two would pass by every few minutes.
Viktor broke the silence between them, like a knife through butter.
"Yuuri, what do you do?"
Yuuri quirked an eyebrow, glancing back at the Russian male with a confused expression. "Umm..what do you mean? Like what I do for a living?" "Yes. What else do you do? I know you're a barista at a coffee shop." Viktor said softly. "Well.. I'm a university student and I'm going for my master's in psychology. I took this semester off to help my family with their businesses, and to get some money into my pockets. So far, it's been working." Yuuri smiled, slowly stopping out front of his family's coffee shop. Viktor smiled, grabbing ahold of the door handle. "That's amazing Yuuri. You'll be a great psychologist, even though you don't look like one." The younger male flinched at his words, his mind busying himself with all of the life choices his ever made. He wondered if all of them were poor choices and if he should just hide under a rock for the rest of his life.
"Wh-what do you mean I don't look like one?" He stuttered, ears and face flushing scarlet. Viktor looked at him and chuckled. "Have you ever looked at someone and thought of what career would suit them?" Yuuri shook his head, glasses slowly sliding down his nose. "When I look at you, I picture you more as a teacher. For younger kids." The Russian laughed, lifting his hand and pressing his finger to his lips. Yuuri rolled his eyes and shook his head as a small smile formed on his face. "Believe it or not, I can't stand little kids. They ask so many questions, and poke at your insecurities in innocent ways, and you're forced to pretty much deal with it. Well..at least that's what I deal with."
Viktor gave him a puzzled look, eyeing Yuuri down again for the thousandth time today. There was no ring on his finger, so he couldn't be married. Maybe he was engaged? Or maybe he ended up taking it up a notch one night with a lover and they ended up carrying his child.
"Kids are funny that way." Viktor laughed. "I've had that happen to me a few times, but I don't mind it. Back to the subject at hand. What do you think I look like?" Yuuri looked at Viktor, biting his lip in concentration. "You..look like a lawyer..and a model."
The last part was a thought that slipped out.
"Aww Yuuri you're so sweet!" Viktor beamed, his mouth forming a small heart. "Umm.. You're welcome." Yuuri didn't know how to respond. He didn't mean for that compliment to slip his tongue and meet the chilly air of dusk. Recently, his thoughts have been breaking free of the cage known as his mind, sneaking out unnoticed and surprising those who meant most to him. His dear friend Phichit told him that was the best thing for him, that he can't keep hiding his thoughts and opinions forever.
'You're welcome.' Was all that he could muster.
Viktor just smiled, arm yanking on the door handle. It wouldn't move. Raising an eyebrow in confusion.
Yuuri just smirked, holding the key up between his forefinger and thumb.
Both men stumbled inside. The coffee shop was dimly lit, still warm from when they departed late in the afternoon. Viktor spoke up. "I should probably get going. It's late, and if people were to pass by, they'd be oddly suspicious, since it's after closing." "Yeah. I had fun today, showing you around." Yuuri walked behind the counter, watching Viktor. The Russian smiled, heading towards the door. He grabbed the handle, looking at the smaller man with a soft expression. "Me too. Thank you so much, Yuuri. I hope to see you again soon." He walked out the door and down the sidewalk, Yuuri's response sitting on his tongue.
When Viktor returned home, actually to Chris' house, he shut the front door and sighed as he leaned against it. His feet were sore and he was physically exhausted from all of the walking and running he did with the barista from the coffee shop. A warm softness brushed against his hand, and he looked down to meet the eyes of his brown poodle. He knelt down, hiding his hands in the thick, dusty fur of his four-legged companion, receiving happy kisses on his cheek. Viktor hid his face in his dog's soft fur , sighing tiredly, his eyes fluttering shut. "I'm home, Makkachin." He murmured, getting a loud bark in response. The sound of padded feet grew louder as Viktor stood, and he turned in its direction. Chris leaned against the couch, rounded glasses sitting on his nose, a wine colored robe hugging his body. He flashed his friend a small smile. "Your home late." Viktor laughed lightly at the teasing in his voice. "I'm sorry. I got caught up in sightseeing and multiple conversations." He made his way into the kitchen, and opened the fridge, grabbing one of the bottles of water. "With who?" Chris asked, following him into the kitchen. "Yuuri Katsuki. He's a barista at one of the coffee shops here." Viktor spoke quietly, looking his friend in the eyes as he took a long sip of his water.
"What does he look like?"
Viktor bit his lip, eyebrows furrowing. He knew exactly what Yuuri looked like. Chris was reading him at the moment, for anything out of Viktor's character. "Well.." Viktor began. "He's a few inches shorter than the two of us. Black hair, brown eyes, half Japanese, pale skin, and he wears blue glasses." His friend chuckled, crossing one leg over the other. "Is he cute?" He asked.
Viktor nodded absentmindedly.
"This isn't like you. Not one bit." Chris sang, playfulness laced in it. "What?" The Russian was confused. What exactly was he talking about? His friend laughed, walking off into the other room. "You should start paying attention to yourself, mon amie. Bon soir." And with that, he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.
Viktor placed his elbows on the island of the kitchen, burying his face in his hands. He groaned loudly. Chris did have a point. He has no idea what's going on and it's practically eating him from the inside out. He really needs to start paying attention.
The next morning, Viktor was out of his bed faster than the speed of light. He had completely forgotten about thanking Yuuri for the amazing drink he had yesterday. The man has a thing for critiquing other people and objects; he's used to it because of his job.
Sprinting down the sidewalk, he dodged past numerous people, who eyed him down suspiciously as he blew past them. His throat burned every time he brought air into his lungs, and cooled every time he gave back the air. Why was he rushing? He had no clue. It's not like he had to be anywhere. He reached his destination, legs and lungs robbed of energy and air as he stumbled in. The coffee shop had just opened, thank god. He didn't make a fool of himself.
The man he wanted to see burst into the room, eyes wide, but then softening when he saw Viktor. "What are you doing here?" Yuuri asked as he stood behind the counter. "I wanted to thank you." Viktor spoke, making his way over. "But you already did." Yuuri was confused, putting on his apron. "Not about the tour." The Russian sighed, leaning against the counter. "About the drink. It tasted amazing. I've never had anything like it."
Yuuri just laughed.
Now it was Viktor's turn to be confused. "Did I do something stupid?" He cocked his head to the side. Yuuri wiped his eyes, recovering from his laughing fit. "I've never had a customer tell me that before. Oh and, the drink is pretty uncommon. Not many places have it." His eyes flickered up, meeting Viktor's and holding them in a stare. "Clearly." Viktor smirked, staring back into the brown warmness of the barista's eyes.
The door flew open, and both men were pulled out of one another's gaze. In the doorway stood another man. His hair was jet black, skin coated caramel, his eyes big and sweet. He panted heavily, eyes sparkling in the early morning sun. His mouth opened, and a huge grin was plastered on his face.
"Yuuri!"
[A/N: Hey guys! Long time no see. A lot of things have changed in my life recently, and a lot of things have been going on, so I apologize for not updating fics as often. I hope this can make it up to you. I posted this one my AO3 account a few months ago, and I would love for you to check it out, as I will be posting more content over there. My username is aurinon ]