I’m going to be stuck in airports and planes for 14 hours so here we go! Writing this on my phone on Tumblr. Let’s make this Halloween-themed. Ya’ll can send requests/prompts and I’ll happily add them into this story — let’s see how wild things get.
There’s a split second during which Viktor questions exactly what he’s doing, but it’s short-lived — or it feels short-lived to him. Makkachin runs ahead, sniffing around the overgrown bushes around the perimeter of the house. Christophe slams the car door behind him and pulls down his sunglasses to examine the house. Viktor bought it on a whim, with the ice and snow of winter covering up the most insulting aspects of the facade with such charm than Viktor had pictured himself sitting on the porch and holding mason jars with tea while he watched Makkachin tumble into small hills of white. “Cute, you said,” Chris reminds him, “quaint, you called it. Viktor, this is none of those things.”
Viktor has to admit Christophe is right. He doesn’t even know where to begin. But Viktor has now retired and paid stupidly for a rundown house. He rubs at his temples, “it’s totally what I wanted.” He’s lying. “A fixer-upper. That’s what this is. Just wait. It’s going to be super cute by the time I’m through with it.”
Christophe has the decency not to comment on Viktor’s inability to even clean his drains appropriately. In the distance, Makkachin comes back running at full speed, running straight into Viktor’s legs to knock him off kilter and onto the ground. She whines, searching for his hands.
“You think she saw a rat?” Chris asks, pursing his lips.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her act like that before?” he whispers, sitting to rub behind his dog’s ears soothingly. He presses a kiss to her forehead. “It’s okay girl.”
“Well, that settles it, doesn’t it? You can’t stay here.”
Viktor chuckles, “don’t be silly. She’s fine. And I’ll be fine, too. Come on. Let’s get the bags out of the car and then I’ll show you the lake. The inside was also a lot better than the outside, at least that’s how I remember it.”
Chris frowns, “if you say so…”
The inside isn’t much better. Viktor is floored as they open the door to cobwebs and dust bunnies. “At least there’s furniture?” Viktor tries, biting his bottom lip. After a moment, he sighs. “I didn’t remember it was this bad. I swear it was so cute and pretty when I stayed here. The guy that owned it —“
“Yuuri, yes, you mentioned him all season. I’m sure he was very pretty, Viktor.” Chris arches an eyebrow, watching as the poodle stands desperately by the door, sniffing for an exit, “okay, so Makkachin and I are going to my hotel room. And then we’re calling a lawyer. You got scammed, my friend.”
“I saw this place, though. I offered to buy it. It’s not like I can claim I didn’t know it needed some fixing.”
“I admit, when you showed me the picture, it was just as bad, only with snow and you looking the happiest I’ve ever seen you,” Chris admits. “But based on your face, I’d say the guy sold the place, then trashed it.”
“He wouldn’t,” Viktor pouts, walking over to the dining room table. Sturdy wood. He reaches for an enveloped addressed to him. He lifts it for Chris with a smile. “Welcome home present?”
“No one knows you’re here except me,” Chris reminds him. “What’s it say?”
“Its a thank you card. From Hiroko and Toshiya Katsuki. They’re thanking me for buying their son’s home from them, but they also…” He frowns, slipping the card back into an envelope. “They said Yuuri was…”
“That’s nice. Let’s take that as evidence.”
Viktor is already typing wildly on his phone when Makkachin whines at the door. A knock makes Christophe jump, but he recovers quickly, opening the door.
“Can I help you?”
Viktor follows quickly, looking over Chris’ shoulder to find Yuuri, the former owner of the home, standing just outside the door with a bright smile. He lifts a toolbox, “hi, I just wanted to give you a welcome home present.”
Ready for a little more? I’ll keep adding if you’re all into it:
Yuuri leaves around night time, once the sun has fully set. Viktor doesn’t see a car out for him and panics a little, asking to reconsider and, “stay the night, if you want. We have plenty of rooms!”
“Or I can take you somewhere,” Chris hums.
“Chris,” Viktor pouts. “You’re still not staying here, even after all the work Yuuri and I put into the guest room?”
“No, no, it’s fine. My bike is just hidden by the bushes. Thank you for letting me intrude on you here,” Yuuri bows, walking back towards the door.
“So polite,” Chris smiles.
“Okay, well, come visit again soon,” Viktor asks, just a little breathless. He makes a beeline for the door, leaning against the door frame to wave Yuuri goodbye. When he closes the door, he turns to find Chris leaning forward.
“So,” Chris gives him a wolffish grin.
“So,” Viktor repeats, face flushed as he heads straight for the kitchen. “Want some tea?”
“No. But I’ll take some wine,” Chris responds. He looks at his nails as he says, “you fucked him. That’s why you were so happy being here. You slept with the former owner of this little bed and breakfast, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Viktor gulps hard, unpacking a few mugs. “I can’t find the glasses, so we’re drinking off these.”
“He’s cute,” Chris tells him.
“Yuuri is… sweet,” Viktor says. “And yes, he’s handsome.”
“I said cute.”
“Did you?” Viktor pretends he’s disinterested in the conversation. “Onto a more important matter: The little card I got? – I think he might have been trying to play a little Halloween trick on me. Probably thought I’d faint on seeing him.”
“Why would you? The sex wasn’t that good was it?”
“Better,” Viktor says, finally admitting to it as he pops open a bottle of champagne. “Can’t find the right bottle. We’re drinking this. Found the orange juice if you want mimosas.”
“I knew it! I could tell from the way you were looking at his forearms when he was hanging that frame in the guest room. Mimosas sound great. Guess I’m staying the night now that you’ve offered me a drink like a good host.”
“The card claimed he had passed on. Like, the parents were grateful I’d bought the house because they didn’t think anyone would, given the history it has, so this was giving them closure,” Viktor shrugged, returning with two mugs. He hands one mug to Chris.
Chris frowns, “that’s some Halloween joke.”
“Right?” Viktor laughs it off nervously. “It threw me off kilter for a minute, but you saw Yuuri. He looks perfectly healthy!”
“And he’s cute,” Chris adds.
“And he’s got the best rhythm I’ve ever seen,” Viktor tells Chris pointedly. “Anyway. I think he was embarrassed about it. But I’m glad he stopped by.”
“Cheers to that,” Chris reaches to clink mugs. “If you’re happy, I’m happy for you. Especially now that that happiness makes some sort of sense.”
Viktor flushes pink, rolling his eyes. He calls for Makkachin to sit down by his feet.
wabi sabi 