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gabzjones · 4 years

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Teach Me

This is another ficlet from the universe for my @yoidreadfulzine fic. There are going to be a lot I can’t help it. This is actually set right after the fic which is in the zine, so if you want some context, want to know how these two met, want to know what drove Yuuri to this point, you’ll have to check out the zine. Preorders are open now ;D

“Yuuri…?”

With knees pulled to his chest, Yuuri sat in the middle of his bed, tear tracks staining his cheeks. They’d taken everything. The few things Yuuri truly cared about had been torn apart. He was living in fear, knowing that at any moment, they were going to come for him, they were going to kill him because of their own delusions. Yuuri couldn’t prove he wasn’t what they said he was. Humans were horrible creatures. That was the only thing Yuuri could be certain of. He wished he wasn’t one of them, wished he had no connection to them. Yuuri didn’t think he was a monster, and he certainly didn’t want to be one, but being human felt like being a monster after all the pain and suffering they had put him through.

Victor sat in front of Yuuri on the bed, resting his chin on Yuuri’s knee as he watched him curiously, “Talk to me.”

“What…” Yuuri’s voice was barely a whisper, “What do you want me to say?”

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Victor shifted himself closer, brushing a hand along Yuuri’s arm, “I need to understand where your head’s at.”

“I want to hurt them,” Yuuri murmured, staring down at his knees, “I… I want them to hurt like they hurt me.”

“Yuuri—”

“I don’t want them to be able to hurt anyone else.” Yuuri finally glanced up at Victor, “Help me.”

“Oh, my Yuuri…” Victor moved to sit beside Yuuri on the bed, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him to his chest. Victor had always been oddly comforting. It was at that point that he’d realised just how badly he needed Victor, no matter how dangerous he might have been. Yuuri rested his head against Victor’s chest, closing his eyes and listening to his voice, “I promise I will make them pay for everything they’ve done to you.”

“I want to help.” Yuuri insisted.

“I know, darling, but you can’t,” Victor’s fingers combed gently through Yuuri’s hair, every touch so gentle and soothing.

“Why not?” Yuuri sniffled, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Because you’re human. You can’t hurt them like I can,” Victor reached for Yuuri’s hand, placing his own over top of it and letting their fingers thread together, “I’ll keep you safe and I will bleed them all dry. I promise.”

“You said you’d teach me,” Yuuri pointed out.

“I know,” Victor sighed, resting his head against Yuuri’s, “But, you know what you’re asking me to do.”

“Take away my humanity,” There was desperation in Yuuri’s voice as he turned in Victor’s arms. Victor was the only person he knew who wasn’t… human. He was the only link Yuuri had, and though he didn’t know much about vampires, he’d heard plenty of things about humans being turned with a bite. If there was even the slightest chance, he wanted to take it. He wanted to stay with Victor forever, to strip himself of that link to the monsters who had always hurt him before. Yuuri gripped the front of Victor’s shirt in his hands, “I don’t want to be like them.”

“I… It’s not that I don’t want to. Believe me, I’ve thought about taking you away from this since the day I was created,” Victor sighed, looking away. Yuuri had never seen Victor looking so uncertain before. He brushed a hand delicately along the ridges of Yuuri’s spine, “But, I need it to be for the right reasons.”

“What do you mean?”

Victor smiled fondly, dipping his fingers beneath Yuuri’s shirt and resting his hand at the small of his back, “You gave me life. All I have ever felt for you is love. This… intense desire to protect you, to see you smile, to spend my long life at your side,” Victor’s free hand took Yuuri’s, pressing a kiss to his palm, “My darling Yuuri… I would tear the world apart for you. But, I can’t condemn you to an eternity of life if you only want it for this one moment in time. If this is just… anger, hatred… that’s not enough. They’ll all die whether you’re human or not. So, you can’t base a decision like this on revenge.”

“You’re beautiful,” Yuuri spoke before he could stop himself.

Victor chuckled, “What?”

“I was scared when I first saw you. And then… curious. And then excited,” Yuuri looked down at Victor’s chest, watching as his finger traced circles, “I wait for the nights I get to spend with you. You’re the only one in the world who has ever listened to me and understood me, and accepted me for who I am. You’re so… weird and funny, and charming. And my heart… it goes so fast when you’re around.”

“I know,” Victor laughed, resting their heads together and cupping Yuuri’s face in his hands, “Such a cruel heart, tempting me.”

“You’re the one that does that to it,” Yuuri tangled his fingers in Victor’s hair, “It’s not just revenge. You’re the only one who understands me. I don’t… I don’t want to lose you. Spending eternity together… that sounds nice.”

Yuuri knew what Victor was asking, that Victor was putting his heart on the line and telling him exactly how he felt. Yuuri would be lying if he said he never thought about Victor in a romantic way. Victor was everything Yuuri wanted. Every moment they spent together was filled with temptation, with the thought of what Victor’s lips tasted like, of what it would be like if Yuuri simply gave into his desires and let himself be happy. He’d always stopped himself. He’d always told himself that it was too dangerous, that giving into Victor would be the final straw, the one thing that would change him forever. But, Yuuri didn’t care anymore. He wanted to be changed. He wanted to be happy. After so long trying to be quiet and stay to himself, was it so wrong for him to let himself be happy? To let himself become something else? To tear apart every monstrous human and fall into Victor’s embrace?

Victor closed the gap between them, chuckling against Yuuri’s lips, “Your heartbeat… It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.”

“I want you to,” Yuuri murmured, pressing Victor back against the bed as he followed his lips, sighing contently as he stole kiss after kiss.

“You want to give me forever?” There was a teasing lilt to Victor’s voice, taking Yuuri’s lip between his teeth and tugging gently.

“Of course.” Yuuri pressed a kiss to Victor’s jaw. It was like a dam had broken. He wanted to touch, to kiss, to feel out every inch of Victor’s body now that he was allowed. Victor was still something he had to learn about. Yuuri wanted to memorise every curve.

“Even after we’ve finished with them all?” Victor’s gloved fingers dragged into Yuuri’s hair, tilting his head to give him more room.

Yuuri gently nipped Victor’s skin, speaking softly, “This isn’t my home. I never felt safe here,” He admitted, “It’s only when you’re here. You’re… you’re my home.”

Victor went quiet, going still beneath Yuuri and suddenly a new kind of fear washed over him. Was that the wrong thing to say? Was he being too honest, too needy? The last thing Yuuri wanted was to push Victor away, the only person he had in his life, the only person he truly cared about. Yuuri yelped as Victor suddenly flipped them, pinning Yuuri to the bed. Victor’s hands ran along Yuuri’s arms, pinning down his wrists. Yuuri’s heart raced, a mix of anticipation and excitement running through him.

Victor nuzzled against Yuuri’s neck, taking a deep breath and sighing happily, “Hm you know, if I bite you, that makes you my responsibility.”

Yuuri’s teeth dug into his lip, tilting his head to give Victor more room. All he could think about was Victor, how easy it would be for Victor to sink his teeth into his neck and just do it, to drink his blood and take away his humanity. They’d talked about it before. Victor had said so many times before that he wanted to taste him.

“That tempting heartbeat…” Victor sighed, “You’d taste so good…”

“Do it,” Yuuri whined.

“I’ll take care of you,” Victor promised, peppering kisses along Yuuri’s neck as he spoke, “You’ll always feel loved and protected. I’ll teach you how to bleed them… how to hunt them… my sweet Yuuri.”

#yuri on ice #victor nikiforov #yuuri katsuki #victuuri #vampire au #mine

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gabzjones · 4 years

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Mask Removal

Here’s another short fic written in the same universe as my piece for @yoidreadfulzine! Pre-orders are on sale right now so be sure to order yours!

It was the first time Yuuri had opened his front door with the intention of inviting Victor into his home. Yuuri didn’t want to admit how lonely he was, the fact that his vampire pumpkin was the only person in his life who actually wanted to be around him. It was still strange and Yuuri still didn’t quite understand him, but he couldn’t deny how intrigued he was. This was all his fault and in a way, he felt responsible for Victor. Yuuri opened the door to the sight of his familiar pumpkin looking a little worse for wear. The rough orange flesh was beginning to peel away and Yuuri could see pale skin peeking out from beneath. The blue flames behind the empty crevices for eyes actually had eyes behind them, silver lashes fluttering as he looked at Yuuri with utter adoration.

“You um… you can come in.” Yuuri stepped aside, looking down at the floor.

The visits had become more and more frequent, though Yuuri hadn’t seen Victor’s pumpkin head looking that broken before. It seemed the process, whatever it was, had finally reached it’s last few stages. At least, that was what Yuuri assumed. He still had so much to learn about vampires. Victor was such a mix of things the books said and things he’d never heard of before. It was the first time Victor had visited and actually come into Yuuri’s home. He idly wondered if Victor needed to be invited in, but it didn’t make much sense. He hadn’t specifically asked if he could come inside. Then again, Yuuri felt instinctively willing to let Victor enter his home.

Yuuri watched tentatively as Victor slowly walked through his home. He’d never felt self conscious about his home until that moment. Suddenly he wanted to impress. He wanted Victor to want to come back. But, whatever Victor thought, he said nothing.

Instead, Victor turned back to Yuuri, smiling sweetly, “Darling Yuuri, would you help me clean this up?”

Yuuri didn’t know exactly how he had been planning to spend his evening, but cleaning away the pumpkin flesh on Victor’s face was not at the top of his list. Still, he couldn’t deny how curious he was. If it was really time for the pumpkin to be removed, Yuuri would finally be able to see Victor’s face beneath. He didn’t know what to expect. He didn’t know what vampires actually looked like. Did they look just like humans? Would Victor look like something else entirely? Would he have obvious fangs? Strange markings on his skin? It was a mystery Yuuri was excited to uncover.

“Get comfortable, I’ll heat up some water,” Yuuri smiled shyly as he turned away, heading straight to the kitchen to sit a pot of water on the stove. Victor was already pretty in his own ways. As pretty as someone with a pumpkin for a head could be. Especially when that pumpkin was beginning to tear away and looked worse for wear. Despite the mess that it had become, Victor still wore his pristine suit. He still had pretty tufts of silver hair escaping from the orange skin. His shoulders were broad, he was tall and he looked to be in good shape. But, Yuuri wanted to be able to see his face, to be able to match all the features that made up the vampire he’d grown so dangerously fond of.

Yuuri made sure the water was just comfortably warm before taking it off the stove, grabbing a hand towel and dunking it in. When he turned back from the stove, Victor was nowhere to be seen. Yuuri had expected Victor to have found a seat in the living room, or maybe even to have settled himself at the small kitchen table, but instead, his home was empty. Frowning, Yuuri carefully carried the pot as he searched, eventually finding Victor lounging comfortably on the bed.

Yuuri raised an eyebrow, “Did I say you could use my bedroom?”

“You didn’t say I couldn’t. Besides, this is the easiest way you can get close to me,” Victor’s grin was bright and beautiful, the orange flesh peeling around the crinkles at the corners of his eyes, “Do you need me to take my shirt off?”

Yuuri blushed, looking down at the pot in his hands. If Victor asked, he’d say he was focused on keeping his hands steady and that it had nothing to do with the thought of Victor stripping in the middle of his bed. Once Yuuri had settled the pot on the nightstand, he sat beside Victor on the bed, chewing his lip nervously, “Where… where should I start?”

“The back half should be the easiest,” Victor admitted, reaching behind his head to the bulbous back half of the pumpkin.

He was right. The back half of the pumpkin was barely attached at all. It was only the very edges, the parts that reached the skin of Victor’s face that clung on. Yuuri wasn’t entirely sure about the best method. He could get a knife and carve out the bigger chunks of the pumpkin, but he wasn’t sure how deep in Victor’s head actually was and he didn’t want to injure him. Besides, would carving into the pumpkin flesh cause pain? It was part of him, after all. Or at least, it once was. A knife sounded too dangerous, but he couldn’t imagine pulling would be much better.

“It’s okay,” Victor chuckled, as if sensing Yuuri’s uncertainty, “Help me lift this section?”

Yuuri nodded hesitantly, shifting closer and carefully pulling at the back of the pumpkin. It seemed like such a bad idea. Yuuri imagined it like someone pulling roughly on his hair, but Victor didn’t react badly at all. The sound of the back half of the pumpkin tearing away from the flesh attached to the skin at Victor’s face sent a spark of fear through Yuuri. If it was going to hurt, that would be the moment. Instead, Victor reached out, resting a hand on Yuuri’s knee as if to reassure him. The large chunk of pumpkin tore away to reveal a full head of silver locks. Yuuri stared in awe. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was expecting, but it wasn’t the urge to run his fingers through that pretty hair. Yuuri placed the large piece beside the bed, starting what he assumed was going to be a pile of pumpkin pieces.

Victor looked at Yuuri, smiling sheepishly, “This is gonna suck.”

Yuuri chuckled, pressing a hand to Victor’s chest and pushing him gently to lay back on the bed. He wouldn’t admit that the bed was a good choice, that this was actually the perfect angle for their task. Yuuri did his best to ignore the way Victor was staring at him, instead focusing on the towel as he wrung out the excess water in the pot. When he turned back to Victor and saw those soft blue eyes watching him, Yuuri felt his stomach flip. Victor had an effect on him he still wasn’t sure of. He didn’t know what it meant. He didn’t know if he liked it. Before Yuuri could get too lost in his thoughts, he draped the warm towel over Victor’s face, obscuring his view.

Victor’s voice was muffled as he spoke, “I’m sorry you have to see me like this.”

“You probably think it’s worse than it is.” Yuuri carefully brushed the towel down, making sure it was pressed into Victor’s skin. His hope was that the damp warmth would soak in, making the shards of pumpkin easier to peel away, but Yuuri truly had no idea if it would work. He didn’t even know if they were doing something wrong. Maybe this was like cuts. Maybe Victor wasn’t supposed to pick at it. Maybe he was meant to simply wait for the pieces to fall away on their own. But, Victor seemed restless. He wanted to be… himself. And Yuuri really couldn’t blame him.

It was a few minutes of silence. Victor seemed to relax into the bed. Yuuri simply watched him curiously. With the towel over his face, he looked like any other person. Of course, Yuuri would never normally know anyone with such fancy clothing, but despite that, Victor was just like any other human when the pumpkin was hidden from view. Would it be that way when the pieces were removed? Would Victor just blend in? It was that curiosity that drove Yuuri to take the towel away and start working on peeling away the pieces and exposing Victor’s face.

Yuuri wasn’t sure where he wanted to start first. Eventually he decided on a piece just above Victor’s eye, carefully picking at the corner. Victor remained quiet and still until Yuuri had gotten a good grip on the corner. It was the moment Yuuri started peeling it away that Victor hissed in pain.

Yuuri laughed. He wasn’t sure how else to react. He was so close to Victor’s face, concentrating so hard on getting these pieces off, he swatted at Victor’s arm with his free hand as he giggled, “Don’t be such a baby.”

“It’s stuck to my eyebrow, it hurts!” Victor pouted.

“I have to pull it off,” Yuuri retorted, pulling again.

“I’m gonna lose my eyebrow,” Victor whined.

“You came here asking me to do this,” Yuuri smirked, tilting his head as he looked down into Victor’s eyes, “You want me to just leave it?”

“Yuuri!” Victor clenched his eyes shut, taking a deep breath, “Alright, alright. Just do it.”

Yuuri was less gentle than before as he tugged the rest of the piece off, wanting to get it done before Victor continued to protest. Yuuri laughed to himself as Victor cried out in pain, dropping the piece to the ground with the rest and reassuring him that he did still have an eyebrow when Victor began to panic. Yuuri brushed a finger along the now exposed eyebrow, confirming for himself that it was still very much in place. Victor’s skin was so smooth, so pale. The anticipation was killing him. Still so much to see, so many more little details about Victor’s face to uncover.

Piece after piece was slowly peeled away with Victor whining and protesting between each. It pinched, it pulled, but eventually, each piece cleanly came away from Victor’s skin. There were a few red marks left behind at first in places where Yuuri hadn’t been careful enough and had let the pumpkin flesh tug rougher than necessary, but it soon faded and with time, the pieces of pumpkin were all peeled away.

Yuuri handed Victor the damp towel, watching as he rubbed it over his face again. When he lowered the towel, Victor combed his fingers through his short silver hair, making sure it was sitting properly and looked back at Yuuri with a shy smile, “How do I look?”

To say Victor looked normal would be unfair. It was true that he looked like a human, that he didn’t look like a creature or a monster, but he was so much more than any human Yuuri had ever met before. His hair was like moonlight, and the few times Yuuri had gotten to touch it, it was silky soft. His eyelashes matched, silver and long, framing his beautiful eyes. His lips looked soft and inviting as they curved at the corners with his smile, and his jawline was strong. Victor looked human in all the traditional ways, but his beauty was beyond anything Yuuri had seen before.

Reaching out, Yuuri brushed his fingers along Victor’s cheek, feeling how smooth his pale skin was. Victor’s eyes fluttered, looking up at him through his lashes, “Your heart is racing.”

Yuuri looked away, trying to hide his blush, “O-Oh, sorry…”

“My Yuuri,” Victor reached out, resting a hand under Yuuri’s chin and tilting his head back to look into his eyes, “Do I look that bad?”

“No!” Yuuri never felt more vulnerable than when he was with Victor, and yet, he’d never felt more safe. Smiling shyly, Yuuri spoke under his breath, “You look stunning…”

#yoi #victuuri #victor nikiforov #yuuri katsuki #mine #vampire au

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gabzjones · 4 years

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What is it Like?

Hey guys! This is a ficlet written within the universe of my piece for the @yoidreadfulzine! I have a few more planned out, but I thought you’d like to get a glimpse into this world. Preorders open on July 25th, so keep an eye out!

***

“What is it like?” Yuuri found himself asking one day. He and Victor had spent the weeks getting to know each other as he grew, as the pumpkin flesh peeled away to reveal the stunning creature before him. They were laying under the stars in Yuuri’s front yard, and though Victor’s gaze was fixed on the shimmering night sky, Yuuri couldn’t take his eyes off Victor. The firm line of his jaw, the soft blue of his eyes, his long silver lashes.

So beautiful. So deadly.

“You really want to know?” Victor asked, turning to look back at Yuuri, the corner of his lip curling as he smirked, “I wouldn’t want to scare you away.”

“You haven’t scared me so far.” Yuuri pointed out, shifting his body closer. Their arms brushed. Yuuri fought the urge to take Victor’s hand, “What’s it like to feed from a human?”

Victor hummed thoughtfully, the steady rise and fall of his breaths making it so easy to forget that technically Victor was an undead creature. Yuuri had never known anyone more alive than him. Victor let out a content sigh, “Invigorating.”

Yuuri frowned, “That’s it?”

Keep reading

#rebloop #I'm really trying but you scare me tumblr

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gabzjones · 4 years

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What is it Like?

***

So beautiful. So deadly.

“You really want to know?” Victor asked, turning to look back at Yuuri, the corner of his lip curling as he smirked, “I wouldn’t want to scare you away.”

“You haven’t scared me so far.” Yuuri pointed out, shifting his body closer. Their arms brushed. Yuuri fought the urge to take Victor’s hand, “What’s it like to feed from a human?”

Yuuri frowned, “That’s it?”

“Oh, you want details?” Victor teased, “My sweet Yuuri, you don’t need to know the gory facts. I’ll kill them all for you. That’s all that matters.”

The pride bloomed in Yuuri’s chest in an instant. Victor could kill anyone. Victor could kill Yuuri. But instead, Victor had done his best to target the people who had wronged Yuuri. What had he done to deserve someone so loyal, so kind?

Yuuri’s fingers twitched at his side, brushing against the back of Victor’s gloved hand, “Do they struggle?”

“Not always.” Victor shrugged, “I’ve been trying to get them in their sleep. There’s a reason they think it’s a sickness and not a creature.”

“But sometimes…”

“Sometimes, they wake up.” Victor confirmed, a smile spreading across his lips and Yuuri was mesmerised by the sparkle in his eyes as Victor went back to those moments in his mind, “That’s more fun. Pinning them down, keeping them quiet. It’s funny, the moment I sink my teeth in, humans always seem to freeze up. No more screams. No more writhing. They just… give in.” Victor turned to look at Yuuri, reaching out and running the back of his hand along his cheek, “My darling Yuuri… I think you would fight, wouldn’t you? So stubborn.”

Yuuri blushed, looking away, “What does it taste like?”

“It varies,” Victor hummed softly, looking back at the stars, “I don’t always like it. Sometimes it tastes like a bitter medicine and I have to tell myself to drink it all down, that it’ll make me stronger. Other times…” Victor sighed contently, “Mm other times, it’s so rich, the flavours are so similar but so different from person to person.”

“What do you think I’d taste like?” The words left Yuuri’s lips before he could stop them.

He didn’t dare look away from the stars, afraid of what Victor was thinking, afraid he’d pushed too far. Victor had asked him so many times if Yuuri was trying to tempt him, and he wasn’t. He really wasn’t. But, the thought did cross his mind. What would it be like for Victor to bleed him dry? Would Victor enjoy it more than every other person he’d fed on, or would Yuuri be just like the rest? Was there a reason beyond some sense of obligation keeping Victor from feeding on him? Or was Victor just not interested in how Yuuri would taste?

Yuuri felt a strong arm loop around his waist, and suddenly Victor was right there, in his space, hovering over him with such an intense look in his eyes, “Why do you tempt me, Yuuri? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“It’s hypothetical,” Yuuri let out a shaky breath, steadying his nerves and clutching the front of Victor’s coat between his fingers, desperate to maintain that closeness, “What do you think I’d taste like?”

Victor buried his face in Yuuri’s neck, taking a deep breath, “Mm I can imagine it. Like bitter chocolate mixed with sweet berries.”

“W-What?” Yuuri frowned, tilting his head to give Victor better access to his neck.

“Your skin would be bittersweet. Like chocolate,” Victor pressed a delicate kiss to the crook of Yuuri’s neck as if to prove his point. Yuuri only felt fear and excitement spark through him, “But biting down, your blood would be so sweet. It would compliment that bitter taste.”

Yuuri was preparing for Victor to bite down, to emphasise his point like he had with that kiss. Instead, he pressed another kiss below Yuuri’s ear, tongue flitting against his skin for the briefest of moments before he pulled away, looking into Yuuri’s eyes, “I would want to savour you.”

Yuuri blushed, biting his lip, “Why haven’t you done it yet?”

Victor smiled, taking Yuuri’s hand and pressing a kiss against his palm, “Because you’re too important to me.”

#yoi #yuri on ice #victuuri #victor nikiforov #katsuki yuuri #mine

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gabzjones · 4 years

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I suck at being active on social media

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gabzjones · 5 years

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I shared with instagram but it f..... up the presentation so here we go again

It’s time to reveal the art I’ve made to accompany @gabzjones fic for the Victuuri angst bang !

 I love Red cuffs of fate so much, I wanted to illustrate so many scenes, but I only had time for one and chose this one from today’s new chapter

Read the whole fic on ao3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21206000/chapters/50482862

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gabzjones · 5 years

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The collab with @cerisebio-art continues today with the masquerade ball!

Title: Red Cuffs of Fate Rating: E Chapters: 3/11 Summary: Just one touch is all it takes to find your soulmate. That first brush of skin on skin contact leaves a stain, marks embedded in the skin. They call it fate. Fate bringing you to the person you are meant to be with. Katsuki Yuuri never believed in fate. And if fate really was real, then it was crueller than Yuuri could have ever anticipated. It was his first job as detective; hunting down the ever elusive Mercury, a thief who got his kicks from simply getting away with the crime. Yuuri had gotten close. Really close. And then he noticed the mark of the soulmate bond on his hand.

But, fate wasn't real and Yuuri could resist Mercury's advances no matter how charming and sweet he was... right?

***

It should’ve been obvious. Looking back on it, Yuuri wasn’t sure how he hadn’t thought of it before. The annual Cialdini ball was the perfect target for Mercury’s antics. It was an event that came around every year, one that brought together the richest members of the public for one evening. That meant that Mercury would have his pick of prizes in that building. It would be tricky. There would be plenty of security, but that hadn’t deterred Mercury in the past. There was just one problem. This year, it was a masquerade ball.

Mercury was going to be able to hide in plain sight. His mask would only help him blend in. Besides, that suit did make him seem like he’d come straight from a ball. He was going to be harder to find, and harder to catch. But, this was Yuuri’s chance. It was a chance to put an end to this quickly. Yuuri had officers scattered throughout the building, hidden as guests for the party.

Cialdini had been surprisingly accommodating. Yuuri was expecting to have to fight for this opportunity, but the moment he’d explained the situation to Cialdini, he’d offered to help before Yuuri had even begun to explain the plan. The only stipulation was to at least attempt to do this quietly. Yuuri could understand that. Cialdini’s annual balls were an important business opportunity, a chance to make business relationships. It made sense that he didn’t want to leave his guests with a bad impression.

Yuuri had been standing in the corner of a room filled with people far above his station for hours. He watched as they laughed over expensive wine and made small talk, occasionally exchanging business cards. As the time went by, some of the people would split off, moving to the center of the room to dance. Yuuri stayed quiet, vigilant as he watched, waiting to see something he recognised, but he hadn’t caught sight of Mercury. The wine flute in his hand had been for nothing but show. Yuuri knew what he was like with a few drinks in his system. Not now. No matter how bad his nerves were, he couldn’t afford to drink.