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“Uuuuuuugh it’s so boring!”
Viktor bemoans as he looks through the castle window. It is pouring rain.
“There’s nothing to do around here but sit around and feel our lives being taken away by the evil concept called time!”
“It’s only been five minutes Viktor.”
Viktor looks at the grandfather clock on the other side of the room.
It has only been five minutes.
And twenty-seven seconds.
“Well, yeah but it’s been five loooooong minutes!”
Yuuri is sitting in a reading chair in the corner of the library, right beside the window Viktor is currently moping on, reading a book about the history of their land or something. He’s just in it for the pictures. The room is illuminated by candles hanging from the chandeliers and stands in the library. The book Yuuri is reading is slightly frosted from where he is holding the book due to his subconscious magic usage.
“Yuuri,” Viktor comes down from the window towards Yuuri, who seems to be quite immersed in the book. (There was a picture of a dragon on the page so he’s trying to find dragons in the story.) “how can you just sit around doing nothing when we can go outside and have an adventure!” Viktor displays a triumphant pose.
Thunder and lightning crashes through the window, making both children jump.
It’s raining, Viktor, and my mother doesn’t like for us to play outside in the rain for us to track mud in the castle, or worse, get sick.”
“Don’t you mean she’s afraid that you might get a, cold?” Viktor puts on one of his goofy grins. Yuuri groans, he wishes he had a tomato to throw at him right now. But Viktor’s little joke makes him put on a smile from behind his book anyway.
“Anyway,” Viktor moves from the window, tired from looking at the gloomy setting for so long. (Seven minutes and thirty-two seconds, Viktor counts.) “I got wet,” Viktor gestures to his moist and, a little muddy, clothes. “and I feel fine! I play in the rain all the time by my house and my parents don’t mind. I’m immune to the elements!” Viktor makes a striking pose.
Viktor sneezes. Yuuri giggles behind his book.
Viktor pouted, “Yuuriiiii, can’t we at least play knights and dragons in the hall? You can be the icy-breathing dragon again!” Viktor dislikes the boring setting of the library. Plus, it smells of old paper in here.
“No Viktor, don’t you remember last time we played that game?” Viktor tries not to crack a laugh at the memory.
He failed.
Yuuri groans, “Viktor it’s not funny!”
Viktor can’t help that he finds it hilarious.
It was a valiant battle that day, sadly a casualty also occurred.
It was a funny casualty though. He remembers the face of the shocked servant when she turned the corner and saw the hall turned into a winter wonderland. (A winter of terror, she described.) She was carrying a plate of lunch for them when she suddenly slipped on an ice patch, creating a horrible scene mid-battle. Her screaming was what caused the king and queen to be alerted into the hall. It was quite a scene.
Yuuri winced at the memory. He had never heard his mother speak so sternly to him before, even when his ice magic was at fault. The servant quit the next day. Since then there were no more sword fighting or using his magic carelessly in the castle.
Viktor’s laughter died down when he sees the sad expression on Yuuri’s face. He then thinks up something to save Yuuri’s feelings from eternal sadness.
“Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself about that, I mean it wasn’t your fault that she didn’t look where she was going.” Viktor puts his hand on his shoulder.
Yuuri puts on a slight smile, appreciative of his friend’s comfort, but he still feels guilty. After all, it wasn’t the first time his magical ability has hurt or frightened someone. He was careless.
“Yuuri,” Viktor said, snapping him out of his thoughts. “are you okay?”
Yuuri really doesn’t want to bore Viktor with his self-pity. But, knowing Viktor he will just be even more worried.
“It’s just that, that incident was not the first time that I scared someone with my magic and I’m afraid that one day I will really hurt someone. I’m dreading that day.”
“Yuuri, a day like that will never happen. You won’t hurt anyone.”
Yuuri’s happy face hasn’t come back yet. Time for drastic measures. Viktor wants to show Yuuri that he’s not an evil witch or monster that people say he is!
“Hey Yuuri, watch this.”
Yuuri looks at Viktor with curiosity, who then reaches for a ladder and climbs to the highest bookshelf.
“Viktor… What are you doing? Come down!” Yuuri exclaims, feeling a mixture of confusion and fear.
“If you say so!” Viktor shouted before jumping off.
“Stop!” Yuuri yelled, reaching his hand toward the direction of Viktor on impulse, his ice magic shooting from his palms towards the bookshelf manifesting a snowy slide in which Viktor safely lands and slides to the ground.
Yuuri breathes heavily, heart beating a hundred miles a minute, while Viktor just lays there and laughs as if he just saw a funny prank.
“That was fun! Let’s d-”
“NO!”
Viktor jumps at Yuuri’s exclamation, something so out of character from the shy boy.
“Yuuri, what’s-”
“Why did you do that? Do you know how dangerous that was? Y-you could’ve g-gotten hurt o-or worse!”
Yuuri started to sob heavily, tears streaming down his face.
Uh oh.
“Yuuri, it’s oka- “
“No it’s not! Something really bad could’ve happened, a-and it would’ve been all m-my fault!”
Light snow starts to fall from above the library, and ice starts to form on the floor where Yuuri sits.
Viktor starts to walk closer to Yuuri, slowly, trying to comfort the boy.
“But Yuuri, you caught me, I’m fine, see?”
“But what if I didn’t? What if I didn’t catch you an-and you got hurt really badly? I don’t want you to die, I don’t want to be alone again, I don’t want it!”
Viktor’s chest starts to tighten and guilt forms in his stomach. He didn’t mean for Yuuri to be so upset, he just wanted to show him that his magic does not hurt people, that he’s not the type to intentionally hurt innocent people. He just wanted to show him how much of a gift his magic was.
Viktor slowly makes his way closer to Yuuri, almost slipping where Yuuri sits as ice started to cover the floor. He slowly reaches toward him and, seeing him not turn away, puts him in a gentle embrace.
“I’m so sorry Yuuri, I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I just wanted to take your mind off the bad stuff that happened, I hate to see you so sad so please don’t cry. See,” Viktor gestures at himself. “I’m fine. In fact, you saved me like I knew you would. I trust you, Yuuri. And I care about you a lot so please don’t be sad anymore.” Viktor continues to hold him for a few moments until Yuuri stops trembling.
The snowfall stops and the ice melts away. Viktor feels warm in contrast to Yuuri’s icy cold surrounding him.
It feels nice.
A few moments had passed since they separated and Yuuri went back to his book and Viktor sitting next to him, looking out the window from a distance. Still raining pretty heavily.
“I didn’t really like her anyway.”
Viktor is surprised by the sudden start in conversation but welcomes it since he hates the awkward silence between them because of the whole… Thing earlier.
“Really?”
“Yeah, she wasn’t really that nice to me about my magic and sees it as a curse that should be forcibly drawn out from me. By any means necessary.”
Viktor is shocked. Yuuri never told him this! Viktor makes a mental note that the next time he sees her…
“Viktor, you will not exact revenge on her to protect my honor.”
Oh. Well he’ll save it for next time then. Maybe when he’s older. Viktor looks at the grandfather clock. It’s starting to get late.
“Well,” Viktor gets up from the chair. “it doesn’t look like this dastardly rainage will end soon. Do you think their majesties would mind if I stay overnight?”
“Viktor, of course they won’t mind, they wouldn’t just throw you out into the rain just like that.”
“Well, then I guess I need to borrow one your nightshirts.” Viktor’s clothes have dried but are still dirty. Yuuri makes a note to let his servants wash it.
“Would it even fit you?”
Viktor gives an offended look. “How rude! To think, the prince of the entire land be so cruel and arrogant to his own friend, a humble peasant boy such as myself? Oh, Yuuri you hurt me so.”
Yuuri sighs at his friend’s emotional performance but finds it amusing. He’s always been one to be theatric about things he’s passionate about. “I obviously meant that it may not fit you because you are a just a little taller than me and so it may not fit well.”
Viktor is still laying down on the rug dramatically.
“Then how about we go to my room and look in my clothes chest and see what fits you?” Yuuri doesn’t really care what Viktor wears, so long as he doesn’t sleep in the nude. He might catch a cold if he keeps doing that.
Viktor’s eyes brighten at the idea. “And can you show me the thing that you do with the rain?” The ‘thing’ meaning make snow.
Yuuri likes the idea, sounds more fun than just laying around in the library, anyway.
“Okay!"
Viktor springs to life from the floor, takes Yuuri’s hand and races out of the library, into the hallway.