Work Text:
Cape fluttering behind him, Viktor smooths the non-existent creases on his robes as he tries to catch glimpses of the King of the Night without drawing attention to himself. Judging from the hiss his apprentice directs his way, he is not doing a very good job.
“Viktor, I need your help here otherwise I would have finished this up and left you to rot to your death ages ago!”, Yuri practically spits, brows furrowed in both anger and concentration as he tries his best to keep the sun’s rays from disappearing too early beyond the horizon.
Sighing, with a flick of his wrist, Viktor eases the burden on Yuri’s shoulders and turns from his pining to tie loose ends together for the East. Feeling a bit sorry for Yuri that day (the poor boy does have to sit through Viktor’s endless appraisals of his ‘colleague’ so to speak) he even tidies things up and arranges their tools for easy working at the West. Just in time, too, for both the King of the Night and the Lord of Dusk have made it to the boundaries of their workspace. The King of the Night notices Viktor’s gaze on him and blushes crimson, bowing his head in acknowledgement with a wisp of a smile. Clutching his heart, Viktor almost falls mid-swoon. Yuri, having had enough and eager to move to the West, tugs Viktor by the cape away from his obsession and likely cause of death, insults never failing to fall from his lips.
-x-
Yuuri watches as the King of Day turns, his fluttering robes adding to the very picture of grace that the latter personifies, and Yuuri sighs, wishing he could get closer.
Especially when the wind plays with the silver wisps of hair across his forehead, and all Yuuri feels then is the sudden urge to touch, to feel the King of Day beneath the pads of his fingertips.
Minami looks back and forth, between Yuuri and the King of Day and says, “Yuuri, I’m sure if you just spoke to him, it would help ease the pain a bit.”
“Kenjirou.” Yuuri’s voice becomes weary, for he has said this so many times to his young apprentice, it’s a wonder that his jaw has not fallen off from repeating the same sentence endlessly. “If we talk, we will want to touch. If we touch, it will pain. We aren’t supposed to co-exist on the same plane, it upsets the balance of the realm, which is so fragile in the first place.” He had managed to tear his eyes away from the King of Day to deliver the regular spiel to Minami, who just looked at him with a sadness a child of his age should not have been familiar with. Yuuri then tries to hold an idle chat with the latter as they wait for the King of Day and Lord of Dawn to wrap up their proceedings. He is unable to help himself from sneaking glances at the King of Day however, for it is ingrained in him from his days of training. The effortless grace that the King of Day exudes is breathtaking, even if he does seem a little distracted.
Yuuri knows the instant they have reached the edge of the workstation’s boundary, because the heat that rolls off of his skin just skirts the line of discomfort, even if it is a kind of warmth that Yuuri would let himself be engulfed by with open arms. He relishes the feel o the King of Day’s magic, even though he can feel the beginnings of rashes just waiting to break through his skin. There’s a distinctive quality in the air that simultaneously soothes and refreshes Yuuri anyhow, and not for the first time does he wish he were a denizen of the realm of Light instead, so as to be able to cherish the unique quality of the King of Day’s magic properly, to the extent it deserves.
He feels a prickling sensation on his side, and thinking it to be the Lord of Dawn’s irritated glare, Yuuri turns and is pleasantly surprised to find himself the recipient of a gaze from the King of Day instead.
The blush Yuuri is all too familiar with rises to the surface when he registers this, and to salvage any remaining dignity he might have, he respectfully inclines his head, feeling a lot more frazzled on the inside than he is sure his exterior displays. So lost is he in his good fortune of the day that he misses the King of Day’s departure, only realizing that it is time for work when Minami harshly tugs him to their workstation, beyond the boundary.
-x-
Viktor is grateful for days like these, when the Lords of Dawn and Dusk get to take a few days off from work. He never used to be, in fact, he used to envy them, mourning the loss of a good break when the mantle of Day had been passed on to him. However, now he could have the opportunity of talking to the King of the Night, whose beautiful shy smiles had taken over Viktor’s heart long before he had noticed his looks, the first on the day they were formally introduced during the previous King of the Night’s handover. He was ecstatic that he could finally converse with the King of the Night, without any interruptions.
Spying the King of the Night approaching, Viktor quickly readies his circle for the handover, adding the extra layers of spell-work required for the exchange to go smoothly. It was extra work for sure, and it would be a lie if Viktor said he didn’t miss Yura for both his skills and his presence, but the prospect of being able to touch the King of the Night’s hands washed away his fatigue and gave him a strength he was sure reflected in the shine of his light. As the latter nears the boundary, Viktor notices his face contorted in displeasure, and his own heart sinks with worry. He worries over the brightness of the realm, the possible fault in his spell-work, the fact that maybe something about working with Viktor alone might displeasure him. But all these worries are blown away when the King of the Night looks up on reaching the boundary, locks eyes with him, and smiles so strongly the creases on both their brows wipes away instantly.
“May I step inside?”
Viktor, if given the choice, would gladly listen to just the tune of the King of the Night’s voice forever. However, he has to deal with the fact that only intricate spells and woven circles can grant him a maximum of an hour’s worth of contact. Said King hovers at the border, waiting for Viktor’s approval. When he receives it in the form of a nod he doesn’t hesitate to reach him, something Viktor is thankful for on behalf of his aching, pining heart. Eyes of the Earth twinkle brighter than any star in the sky, as the King of the Night says, “Greetings, King of Day. How do you fare?”
Unable to contain his grin, Viktor beams, “Much better now that you are here, King of the Night.” As the ebony haired King ducks his head in something Viktor can only liken to embarrassment, he asks, “Would you prefer it if I called you by name? The title suits you so well though.”
An unintelligible squawk emerges from the King of the Night’s mouth, and Viktor spends some moments trying to process the novel sound. Just as he does, the King of the Night whispers, “Yuuri.”
Viktor blinks.
“I’d prefer to be called Yuuri, if you still wouldn’t mind.”, the King of the Night – no – Yuuri shyly adds.
“Pleasure is all mine, Yuuri!”, Viktor beams once more, which also seems to set Yuuri at ease, and they wordlessly start preparing for the transition from day to night. “And please, do call me Viktor.”
“Okay Viktor.”, Yuuri smiles once more, and as their fingers brush past each other’s, Viktor feels an explosion of warmth in his chest and he wants to chase the feeling for the rest of his life.
-x-
“Yuuuuri!!”
Yuuri looks up at Viktor’s call and returns the enthusiastic wave sent in his direction. Minami watches on with sparkles in his eyes, but before he can assure him that, ‘No nothing happened, we are just friends’, he feels something akin to the sensation of touch brush against his mind.
Yuuri, I found a way to empathically connect with you!
Looking up in surprise, he sees Viktor’s grin shine with such a vigour he feels it on his skin all the way to where he is, and he hasn’t even reached the edge of the boundary yet, a respectable distance lying in between him and the edge.
I cannot believe you’ve done something like this, Yuuri hesitantly tries to think.
Do you not like this? I guess it does become an invasion of privacy this way.
Oh no no no! Yuuri is so vehement in his protest that his hands automatically fly up. I’m really happy that you did! It’s just that the spell is so hard to do, let alone master. I can’t believe you’ve managed to do it in weeks!
Thank you Yuuri, you’re so kind. To be fair I have been tinkering with the spell for a few months now so it’s not as sudden as you think it is.
It is still quite impressive. Yuuri feels the turn of change in the atmosphere, Viktor’s signature prominent as always, woven in with the magic. And you’re doing it while working too!
It takes two to make a connection, Yuuri. Yuuri can feel the amusement in his tone. You’re adapting surprisingly well. It took Yu-the Lord of Dawn forever to even establish a stable connection. Yuuri feels slightly jealous of the Lord of Dawn, for he didn’t know the blessing he had for being able to stay by Viktor’s side all the time. Yuuri would be in his position in a heartbeat if he could.
Thank you, Viktor. I’m afraid you’re the one who’s too kind.
Viktor’s eyes crinkle with warmth, and Yuuri, who has taken his usual position by the edge of the boundary, feels the warmth in the depths of his lonely heart.
-x-
The days fly by and become weeks, and then months before Viktor realizes that no one in the domain of Light ever be able to hold his heart captive like Yuuri has. Despite this revelation, however, Viktor is aware that there is nothing much he can do about it, and so the daily routine continues. As soon as either he or Yuuri get close enough for Viktor’s mind to establish the connection, Yuuri strengthens it, making it easy for Viktor to have heated debates with Yuuri while either entertaining Yuri or maintaining the balance of light that touches all the realms. When it comes to the handover of duties, both Yuri and the Lord of Dusk hang back as far as they are able, giving Viktor and Yuuri a semblance of time alone.
It is during the quarterly breaks that both Lords take where both Kings truly enjoy each other’s company. A hug becomes a greeting and a farewell, and both constantly seek out for the other’s touch no matter what their task is at the time.
However, it is years before Viktor gets the courage to define the next step of their relationship, and it is only because of the burning intensity nestled in Yuuri’s eyes that he even decides to do so. Taking advantage of the spells he has placed, Viktor leans in and gives Yuuri a short, but sweet, kiss. Before he can pull back, however, Yuuri deepens it, and they spend a while just standing there, exploring each other’s mouths, before Viktor can feel an unnatural chill in his bones and feel cold pricks in his heart. Reluctantly pulling away, he opens his eyes to see the beginnings of a rash forming on Yuuri’s neck, but before he can apologize, Yuuri’s eyes, overflowing with love, stop him. With one final hug, Viktor steps back, voice hushed as he says, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Yuuri.”
Yuuri mirrors his smile and his words, and Viktor only turns away at the last possible second.
-x-
Yuuri has spent ages trying to find a solution to their predicament, but to no avail. Viktor had refused to kiss him after their third one, when they had both gotten so lost in each other that Yuuri’s rashes not only became prominent, but also broke skin and he bled, soul and energy seeping from the cracks. Yuuri was sure that Viktor had also sustained significant damage to his being, but since it wasn’t visible, Viktor took the extra mile to hide it from him. This frustrated Yuuri, for he was not able to care for him the way Viktor took care of his wounds, and he decided to find a way not only for the both of them, but also for the denizens of both his and Viktor’s realms to mingle.
Meanwhile, they had gone back to their years-old routine of telepathic communication, exchange of duties, and the occasional fleeting touch, but Yuuri was not satisfied. He wanted to touch, to kiss, to mark Viktor as his, and the need was so physical it pained him more than the rashes ever could. At this point, the only thing holding him back was the fact that Viktor felt the same blinding pain if they touched, and he never wanted his love to feel that way.
He was sure the very same reason held Viktor back too.
Minami had that dull look in his eyes once again whenever he saw Viktor and Yuuri breathing the same air but unable to touch, and Yuuri could have sworn that a better hidden version of the same feeling could be seen in the Lord of Dawn’s eyes too.
If only he could find a spell that would end their misery.
-x-
They were not so lucky.
-x-
The King of Day gathers the tools required for the West and glares at the Lady of Dawn to hurry up, for he can feel the King of the Night’s presence hovering at the border. Ever since the previous King of the Night and Viktor made their obsessions known to each other, the previous Lord of Dusk, like himself, had no other companion to talk to but each other, and Yuri grew fond of both denizens of the Dark, though he would rather rot away in a black hole than ever tell them.
As they go about the handing over procedure, the King of the Night comes up to him and says, “My predecessor had a rough time yesterday. He kept asking for the King of Day.”
Yuri scowls. “As did mine. Fools, the both of them.”
The King of the Night sighs. “May they find each other in another life.”
“Yeah.” Yuri agrees. “A life very different from the one they’ve had here.”