Work Text:
intermezzo - an interlude | | glissando - sliding between two notes
2016 - I
Victor knows that Yuuri has a daily ritual.
The smaller man always sneaks out of their bed in the early morning. Typically, the older man is dozing, so he hardly pays attention to the pitter-patter of his boyfriend's feet against the wooden floors. He greets him with soft, sleep-addled words, and waits for him to return. When Yuuri slips back into the bed, he is as warm as he had been before he'd left, and Victor always welcomes him with open arms.
Yuuri's kisses are softer when he returns, always dabbling on Victor's forehead and cheeks. His hands run over the bridge of Victor's nose and the column of Victor's pale, pale throat. Victor wakes under his care with a lovelorn expression, sharp blue eyes studying caramel irises. "Good morning," he whispers, taking Yuuri's wandering hands and whispering his lips over Yuuri's fingers.
Victor is rewarded with the slightest lift of his boyfriend's mouth. "Good morning."
They say nothing else, simply basking in the warmth of the day, keeping each other within reach until they roll out of bed.
//
outside of the realm of time - I
All the creature knows is death.
It's not so much of a preference as it is an occupation. Every day, humans die. It is their duty and privilege to remove them from the planes of time, so that their souls might move on to better places. For some, they seek glory below. Others wish for repentance above. All this creature knows is that their lives are fleeting and that they, the creatures, must not get attached to them, or otherwise suffer the consequences.
They train to control the powers granted to them - the smoky tendrils, the abstract appearances, the untethering of souls. They are all beings outside of the planes of time, which ebbs and flows, depositing them wherever it desires, and the creature becomes drawn to the souls they know they must take.
Praise is often bestowed upon this particular shadow, for they are quiet and soft-spoken, and feel human suffering so strongly that it might as well be their own.
The Overseer remarks that they have not had one of their kind in some time.
The Supervisor cannot see how this is a compliment.
People are allowed to laugh and cry when their fellow humans die, but the creatures, unfortunately, cannot.
//
1935.
The creature eventually becomes numb to the sensations.
Tuning out disease and suffering is the key to success for this career, and so they do. For hundreds of years - for thousands, possibly - the creature releases souls from the world, whisking away their presences quietly.
Human souls are constantly in motion. This fact used to burn the creature's mind in moments when they had time to dwell on them. Now, they simply accept it as fact.
When they reach for the man in the street, pulling for his soul, they encounter resistance. Silver-haired and bleary-eyed, the man reaches out as though he can see the creature, and the creature moves away, shocked by the motion.
It's not unheard of for some humans to see them on the verge of death, but this creature hasn't met one who could in their tenure. The man's lips move slightly, and the creature, uncharacteristically, finds themselves leaning in close to hear what they have to say.
"Please," he whispers, reaching for the winding tendrils of the one who will soon be responsible for his demise. "Please. I can't die here."
His blue eyes are watery as blood begins to paint the ground. People around are hardly paying attention to his impending death, too busy with their own lives to pay attention to a finely dressed man gunned down at the outskirts of town.
All of the training the creature has received pounds inside of their head. They shouldn't engage. They should release the soul to greener pastures, offering the man his chance in the same way that all other humans receive.
Instead, the creature stares at the dying man, who is beautiful and tragic. They have always understood human suffering a bit too well, even if, through the eons, they have stifled their sympathies. The street is dim and his face pale. Before they manage to talk themselves out of it, the creature sweeps low to the ground and whispers.
"I can offer you what you want," they say, words jumbled and voice cracked with lack of use, "But it will come at a price."
"Making deals with the devil," the man laughs wetly, coughing tiredly before he smiles. "I suppose I have nothing to lose. I accept whatever the terms may be."
Immediately, the creature works with their usual power, untethering the soul. They speak the conditions while they labor, working on keeping one anchor tied into this particular soul. Without killing the man or granting him the same kind of immortality they themselves have, they grant him a sort of slipshod existence.
"I'll have to erase the memories of our engagement, or we shall both perish," the creature warns quietly, smoothing hair away from the man's face with its' long, shadowy limbs. "It's not too late for you to leave this world properly."
The man smiles sadly, pressing a hand to his quickly vanishing chest. "It's a shame that I won't remember you. I owe you my life."
"You'll regret this," the creature somberly murmurs. "You shouldn't be so quick to thank me."
"I'll thank you anyways." He bows and reaches to kiss the creature's limbs before he completely dissipates. His last word lingers in the air. "Goodbye."
His savior stands in the shadows, regret weighing heavily in their mind as they head towards the next human who is due to die.
They can only hope that the Superior is too busy cataloguing the dead to worry about one botched assignment.
//
1818.
As much as the creature wants to just forget about this one mishap, they had promised to keep something of a watch over their wandering soul. Some time passes before they decide to focus their energy on a soul that does not seem so tied to the world, and it takes them a few months to track down the exact location of their project.
Because they still can't let the Superior catch onto their transgressions, they eventually decide to reveal themselves to the man in a dream.
They fade into existence as the man begins to flitter into the fog of his sleep. He blinks, looking much the same in his subconscious as he does in real life - he's a young man, with high cheek bones, and clear blue eyes.
"Hello," the creature greets in its' raspy voice, sharp edges to their shape and tone making the man flinch. "It's been a long time."
He blinks his wide eyes at them. "Hello. Who are you?"
They had been the one to erase his memory, but the lack of recognition still burns the creature like a brand. "I have no name. You may have noticed that you've hurtled through ages, yes?"
"Yes," he breathes with relief, happy that there is any existence to explain his situation. "You know the cause?"
"You pleaded with me to stay alive, for a multitude of reasons," the creature says sadly, feeling guilt creep back into their head. "I granted this wish. You cannot stay in one place for long, and I'm sorry for that."
"Oh," he says, a concerned expression flitting over his face. "That was rather foolish of me, hmm." The creature is ready to open one of its terrifying jaws to speak, but the human holds up a hand. "Thank you, I suppose."
"Don't thank me, human," they spit back exhaustedly.
"My name is Victor," he replies softly, taking a seat in a chair his mind conjures. "What did I say, when I was dying?"
The creature nearly laughs, they are so shocked at his brazenness. "Many things. Mostly talk of your mother's pride, of proving yourself. I granted you the chance to do these things."
Victor's face contorts into a sharp frown. "How terribly abstract."
"I do not claim to understand how humans think."
Victor sighs in response to that. "Neither do I." The creature chuckles lowly at that. Victor's eyes flit to their visage at the noise. "Nice to know that you have a sense of humor."
After a moment, the area around them grows dim, and the creature draws to their full height. "I have to go. I'll come again."
Victor smiles softly. "Okay."
With a sad look, the creature waves their willowy limbs across Victor's face and makes sure nothing concrete about their meeting will remain in his memories.
//
2016 - II
Yuuri watches Victor move around the room with a calm smile, one hand resting on Makkachin's fur. He gives the girl a few pats before he reclines on his side, fully intending to enjoy his rest day. Victor rustles around the room for snacks before plopping down and giving Yuuri a wet kiss.
They watch several shows with terrible commercials before they just murmur to each other, Yuuri's voice softer than his companion's.
It's been months and months since he's felt so ill-at-ease with his boyfriend, but his conscious nags at him.
He knows what he has to say. What he has to do.
His shadow creeps out from the bed covers at the edge of his vision, and he exasperatedly counts the days left before it can no longer do that.
Victor's eyes draw him in, and he falls all over again, desperate to choke out the words.
The truth is long overdue.
//
1702.
They wind up explaining the situation to Victor in dreams every time, patiently waiting for things to click. Each dream, Victor comes in looking more and more haggard, tired blue eyes looking vacant, desperation reading more highly in his mind.
He still keeps thanking the creature, no matter how much they can tell that he just wants to break down and scream. He feels responsible for his own decision to live, but in reality, it is the creature who is responsible for his suffering.
They should have killed Victor when they were supposed to.
They're still not sure why they don't kill him now. Every day, they live with the reality that both they and Victor could be wiped from existence for their actions.
So, they wait for their own answers and force Victor to look for his as well.
The danger would usually make the creature wary, but Victor's beauty in the face of his tragedy makes the creature enraptured.
Victor's goodbyes hurt like physical wounds.
//
1999 - I
Victor is younger than he's been in a very long time, and he is distraught to hear the truth this time.
His choice to live has sent him hurtling through the ages, and the creature is watching his mental fortitude collapse with a breaking heart. Victor continues to thank the creature, but tears begin falling from his eyes after eons of feeling lost. Experiencing many daylight hours where he has no knowledge of the cause of his fate causes him tremendous stress.
"I understand now that I was a failure. I couldn't even be convinced to die properly," Victor weeps openly. "I only want to know what you saw in me, that made you want to keep me alive."
The creature fails to come up with an acceptable response.
When Victor says goodbye this time, his touch lingers too long on the creature's shadow.
//
1999 - II
Victor's pleas are desperate and longing, whether they're uttered in the daytime or at night.
The creature turns Victor's words in that dream over constantly in his mind.
They've seen him through it all, laughing and crying along with him in dreams, and watching the man searching for the meaning in life is breaking them. They want Victor to be happy, not distraught, drowning in every era he mystically appears in. When they see him skate on the ice, grabbing accolades as an exuberant child, the creature knows that they are the failure here. All they're doing is kicking a human who's down on his luck even further down to his knees, and they hate the feeling.
The creature, for the first time in their existence, longs to be beside him.
How very human of me, the creature thinks to themselves.
They have a final meeting with Victor in his dreams, and this time, the creature is the one who says goodbye.
//
outside of the realm of time - II
The creature kneels before the Superior, and they hiss.
The Superior lashes out, throwing sparks and creeping angles at the creature's face. "You fool!" They pitch into a volume that echoes, sounds and darkness hurtling into a dangerous atmosphere quickly.
The creature fully prepares themselves for retribution as they open their mouth. "I was foolish, yes. But you shouldn't punish this man for my transgressions."
"How long has this been going on?!" The Superior looms above the creature, air hot around them and tendrils creeping around the creature's throat. "Centuries? Millenia? Eons?" The creature averts their gaze. In the silence, the Superior smacks them across the room. "Disastrous!"
"He's not a bad person," the creature pleas, feeling near to the verge of human tears, despite the fact that the pain is no matter. They cannot die, anyways. "He deserves a chance. We always give humans a chance."
"After we fully untether their souls and completely erase the memories of their lives!" The Superior slams their charge down again, and the creature sputters. "I'll banish you. I'll ruin you."
"No, please," the creature breathes quietly. "I promised that I would take care of him. I promised."
The Superior glares at them, breath fogging and eyes lividly red. "You're desperate." They pull their jaws back and snarl, "How desperate? How much are you willing to give up for this human?"
"Everything," the creature answers quickly, shadowy tendrils pulled back into themselves. Their very visage is becoming more human as they speak, and the Superior pulls back with an expression torn between awe and disgust.
"You'll do your due diligence," the Superior mutters angrily. "You still have uncompleted work to do."
"Yes," the creature replies solemnly.
"At our next meeting, you shall explain all the circumstances to me, and we'll discuss the full realm of your punishment."
"I understand."
"Then," the Superior sighs, collapsing on their regal seat, "We'll discuss the probability of granting you a human personage."
The creature blinks up at them in surprise. "Really?"
"Until this failure," the Superior reminds their employee sharply, and the creature flinches, "You were nothing but a model worker. I find it uncouth not to keep success in mind."
Still in shock, the creature breathlessly says, "I appreciate your...consideration."
"It's a punishment," the Superior replies with another snarl. "Never forget that."
The creature looks down. "I will not."
//
1992.
Yuuri Katsuki is born to two very loving parents, with one older sister named Mari in his household.
He is human, truly, but with powers far from the realm of humanity. The boy blends in easily, benefitting from having been so observant of humans and their lives through the eras.
Sometimes, in the silence of night, he lets his shadowed tendrils creep from his body while he still can. He'd worked hard and begged for the caveat that came with this unorthodox punishment. Of course, he can no longer be called a creature. His immortality is dead.
He is nothing but an infant now, if not an inordinately wise one.
//
2001.
As soon as he's old enough to search, the boy takes advantage of the tools of the era to search for the human. He hopes Victor is in this era to search for him.
It proves frustrating because all Yuuri can recall about him is that he would be a boy now. He knows that Victor had been obsessed with his mother, with proving himself, and, eventually, with ice skating. So, the boy who had previously been a creature in charge of escorting humans to their deaths finds solace on the ice, for lack of anything else to do.
Even with all of his wisdom, his natural instincts as a human battle for his attention. His eyes are drawn to the beauty of human life, and his feelings are hurt when other humans say painful things about him. He skates, cries in frustration, and wanders curiously through life.
Then, his rink-mate and childhood companion, Yuuko, brings him a poster. Everything flies out of his head at the sight.
There he is. Victor is still quite young, judging by this picture of him. His hair is growing to be quite long, and his expression is dreadfully morose for a freshly teenaged boy to be sporting. Yuuri immediately realizes that his final task is in front of him, and the rush makes him rush off of the ice, desperate to find out where he is.
Victor Nikiforov, he thinks to himself tirelessly, fingers clicking over every link he can find with the boy's name on it.
Yuuri tells his parents that he'll be out for the afternoon, and as soon as they wish for him to have a good day, he calls on the well of his remaining powers to transport himself instantaneously to Russia.
He schools himself into the creature.
Victor will not remember this visage, but they do, and they have something of a reputation to maintain.
The creature introduces themselves as such for the last time, watching Victor beautifully bloom as they use their powers to permanently tether his soul to this time. They would never allow themselves to tell him the full truth of the matter, but it puts the creature at peace.
They transport back to Japan, the shadowed, willowy tendrils of their limbs fading back into his arms and legs. Already, the boy can feel the power to affect human souls slipping from his grasp. It will be some time longer before his old visage can no longer be summoned.
The Superior still speaks to him from afar, wondering if he would rather atone in another way, feeling somewhat spiteful that Yuuri seems to be acclimatizing well to becoming human. After Yuuri tethers Victor to this time, he feels nothing but elation with his wonderful, terrible punishment.
//
2015
The past few months have been some of the happiest of Yuuri's existence.
Together, they reach emotional highs and lows. Being by Victor's side is a gift in and of itself, especially when all he's longed to do through these long, long years is hold him close and protect him. Victor changed both of their fates back in 1935, but Yuuri feels somewhat thankful that he made such a horrible error.
If anything, he simply continues to feel guilty, trying his best to choke out the story for Victor and failing. It's his fault that Victor had to suffer for so long, and yet all he can seem to do is cry in frustration when they're having disagreements as a couple, or cry in elation when everything is going well.
Victor exudes love and trust in all of his actions, and it tears Yuuri apart.
They drown in each other, and after Victor tells him the truth of his situation, Yuuri cries again, knowing that he has to tell him the truth as well.
So, he waits for the right time.
He waits through the competitions, through the tender smiles, through the affectionate reunions.
He commits to his ritual of working his powers out and thanking the Superior for his punishment. He lifts his caramel brown eyes to the sky and he draws in a deep breath.
After months of inner turmoil, both on the ice and off of it, he draws himself up.
The pain of the truth is something he needs to handle, and soon.
For both of their sakes.
//
2016 - III
Yuuri does not creep downstairs that morning, which is so unusual that Victor wakes from his sleep and becomes concerned. He softly kisses Yuuri on the temple, watching his dark eyes flitter open and he smiles. Yuuri gives him a shaky smile back in response. The younger man runs his calloused fingers over Victor's pale skin and kisses his knuckles before asking him with his eyes if Victor will follow him downstairs.
Victor answers with a small nod, bare feet pattering on the floorboards. He studies the wistful expression on Yuuri's face, wondering what on earth could have the man so trapped in his own thoughts this early in the morning on a rest day.
Yuuri makes tea for the both of them, sits down, and begins speaking. As his story unspools, his tendrils, shadowed and terrifying, creep out from behind him. Tears are falling hot down his face as his words get garbled, and Victor looks on, shocked.
The visage is accompanied by a quiet round of sobs and apologies.
"Everything's my fault," Yuuri insists in a whisper. "I don't have the power to take it all back now, but I just want you to know, I love you. I probably loved you all along, but how could I have known that then?" He bows his head and tries to reign in his old powers, trying not to slip back into the visage of the creature. He's not sure he could if he wanted to, anyhow. "I was so stupid. I ruined your life. I should just...go." He stands up, wiping his face on the back of his left arm.
Before he gets far, Victor stands up and gathers Yuuri in his hold. "Yuuri." Yuuri seizes at the tender pronunciation of his name. "Yuuri, you're no fool."
"Victor, stop." Yuuri just cries harder at his words. "I don't want to be forgiven. I told you time and time again that you shouldn't have thanked me for what I did then, in your dreams, and you just, you never listen."
"But you saved me," Victor whispers, lips among in Yuuri's hairline. "You saved me back then, and you keep on saving me now. Of course I'll thank you, over and over again. As many times it takes for you to understand how much I truly appreciate that."
"I saw you crying and yelling," Yuuri snarls against his chest, fingers bunching in Victor's t-shirt. "I saw how much you suffered, but I couldn't do anything for you. It makes me sick to think about."
"Yuuri, listen to me," Victor murmurs softly, on the verge of tears himself. "You did what you could. Look at me." Yuuri looks up with a sniffle, and Victor grins brightly. "Look. We're human now. We're here." He twines their hands together while Yuuri wails tiredly. "You've suffered just as much as me, haven't you?"
"I wasn't human then."
"And so, neither was I, truly," Victor shakes his head as he speaks. "But you believed in me all along - believed in a foolish, human man, and then you became human yourself, for me." He presses Yuuri's palm to his chest, sucking in deep breaths. "I couldn't possibly feel more honored." The shadows curl around Victor's arms in a protective hold, and Victor laughs breathlessly. "I think you're beautiful."
Then, Yuuri breathes, and the air is suddenly cleared.
Everything goes deadly silent.
Yuuri shudders, tears still drying on his face. He burrows into Victor's arms and mutters, "You're stupid. You were supposed to hate me and walk away forever after I told you all this."
"You were supposed to do the same when I told you about my past, but sometimes fate has a strange way of changing one's expectations." Yuuri punches Victor lightly in the shoulder for that. "Thank you."
"I didn't do anything worth thanking me."
"You loved me, even when I couldn't remember you. You loved me when it was hard." Victor kisses Yuuri chastely on the lips, drinking in his wide brown eyes. "You still love me as a human, so thank you."
Yuuri sniffles again, and wraps his arms around Victor's waist. Finally, he breathes the words he's wanted to all along. "You're welcome."
The rest of the day is quiet and peaceful.
//
outside of the realm of time - III
The Overseer remarks to the Superior that the boy flourishes as a human. The Superior grumbles in massive annoyance.
Once the Superior decides to stop questioning the events of the human Yuuri's life as a creature, the Overseer speaks vastly to themselves.
"We're not so far from human ourselves," the Overseer murmurs to a vacant room, eyes roaming over the records of the many deceased humans, watching as their souls move through the ether of their world. They pluck one out of the stream, holding it until it forms a body and blinks up at them.
"Hello, young one," they greet with an airy, detached voice. "From now on, you have a duty to fulfill. Are you prepared?"
The freshly non-human soul agrees with a nod, and they are trained as all their kind are trained, to use their powers to remove human souls from the world and help them seek rebirth.
It is a draining but necessary task, and if sometimes humans slip between the cracks, the Overseer does not mind.
It is a meager price to pay for a quiet, immortal existence.