Love At First Sight - Part One
Tokyo was a big and hectic city, Viktor thought, just like every other metropolis he had visited before. And he had been to quite some over the last twenty years. Mostly he didn’t get to do much sightseeing, but today he had the afternoon to himself and some time to explore on his own. Almost on his own, he needed to remind himself, as he registered two figures stirring behind him. For most of the time Viktor wasn't alone at all, but even with lots of people around him, he felt very lonely and left out. From time to time he wanted someone else around. He desperately needed someone. But not his subordinates or bodyguards. He wanted someone at his side, who belonged to him and who could be his equal.
Even now in Japan, his bodyguards didn’t let him explore the city on his own. He had enough of being crowded even here, were nobody knew who he was. Viktor sent them back to the hotel to wait for him. And they reluctantly left him, after making sure that there weren't any threats.
- - - - # - - - -
It was in the middle of April and Viktor admired the fully blooming cherry blossom trees in one of Tokyo’s parks. He didn’t know anymore where he was, since he had been wandering through the city aimlessly for several hours. At the end of the day, all he had to do was call his chauffeur to pick him up, that’s why he didn’t really care, if he was lost or not. After all the dirty work of the last months, he was glad to relax for a few hours. He’d have a couple of days in Tokyo before he’d need to move on to a smaller city located in Kyushu and he planned to use them to get rid of the foul mood he was in.
Viktor didn’t exactly understand why his business partners didn’t want to meet at their headquarters in Tokyo, but it didn’t really matter anyways. He'd do as they wished, because he needed their support, if he wanted to expand his business even further. Viktor started to question if he really was content with how his live turned out to be, even if it was too late to change this situation now.
To be honest, he wasn’t in Tokyo for a traditional business trip. Viktor was the leader of the Russian mafia, the bratva as they were often referred to. Mere months ago, he had taken over after his father had died of heart failure in his sleep. Viktor hadn’t been able to wrap his mind around the fact, that his father wasn’t there anymore. It wasn’t unusual that Mafiosi died young, but nobody had seen their pakhan’s sudden death coming. Viktor hadn’t been ready to take over, but he’d done it nonetheless, just as it was expected of him since the day of his birth.
Slowly he took a deep breath and looked up into the sky. There wasn’t a single cloud above him and all he could hear were people chatting in a language he couldn’t understand. He'd been sitting on a bench for some time and had simply been watching all kind of different people walking by. Most of them stared at him as if he was an alien from a different planet. He simply stood out in the mass of dark haired Asians, therefore he couldn’t blame them for merely being curious. Viktor’s hair was platinum blond and he was taller than most the people on this island. His dark suit and trench coat didn't help him blend in either. Viktor was about to get up and move on, when suddenly two young man walked past him. It was nothing out of the ordinary so far, but something instantly caught his eye. One of them was tan, with short black hair and a big smile on his face. He had a lean figure and seemed to just have taken a selfie with his friend mere seconds ago. The other one had a rather pale complexion, compared to the first one, but had the same shade of dark hair, only a bit longer and messier. He was also a bit taller than his companion and wore half rimmed blue glasses. But what really caught Viktor’s attention was the careless laugh of the taller one and his carefree expression. He couldn't even remember when he had looked or felt like this the last time. Or had he ever felt like this before at all?
- - - - # - - - -
Before he could even register what he was doing, he was already back on his feet and chasing after these two men, not sure what he planned to do. He didn't think about it too long, since he had the best excuse to approach some locals right at hand, even if it was a little corny to begin with.
"Excuse me!" He addressed them as soon as he had caught up. They both stopped instantly and turned around to look at him questioningly. "Could you help me out? I am kind of lost and wanted to ask if you could show me the way to the next train station."
It wasn't wrong to ask some strangers for directions, to get into a conversation, was it? Viktor looked at the guy with the glasses, eagerly waiting for a response. While the tan boy looked rather irritated, the object of his very desires smiled reluctantly at him.
"Ahh... I d-don’t… uhm. We’re tourists as well." He stammered and he suddenly blushed a little bit. Oh my god, he is so cute!, was all Viktor could think of and had to conjure all his strength to stop himself from laughing out of joy and utter admiration.
“I understand. But you are Japanese, no? I am such a touristy tourist, that I can’t even read the signs.” Viktor tried again and flashed them his best smile. “Your English is so fluent, this must be my lucky day!”
The tan boy rolled his eyes and sighed theatrically. He obviously was irritated by Viktor’s advances towards his friend, but at least he didn’t interfere.
“Oh, right. Well, I can show you the way if you want.” He quickly turned to his comrade. “Would that be alright, Phi?”
When he talked to his friend he seemed to be another person, much more confident and contend.
"I don't want to tag along, Aniki." The other guy answered. "I'm going to do some more sightseeing alone. Let's meet up again a little later. Simply gimme a call."
This answer didn’t surprise Viktor, but it did seem to surprise his new acquaintance. He saw a flicker of worry on his face.
The two Asian men shifted their conversation to Japanese for a moment. The one called Phi gave Viktor an odd side glance, before they hugged each other quickly. Phi then left without saying good bye.
Viktor thought their behavior was odd, but maybe he interpreted too much into this situation. It was more important, that the one who had caught his interest apparently planned on taking him to the train station. He chastised himself to let his suspicions go and just enjoy the day already. Maybe he could get him to show him around a little more.
"P-please don't mind my friend. He generally is in a foul mood lately." His new acquaintance said apologetically.
“It's alright!” Viktor assured him. “I just hope he isn't too mad. I interrupted your own sightseeing trip, after all."
They started to walk towards the exit of the park and Viktor had to smile when he caught his new tour guide seizing him up.
"Don't worry.” The young man quickly averted his gaze. “S-so, where are you from, if y-you don't mind me asking?"
Ah, Viktor enjoyed this kind of sweet, old small talk.
"I am from Russia and came for a business trip to Japan." He answered and flashed one of his rare bright grins. “My names Vitya, by the way.”
“I am Yūri, nice to meet you.”
- - - - # - - - -
Yūri seemed to be shy and rather introverted at first, but after some time he seemed to relax more and more around Viktor. This young man was so pure and innocent, the Russian Mafiosi almost felt bad to have him asked to show him around some more. Viktor didn’t care if something happened to himself, but dragging someone else into his dirty business, wasn’t his style at all. The day seemed to fly by way too fast and he didn’t know yet how he could get the other to spend more time with him. There was no need to deny it, Viktor had taken a liking to Yūri and he didn’t try very hard to conceal it. Also, Yūri’s reactions to him flirting were hilarious. He didn’t seem to be disgusted or uninterested, but he surely wasn’t prepared to be wooed by another man. Viktor knew that he was bi since high school, but he didn’t spread it around. It still was a rather delicate matter in Russia, even if it wasn’t that unheard of, especially in the underworld. Viktor didn’t really care about what others thought about him, though. He simply hadn’t had someone at his side before, who had been important enough to make it a matter worth discussing with his subordinates.
- - - - # - - - -
Later that day, after another lengthy walk through Tokyo, but this time with Yūri by his side, they ended up in a large café in Ginza.
“Yūri~! Do you have a girlfriend? Or a boyfriend?” Viktor asked almost prying and tried not to laugh at Yūri’s shocked expression, when he grabbed his hand over the table. Just as if they had a date or were a couple. He tried to pull back immediately, but Viktor didn’t let him.
He quickly gave up struggling and sighed, averting Viktor’s gaze. “You Europeans seem to be another species altogether.”
“We may be a little bit more outgoing, but I am sure we aren’t that different.” Viktor laughed a little and pinched the back of Yūri’s hand. “Don’t be so shy, Yūri~!”
Yūri had to smile at that. “No boy- or girlfriend. Vitya.” And for the next sentence he seemed to gather all the strength and confidence he had. “So, you can keep on flirting without remorse, but first let me use the restroom.”
Before Viktor could reply anything, Yūri withdrew his hand from his grasp and walked towards the restrooms. The young Russian brought his hand up to his mouth, trying to figure out, why he suddenly felt his blood rush up to his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he had blushed during flirting. Was this even flirting anymore? With every minute passing it felt more like courting and this led up to a lot of problems. He couldn’t pull someone as innocent and pure as Yūri into his kind of lifestyle, or could he?
“Is everything alright?” He suddenly heard Yūri say. “You look kinda stressed out.”
“N-no, I am fine.” This time Viktor was the one stammering. He wasn’t used to being caught off guard, but it didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. “I am just a little tired and not really looking forward to the meetings I got to attend in two days.”
“I understand. How long will you stay in Japan?” Yūri asked as they slowly gathered their belongings and left the café.
“Hm. I’ll stay the night in Tokyo and then I got to go to Kyushu for my meetings. Depending on how the meeting goes, I’ll probably stay there for some time. Maybe for a week or two, but then I got to go right back to St. Petersburg.” Alone thinking about his tight schedule made Viktor sick.
“That’s a shame.” Yūri genuinely seemed to be sorry, but a small smile appeared on his face and instantly lit it up. “D-do you maybe want to exchange phone numbers?”
“I’d love to!” Viktor answered excitedly and pulled his smart phone from his pocket. After they’d exchanged their numbers, both were unsure of what to do next.
“I wish I’d met you on a regular vacation trip.” Viktor sighed and looked up into the sky. “There isn’t a chance you’d accompany me to my hotel, no?” He’d never forgive himself, if he didn’t even try asking him out. It was selfish and wrong, but occasionally even Viktor allowed himself to be exactly that. Very selfish. Even if he said no, Viktor didn’t want to miss his face lighting up in a bright red and him stammering helplessly. How did he get so attached to this man in such a short amount of time?
Oh boy, Viktor got exactly the reaction he had been waiting for. Yūri was beet red and tried to find the right words, failing completely.
“Ah-h. I-… You. Well, I-I got to say… I would l-love to, but I got to catch a train in a few hours.” He gazed up into Viktor’s eyes apologetically. “I have some business to look after as well.”
Viktor was heartbroken and relieved at the same time. At least he didn’t run away screaming as soon as he started to flirt and obviously, he didn’t like it either, that their beginning friendship wouldn’t have an immediate future.
“It’s alright. Do you have enough time to escort me to the hotel I am staying at? I’d love to at least chat a little longer with you.”
“I’d be glad to.”
- - - - # - - - -
“I can’t stand you two any longer!” A young woman exclaimed in despair. “First Georgi can’t stop whining about Anya breaking up and now you start to sulk as well! What are you? Men or little pussies?”
She crossed her legs and stared at the two men sitting in front of her. “I wish Yakov was here to wash both your heads properly.”
“I don’t care what you got to say about Anya or me, but you should watch your mouth when speaking about our pakhan.” Georgi was a tall and lean man and had dark brown hair. He stared at the woman and tried to get her to shut up. The redheaded girl, barely of age, had been talking like this since Viktor had returned to the hotel room the day before.
Viktor was used to Mila’s grumbling and most of the time she just wanted to tease them with it anyways. “Let her talk. She won’t stop it anyways.” He told Georgi and looked expectantly at his phone. Yūri had promised to message him, when he reached his destination, but he didn’t show a single sign of life. Well, they hadn’t really talked about any specifics, but Viktor had assumed, that Yūri and his friend were heading home to get back to college or school. Should he write first instead? Maybe a short ‘I am on my flight to Kumamoto right now, how about you?’. Or should he rather accept, there wasn’t a chance for them to ever meet again, without getting one of them hurt in one way or the other? Maybe he had hoped for too much.
Georgi and Mila kept on bickering, while Viktor tried to figure out how he could forget the young Japanese guy and move on with his everyday Mafia life. But all he could think about, were Yūri’s big brown eyes and his messy dark hair. Oh, and the feeling of his skin beneath Viktor’s hands. He had only held his hand for a few minutes, but this sensation would surely haunt him for some time.
It was only a short flight from Tokyo to Kumamoto and Viktor asked himself again, why the Yakuza had insisted on meeting in Kyushu. At first the meeting was scheduled in the Tokyo headquarters, but as they had landed on Haneda Airport, they got informed, that the meeting had been rescheduled to Kyushu. Viktor didn’t think much about it, he himself had already done the same to other business partners, but it had been a pain in the ass nonetheless.
A limousine was already waiting on the airfield for the three Mafiosi and Viktor’s bodyguards, when the jet landed at Kumamoto Airport. An own private jet was expensive and hard to hide from authorities, but it sure had more advantages than shortcomings.
- - - - # - - - -
The drive to Hasetsu took almost longer than the flight to Kumamoto, Viktor thought, but didn’t bother to check if he was right. The meeting would be held in a rather remote town, where the current Yakuza leaders vacation residence was located. Viktor had used the flight from St. Petersburg to Tokyo to study the dossier of the Japanese Mafia that Yakov had provided. Yakov was currently his second in command, but Viktor would need someone else to take over that part soon. The man was competent and very trustworthy, but most of the time Yakov acted more like a father than a subordinate of Viktor. He couldn’t let this continue. Maybe he would assign Yakov to instruct his little stepbrother Yuri Plisetsky. Back to the main issue. Viktor had really tried to memorize as many details as possible, but he was simply too forgetful to recall everything.
“We’re here, boss.” Dimitri, the driver said and Viktor registered, that he already had parked the car.
“Thank you, Dima.” Viktor answered and waited until the others had gotten out of the limousine, before he stepped out. He was greeted with rather could air and inhaled deeply. The air was clean and enjoyable. The ocean was near and Viktor found himself standing in front of an Onsen. It wasn’t unheard of, that Mafias owned hotels or bars or whatever establishments there were, but owning an Onsen called Yu-topia Akatsuki was just too cute for being in the hands of a big Yakuza boss. Maybe this was their secret to their success. Nobody would ever even consider them to be Mafia. Viktor had gone through the dossiers of their leaders. Toshiya Katsuki didn’t look like a pakhan at all. Neither did his wife, but their children and therefore their successors looked a lot more like mafia than their parents. At least he remembered thinking that, when he had been looking at their photos almost two days ago. The daughter looked like a little punk with bleached hair and pierced ears, with a bored look on her face, on almost every photograph. There was only a single picture Katsuki Toshiya’s son, the heir of the Yakuza. He looked young and seemed rather emotionless. It wasn’t anything unusual about him, as far as Viktor could recall.
Viktor took the lead towards the entrance to Yu-topia Akatsuki and was greeted by two men right at the doorsteps. “Welcome to Hasetsu, Nikiforov-sama.” Both bowed before him and lead them into the Hot Spring residence of the Katsukis’.
“Thank you.” He answered politely and followed them inside. They were lead into a big room, typically Japanese. There were a lot of low tables and cushions to sit on the floor. At one of these tables sat Toshiya Katsuki, beside him was a rather tall and broad man, who must have been one of the Katsuki-gumi’s inner circle, but certainly not one of his children.
“Welcome to Hasetsu, Nikiforov-kun.” He heard the leader of the Yakuza say with a content smile on his lips. “It’s been a while. Last time we met, you were a teenager, who accompanied his father on his business trips. I’d like to offer you my sincere condolences for your loss.”
“Thank you for agreeing to meeting me, Katsuki-san.” Viktor greeted and bowed quickly. “And also, thank you for your condolences. Father always referred to you as one of his favorite business partners and a good friend.”
“I hope we can keep up our established partnership. We’d like to strengthen the bonds between the Bratva and Yakuza, but before we start to negotiate, I want you to meet my family and therefore your future business partners.”
Viktor nodded in agreement, but he suddenly had a bad feeling about this whole meeting. Although, one thing seemed to be quite clear. Toshiya Katsuki was thinking about resigning rather sooner than later and therefore wanted to make sure to introduce his successors to him. He wanted to assure that their agreement would endure his departure.
“I’d gladly meet your family, Katsuki-san.” Viktor replied politely. It was in his interest to agree to terms, that would last longer than Toshiya’s reign. He didn’t want to negotiate again in a few years.
The head of the Yakuza smiled at him and for a split second, Viktor thought he saw some traces of mischievousness in the older man’s gaze. Suddenly the man, that had sat silently beside Toshiya the whole time, barked some commands in Japanese at the guys that had brought the Russians in. One of them bowed deep and left the room through a sliding door behind Toshiya. Mere moments later he returned and stepped aside to let a woman enter the room. She was very short and a had a round and friendly face. On her nose sat a pair of glasses, similar to those her husband Toshiya was wearing.
“Meet my lovely wife Hiroko.”
Right behind her entered another woman, significantly taller. She had her hair bleached in a warm honey blond and her ears were draped with rings. She was smoking a cigarette and looked at him disinterested, not to say unfriendly. He remembered her from the photographs in the dossier.
“This is my first-born child. Katsuki Mari.”
But who entered right after these two women almost gave Viktor a heart attack. He hoped that his face didn’t give away what he felt deep inside. Suddenly Yūri stepped into the sitting room, followed by his friend Phi. For a moment, he wasn’t sure if it really was the Yūri. He had met in Tokyo. He looked different than before. It wasn’t just, that he suddenly was wearing a tight tailored black suit and a blue tie. His messy hair was suddenly neatly slicked back and his features weren’t carefree at all anymore. It was Yūri after all. He knew it as soon as their gazes met. He knew it as soon as he saw the apologetic look on his face.
“I’ll introduce you just for the record, since I am quite sure, you three already had the pleasure of meeting.” Toshiya gestured towards Yūri. “This is Katsuki Yūri, my son.” He said and still smiled his friendly smile. “And this is my foster son, Phichit Chulanont.”
What the fucking hell was going on here?
