4

Viktor Redwood, as well as many other famous rappers of the past are now doing very similar thing to one another: They do parkour. They are practicing their techniques and making new ones every day to become more skillful, they have been doing this for some years. Some of these skills include flexibility, balance and strength. The most popular one right now is the parkour.

It was during summer vacation when Viktor decided to go to a gym. He had never went to any gym before. He always did yoga and Pilates but never any workout.

As soon as he entered the gym, he immediately recognized the sign on the door. 'Training room.' he thought to himself. It wasn't just any gym, it was the same gym where he practiced his parkour, and where he met Phichit for the first time.

The door to the training room was open so he pushed it gently. The room seemed to be empty. No one was in the room, even the machine was silent. There weren't even any sounds coming from the machines.

That made no sense to Viktor. Why would someone leave such a beautiful place?

"Maybe the others aren't here yet." he said out loud. He turned around and saw a large mirror on the wall behind him. There was a man standing there staring at him through the mirror. He was tall with broad shoulders. His skin was pale and his hair dark and longish. He looked like someone straight out of a movie. A movie Viktor didn't want to watch.

The man took a few steps towards him until he was close enough for Viktor to hear what he was saying.

"You're here." said the man calmly. It sounded like he was talking about something else. But Viktor couldn't decipher the meaning of his voice.

He tried to get closer to the man but stopped once he noticed a small red circle floating above the man's head. The symbol indicated that his presence was restricted. Viktor couldn't move or breathe because of this restriction. He could only stare at the stranger in front of him, unable to utter a single word. This feeling was exactly how Viktor felt when he first got introduced into Yuuri's life. He wanted nothing more than to run away, hide somewhere, and never come back again. The situation was completely different, though. He was trapped. And he knew he could escape. He knew he could run away, find Yuuri and tell him everything about the stranger, the man in black and the red circle. But Viktor still didn't dare do anything. He didn't know why but he was sure that if he moved, if he broke free of the seal, if he did, he wouldn' t survive.

"I'm sorry I have to stop you, I promise to explain things later," he said to Viktor, looking away from the young man, "but I'm going to need you to stay here. I can't let you see me, otherwise it'll mess up our plans. You will understand once you meet the others."

Before Viktor even knew it, he was already alone again. His body felt weak and heavy and his vision was blurry. He closed his eyes as tears started to fall from his eyes. He was crying silently, knowing full well that nobody was ever supposed to witness his weakness.

It took him some time to recover from the encounter, but he managed it. When Viktor opened his eyes, he could finally see clearly. He was sitting on a bench inside the building. The place was almost identical to his own gym except there were two walls. Instead of white tiles there was blue ground that covered the entire floor. There were wooden boards nailed onto each side of the floor and a large glass dome with a bright blue sun above them. Viktor assumed that the sun was emitting a certain light because of the mirrors lining the wall behind the benches. In the center of the room was a large round table. At the middle was a person holding a microphone, recording some audio with one hand while writing in a notebook with the other. When Viktor heard some movement next to him, he turned his attention towards the person. He had short dark brown hair and was wearing a purple T shirt with a yellow stripe down the middle. He was smiling at Viktor warmly.

After giving a quick greeting, Viktor realized that this person in front of him must be one of the judges. Judging by his clothes, Viktor could guess that he must be from Russia. From what little that Viktor could gather, Russia was known for being strict with its laws and regulations. Most of the people working there came from this country, probably from the upper class society. Even though he was not sure, Viktor was sure that this man was one of the judges. That's why Viktor asked the one question that crossed his mind.

"Excuse me... Are you...?"

He couldn't say any more words since he couldn't control his trembling lips.

"Are you ok? You look really tired. I know you've probably just finished a grueling practice but you should take care of yourself. It's ok to show some signs of exhaustion if you need it!"

The last part was whispered softly under the man's breath. Viktor couldn't hear it but he knew it was directed at him. He nodded and then looked at his feet. As much as he tried to control his breathing and emotions, he just couldn't. He started to shake lightly from fear, sadness, and anger.

He tried to calm himself but it was impossible to do so. The memories of his father were flooding back to his brain.

"Dad..." his voice was barely audible. He cleared his throat. "I miss you so much... Dad... Please help me... I beg you..."

He could feel the weight on his chest increase.

He heard someone sigh and felt the pressure on his shoulder lessen slightly. Viktor lifted his head and was surprised to see the older man putting a tissue on his cheek.

"Please calm down... There are cameras everywhere, please don't cry... Don't cry, Viktor... I know it's hard. Everything will be fine soon... Please don't cry... I can't bear seeing you sad and hurt... It will break my heart if you cry..."

His voice was shaking a bit. Tears rolled down his cheeks freely without his permission. He couldn't help himself.

"Don't cry... I'm here..."

Viktor didn't realize when he grabbed the other man's arm tightly. The man looked taken aback. Then, as Viktor kept clinging to him like a koala bear, he pulled Viktor closer to him and held him tight against his chest.

Viktor's hands gripped the man's suit. If this was possible, the man seemed even larger than he was. Viktor felt like a child who had been saved from drowning and then suddenly found comfort in another person's arms after years of loneliness. He hugged him as tightly as he could and buried his face into the other man's chest to try and hide his tears.

This is wrong!

How could this man possibly touch him?! What is he doing?

"Shhh... Don't cry. I'm here now... Don't cry... Shhh..."

The other man's soft voice echoed in Viktor's ears. The sound sent warmth rushing to his body. All of a sudden, he felt relaxed. He was glad that he was holding the man. He was grateful that he could feel safe in the embrace of the other man. He had never felt safer or protected before. He had always been able to feel his father's hand on his back when he was scared. He had always known that his father would be there to protect him if something bad happened to him and that's why Viktor always felt secure with him when he was growing up. His mother always said that she didn't want her son to grow up lonely, so she always protected him with her love. His father was the only real parent he had left.

But it was different now. Not only did he have no family anymore, his father no longer cared for him anymore. His father had been distant from him all those years. He hadn' t called him since their parents' divorce. For months, Viktor had thought that his dad had forgotten about him. So, when he saw the man standing in front of him right now, he thought that the other had died and was waiting for him to find him. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew through his hair. Then he realized that it was just the open window that had been slammed shut. He quickly jumped back, taking a step away from the man, still holding on to the man's suit with his left hand.

The man laughed quietly and sat down on the bench next to Viktor. They were surrounded by dozens of cameras pointed at them every second of the day. Some were focused on the three men standing in front of him, some on the man who just arrived, and some on Yuuri and Phichit. Viktor looked around nervously and saw the other members of the team approaching the platform.

They walked slowly towards them as if they expected an argument and a scene to erupt between them at any given moment. But, to their surprise, none of them reacted the way Viktor had hoped. Phichit gave the Japanese man a hug, while Yuuri smiled. Chris and JJ both shook his hand and thanked him for coming. Yurio just glared at them with his arms folded, his face unreadable. Finally, only Yakov stood motionless at the end of the line, looking at the three boys with a stern expression. Viktor glanced around the area. He recognized a few familiar faces among the crowd, but not many people. He guessed that most of the participants were still practicing.

"Good work, everyone," Yuri said after the greetings ended. His tone sounded angry and impatient.

"Thank you, Yurio," Phichit smiled brightly at the teen. "Yuuri, we need to discuss your training schedule. Do you have any questions for us?"

Yuri scoffed while pointing at Phichit.

"I am perfectly capable of performing on my own."

Phichit chuckled before nodding toward Yuri.

"Then let's get started. We should go home now since we're already late."

Yuuri and Yakov led the group out of the room. Once they disappeared from his sight, Yurio turned around and stared at the empty hallway behind him.

When they got back home, Viktor immediately went upstairs to change his clothes. After showering, he decided to walk outside of his small apartment for a breather. It was the beginning of autumn and, even though it was still cold outside, there wasn't too much snow covering the ground. He took one long look at the sky. It was starting to turn into shades of orange and pink, reminding him of his last sunset. Viktor was happy that he had managed to enjoy one of his happiest memories. Unfortunately though, a part of him also wanted to forget about it and live in the present. It made him wonder whether his dreams would return, but the image of the dark clouds above his head told him otherwise. He shook his head and headed back into his bedroom.

Once Viktor put on a pair of black jeans, a simple white T-shirt, and a black jacket he decided to leave it all behind and start training again. Now that he was alone in his room, he started thinking once again how badly he needed to improve. He wasn't sure which path he should follow, but at least he knew he should keep trying until he found what he truly wanted.

Viktor began practicing jumps from the start. He figured that he might as well use all the energy he currently had, especially since he had a lot to catch up on, as well as to make up for all the laps and blocks he had missed during the first weeks of training. He started jumping for fun. At first, his jumps weren't very good, but he practiced them harder and faster, making sure to land a lot of kicks and jumps, especially since he wasn"t allowed to use his quirk at school. He continued jumping until he started panting. He noticed his muscles were tensed up and ready to explode, so he stopped doing the jumps for a few minutes. When he started running again he was feeling quite refreshed. He had done it again, he thought. This time I'll win for sure. He smiled and kept running.

After a short time he decided to take a break. He sat down on his bed and breathed heavily. He was still smiling and laughing happily. He remembered the way he was feeling after he won the free skate event. The smile was so big on his face that he started to tear up. He was proud of himself for winning and it made him happier than usual. It was amazing for him to have gotten the chance to compete against other skaters. He didn't think he ever got that chance before.

"Oh my God..."

He gasped when he realized that he had somehow fallen asleep while sitting on the bed. The events of the last 24 hours finally catching up to him. His eyelids became heavy, threatening to close at any minute. Just when he thought he was going to fall asleep, he heard a knock on his door followed by his name being called.

"Makkachin! Come! Let's go!"

She whined at him and ran off. He sat upright immediately and watched as Makkachin hopped down the stairs and started walking toward his owner with a bowl of fresh water on the floor. She placed the bowl on the carpet near Viktor's feet and looked expectantly at him.

"You're hungry aren't you?" Viktor asked. Makkachin yipped and wagged her tail happily. She panted and then laid on her side to stare at him with the most loving eyes ever. She looked cute like this, curled up on his carpet waiting for him to feed her. Viktor stood up and bent to pick up the bowl. Makkachin licked Viktor's finger as he scratched behind her ear. Viktor chuckled, enjoying how much he loved her.

"Alright Makka, let's eat!" He placed her bowl and spoon inside. After making sure she didn't choke, Viktor took the opportunity to feed her. He watched as she wolfed down her food with gusto.

"Thanks for watching over me, Makka."

Viktor wiped his lips with a napkin. He took a sip of his tea and smiled softly.

"What do you think, Makka? Would you like some more food?"

Makkachin barked excitedly.

Viktor looked up and grinned at her.

„Well, I guess you must really want more."

Makkachin jumped up from her spot and started licking Viktor's face with her tongue. Viktor smiled as he rubbed her belly with his right hand. He felt a little warm and satisfied. Everything seemed alright. His life seemed pretty good now. The world was getting better for him. The nightmares and flashbacks were gone. He was free from his misery. He was in love. It was perfect! No one had to know anything about his past, nobody had to know that he was abused and neglected by his parents. He didn't have to worry about his father anymore and he wouldn't have to live in fear all the time.

The sound of someone opening his bedroom door made him jump. He turned his head in the direction of the door and smiled nervously.

"Yakov, can you come in please?"

Viktor's heart skipped a beat when he saw his coach standing in the doorway. He suddenly remembered the night when Yakov had told him he had to stop training. That's right, he had almost forgotten about that. Now, he wasn't sure what Yakov wanted to talk to him about. Maybe he wanted another explanation or he wanted to see him. He waited anxiously as his coach walked up to the table and looked him straight in the eye.

"Did you know that I'm planning something special for you?" he asked calmly.

Viktor sighed and leaned his elbows on the table.

"Yes, yes, I do... So what is it?" he replied.

Yakov remained silent for a moment.

"We will be leaving in two days."

Chapter 6

For a moment, Viktor was completely confused. Did Yakov just give him another opportunity to quit? Was that what he wanted to hear? He didn't seem angry either. Viktor tried to remain calm as he looked up at the man.

"So, where are we going?"

Yakov sighed and sat down across him. He crossed his arms, staring at Viktor intensely.

"It's no longer a secret. There are a lot of important matters to attend to. I've scheduled a meeting with the board of directors of Stammi Vicino. You will accompany me there."

Viktor nodded.

„Is everything ready to go?"

Yakov raised his eyebrows in surprise. Viktor's words caught him a bit off guard.

"No..."

"Why not?" Viktor frowned.

"Your contract with Yuuri expires tomorrow afternoon. It's your birthday today. I want you to celebrate. I already booked a private room at the best hotel in town." Yakov pointed out.

A warm smile spread itself across Viktor's face and his eyes sparkled happily. He looked so excited and energetic.

"But I don't have a gift to give." Viktor whispered and lowered his gaze.

"That's exactly why we're going shopping tomorrow," Yakov told him. „I bought you something. Get dressed, let's go."

As soon as Yakov left Viktor, he started changing quickly. He had no idea where they were going or how much time they had till they left. It felt like the only thing on his mind was getting ready. Viktor hurriedly put on his shoes and coat before heading downstairs to meet Victor. He entered the living room and saw Victor lying on the couch. He couldn't help but smile widely.

"Victor!"

Viktor grabbed the Japanese skater's arms to pull him up. Victor's eyes opened immediately. Once he was sure that he was awake, Viktor let him go.

"I'm gonna take Makka for a walk so I won't disturb anyone," Viktor said cheerfully before turning away.