5

He gently pushed Yuri onto the ground, making Yuri groan in protest. Viktor chuckled at him as he sat down on the floor next to Yuri.

"Hey there sleepyhead." Viktor whispered.

"Mmph... hmm..." Yuri muttered as he turned towards Viktor. "Hm.. hey... Vitya.. mmmm... whaaat..?"

"I thought we agreed that you are allowed to sleep during your free time, Yuri. You promised that you wouldn't ever fall asleep during the work time again."

"Oh yeah... that... I forgot...."

"Do you need anything?" Viktor asked as he patted Yuri's hair.

"I... don't need anything now... but... I need you..."

"What do you need me for, Yuri?" Viktor asked him in a concerned tone.

"To cuddle with me..!"

"...You still haven't realized that you're already hugging me?" Viktor chuckled.

"Hmm..."

"Well, how do I explain this to you?"

"Tell me what you want." Yuri yawned as he continued talking.

"...I can't tell you, Yuri." Viktor chuckled again.

"Come on, Vitya. You said you would tell me."

"Yes, I did, but you might not like it. Besides, I don'ee want you taht mad at me."

"Just tell me." Yuri whined.

"Fine. Since you won't accept my answer, I'll just tell you. I love you, Yuri. I always have, I always will."

"Then tell me..." Yuri demanded as he turned around and snuggled into Viktor. "I love you, too, Vitya." Yuri mumbled as he fell asleep.

The next few days passed quickly. Everything was back to normal. Yuri kept busy, doing all the things he needed to do while he worked for his company. He had a great time. Everything was perfect and he didn'ee want it to change.

"Yura, I have an announcement to make." Yuri heard Yakov call out for him as he was heading to his room. Yuri stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Yakov.

"Yes?"

"When you graduate, I will send you a position in my company."

"Huh?" Yuri looked confused.

"As long as you promise to follow orders properly, I will hire you. Your skills are exceptional and I'm sure no one else could be as talented as you are."

"Wait, but isn't that a bad idea? What if I can't keep up with expectations?" Yuri asked nervously.

"Don't worry. You'll get accustomed to it very soon. And besides, you're already good enough to be in charge of your own division. You'll probably manage a division within a month anyway."

"Thank you, Yakov." Yuri bowed. "But why did you offer it to me in such a hurry? Didn'ee have any time to think about it?"

"Of course I had time to think about it! That's why I gave it to you so fast."

"Why so fast? I'm twenty years old. My parents told me I'll probably never even have the chance to become a lawyer."

"Because you need this. Do you know how many young lawyers you see here? None. They have no reason to practice law and none of them are even interested. If you were to come here with a resume and experience, I know you'd be a great lawyer. Not only that, you're good in everything. I don'ee see why you're not applying to become a lawyer. All you need is a degree and a resume. But unfortunately, you don't have either of those things. If I wanted to hire you, I would've already hired you."

Yuri nodded slowly. Yakov was right, Yuri didn't have any qualifications except for the fact that he was good with words. However, Yakov had already given him his position. Why waste money on something that he wasn't going to use?

"So I'm suppose to learn everything I need to know to be able to practice law."

"That's right."

"And what if I don'ee want to study law?"

"You have to study law, Yuri."

"Why?"

"Because I've told you. If you don't study law, you won't be able to do anything."

"How will I be able to do anything then? How am I going to achieve anything? What are the chances I'll find someone who wants to marry someone like me? Who wants someone as useless as me to be their spouse? You know I'm going nowhere in life. There are so many people better suited than me in every profession. Why me?"

"Yuri, do you have any idea how proud I am of you? You're smart. You're talented. Your poems are full of beauty and emotion. Even if everyone else is saying otherwise, I know you're special. So if anyone says that you can't achieve what you want because you don't have the credentials, then I'll make sure they realize the mistake they have made."

"Thanks, Yakov. I appreciate your encouragement."

"Now, go to sleep. Don't stay up late again. It's late already. I'm going to bed."

"Alright. Goodnight, Yakov."

"Goodnight, Yuri."

After hearing Yakov closing his door behind him, Yuri finally allowed himself to relax. He lay down on the floor and closed his eyes. He knew he was going to regret falling asleep, but he couldn't stop himself from doing so. Yuri knew he shouldn't fall asleep during the day, but it felt so nice. Plus, it felt safe here when he slept. This place felt like home. Yuri loved this place.

He didn't notice the figure lying right next to him as the sun shone through the windows and illuminated his face. He didn't hear the small sound of the music playing softly in the background. He didn't feel the warmth that radiated off the person next to him. He didn'.