❄️

“I’ll be gentle,” She promises when he gives her the permission. Here she is, burying her hands into this sweet, sweet girl and then her face. All very gently, of course. “She’s really soft and very, very warm. I love her.” Mirae feels she can fall asleep on her and she actually wouldn’t mind that, at all. 

Looking up at the kind gentleman, still latched onto the dog, Mirae asks “What’s her name? What’s your name?”

“Oh, my, where are my manners.” Viktor smiles brightly and tucks the purchased items into the bag at his shoulder. Oh, he might be a bit in the way now but...

“Her name is Makkachin, and you can just call me Viktor. Say, though, are you here by yourself?” He wonders, tone concerned, considering the size and nature of this city. It’s not odd to see a child about alone he supposes, depending on the circumstance but it doesn’t hurt to check, does it? He’d hate to leave her go and hear of something bad happening afterward.

That aside, he does scoot to the side to avoid being in the way of oncoming customers and instead stands close to Makkachin to ensure she behaves toward Mirae.

The dog, though, is immersed in getting attention and pats, her tongue lolling out and eyes closed. She very much appears to be enjoying herself, making Viktor stifle a laugh at the sight.

Yuuri knew for fact that once lacing his finger’s with Viktor’s their hands would not part for a while. Not that he was complaining he rather enjoyed the intimacy they shared, although at times it caused his heightened flustered state this time around it eased any lingering nerves that he may of kept hidden. It was hard to stay with a calm expression though, considering the Russian’s excitement was rather contagious. So much so that Yuuri found himself smiling contently with ease. 

He allowed Viktor to take the lead, keeping an eye on their steps as well. Viktor didn’t really emit an air of clumsiness but accidents could happen. Though surely they would laugh it off if it did. That’s just how they were. Yet today didn’t seem like such a day were such an accidental slip up should take place. 

A quick nod is the only response that Viktor receives with his statement. Yuuri didn’t trust himself with words at the moment feeling as though he would reveal just how much Viktor’s excitement rubbed off on him. Though he still made a mental note to one day perhaps arrange a picnic of the sort. Would Viktor even enjoy such an activity? Breaking from his thoughts he watched Viktor’s actions pulling his hands away slowly to aid in untangling their fingers though that did not stop the small laugh that left him when he did. 

Coming upon the elaborate display Yuuri’s eyes widen with surprise as he covered his mouth with a hand in order to stifle a slight gasp. Was this really all for him? Such a thought was hard to believe yet part of him knew it was. His surprised expression slowly diminished in exchange for a wide smile. His cheeks gaining a slight tint to them as he felt the tell tale signs of tears forming in the corner of his eyes. He never imagined that he would find himself in the receiving position of such a planned celebration. Nor did it ever cross his mind that he would be worth all the effort. So perhaps his reaction was a bit much but he couldn’t exactly help it. He wiped at the stray tears..

As a laugh followed to leave him in reaction to Viktor’s gesture, he had every right to show pride in his work. “ It’s lovely, I can tell you really put thought into everything. I can only imagine how long this all took..thank you.” 

Maybe it was a little much -- but Viktor was known for being rather over the top and extravagent, and in things like this there was no exception whatsoever. He had to give Yuuri the best of the best on a day like today, after all. Wide grin not faltering at all to see Yuuri’s reaction to the romantic dinner setup, he feels his heart swell with happiness.

Of course it’s not as though he had any doubts that the other man would love it, but even Viktor gets nervous about things sometimes! Valentine’s day is kind of a big deal... right?

“I’m so glad you like it.” He says with a tinge of relief to his words, even as he moves to pull out a chair for Yuuri. “I think you’ll quite enjoy the food, too, though it’s certainly not anything restaurant grade... aha.”

Perhaps he’s a bit sheepish about that; he could have chosen to go to a restaurant actually, but there was something much more intimate about preparing something for such a special day all on his own. Something much more meaningful.

Besides, how could he pass up a chance to show off his cooking skills?

He puts his pen on the spine between the pages of his notebook before shutting it closed. Seeing all those English words is just giving him a headache which is starting to throb right between his brows. He reaches up to smoothen the wrinkles even though he’s pretty sure his attempt is futile when his brows are just gonna bump back together in a frown. 

He’s not usually like this, or at least he thinks he isn’t. But when your mind is being constantly attacked by a flashback you wish to bury into the deepest darkest depths of your recollection, focusing on a single task isn’t particularly easy.

Apparently, Viktor is looking a little bit drained himself and yet he still does his best to not only be a decent teacher but a decent host as well— even offering the teen a smile and a beverage.

❝Oh, uh… water is fine. Thank you. Sorry for the inconvenience.❞

“Ah, no, it’s no inconvenience at all! I’ll be back in a flash~ If you need anything else, just ask.”

Viktor takes a moment to stretch himself out properly once he’s standing up, and then disappears off to the kitchen, humming to himself as he takes a peak into the fridge and spots the bottles of water he’d put in there earlier. Perfect, they should be cold by now...

Though upon return, Viktor has not only brought back a bottle of water for Hitoshi, but a small plate of cookies as well. Even if the other had not requested anything else, he thinks it better to at least have a snack after studying. Everyone thinks better when they have energy, don’t they? Maybe next time he can make something to eat, should he find out something that Hitoshi likes that can be made at home.

Mirae was on her way to find Akira, but of course she’s stopped right in her track. She wants to pet the dog. She’s not scared or anything, but she’s wondering if they’ll bite if she were to touch them. Small hands are ITCHING to run fingers through those fluff! NOT only are they fluffy and cute, when the man gestures, the dog is immediately sitting down. interesting. Mirae has her head tilted to the side and when the male speaks, her eyes are locked onto him. 

“You can take your time. I want to touch your dog. May I pet-pet?” manners, “Please?”

She won’t move forward until given the okay to pet the sweet puppy. 

Oh my, this young girl seems so sweet... It warms his heart a little, especially with how accustomed he is to having interactions with the more sassy type of teenagers.

And he couldn’t possibly say no to her request, not that he would anyway, considering that Makkachin is very much the friendly type. She’s even wagging her tail excitedly as she watches Mirae’s movements!

It has been a while since the strange phenomenon that is happening during valentine weeks ended. Still, Miu is feeling concerned to enter stores anyway. She contemplates a while, wondering if it is a good time for her now to buy candies and chocolates for her self-indulgence without causing troubles for other people. She remembered she lashed out in front of some people after eating some of the strange chocolates weeks ago, and she did not want that to happen again.

Which is why she is standing in front of the store, thinking whether or not she should enter and buy some candies. Those strange candies do not exist anymore, right? What if they still do and somehow they allure her to buy some of them again? There are just so many thoughts occupying Miu’s mind now.

Her contemplation is interrupted when a man offers her a help, to help her buy the things that she wants to. On one hand, Miu honestly thinks that this is a good idea to accept his help, but on the other hand, if those strange candies still exist, he will be the one heavily affected by them, right? That would be dangerous.

“Um…” Miu finally replies after staying silent for a while. “I…I just want to buy some candies there, b-but…” She falls into another silence, not wanting to tell the reason of her hesitation to him. He probably does not mean any harm, but she just cannot tell–she does not want to tell either.

“H-huh…?” She looks down to see a poodle with beige-colored fur, who seems to be his pet. How adorable… Miu murmurs to herself, but she has no experience in handling animals–or someone else’s pet, for that matter. “I-I don’t mind taking care of him, b-but…I don’t really know how…”

She admits her zero experience, despite the fact that she would love to have a pet someday and she is fond with animals. She wants to learn how, though.

Miu looks very uneasy about the request, and that’s understandable if she doesn’t have any experience with animals... But Viktor isn’t worried, with how well he can usually get Makkachin to behave. She’s only really troublesome if she gets curious... or if there’s tasty food involved. Or maybe he just thinks too highly of his longtime pet, but either way...

“Oh, there’s no worries. She’s very tame, you know? It’ll be simple, if you just stay out here for a few minutes with her. Here, let’s see.”

He coaxes Makkachin with a command for ‘stay’ to ensure she will stay standing by his side for now, catching her just before she tries to approach Miu. “Maybe it would help you be at ease about the idea if you give her some pats and talk to her a little first? Ah, I am sorry, I was a little brash in asking so abruptly... I have such a bad habit of doing things on a whim.”

@skatesofgold​ | starter call

❝I’m tired. Can we take a break?❞

Hitoshi doesn’t normally ask for breaks during their English tutoring sessions but today is an unfortunate exception. He couldn’t concentrate. It’s hard to when his mind is currently occupied by what could be the most humiliating memory he had ever been reduced to. He feels bad though seeing that Viktor has been nothing but patient with him no matter how many times he’s had to repeat himself just for Hitoshi to understand what he’s trying to explain. It’s embarrassing enough to ask the guy if he could teach him English in his spare time, but to waste his time by not paying attention at all is just plain rude.

He’s a guest in Viktor’s home so the least he could do is be attentive. But perhaps that’s easier said than done at the moment.

Hmmm... well, they had been at this for quite a while. Even Viktor was starting to get a little stiff from sitting there for such a long time. He really needed to make a better note of the time and track how long they’ve been studying these things for... Taking breaks between makes studying go smoother and all, doesn’t it? He doesn’t really remember any proper tips, he’s been out of school for so long.

But he’s trying his best to improve as a makeshift teacher for Hitoshi!

...Oh well. For now he gives a big stretch and tucks his hair behind his ear with something of a sigh.

“…humans do tend to be sinful and rebellious creatures and will do what they please regardless of what we tell them.” He briefly thought back to his own childhood, which was marked by fear and strict rules. Fortunately he wasn’t the type to rebel or give into vices, though he knew that others in his situation often did so due to living in such an environment.

Then again, cutting off both his parents and joining an organization run by one of the most corrupt people he had ever met counted as rebellion in its own way, did it not?

“If I understand your logic correctly; if we let them experiment in an area that is controlled and safe, they will be less tempted to become addicted and engage in it in a more risky fashion? I suppose that is better than letting them go at it with abandon; if they are supervised they cannot end up hurt, or worse.” He still didn’t think that being a teen excused one from illegal activities, however. Not to mention that, if caught, the adult looking after them would face punishment.

Of course, he had no children and didn’t intend to be a parent. He would simply warn and leave others to it. 

“Yes, I’m aware of the... issues that could arise. But just as many could come up if a teenager is caught doing illegal things like drinking out in the public with no supervision whatsoever. Not to mention they could make themselves severely sick, get hurt, or do any number of reckless and dangerous things to their well-being. Of course, I won’t try to encourage it but... I also would rather look out for the young people of today so they don’t get hurt, just as you said.”

Viktor does realize that both himself and Nathaniel have good view points. But still.

“I’d rather handle the blame then making someone so young deal with it. If they get in trouble with authorities and don’t have someone on their side, it’d be traumatizing for someone so young and impressionable, wouldn’t it?”

“But will there be an adult watching them if it’s a teenager only party?”