Viktor is more than a little excited to see what Yuuri terms ‘a good place for lunch’, and he is not disappointed when the young man brings him to a pub and inn just off the town square. The Hospoda Yutopia is bustling with the lunch rush, but Yuuri must be well-known to the people who work there because he is immediately ushered into the back room with Viktor trailing in his wake. 

“I’ve never been here,” Viktor declares as soon as they take their seats. His spell-heart warms a little at the flicker of a fire in the backroom hearth. “What do you recommend?”

“The pork cutlet bowl,” says Yuuri, his cheeks flushing light pink. “It’s been my favourite ever since I was a kid.”

Viktor raises an eyebrow. “You go here often?”

Yuuri nods. “I live here,” he replies. “My family owns the place.”

Almost as if on cue, a young woman older than Yuuri with bleached tips and the smell of cigarette smoke wafting about her comes out of a set of hanging curtains to the side with glasses and a carafe of water. “Oh hey,” she says, looking over at Yuuri. “You brought… the Prince?”

Viktor’s heart lurches a little. He’d hoped he’d been a little more discreet in leaving the castle. 

Yuuri nods. “Yeah,” he says. “I’ll have the –”

“Katsudon, yeah, I know,” says the woman, before turning to Viktor. “What about Your Highness?”

Viktor swallows. “What he’s having,” he suggests, nodding towards Yuuri.

The food is brought out quickly enough, and Yuuri tucks in almost immediately. Viktor follows suit, groaning in bliss as the taste of the breaded pork cutlet hits his tongue. 

“This is… wow.” He smiles at Yuuri. “Compliments to your parents.”

Yuuri beams, cheeks dusting pink, and Viktor’s spell heart skips a beat, which causes an acute twinge of pain in his chest. He takes a couple breaths and a sip of water, smiling and shaking his head at Yuuri’s concerned eyebrow quirk. 

“I’m fine,” he says, but the skepticism lingers along Yuuri’s lips, so Viktor hastily adds, “tell me more about yourself.”

He learns, through the course of the lunch, that Yuuri’s family has owned the inn for generations, but Yuuri had been the first in six of those to develop magic. He learns that Minako is a Katsuki family friend, and had taken Yuuri under her wing as soon as he started showing signs of magical ability. 

“She’ll probably need some help with the afternoon crowd,” Yuuri adds bashfully as they finish up their food. Viktor reaches for his wallet, but Yuuri shakes his head. “You don’t need to –”

“I insist,” Viktor declares, setting down several gold coins and getting up. “It was delicious. I’ll be sure to stop by more in the future.”

“That would be nice,” agrees Yuuri, as the bell behind them tinkles on their way out the shop. The clock in the square strikes one, and Viktor has to marvel at how quickly the time had flown – only an hour? It was not enough.

It would never be enough, especially since he only has so much longer with this heart pulsing gently in the hollow of his chest. The afternoon light casts a halo of gold against Yuuri’s dark hair as they reach the fountain.

“There’s a sweets shop we could visit another day,” he says, “if you’re amenable.”

“I would love to,” declares Viktor, though he thinks nothing could possibly beat the sweetness of Yuuri’s voice, or the chocolate colour of his eyes. He takes Yuuri’s hand, gently presses a kiss to the knuckle. “I’ll write you,” he adds quietly.