#chp15

Vitya sees the competitive light in Yuuri’s eye when they race to the tree line, he sees the way Yuuri allows Vitya to indulge in it, and he wants more - of course he wants more of Yuuri, Yuuri is funny and silly but with a bedrock of competence and solidity that Vitya craves in his life.

“You want me to climb a tree and race you? In the rain?” Yuuri gives him an unimpressed look that sparks Vitya’s smile again. “You’re aware that you have an unfair advantage right?”

“Well, as you said, it’s raining so we’ll both have to be careful!” Yuuri rolls his eyes at this and hums thoughtfully.

“Okay, where do I start?” Vitya shows him to the tree, and Yuuri scoffs at him when he tries to explain how to climb it. “Vitya, you may think of Lindalde as your forest, but I’ve been climbing its trees since I was old enough to pull myself up.”

“Someone is sure of themselves…” The comment wins Vitya another grin, all teeth and challenge and Vitya returns it in kind. And then Yuuri’s making his way up the trunk, sure in his movements and only hesitating for a second between handholds.

Vitya watches him, waiting for any sign that Yuuri may falter, but he doesn't. He climbs as though it’s second nature to him, his leather jerkin taut over his back when he reaches one particularly difficult stretch. His form is perfect, as though he’d been born to it as Vitya had. His strong legs propel him up the trunk as though he were an elf himself, and Vitya spends a moment staring before he realises that he’s effectively watching Yuuri’s backside as he scales the tree.

It is a very nice backside though…

It’s a very, very nice backside. It’s one of the best backsides Vitya has ever seen and he’s seen a lot of backsides in his time…

He’s snapped out of his musing once the backside in question disappears into the eaves, and Yuuri’s face replaces it. Vitya isn’t complaining about the replacement. It’s a very nice face, too… As far as Vitya has seen, there isn’t a part of Yuuri that isn’t nice -

“Are you just giving me a head start or gawping at me?” Yuuri calls down, amusement tingeing his voice.

Now fully aware of himself, Vitya makes quick work of scaling the tree and finds Yuuri standing at the entry to the sky-bridge, taking in the intricate criss crossing of the eaves and woven branches with wide eyes.

“This is incredible.” Yuuri shoots him a wide eyed look of wonder before he's examining the bridge more closely, barely noticing the rain. “Did you say all of the trees have bridges between them?”

Vitya joins him at the bridge and lays a hand on the intricate lacing of branches that serve as a hand hold, “Most of the habitable ones, yes. They've mostly fallen to wildness now, I haven't enough time to tend every bridge in the forest…” Vitya tells him, there's a downturn to Yuuri’s expression at that but the rain chooses to redouble its efforts of soaking them and Vitya sends Yuuri a bright smile, “Anyway, I was promised a race!”

“I'm not sure it's going to be much of a race, I'll probably get swept off the bridge by the rain!” Yuuri chuckles at the concept but it makes Vitya’s stomach sour at the thought.

“Okay, not a race then. I'll just show you the bridges and tell you about the trees we pass!” Vitya offers, Yuuri looks like he'd like to argue, but Vitya forestall his protests by grabbing his hand once more - and pulling Yuuri after him - leads them into the treetops.

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