Author's Notes: After seeing the Phantom Thief AU art that somachos made on tumblr, I was inspired to write this! Go check out the art! I hope that you all like it! Please let me know ^.~ Obviously I don't own YOI or make any profit!

Under the Cover of Eros

YOI Phantom Thief AU

Chapter 1 - First Notice

The air was alive with the sound of phones ringing, people typing, and distant sirens. Sweet music to his ears. The handsome blonde journalist took a deep breath and was hit by the pungent aroma of stale coffee and cheap cologne. All around him people were huddled over their keyboards, furiously trying to make their deadlines. Chris Giacometti had been a newspaper journalist for almost a decade now, but he still loved his job. It allowed him to meet new and interesting people. It allowed him to venture into the very underbelly of Manhattan. It was his passion. Over the years, he had seen numerous serial killers, bank robbers, and rapists come and go. He had uncovered political scandals, drug cartels, and one human trafficking ring. But, he had never seen anything like this. This was new and it excited him. The thrill of the chase.

"So, I see you've read it," Chris's editor said as he plopped down in the empty chair next to Chris. Stephan reached across the desk and picked up the fax that had been sent to the police and every newspaper in town. The handsome brunette editor shook his head in dismay. "Crazy right?" He asked with a laugh.

"Ballsy I'd say! But Viktor said that the police are taking it seriously," Chris commented while leaning back in his chair. "Due to the value of the rock that was mentioned, they even created a special investigation team," Chris grinned. "And poor ol' Nikiforov himself got saddled with being the lead detective for this case," he smiled. A number of years ago Chris had befriended a prominent detective named Viktor Nikiforov. The dapper Russian soon became one of the top detectives in Manhattan. He came to the states with his nephew when his brother and sister in law died in a car accident six years ago. Chris and Viktor met in a bar one night and hit it off instantly, they have been close friends ever since.

"That sucks for him," Stephan shrugged and tossed the fax back onto the desk. He was secretively a bit jealous of the relationship that Chris had with the attractive detective. Stephan started dating Chris two years ago and they recently moved in together. Being that he was Chris's editor in chief, they kept their relationship a secret at the office. "I guess I will have to assign you to this story after all," Stephan sighed.

"I was hoping you would come to that conclusion," Chris grinned and winked. He knew that Stephan didn't like Viktor, but his boyfriend had nothing to worry about. Chris had fallen madly in love with Stephan, and there was no one else that could take his place. "Well," Chris stood up gracefully, "I guess I better head over to have a little chat with Nikiforov then." He smiled and leaned down to whisper hotly in Stephan's ear, "I'll see you at home later honey, keep the bed warm for me." Proud of the blush that spread across his lovers face, he grabbed his coat and skipped all the way to the elevator.

Stephan covered his ear and grumbled, "that bastard," then stood up and briskly walked back to his office. He slammed his door and immersed himself in work so that he wouldn't think about Chris or their bed. It didn't help.

The fax laying innocently on Chris's desk read:

Dear Jean-Jacques Leroy,

I will take possession of the Fire's Heart tomorrow night at 10:30pm

~Phantom Thief Eros~

"Good Yurio-kun, that was a much better arabesque, next time try to straighten your knee just a little bit more," Yuuri instructed the irritable platinum blonde teen.

"Yeah yeah old man, I hear you," Yurio grumbled and rolled his eyes.

"Oi, I'm only twenty eight years old, the same as your uncle you know?" Yuuri defended meekly. He didn't think that he was that old. He certainly didn't look that old, a gift from his Japanese heritage. Yuuri didn't think that Yurio's uncle Viktor looked old either. Sexy yes, old no. Yuuri decided that was a dangerous path for his mind to wander down and he shook his head to clear it like an etch a sketch. "I think we will stop there Yurio-kun, your uncle should be here any minute," Yuuri announced.

"Fine," Yurio huffed, as he let go of the barre and stalked off towards the changing room.

Yuuri smirked and shook his head, "so much rage for one so small."

"I heard that asshole!" Yurio shouted from behind the door angrily.

Yuuri laughed to himself and began to tidy up the studio. Admittedly the young boy had excellent form and grace for someone so moody. He had only been instructing Yurio for two years, but the boy had had some lessons when he was still living in Russia. Yuuri was pulled from his musings as the door to the studio flew open and a ragged looking man in a tan trench coat stumbled in.

"I'm so sorry that I'm late!" Viktor cried. He ran his hand through his short silvery locks and away from his face, revealing both of his stunning blue eyes. "There was a new crazy case that I was assigned and meetings and ahh," he ranted and scratched his head with both hands in frustration.

Yuuri lived for these moments, these brief interludes. He smiled at the frazzled man in front of him and raised his hands in dismissal. "Don't worry about it Viktor-san, we just finished a minute ago," Yuuri said calmly.

"Oh thank goodness," Viktor breathed a sigh of relief. He fixed his gaze on the gentle man standing next to the wall of mirrors. He met Yuuri two years ago when he enrolled his nephew Yurio into a private ballet class. From the moment that Viktor met Yuuri he was smitten. The smaller man's gentle demeanor, messy dark hair, blue rimmed glasses, and adorable Asian features were totally his type. He just wasn't sure if the gorgeous ballet instructor felt the same way. Yuuri was a hard person to read, at least Viktor thought so. "Yuuri, how many times have I asked you to just call me Viktor," he whined pathetically.

Yuuri blushed and shook his head. "Oh no, I . . . I couldn't . . it wouldn't be right," he stuttered. "I'm sorry," he mumbled as he hung his head.

Viktor dashed over to him and placed his hands on Yuuri's shoulders. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you Yuuri," he said softly. 'Damn it he is too freaking adorable!' He mentally shouted as Yuuri slowly raised his head and opened his warm chocolate colored eyes. Realizing that he was still touching Yuuri, Viktor threw his hands in the air like he was in an old western stick up.

Yuuri couldn't help himself and began to laugh at Viktor's exaggerated gestures. 'If only I was brave enough to tell you how I feel, if only I could make you mine Viktor,' he internally sighed.

"About damn time!" Yurio shouted as he walked out of the changing room.

"Yurio!" Viktor wailed gleefully and launched himself at his nephew. "Your beloved uncle has come to take you home!" He squealed and wrapped Yurio in an embarrassingly tight embrace. "You're growing up too fast," Viktor pouted while nuzzling his nephew. "How are you already sixteen?" He cried.

"Eww gross! Get off me you old man!" Yurio yelled while trying to free himself. Eventually he was able to wiggle free and he straightened his clothes angrily. "Lets go already!"

"See you in two days Yurio-kun, goodnight Viktor-san," Yuuri waved with a gentle smile.

"Goodnight Yuuri," Viktor grinned and waved. "Say goodnight Yurio," he whispered while elbowing his nephew in the back.

"Yeah yeah goodnight!" Yurio growled with one hand straight up in the air as he sauntered away.

Viktor rolled his eyes at Yurio's rude behavior. "Kids," he shrugged with a nervous giggle and turned to follow Yurio out.

Yuuri couldn't wipe the smile off of his face as he returned to cleaning up the studio. Just as he had finished, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and looked down at a text from Phichit.

[hey, after I close the café for the night, we can finalize our . . . plans ]

Yuuri chuckled as he looked out at the bright lights of the bustling city. He always thought that the city sparkled like glittering gem stones. Yuuri had grown up surrounded by precious gems, his parents were third generation jewelers. When Yuuri was ten, a young man named Jean-Jacques Leroy came stumbling into Yuuri's parents' shop, Katsuki no Houseki (Katsuki's Gem), in Hasetsu, Japan. Yuuri's parents had taken in the wayward traveling teen, providing him employment and shelter. JJ, as they came to call him, became Yuuri's father Toshio's personal apprentice. About one year later, while Yuuri was at his friends house for a sleepover, JJ snuck downstairs to the shop and stole the most valuable pieces could get his hands on. He then left Japan, but not before setting the shop on fire. Unfortunately, Yuuri's parents and elder sister were asleep upstairs and didn't make it out alive. With the whole incident written off as an accidental house fire, no investigation was ever made into the shop below. A few years later, JJ emerged as the bright new star of high end jewelry.

Yuuri had no surviving relatives, so he was sent to live with a family friend in the United States. Celestino Cialdini, took Yuuri in and raised him, along with his adoptive son Phichit from Thailand. Yuuri was the same age as Phichit and they quickly became inseparable. Celestino was a dance instructor and he taught ice skating on the side. Both boys grew up learning dance and ice skating as a result. Yuuri fell in love with ballet, skating, and everything theatrical. He even did some slight of hand and acting for a while in high school. Yuuri enjoyed that he was able to create new characters and immerse himself in a role completely outside of his own comfort zone. On the other hand, Phichit fell in love with computers and photography. By the age of sixteen, Phichit could rival the best hackers around and his selfies were a thing of beauty.

When the boys graduated from high school, they moved from Detroit, Michigan to New York City together. Yuuri studied dance at Juilliard and Phichit attended NYU. After two years however, Yuuri had a terrible knee injury and Phichit was smarter than his professors and he knew it. Both boys at the age of twenty left school and started their own businesses. They found a quant property that would suit their needs in the East Village. Phichit set up shop on street level by opening a trendy cyber café called "The Fluffy Hamster." It was a popular haunt for bloggers, vloggers, journalist, and gamers a like. On the second floor, Yuuri created a small dance studio he called "Yutopia." He freely admitted that the name was cheesy, but it was the best he could come up with.

Yuuri looked down at his phone, chuckled, and sent a text back to Phichit.

{sounds good, I'm just closing the studio and heading out. need any help down there?}

[no thanks, we've got it under control, should be up soon]

{k}

Yuuri walked over to the door, turned off the lights, and locked up. He walked upstairs to his and Phichit's small apartment. They lived on the third floor above Yuuri's dance studio. When Yuuri wasn't giving dance lessons or lending a hand at the café downstairs, he would go to the small ice rink nearby. After his injury, he was no longer able to pursue dance as a career. Yuuri was still agile and kept in shape, but the long hours of practice required to dance professionally were too painful on his knee. So, he taught dance and still ice skated in his free time.

Over the years Phichit had been obsessed with Yuuri's tragic past. He was determined to find out what happened all those years ago. Yuuri had repeatedly told Phichit every detail that he could remember. They decided long ago that JJ must have been the one that started the fire. The boys then made the logical assumption that he had stolen from the Katsuki's shop before he made his get away. They kept a close eye on JJ's activities until one day he made a fatal error. JJ had come out with a new and exclusive line of jewelry he dubbed "JJ Style!" Many famous celebrities flocked to his boutique, begging to purchase these new and rare pieces. He was selling them for outrages prices and the naive customers happily forked over the cash. At one of his press conferences he showed a ruby necklace from the 'JJ Style' collection that he called the Fire's Heart. The necklace was Yuuri's mother's, it had been given to her as a wedding present from his grandmother. When Yuuri saw this, he threw the laptop across the room in a blind rage. He bought Phichit a new one the next day.

That was the night that everything changed, that was the night that Phichit and Yuuri formed a plan, a plan for revenge. Tomorrow, those plans would come to fruition. Yuuri was giddy at the thought.

After opening the door and slipping out of his shoes, Yuuri sluggishly dragged himself into the kitchen. He filled the electric kettle, placed it back on its base, and clicked it on. While he waited for his water to boil he picked up the red folder that was laying on the counter. Opening it, he perused the blue prints within until the kettle clicked off. He yawned while he pulled a clean mug from the drain board and place some loose leaf green tea into an infuser. Yuuri took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Yawning again Yuuri placed the infuser in his mug and poured water over the top. This was his evening ritual. Phichit refused to even speak to Yuuri until he had drank some of his evening tea. It calmed Yuuri's nerves and helped him unwind. It was a small reminder of where he came from, where he used to call home.

Phichit came in the door like a whirlwind. "Hey Yuuri!" He said waving and throwing his shoes haphazardly near the door. "Did you just get in? Did you drink some tea? Oh it looks like you haven't yet! I'm gonna go jump in the shower then, see you in a few," he rapid fired and dashed into the bathroom.

"Hi Phichit," Yuuri waved at thin air with a laugh. He turned his attention back to his tea and the red folder.

Viktor and Yurio lived in a small two bedroom apartment a few blocks from Yuuri's Dance Studio. As soon as Viktor opened the door a large brown ball of fur attacked him. "Ah! Makkachin!" Viktor yelled. "Ok, just give me a second and I'll take you for a walk buddy," he smiled and pet his large poodle behind its ears. He pushed his way into the living room with some difficulty and set his bag down on the sofa.

"I'm going to take a shower," Yurio said as he walked past Makkachin, petting him on the head quickly. "Hi Makkachin," he whispered.

Viktor grabbed the dog leash and attached it to Makkachin. Just as he was about to open the door, someone knocked and Makkachin began to bark. "Just a minute," Viktor shouted and pushed the excited poodle back.

"Heh, hi Makkachin!" Chris sang from the hall.

"Chris," Viktor laughed as he opened the door. "How are you?" He asked still attempting to keep his dog at bay.

"Better than you," Chris chuckled and pet Makkachin. "Taking him for a walk?" He asked smiling down.

"Yeah, we just got home and I was going to take Makkachin out. Care to join us?" Viktor grinned.

"I'd love to," Chris said and took Makkachin's leash from Viktor. "Come on sweet boy," he cooed. Chris preferred cats, but he had a soft spot in his heart for the adorable poodle.

They walked out into the cool breeze of a peaceful fall evening. Viktor and Chris exchanged small talk for a few minutes until Viktor couldn't take it anymore. "Alright let's hear it, what do you want?" he sighed.

"Why Viktor, whatever do you mean?" Chris acted as if he was insulted. "I just came out to see my dear friend and you think I have an ulterior motive, shame dear boy, shame," he said with his voice taking on a theatrically high pitch. Chris was only two years older than Viktor, but he knew that it made his friend upset to be called boy, that's why he did it.

Viktor wasn't buying it and glared at Chris. "I know you have an ulterior motive Chris, cut the bullshit and spill," Viktor growled.

"Poo, you're no fun," Chris pouted. Once he saw Viktor's patented one eyed death glare he decided to cave. "I got assigned to the thief story. I know that Stephan didn't want me on it, but he knew that I was the best man for the job," Chris said proudly.

"You mean you tricked him into it somehow?" Viktor accused with a snort. "I assumed as much. So we'll be working together then?" Viktor smirked.

Chris decided to ignore the slight and answer Viktor's second question instead. "Yeah, thus Stephan not wanting me on the story," Chris sighed.

"Have you explained the simple fact that you are totally not my type and we are just friends?" Viktor asked in frustration. "I mean no offence or anything," he added quickly.

"None taken man," Chris chuckled and slapped him on the back. "And yeah like a million times Viktor," he whined. "I think it's because you are obviously a looker, we are close, and I accidentally mentioned that we kissed once," Chris grimaced.

"Ghhaa, that was one time and it was when we first met and we were stupid drunk and we laughed afterwards because it felt so wrong," Viktor shrieked while shaking his head at the memory.

"I know Viktor, I was there too," Chris giggled. "You know that you're like a brother to me now, I think it's kinda cute that Stephan gets all jealous though." Chris knew that this conversation was only going to result in an argument, so he decided to switch topics. "So about this thief, any leads?"

"No! And who the hell sends a warning that they are going to commit a crime anyways? What the fuck?" Viktor complained. "And whoever this crazy Eros person is, they sent that stupid untraceable fax to every newspaper and every police department in the five boroughs!" Viktor had spent all day with the top minds in the city trying to find leads, only to come up empty handed.

"Yeah, sadly I've got nothin too," Chris sighed. Even though he was upset that the police hadn't turned anything up yet, it excited him that he had a new challenge. "Have there been any recent escapees from the loony bin?" He laughed at his own whit.

"Don't laugh, we actually checked that today," Viktor stifled a giggle. "And no, there hasn't! This stupid thief is gonna cause me so much paperwork and overtime!" Viktor growled.

"Well I'll let you know if any of my little informants around the city tell me anything good," Chris smiled. "Onto a juicier topic," he grinned, "how is your cute little dancing minx?"

"He's not a minx!" Viktor shouted indignantly.

"I don't know Viktor, I've heard the way you described him, sounds like a minx to me," Chris grinned. He loved to rile Viktor up and Yurio's ballet instructor had been providing him ample ammunition for two years now. "Didn't you say that his dance studio even has a stripper pole? That's hot!"

"He teaches all forms of dance Chris!" Viktor defended as he began to blush.

"Maybe you should ask for your own private lesson, and I don't mean in ballet," Chris purred.

"Shut your dirty mouth Chris! Yuuri is a Saint! A sweet, innocent, adorable little Asian Saint!" Viktor defended. "He was sent directly from heaven," he paused, "just to torture me!" He cried as the fight went out of him.

"There there buddy," Chris rubbed Viktor's shoulder. "It's ok, you just have to bring him down to our level," he grinned wickedly. "Taint the boy!"

"Chris! Shut up!" Viktor screamed and blushed to his toes. Truthfully Viktor wanted to taint Yuuri, he wanted to make the adorable dark haired beauty moan and beg for him. He wanted to make Yuuri his, and his alone. He just had no idea how. With a heavy sigh he gave in, he decided to ask for advice. "Alright, I give up, I'm at my limit!" Viktor whined. "What should I do Chris?"

"Oh Viktor sweetie, I thought you'd never ask!" Chris squealed with absolute delight.

When Phichit got out of the shower and had thrown his pajamas on, he came into the living room to see Yuuri putting the finishing touches on his costume. The semi transparent tight fitting black body suit was not something that Yuuri would normally wear. His friend was reserved and quiet the greater majority of the time, but just like himself, he knew that Yuuri had a darker side. Phichit noticed that Yuuri was embellishing the costume with a few large shiny rhinestones. It definitely made a statement.

"That looks really good Yuuri, or should I say Eros?" Phichit winked playfully.

Yuuri looked up from his work and grinned, "I'm glad that you approve, Agape," he winked back.

"I worked out the final algorithm for the security at that dick's mansion," Phichit said as he took a seat next to Yuuri. "Guang-Hong, I mean Philia, was able to get the information I needed from the cops, so they won't pose much a threat either." Guang-Hong was Phichit's friend from NYU and currently worked as Detective Nikiforov's clerical assistant. He reached out to touch the silky fabric of Yuuri's new identity. "There shouldn't be any issues on my end, the rest will be up to you."

"Great thanks," he said as if Phichit had just mentioned that he had washed the dishes.

"Yuuri," Phichit waited until Yuuri looked up and met his eyes, "are you sure about this? After tomorrow, there is. . . no going back." He looked in Yuuri's darkened eyes and saw the resolve that dwelled there. He already knew the answer, but he just wanted to make sure one more time.

"I'm sure Phichit, are you?" Yuuri asked with a determined glare. There was no question that he planned to see this through until the end. He knew that Phichit felt the same, after all it was his plan.

"Yeah Yuuri, I'm with you, I always am, you know that," he smiled tenderly. His thoughts drifted to Yuuri, and how he had lost everyone that he cared for. How he had lost everything. He would help Yuuri find some semblance of justice, he would help him no matter what. "Guang-Hong is with us too, I gave him the same option to back out now and he told me to shut up," Phichit laughed. "Tomorrow huh?" He sighed.

"Tomorrow night we take our first step, tomorrow night will change everything," Yuuri said as an uncharacteristically wicked smile washed over his face while he draped his Eros costume over his torso. Phichit gave him satisfied smirk.