Yuri on Ice(c) Mitsurō Kubo and MAPPA

It was supposed to be a simple mission.

Emil had been poking fun at him earlier as he was walking inside, telling him that he would have to smile a little if this mission was supposed to go well. Otabek tried but Emil quickly told him to stop, it just made him more suspicious.

This was his first mission without JJ close by. Otabek told himself that he would be fine and he ignored his friend's teasing. They didn't need to kill or hurt anyone. They just needed to get in and gather information. Still, Otabek did feel just a little uneasy. He had only recently become JJ's right-hand-man, after all. 'Calm down,' He told himself as he handed his, Emil's, and Leo's invitations to the bouncer at the door, his heart hitting against his ribs with dull yet quick 'thuds'. 'Nikiforov never makes any public appearnces anyway. Intel said he just sent some men in to scout the place, checking in on any other boss under his territory. Everything is going to be fine. Besides,' He spotted the mop of black hair straight across the room and his internal panic finally dropped. "Mr. Katsuki."

"Otabek," The older man laughed, a glass of sparkling champagne in hand. He walked over to Oatbek as the other two went to scope the rest of the place out. "We've been over this. Your training is over. You can just call me Yuuri. We're the same."

They were not the same in any way. Yuuri Katsuki had been in JJ's family ever since he was a boy. The Katsukis and Leroys were old family friends, with the Katsukis relying on the Leroys for protection and status and while the Leroys depended on the Katsukis for training and arm dealings. The two families were a force to be reckoned with. The same could be said for the only sons of the respective families, especially Yuuri. While the young man had a kind heart and overwhelmingly shy disposition, he was a master of deception and a powerhouse with a few tricks up his sleeve. Charm and tactics were his cloak and dagger, these skills driving him to be the best teacher for recruits to both the Leroys and Katsukis. Otabek had trained under him when he first started out, and Yuuri was the one who made him into the right-hand-man he was today. He was as brilliant as a teacher as he was a friend.

Otabek narrowed his eyes at the drink in his hand. "How much have you had?"

"Only two, I promise," The eyes narrowed further. "Fine, fine. This is my fifth. My last one, and it only has a little bit of vodka, I promise." Mixed drinks were still never good. "I'm sorry, I can't help myself," Yuuri pushed his hair out of the way, his glasses bumping along the bridge of his nose. "I haven't been to an event like this in a long time, and it doesn't help that it's in a club either."

"I've been to clubs louder than this," Otabek assured. He even covered for his DJ friends a couple of times back at home, but that was a memory for another time. "And with foam. I'm not very fond of the foam."

"I don't think I would be either," Yuuri laughed again and he set the drink on a nearby table. "I'm glad you're here, at least. I think I would have asked JJ to send in a replacement if you didn't come."

"This is my first mission without JJ hiding out nearby, so the feeling is mutual," The dark-haired lad gave a small smile and decided to grab a champagne glass for himself, taking a sip as he did so. "Speaking of which, have you seen anything?" He asked, now in a hushed tone. Families that didn't have to do with either major groups tonight could have been eavesdropping on them. Tonight's info gathering mission had to go smoothly, with no one else finding out about them.

It was supposed to be a simple mission.

"So far, nothing," Yuuri shook his head. "A few people came over and offered a dance, though. I don't think it was for switching information or secrets." He added with an embarrassed laugh.

"Just remember to be careful," Said Otabek, his eyes falling back to Yuuri's fifth glass. "And please try not to drink so much." His teacher was an attractive man. One that was clearly not from Europe and who was a light weight. The combination could only cause disaster.

"I promise, Otabek." Said his teacher again, patting him on the shoulder before he went into the crowd. Over the next few hours, the club began to pick up with more people, a sea of swaying bodies soon filling the entire floor. Otabek had been trading what little information he could get with his peers and with Yuuri. None of it spilled secrets about the Nikiforov family or their factions, but JJ had said that even the smallest secrets from the other families there would benefit them enough. If anything, Otabek was pleased with how things were going. The club scene was one he was familiar with and even without his childhood friend hanging out by the sidelines, having his mentor nearby really kept him calm. Tonight would surely be a success.

It was supposed to be a simple mission.

"Otabek," Leo was curling two fingers in his direction, motioning his head to the very back of the club. A few of the party goers from before were venturing to a door over there, another bouncer manning it and only letting those who had a red envelope in. When the three Leroy men gathered by the door, Emil winked as he reached into his breast pocket.

"I got this." He lead the pair over to the door and stood right in front of the bouncer, showing what he had in his pocket to him. The burly man nodded and unlocked the door, allowing the three of them in.

"You had an envelope?" Asked Leo as they walked into a hallway that led to another door.

"Better," The blonde grinned childishly. "I have a gun."

"That was better." Otabek agreed. It certainly looked that way if the bouncer seemed to have accepted that as their ticket in. It was also foolish but at least it got the job done. As they walked down the hallway, Otabek could hear the faint sounds of people talking and the scattering of plastic coins. Gambling and poker, of course. "It looks like these rooms are reserved for the wealthy, and maybe shady, members of this club. We could get a lot more information for JJ than we thought."

"Should we check all the rooms?" Asked Emil.

"That would only draw too much suspicion to us," Leo pointed out. "There are ten rooms in this hallway, from what I can see. The three of us should be able to check two rooms each without attracting too much attention. Lets meet back out at the bar and leave as soon as we can."

With agreements passed around, the trio split up and entered the rooms, each filled with even larger rooms that had table after table occupied with people gambling away their probably illegally obtained money. The first room Otabek found was set up for slots, surprisingly. There were three rows of slot machines, all of them having someone playing them. The young man took a drink that was offered to him by a bunny girl there and asked her about the place. A smile and a compliment on her hair later, he didn't learn anything new. His guess about this place had been right. The people here were from different families scattered across the world, mostly minor ones with the occasional recognizable ones. Nothing on the Nikiforov, though. Thanking and toasting off to the blushing girl, Otabek walked out of the room and looked for the next room, passing by several other party goers that came from the club. He passed a pair of young men as they spoke in Japanese. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be able to understand a word they said. But Yuuri had taught him enough when they trained together, and what he could make out from the conversation made him flinch.

"Katsuki-san... The boss wants to see him..." And then this followed by with quiet laughter.

That was not a good sign to Otabek.

He waited until the men were out of site before he spun around and walked straight out of the VIP rooms, his eyes frantically looking around the raving club for his teacher. When he saw him, the young man went straight to him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Yuuri," He spoke as calmly as he could. Anyone looking at them would just think he was a concerned friend trying to stop his friend from having one too many drinks. "We have to get you out of here."

"What?" Yuuri was still pretty buzzed, judging by the way he swayed in place. But his eyes, despite being blown-out, were looking back at Otabek with worry. "Why, what's wrong?"

"Just listen to me," Otabek looked over his shoulder, making sure he was ready to drag Yuuri out of there and call in Leo and Emil. "Some men were talking about bringing you somewhere to see their boss."

"How do you know?"

"They were speaking Japanse and they called you Ktasuki-san," Otabek looked behind him again as he held his teacher up. "It didn't sound too good-" With a yelp, Otabek caught Yuri just in time as he fell over, the older man spilling his drink all over the floor. "Yuuri!" He exclaimed as he tried to hold him up. "Yuuri, what's-" The next second was too fast for him to react to. He heard the sound of flesh sliding straight into a solid mass. The pain came a heartbeat later as blood seeped through his shoulder and bled through his shirt.

"Otabek," Yuuri spoke quietly in his ear, holding the blade so discreetly that no one else could see it. "Call an ambulance for yourself. Clubs are never safe late at night," How could he speak so calmly, Otabek wondered. He was looking ready to pass out just a second ago. "I stabbed you hard enough to bleed and missed an artery. If I had struck it, I'm sure you wouldn't have been able to survive," With the care that Otabek had known for years, Yuri sat him down on a bar stool and pulled the knife out of his shoulder, using Otabek's jacket to clean it. How was no one seeing this? And why wasn't Otabek moving? "You really need to be careful from now on. You are the right-hand-man to the Leroy family's boss. You need to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again." His teacher stood up and slipped his knife back into his pocket, the glare from his glasses able to blind anyone because of the strobe lights. "Take care." And he left Otabek with a bleeding shoulder.

Yuuri Katsuki disappeared off the face of the earth after that.

And now he was here, standing in front of Otabek as the two of them stood in Chris' bathroom. Otabek could barely remember one of them saying they both needed to talk in privacy, but he did remember Chris being more than willing to let them use the bathroom. He also remembered the confused look in Yuri's eyes. Damn, those eyes were killing him. They had the power to render him to the ground and beg for mercy.

He knew he would need to explain a lot once he walked out of that room.

"Otabek," Yuuri started with a small smile. "You look like you're doing well."

"Was it the fact that I'm still alive after you stabbed me, or the fact that I managed to break your hand without lifting one of my own, telling you that I'm doing well?" That made the smile drop. Good, though Otabek. Even if that made him feel the slightest bit better, he still had a lot more to unload against his old teacher. "What the Hell are you doing here in Russia?" He could probably think of a few good reasons but his mind always went back to that night. Business for that new family he was working with, perhaps?

That wasn't an uncommon way to leave a family. Most families would never let their people leave without a good fight or two going down. Did Yuuri have to thrown in a knife along with their fight(?) though? Did he have to leave like that, letting JJ know that he had spilled blood and denounce himself as a shared member of the Leroy family? That had hurt, almost as much as the stabbing. Otabek still wore the scar.

"I'm on business. I wasn't expecting you to be here..." Yuuri looked he other way as he pulled off his glasses and wiped them on his sweater. The kindness in his eyes was still there, Otabek noticed with a sigh. "Look, I won't beat around the bush. I won't say what I did was a good thing or something you could interpret as a lesson. I should have never have caused harm to you just to make my statement on my leave from the Leroys."

"Do you think that makes up for what you did to me?" Growled the younger man.

"I was never expecting an apology. I just wanted to tell you so that there are no misconceptions or misunderstandings between us. You don't owe me anything for telling you anything, Otabek. But I do owe you after what had happened." Why did he have to be so sincere? "You know as well as I do that spilling blood was my way to leave. JJ would never let me do so if I didn't."

"So then why did you leave?"

Yuuri was still looking away as he put his glasses back on. "I can't tell you that."

"Bullshit."

"Maybe if I have time later, I can tell you-" But Otabek was already out of the room. He had enough of this. "Or maybe not." He heard his old teacher sigh. Otabek wandered back to the front of the store and was greeted by Chris and Masumi cleaning up the store but no Yuri.

"Oh," Chris noticed the way the mafia member was looking around the store. "Uh... Yuri said he wasn't feeling so well, so he decided to go home," The store owner felt terrible as he caught the defeated look in Otabek's eyes "He did look pretty ill... Maybe you can bring him something to help him feel better? Chocolate goes a long way!" He called after him, but Otabek had already left. Chris heaved a sigh and slid his palm down his forehead. "Why did this have to happen?" He asked as his cat rubbed himself against his legs to help him feel better.

A furry head and slobbering tongue rested on his cheek.

"Not now, Auyi," Otabek tried to bat the poodle away as he sprawled on his couch. "I'm not in the mood." He muttered as fur and slobber stuck to his cheek. He had been like this for ten minutes, which didn't seem long but still felt like hours to Otabek. He knew he should get up and at least call Yuri to explain what happened, but how much could he explain? What was the border that didn't reach the land of, 'I'm in the mafia'? 'You would need to tell him eventually,' His conscious reminded him. He grabbed a pillow and threw it over his head just to shut it up. 'He's going to need to know.' So much for shutting it up. 'Do you really think you should keep your mouth shut for this long? It'll be harder for him to accept if you don't say anything,' He threw the pillow off and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at the ceiling hard. 'Just tell him. Rip off the bandage and get it over with. Telling him will tell you if you should continue this relationship or not.' But he really wanted to continue this relationship. Couldn't he just spill blood like Yuuri and resign himself? 'Ask yourself that again, but this time much slower.' He knew he couldn't, he concluded as he sat up.

"What do you think, boy?" Auyi tilted his head with a curious expression, asking with his wide eyes. "Think I should just tell him? No secrets?" Otabek reached over and scratched the poodle behind the ears. As Auyi wagged his tail happily, his temporary owner nodded and stood up, feeling around his pockets until he found his cellphone. It felt a lot heavier now that he was going to make this call. He waited a few minutes, staring at the thing like it wasn't his own, before Auyi nudged him, as if to say, 'Get it over with.'

"Fine," Sighing, Otabek quickly found Yuri's number and called it, silently praying that he didn't block him. It didn't even go past the first ring.

"Otabek?"

"Yuri," He sighed with relief, but quickly composed himself. "Are you OK? Your friend told me that you had to leave because you were feeling unwell."

"O-Oh," He could hear the boy shuffling in place. Was he in the cafe that smelled as sweet as him or safe in his room where he was hopefully resting. "I'm fine. I just felt a little neauseus."

"Ah," Otabek nodded, even though the blonde couldn't see it. He might as well rip off one of the metaphorical bandages while he was at it. "Was that really the reason?"

"... No."

At least he was being honest. "Was it because of what happened?" When he heard no reply, he continued. "Yuri, I'm sorry if I startled you after what had happened."

"I wasn't startled or anything," Yuri huffed over the line. "Nothing scares me so easily."

Otabek smiled against the receiver. Yuri was as passionate as he was courageous. Was it possible to fall so hard over a person like this. "I'm glad I don't scare you."

"O-Of course not." Yuri replied. "I just got a... Weird vibe from the whole thing. Um..." Yuri shifted again and Otabek noticed that his voice got a lot quieter when he was nervous or embarrassed. "Did you two used to be together or something? Like, did you date?"

"What?!" Otabek felt like he was asked if he dated his own dad before. "No! Whatever gave you that impression?"

"You two were acting suspicious and embarrassed back at the shop!" Barked the waiter. "What else was I supposed to guess?!"

"Ah..." Otabek covered his eyes as his own face turned red. How did this escalate to that? This would have been so funny if they weren't in this kind of situation. "Yuri, I know him, but not in that way. We grew up together. He was like a big brother to me," He sighed as he sat down on his couch, feeling himself cool down as he explained. "We had a fall out in the past and things have been... Pretty awkward since."

"He punched you hard enough to break his own hand."

"It was sprained, actually." Otabek corrected, and when he heard Yuri give a small laugh, hope returned to him. Schadenfreude. "And he was just as surprised to see me, I guess." 'Or his basic instincts kicked in when he saw me, someone he was sure he stabbed hard enough to paralyze.' "But yes, I've never looked at him in a romantic way or ever dated him before."

"Hmm," Yuri was leaning against something, judging by the way he could hear a creaking noise in the background. His bed, a table maybe? "Are you sure? He was pretty handsome for a foreigner." The older man could hear the slight tease in his voice, and he knew he had managed to calm the boy's worries immediately.

"Indeed," Otabek rested his chin on his palm and he spoke in a deep, quiet whisper. "But he's not my type."

Yuri seemed to catch up on his game, albeit the sputter he heard at first. But then his voice turned shy, just like he noticed. "What... What is your type, then?"

"Would you like to know?"

"I-I would."

"Well," Otabek sat up. "If we could meet somewhere and I can treat you to something to make up for today, we can discuss the type of people I'm into. But you're sick, aren't you?"

"Not anymore," His blood surged throughout his entire body as he heard the excitement his the young cashier's voice. "Meet me at Red Square in an hour. And don't be late."

"I won't-" But Yuri had already hung up. Otabek looked at his phone and smirked gently, pocketing it as he made a beeline for his shoes. "Wait for me, my bride."

As Yuri hung up his cell, he picked up his cat as she napped on his pillow and nuzzled his face into her fur. "Am I doing the right thing, Potya?" He asked into the soft fur. A tail was flicked at him, like it was patting him on the head, and the blonde pulled his pet away from him with a smile. "Yeah, I am. Thanks, girl." He said before he looked down at his sweater. Before he went out, he needed to scrape off all this cat fur first.

"I'm doing the right thing, right boy?" Auyi barked in return and span in a circle. Whether that was agreeing to Otabek or reminding him to leave him more food was up to the mafia man to decide. "Yes, I must be." He agreed, and he made sure to leave a few doggy treats for the giant of a poodle before he left.

Otabek was sure he wouldn't love any other place besides his home city. Moscow was starting to change that as he stepped off the tram and walked straight into Red Square. The weather was as cold and crisp as it always was, but the pure-white snow and the beautifully architectural buildings nearby made up for the chilling weather. Still, it was pretty cold out. Otabek stuffed his hands into his pockets and headed down the street, taking note of all the buildings that had caught his eye before. He wondered if he should take some photos of it fo his little sister back home, who loved traveling more than anything. As he walked on, his shoulder accidentally shoved at a man in a suit passing him "Sorry." He said and took a step to move on. Trouble came with being a member of the mafia though, so of course there was no way Otabek was going to escape this without the man grabbing him by the shoulder.

"Hey, tough guy," Said the man in crude Russian. "What makes you think you can walk past me without apologizing?"

"I did apologize, sir." Otabek said with a cocked brow.

"That was not an apology, dumbass," Hissed the man. Otabek saw that the man was not alone and that he and his buddies were all dressed in suits that looked recentlt tailored with the faintest scent of wine attached to them. "You should know you should never bring harm to a member of the Zebrino family." So they were both drunk and in the Bratva. Not in one of the most powerful or experienced if they were doing this sort of thing in broad daylight but Otabek could trace some of their roots back if he tried or cared enough. "You better get on your hands and knees and kiss my shoes, bastard. Lest you want my boss to come after your ass."

"Look," Otabek sighed a puff of white breath, and he with drew his hands from his pockets slowly and cracked his knuckles as he lowered his hands to his side. This was going to erupt into a fight somehow. "I don't want any trouble-"

"Then do as I say or else you get trouble, pal." The man grabbed him by the neck. It felt more like someone was tightening a scarf around his neck instead of someone trying to choke him. "Show some respect-"

"Why don't you show some respect, asshole?!" Like an angel with a vegence, Yuri suddenly flew three feet through the air and kicked the guy square in the back. The man wheezed and was shoved straight into a snow drift from the impact of the kick, his men almost too shocked to move as 5'3 boy with in a nit cap and stylish overcoat stood in front of Otabek with his arms outstretched. "Otabek, go get the police! I'll take care of these guys." The latter stood where he was, amazed as Yuri pointed at the crumple heap of a man in the snow. "You wanna end up like that fucker?!" He shouted, startling the men now shivering in their suits. All of them simultaneously shook their heads. "Then get out of here and let me never see your faces around here again! Got it?!" They got it. They quickly scooped up their big-mouthed friend and hightailed it out of there, several people that were ignoring the scene before resuming to ignore the seething baker, seeing that he was much more of a threat than those men from earlier. "Geez, what is wrong with people?" Yuri grumbled as he fixed his hair before he turned around. "You OK, Otabek?"

Otabek had never felt more turned on in his life.

"Otabek?" Yuri started to worry as he got no response. Did he take that too far? "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yes," Yuri was surprised by how deep his voice had gotten. Wait, was he aroused?

The older man had been too busy marveling at how flushed Yuri's cheeks had gotten and how his hair perfectly framed his face at that moment to speak. His arms reached out and he pulled Yuri into a tight hug, passion and adrenaline coursing through his veins. "Yuri, you were amazing."

"H-Hardly," Yuri was glad his chin was resting on Otabek's shoulder. His face was as red as the buildings around them and he was glad he felt nothing pushing against him in the front. Still, with how deep Otabek's voice had gotten earlier, he wasn't sure. He tried to move but he noticed -embarrassingly- that his feet were dangling slightly in the air as Otabek held him up. Just how tall was this man? "Uhh, do you think you can let me down, please?"

"Oh," The dark-haired man quickly did so, giving a look of genuine apology as he looked down at his 'blushing-bride-hopefully-to-be.' "Sorry. That was just so incredible. The way you charged in like that, so unafraid and brave. Yuri," He smiled softly at him, affection and pride laced his voice. "You had the eyes of a soldier."

"A s-soldier?" If that wasn't the best form of smoothing talking he ever heard, then he wasn't sure what else could top that off. Most comments he got were about how he should keep his temper in check or how more attractive he'd look if he discarded his sour puss attitude. This one compliment that reflected what was on the inside instead of out made his heart all but skip a beat. Yuri glanced away for a moment, trying to cool down his overheating body even as the snowy winds swirled this way and that around them. "I don't know about that but, thanks." He managed to say while sparing a small smile at Otabek.

"It was incredible," The foreigner repeated. "Jumping in like that was still dangerous, though. Weren't you afraid you were going to get hurt?"

"I used to pick fights with brats like him all the time when I was a kid," Yuri puffed out his chest rather proudly. "Bastards like those always pissed me off. Thinking just because they have a big group behind them and dress in some overstuffed-chicken suit." He spat and shook his head. "Besides, I couldn't let them hurt you." He blushed again, looking down. "You still haven't told me what your type is. And I'm not gonna wait for your answer if you get knocked into a coma by those kinds of bozos or something."

'"I see," With a chuckle, Otabek slipped his hands into his pocket once more and looked around the place. "Well, we can still talk about that, if you want. But," Otabek worried the inside of his cheek. This was going to be hard to explain. "It's a lot more... Complicated than that."

Yuri tilted his head in confusion. "Your type?"

"It's more than just my type, Yuri," He said this so seriously that he looked like a completely different man to his companion. "It just doesn't have to do with which way I swing. What I'm going to tell you... I'm not even sure that you would want to be around me after that."

"You sound like an edge-lord from one of the drama novels my grandpa reads," Even though he meant this with humor, the baker took this seriously and placed a hand on the tall man's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "Just tell me what you have to say, Otabek. I'll listen and we'll figure out what to do after that, OK?" He asked in a tone so soft that Otabek's heart melted in his rib cage. His love-struck feelings aside, he agreed and followed Yuri down the street.

"While I was growing up, there was this boy I became friends with through family," Otabek and Yuri were now sitting in a little cafe located two train stops away from Red Square. It was a place Yuri said he went to after work with his other co-workers on occasion. Thanks to the weather, the chairs and tables set up by the patio were empty and left for the taking. After ordering cups of hot chocolate and dropping a few marshmallows into them, Otabek started to talk. "Our families had known each other for a really long time, despite how different they were. JJ's family was rich but avoided by almost everyone in the neighborhood, while mine was normal and was respected for helping around the community with the family clinic. I never understood why no one wanted to get involved with them but since my family had known them since the times of our great-great-great grandfathers, it was polite to go see them on weekends for barbecues or have play dates between the kids." He blew at the surface of his mug before he took a sip of the sweet coco drink. "I didn't mind, and neither did my siblings as we grew up. We got along well with JJ and his brothers, and JJ and I became really close friends over the years. However, my parents started noticing some things. You really could tell at first glance, but JJ's family was... Shady in a way."

"Shady?" Yuri stirred his marshmallows into his drink, watching them become white globs. "Did they deal drugs or something?"

"That was too shady for them, but you're close." This was no laughing matter but the little comment made Yuri smile a little. They were off to a good start. "Turns out they were in the mafia." And then that smile dropped. Off to a bad start. "I really don't know the story but it looks like their family had ties to it before JJ's great-great-great grandfather was born and they had been apart of it ever since."

"No wonder... They looked shady, then," Yuri was a little unnerved, but he promised he'd listen and make is decision in the end. Though his grandpa's voice was still warning him about the Bratva again. "So, did that mean your family was apart of it, too? Were you in debt to them, or something?"

"More like the other way around," His date scratched the back of his head. "JJ's father was injured after a fight he had gotten into. From what my father had figured, he guessed some men from a rival family had tried to jump him while he was heading back home from his second job. He managed to scare them off but got stabbed pretty hard in the gut. If my mother hadn't been walking nearby, he probably would have bled to death in the alley way."

That gave Yuri the oddest sense of deja vu.

"After they patched him up, their family started to watch over ours," Otabek continued. "Just making sure that we were safe while out in the city and just keeping an eye out for any trouble. We lived in a pretty safe part of town but they felt like they wanted to keep an eye out for us more than they usually did. We just never had an idea they had an eye out for us in the first place, or that they were a powerful mafia family. Honestly, it was a lot to take in, but I guess since we were so used to them, we just didn't care about it. Anyway, as we got older, it was apparent that JJ was going to become the next boss of the Leroy family, since he was the oldest out of his brothers."

"What was he like?" Yuri interrupted.

"Like he's always been. A loud-mouth, outgoing party boy," Otabek shook his head, but he was smiling a little. "But he was and is a good man, like his father. When my younger sister and older brother started to look into college, they helped paid for their intuition. And they also helped pay for any debts and bills we had."

"With mafia money?"

"Accounting money," Otabek corrected with a chuckle. "His parents knew how to burn books better than loot from their victims." As Yuri blushed, Otabek knew that what he had said was exactly what the boy had been thinking. "Anyway, JJ said he needed help. Not with killing people," He added before Yuri opened his mouth. "He never dealt with that himself. And I haven't ever seen him do it himself either. He says he rather not have a lot of blood on his hands." He folded his arms as he explained. "You don't need to kill people to represent a mafia."

"Then... What does represent a mafia?"

"To me, it means you're willing to help out people who are like your family, in anyway you can." Otabek concluded with. This felt more like something he knew from the moment he became JJ's right-hand-man rather than something he thought on the fly. "JJ's family is like my own family. They helped my own so much and JJ has always been one of my closest friends. The mafia, though depending on which one you're looking at, holds family and those who are in that family to the highest degree."

"So..." It was a quite day that day. It was supposed to be their first date. The first step for Otabek to take to have Yuri as his bride and to win over his heart. "Does mean... You're in the mafia?" Those wide, green eyes were looking right at him. He couldn't lie to them even if he wanted to.

"Yes," He nodded. "I'm JJ's right-hand."

"A-Ah..." Yuri took a sip of his drink before he could vomit any words, but pulled back with a cry. "Ugh!"

"Yuri?!" Otabek exclaimed, standing up and hurrying over to the boy's side in alarm. "Are you OK?'

"Dwrink wusth too hot," Yuri stuck out his tongue as it stung, squeezing his eyes in pain. "Doesth in look burnth to you?"

Otabek's mind went to the gutter as he saw his tongue. It wasn't burnt but it was very small and pink, and resting on very pink and soft-looking lips. Otabek couldn't believe he was getting hot and bothered over a tongue. "N-No," He said with red cheeks. "It's not. Want me to get you some water?"

"Yesth, pleaseth." As Otabek ran into the cafe to get him some water, it left the blonde some time to think. To decide. To leave or stay. To listen more or call the police. 'I can't just call the police,' He thought as he shook his head. 'He hasn't even hurt me or anything. Still, he's with dangerous people.' He thought, looking through the cafe window as Otabek was trying to buy a bottle of water as fast as he could. 'But...' His own cheeks turned pink. 'He's not dangerous...'

"Here you go," Otabek returned and handed the bottle of water to the lad, watching with slight worry as Yuri took a gulp of water and held it in his mouth to sooth his tongue. "I'm so sorry," And Yuri could tell that he meant it. Those sleepy bear eyes were not those of a man who worked in the mafia. "I should have dropped that more gently."

"I don't think there was anyway you could," Yuri said after drinking up the water. His tongue still stung a little but it felt a lot better than before. "I mean... You meant what you mean. I don't think you would lie about something like that to impress me or something."

"That is the last thing I would use to impress you." Otabek added with an awkward chuckle. "Ah," He added as Yuri was drinking more water. "Yuri, I'm fine if you don't want me to come to the shop any more. Or to see you again." He said he wanted to be gentle before, he would be gentle about this. "I know that something like this sounds really scary, and I don't want yourself to get hurt, or your friends," He began to stand up. "At least let me pay for the hot chocolate before I leave-"

"First," A finger was held out to him, along with a glare. Otabek thought he was staring back at a pissed tiger for a second. "I told you I would make my decision after I listen to you. You haven't let me make a decision at all. Second," He held his second finger up. "I told you that I wasn't scared of anything. Three, you saw me fighting those guys from before. I can stand up and defend myself in a fight in a while. Besides," He added with a mumble. "You just told me I have the eyes of a soldier. I think that counts for something when it comes to me defending myself." He looked like that sweet boy that had found him in the alley for a moment. "Four, if you really wanna make this up to me, you take me on an actual date. This," He sat up and took his mug in his hands, making sure he didn't take a quick sip. "This is a date I would like. Just finding a place where I can talk to you. Where we can talk things out with no misunderstandings between us. Six, I help pay for this. It's fucking expensive for hot chocolate. And seven," He looked up at the older man. "You give me some more time to think about... All this. At least some more time before our next date."

"D-Date?" Otabek was caught off his guard and sent straight into a whirlpool of confusion. All he could really get out of it was that one word that stood out of them all. "You want... Another date?"

"Yeah," Yuri was smiling. That smile could knock him back more than any bullet could. "Not soon, though. I need time to think things through and just get my head around all this. Does that make sense?" He looked back at Otabek again, but was a lot more shy. "Can you wait a little, for me?"

"Y-Yes," Otabek agreed instantly, sitting back down despite his hot chocolate going cold and his head trying to get around this whole thing, too. "I-I'll wait, Yuri. I'll wait as long as you want me to."

Yuri smiled back, reaching over and resting his hand on top of Otabek's. Might as well start this right.

"Good. Now, tell me about your type."

AN: Hey, everyone! I really want to apologize for the super late update. I had just gotten back to school and started working again, so my schedule has been completely thrown off for the whole month. I am terribly sorry for the long wait and I promise I will find a way to get things in order and find a way to update soon, without a delay as long as that coming again. Thank you all so much for being patient and for waiting for the next update. I tried to make this chapter a little longer than usual since I wanted to make up for my absence, yet I think I kept it at a length that hopefully won't just pour information after information into your skulls and give you headaches ^^' Once again, thank you for waiting and I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until the next (soon) update! ^-^