Fragile Hearts

Chapter I

    "Are you sure you don't like anyone?" Yuuko questioned with a smile.
    "Yes I'm sure." Yuuri answered her with slight irritation in his voice.
    "C'mon, any cute girls...maybe cute guys?" She teased further.
    "Just stop talking about it!" He glared and turned away from her. Yuuko sighed but let it go. Yuuri walked away from the front counter and into the back room. He sat down next to the dog bed holding their litter of poodle pups and pulled a puppy into his lap, petting it gently. "Why can't she just accept the fact that I could just not like anyone?" He said softly to the puppy. Yuuko was always bothering him about who he liked, she could never accept the fact that he didn't like anyone. He never had, not until recently at least, but now he was too embarrassed to tell her who it was.
    The bell on the door rang as someone entered the shop. Yuuri checked the time and a smile grew on his face. They always came at the same time, every day.
    "Good day Ma'am," a voice with a rich accent carried through the store, "is Yuuri here today?"
    Yuuri heard Yuuko laugh slightly, "He always is Victor. He's with the puppies right now."
    Yuuri looked up with a grin as Victor walked into the back room. He blushed when he saw Victor's hair was let down, usually it was kept up in a tidy ponytail. Their hair was smooth and shiny as it fell to their waist, and it made them seem even more elegant than before. "Hey, Your Majesty," Yuuri greeted them with a smile.
    Victor smiled and sat down next to him, looking at the litter of puppies with a look of slight worry, "Has he been adopted yet?" they asked anxiously.
    Yuuri pointed to one of the puppies, "He's right there Victor, we're saving him for you." Victor smiled in relief and pulled the puppy into his lap. "Why haven't you adopted him yet?" Yuuri queried, watching with a small smile as Victor played lovingly with the tiny poodle.
    Victor sighed slightly, "I have to convince my son, Yuri, I told you about him, before I get a dog. He doesn't like change much, and gets a little jealous when I spoil things that aren't him," they laughed softly, "if I got a dog without talking it over and convincing him first, I would never hear the end of how I love the dog more than him. But I'll get him to come around eventually!" Victor smiled brightly at Yuuri and Yuuri looked away quickly to hide a blush.
    Victor had been coming to the Adoption Center for about two weeks now. They said that they were first attracted to the store because of its name: Ice Pet Adoption. They were a retired ice skater from Russia who now coached in America. Yuuri had been shocked when the striking person he was unable to label as 'man' or 'woman' walked through the door. He was immediately drawn to them and found out they were genderfluid. As a joke Victor said that their preferred pronouns were 'Your Majesty,' and Yuuri quickly took to calling them by the royal nickname often. Victor sought out the dogs of the store and immediately fell in love with the poodle puppies, one pup in particular. Soon they were coming in everyday to see the puppy, and Yuuri began to look forward to their visits. They seemed so strange, always coming to the shop at the same time, seemingly entranced with the small puppy but never adopting him.
    The few things Victor told Yuuri about themself only made them more interesting. They were a world-class ice skater, and only retired because of a career ending injury. According to Victor, the only reason they weren't a 'depressed mess' was because they couldn't let themself fall apart when they had to take care of their adopted son, Yuri. They had adopted Yuri nearly eight years ago when Yuri was eight years old. Victor had also informed Yuuri that Yuri was agender and to use they/them pronouns with Yuri unless they said otherwise, only the people Yuri was closest to got to refer to them with he/him pronouns. Yuri helped them after the accident, and it took a toll on both of them. Eventually Victor decided to become a coach after urging from their old coach, and the two moved to America.
    That was all Yuuri knew, and it had all been told to him over puppy cuddling sessions in the back room of the store.
    Yuuri glanced again at Victor, taking in their long hair falling around their face while they played with the puppies, laughing and cooing at the small things.
    After a few minutes Victor checked their watch, "I have less time today Yuuri, I need to go." They pressed a small kiss to their favorite pup's head and set him back into the bed. Yuuri also set the puppy he was holding down and they both got to their feet, walking to the front door. "I'll see you again tomorrow; maybe then I'll finally adopt him."
    Yuuri nodded, smiling up at them, "See you tomorrow then.," he said softly. Victor smiled happily and turned to leave, waving to Yuuri and Yuuko. Yuuri waved slightly back, a small blush and a smile gracing his face. Yuuri watched him walk away for a moment before returning to work.
    After a few minutes the door to the shop burst open and Yuuri looked up to find his best friend Phichit standing there breathless.
    "Is he here?" Phichit got out in between gasps of air.
    "You just missed him." Yuuri replied, laughing slightly at his friend. Despite being the only person who Yuuri had confided his crush to, Phichit still hadn't met Victor.
    Phichit cursed while putting down his things, "If my classes just ended a little earlier I could have met him by now."
    "Did you run from campus to try and see him?"
    "Yeah, I want to meet him!" Phichit defended himself, "also, there's no class tomorrow so I can finally be here when he arrives!" Before Yuuri could answer Phichit made his way to the hamster cages and started playing with the rodents.
    Yuuri and Phichit's first meeting probably didn't even count as a meeting. The two had been pen pals in an international pen pal program since they were in elementary school. They became best friends quickly, and though at first they only wrote to eachother, soon they began to call and facetime eachother. Since Phichit lived in Thailand and Yuuri, Japan, there were difficulties meeting person, and the first time they managed to meet in real life was a summer when Phichit was thirteen and Yuuri was sixteen. The two were inseparable for the entire summer, and became extremely close. They had made plans for the future together: go to the same college and study together. They followed these plans, coming to America together and pursuing their dreams. The two best friends were brothers in all but blood.
    "Will you guys be ok if I leave you two alone?" Yuuko called out, gathering her things together to leave.
    Yuuri responded with an affirmative, and she left the building. The Nishigori family were a blessing. Yuuko and her husband owned Ice Pet Adoption together, and were old friends of Yuuri's, they had moved to America from Japan a few years before he and Phicit. They had helped Yuuri and Phichit adjust to life in America, and offered them jobs at their business. They and Phichit were the reminders of home that helped Yuuri whenever he missed Japan. Yuuko had just announced that she was pregnant with triplets, and there had never been prouder godfathers than Yuuri and Phicit.
    "How was class Phicit?" Yuuri called to the man who was currently rambling to the hamsters about some nonsense.
    Phicit stood up, cradling a hamster in his hands as he walked over, "Fascinating. We're learning all about cultural effects on fashion." Phicit was majoring in fashion.
    Yuuri raised his eyebrows, "Wow, sounds so interesting."
    "Hey!" Phichit pretended to be offended, "I'll have you know this is fascinating stuff! Not all of us are good enough to be vets, anyway."
    Yuuri laughed and shook his head, "It's not a sign of being 'good.'"
    "Yeah yeah." Phichit pulled away from the conversation as a customer walked into the store and went to help them.

    Yuuri locked the door of the store and pocketed the keys. It was 9:00 PM and the store was closing. He and Phichit walked home together. Phichit was talking nonstop about his day, but Yuuri wasn't really listening. He was too involved thinking about Victor. They were so beautiful and elegant, but they would never think Yuuri was attractive. They were too god-like in too many areas. They were successful and famous and a heartthrob. Yuuri was just a college student, there was nothing impressive about him. Victor didn't care about him, they only came by to see the puppies. Once they had adopted their favorite puppy, Yuuri would never see them again.
    "Yuuri!" Yuuri was broken out of his spiraling thoughts by Phichit's calling of his name.
    "Sorry what?"
    "What were you thinking about?" Phichit asked with a slight smile, "You stopped even pretending to listen to me."
    "W-What. Um," Yuuri blushed bright, "nothing."
    "It was Victor wasn't it!" Phichit grinned brightly, "I cannot believe I haven't met him yet! Especially with you so smitten."
    "H-hey, I am not smitten!" Yuuri stammered, feeling slightly like he was being accused.
    Phichit rolled his eyes, "Sure, Yuuri. Anyways, what I was saying is that I was thinking of getting another hamster."
    "How many hamsters do you need?" Yuuri questioned, and just like that the topic of Victor dropped from Phichit's mind. Yuuri relaxed, having a crush on such a person was hopeless, so he might as well forget about it.
    But try as he might he could not put the Russian enigma out of his mind. That night when he went to bed he thought of how he looked forward to seeing Victor the next day.