The Family Man (Victuri)

2. Angel

** HUGE SHOUTOUT to the people who have commented/read this! Thank you so much to my bff -ShingekiNoAxis and to the other people! Y'all are amazing and I hope you like it/keep reading! Thank you!!! **

Christmas Eve

"That's enough for today, Viktor." Yakov Feltsman said gruffly, approaching the younger man on the ice. Viktor skated up to the entrance, pushing his short hair off of his forehead. His face was covered in a light sheen of sweat.

"All right. I'll be back early tomorrow."

"Like hell you will be." Yakov said sharply, turning to face him, but he let him come off the ice. Beefy arms were crossed; the two men were roughly the same height. "It'll be Christmas Day. Don't you have somewhere else you'd rather be?"

Viktor pretended to think about it for a moment. He stood straight, even with his skates, but with how much he skated, it was almost like they were only shoes to him. That's how comfortable he was in them. "Mm, no. I have to practice. I can always improve, you tell me that often enough." He smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Why, do you have somewhere you'd rather be?"

Yakov rolled his eyes. The older man wasn't married, and he had no children. Like Viktor, he was practically married to his work. Though not for the same reason as Viktor. Shudder. "You know I don't. Let me go to morning service, and breakfast. I'll be here by ten. Is that good enough for you?"

Viktor nodded, sitting down to pull off his skates. "It is. I bet I'll be here earlier though. Just to warm up," he added after seeing the look on Yakov's face. Geez. "It'll be unlocked for you."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm not going to walk you out because I have a juniors lesson after this." Yakov did shake his hand though. That was a breakthrough.

Viktor gathered up his skates and shrugged on his coat. He went to the ice skating rink's door which led to the main entrance when--

"Viktor?"

He turned, eyebrows raised slightly.

"Merry Christmas."

🎄🎄🎄

When Viktor left the rink, it was already starting to get dark outside. He had to go home soon. He couldn't wait. Besides being dark, it was already cold; and not even the good kind of cold. He grew up in Russia, he liked the snow; but no, this was just sort of wet. He needed some stuff for tomorrow though. Viktor wasn't having anyone over, but he himself still needed to eat. On the way home there was a convenience store.

He went in and there was hardly anyone else in there. An older man ran the counter, and they nodded at each other. Viktor immediately went to the frozen food section. That was good enough. Not his favorite but all right now.

He opened up the freezer door when the main door opened and someone else came in. Barely looked up. After all it didn't matter. The baked potato dinners were in the far back...

The person who came in was a kid, younger than Viktor, who himself was in his late twenties. But he'd have been surprised if the kid was a legal adult. He had a hood up, and naturally blonde hair, but part of it was dyed red. Face was angular.

Viktor minded his own business. He was about to settle for something closer to the front. But it was Christmas. Shouldn't he treat himself?

"Hey." The kid put something down on the counter. It was a lottery ticket. "Here. Cash this in. S'the winning ticket, I'm sure of it!"

Viktor grabbed the lasagna dinner that was closer. That was actually better. Maybe Christmas miracles do happen.

"No, get outta here you punk!" The man behind the counter snarled. The boy jumped just as much as Viktor himself did. "That's a lie. You're a dirty punk, get out!"

"Just check the ticket, trust me, man--" the kid was saying, but the other man wasn't having it at all. It seemed sort of unfair.

"Get out or I'm calling the police."

Viktor held tighter to the lasagna meal and closed the freezer door. The kid pushed back his hood--his blonde and dyed hair was shaggy--

--and he pulled out a gun.

"Just check the ticket, man," the kid said, and he looked younger than he probably was. Viktor stepped up to the side of the counter. His hands were shaking.

"Put the gun away," Viktor said desperately. He didn't want to startle the kid into shooting someone, especially himself. He didn't want to have to play witness to a murder.

The kid turned around, looking surprised. His eyes were wide, and grey, and he had a lip and a piercing. Two piercings in both ears too, even though his hair almost hid it. "You care?"

"Of course I do. Please don't do this. Look, I-I'll buy the ticket from you." Viktor took out his wallet. "Fifty bucks. If it really is the winning one, then I get something too. If it's not then it doesn't matter because you still get something. Just business."

"Just business." The kid repeated, and he was lowering the gun. But the owner of the shop looked ready to throw both of them out, so Viktor motioned for him to follow him out.

When they were outside again, Viktor looked at the boy. "What's your name?"

"Minami."

"Minami." Viktor repeated. "You're a nice kid." He waited for him to say the classic 'you don't know me' or 'hey I'm not a kid dumbass' but it didn't come. Huh. "There must be like, a shelter or someplace you could go to to get a job...?"

"You think I need help?" His pale eyebrows shot up, and then he grinned a toothy smile. "You think I need help! I don't need help, Viktor. I just want to know..." he paused and tilted his head. "What do you need?"

"I have everything I need." Viktor said automatically. Minami kept grinning. He...hadn't told him his name.

"Okay. You remember you said that. You remember that what's going to happen is because you said that."

That was a little freaky. "I have to go home." Viktor said, pressing ten dollars into the other guy's hand. He didn't stop grinning though. It was genuine. Weird. "Stay safe."

"Merry Christmas!"

Viktor didn't look back.

By the time he got back to his apartment, he was tired and cold. Viktor took off his shirt and got into bed. He didn't get a frozen dinner, but he wasn't even hungry anymore. Surprisingly, he fell asleep quickly.

** it should be obvious that this story wasn't finished by Christmas... I hope everyone keeps reading though! Thank you! **