Join Me In Hell

Shadows in the City of Lights

The first days spent in Paris were fully occupied by photo shoots at various places throughout the city during the day and the night for contrast. All at the request of a magazine wishing to do an article featuring Yuuri in Paris as Viktor followed along as usual. It helped that while he was busy with people dressing and posing him there were others who sought out Viktor's attention. The man seemed to be quite popular with a good portion of the crew and onlookers, helped by the fact that he spoke French with practiced ease.

The night of his first show the venue was packed, and Yuuri found himself in a good mood for once. He had been thinking about what Viktor told him and deciding a bit reluctantly that Viktor had a point. There were things he had to consider about his own future and what he wanted and what limitations might be placed on him. They seemed to be getting along better as well, or maybe Yuuri was only getting used to Viktor now.

Yuuri had also been surprised to discover many of the dancers he'd be performing with in Paris were those he had considered friends, all of them he'd performed with on many shows. They had once enjoyed long nights of clubbing in whatever city they ended up in. It was easy to fall back into the familiar banter that old friends enjoyed and find himself being drawn out of his melancholy. Viktor himself told him he should do what he wanted, be himself and not whatever Celestino or anyone else demanded he become. He needed to make his own decisions. To the other dancers, models or most people he met he was simply one of them--Yuuri the celebrated dancer and model. They didn't know or even suspect that he even had another side.

The side that seemed to be slowly destroying him from the inside.

In his younger days he'd enjoyed testing the limits enforced upon him by Celestino and others. He wondered when he'd begun to lose that part of himself, the part that fought and worked to find a way out of the trap placed on him by circumstances a young child could never understand. There was a time he remembered vowing to himself that he would always remain the one in control of his life, despite what others thought. There was a time he was determined to use his talents,use what they taught him to climb his way to a place where he could have power and control.

Somewhere along the way he'd lost the fire. Yuuri stopped caring what happened or where this life took him. he had become someone who simply existed.

In his own way Viktor had driven him to face what he was doing. In some way Yuuri had begun to see that Viktor himself was hiding from the world. The man had his own walls that kept his true self from harm. It made sense thinking this might be why he seemed to know Yuuri so well. Though Viktor was helping him in his own annoying way, Yuuri doubted he was doing any good for the Russian man. They were not getting along well at all.

When they invited him to join them in their night partying and clubbing after the show he'd allowed them to convince him to agree for the first time in far too long. He thought it might be just what he needed.

Viktor wasn't so convinced.

"You shouldn't go, I believe it will be too much of a risk. " Viktor spoke in that same cold tone he usually used when what he said wasn't going to be up for argument.

"You can come with us, you know." Yuuri knew the others would be more than happy to have him along. "They seem to be very interested in getting to know you. Even after I told them about you."

Viktor glanced over Yuuri's shoulder at the group of young men watching them, noticing one of them waving and winking at him. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"What exactly did you tell them about me?" he had to ask. Not that he wanted to know.

"Only that you're the assistant and bodyguard assigned by my agent so don't worry. " Yuuri said "I don't think they'd believe me if I told them how cold and boring you really are. They're all easy to get along with, we used to do this all the time after the last show."