Backdated to the night of the Gala.
It was a good evening, even if Yuuri was completely and horribly overwhelmed by everything. He’d already had two glasses of wine and had danced a little with his boyfriend before he absolutely needed to relieve himself. After promising that he would be okay on his own, Yuuri somehow managed to slip out of Adrien’s concerned gaze to book it to the restroom.
Yuuri was feeling surprisingly cheerful, although part of that might have to do with the wine in his system. He wasn’t quite smiling, but he felt more at ease and not as nervous and flighty as he had been earlier in the evening. And that was probably because Adrien knew exactly how to take care of him. He knew how to treat him to make him feel at ease, make him feel as though he looked good, make him feel wanted.
He was in the process of turning from the sink, shaking the water from his washed hands to reach for a towel when another man entered the otherwise empty bathroom. Something about his dark hair and eyes had Yuuri staring. For some reason, this man seemed familiar, and yet… he couldn’t quite place him.
Doing his best to step out of the way, Yuuri reached for one of the paper towels to dry his hands, hoping that the other man in the nice black suit would just ignore him and continue on his business.
He’d been watching him, of course.
There was little to do at soirees like this other than observe and possibly drain energy, if he was feeling emboldened. But Archer had spotted Yuuri from across the room, arm wrapped around a pale haired man, and suddenly the night had become a lot more interesting, a lot more worthwhile to having left the Rift in order to come out and attend.
He’d followed Yuuri, weaving his way through the simpering, pathetic crowds of people all batting for attention and slipped into the restroom after him, half out of curiosity, mostly just out of a desire to make sure that Yuuri was doing what he was supposed to be doing as his recruit.
He had to know what he could about Kamacite’s civilian life, after all.
Everything about Archer was dark. Charcoal gray slacks, a black turtleneck sweater, possibly cashmere, impossibly expensive; a charcoal gray suit jacket to match, and shiny black shoes. Adding his height and his rakish looks, wild dark hair brushed carefully to fall around his shoulders, and Archer was relatively pleased with his appearance. He’d never really cared before, but he had to play the part at places like these.
He leaned back against the wall of the restroom, just beside the door, and folded his arms across his chest.
“Good evening, Yuuri.”
For a moment, Yuuri thought he was imagining things. He could have sworn he heard the man greet him by name. He’d had a couple glasses of wine and was feeling the warmth in his chest and face, but he didn't think he was tipsy enough to start imagining things.
But things got weirder, because not only did he think he was hearing things, but the man didn't move to one of the urinals or stalls or sinks, but instead stood near the door, practically blocking the way.
Yuuri felt his face pale. A little. If his cheeks hadn't already been warm from the wine, he was sure there would have been more of an visible reaction.
He had no idea who this man was. How did he know his name? They weren't wearing nametags. Had they met previously and Yuuri just didn't remember? That wasn't likely, because Yuuri had a pretty good memory for faces and names.
For no real reason, dread washed over him, and he swallowed thickly as he patted his hands dry, trying to use the motion to stop, or at least hide, the sudden trembling that overtook them. Something about the way the man looked at him unnerved him, something twisting uncomfortably in his stomach.
“Good evening. Excuse me,” he mumbled back, barely a whisper, but he kept his head down and eyes averted from the other man as he tried to reach around him for the door. Maybe he could just… squeeze past him and leave the bathroom. If Adrien was with him he'd feel a lot better.
It wasn’t a surprise that Yuuri was as anxious as ever, though he was more flighty now than he had been on the night Archer had recruited him. Back then, Yuuri had just seemed to accept his fate and accept what was happening to him; it hadn’t been giving up so much as it had been a simple understanding that this was how it was going to be.
Which was why Archer had recruited him in the first place, instead of simply just yanking his starseed.
The reaction was as expected. Yuuri had blanched, though he reined it in well. Archer watched him, waiting, but there was no verbal response, not yet, as Yuuri went through the rest of the motions, drying his hands and trying to appear as casual as possible. It really was a little amusing; he was so determined to try and act normal.
There was nothing normal about this.
A hand shot out as Yuuri tried to move past him, bracing against the bathroom wall, Archer’s arm successfully impeding an exit, barring the doorway. Slowly he straightened, keeping his hand where it was, and looked down at Yuuri, dark gaze raking over his recruit’s face, Archer’s head tilted a little to the side in observance.
“That’s it?” he asked lightly, eyebrows raising. “That’s all you’re going to say?”
He took a minute step forward, voice calm, entirely level, lacking in the rasping growl that he had as Wolfeite.
“That’s all I get, Yuuri Matsunaga?”
The night he’d been corrupted, Yuuri was absolutely one hundred percent sure that he was going to die. That he was going to be left, crumpled on the ground to be forgotten, discarded like trash. There had been no need to run, no need to fight.
But now… now he was faced with uncertainty. Right now, his fate wasn’t set in stone. Or maybe it was, and he was just a fool for believing otherwise.
There was a sudden flare of panic that shot down his spine when the man stopped him from moving fully to the door, and Yuuri immediately stumbled backwards a couple steps. He lifted his head and stared with wide eyes at the man preventing him from politely leaving the restroom. He way the man looked at him was… it was as though he’d seen him before, as though he knew him.
How was that even possible when Yuuri was almost certain that he’d never met this man before? Had he? Did he just not remember for whatever reason?
“I’m… I apologize,” he said cautiously, quietly, still trying to search his memory for how this man could possibly know his name. “Is there… something I could help you with?” he asked, stubbornly not wanting to admit that he had no idea who this man was. If they’d met somehow, maybe the other would be kind enough to jog his memory.
He wished he’d never left Adrien’s side. Maybe he could just… try and get him to help…
“Are you - enjoying yourself tonight?” he tried, his heart already pounding in his chest as he indulged this unknown man that sent shivers of uncertainty, and fear, through him. If he was honest with himself, he was afraid.
As casually as possible, Yuuri reached into the pocket of his pants to pull out his phone. If he could manage to get a text to Adrien… -
But his fingers were trembling to the point that the phone fell from his hand, hitting the ground with a clatter. He quickly reached forward to try and scoop it back up, hoping it was not obvious that he was attempting to call for help.
It was interesting, to see Yuuri like this, in a civilian environment. Archer was used to him being...not confident exactly, because Yuuri was not a confident person to begin with. But he was used to Yuuri being reserved, resigned to his position and learning to embrace it, however slowly that was. As Wolfeite, he did not take recruits, and he did not find any desire to babysit the younger members of the Negaverse. That was for other people to deal with.
But Kamacite had been the exception, and he did not regret his choice.
Archer hadn’t reacted even as Yuuri stumbled back, eyes wide. He looked as calm as ever, his hand still braced against the wall to bar the exit, Archer’s gaze slowly tracing the lines of Yuuri’s face, as though trying to memorize them.
Or maybe he was just trying to read them. His head tilted, a gesture that was slightly reminiscent of his normal self, minus the ears that would have been alert and pricking up for attention, to catch any minute sound.
It wasn’t that hard, considering that Yuuri dropped the phone he was attempting to text from. Archer raised an eyebrow.
“Yes,” he said calmly. “Very much so.”
There was a pause, Archer’s head still tilted contemplatively.
“Looking for someone?”
Things were different when he was Kamacite. He had more at his disposal as a senshi of the negaverse. He had his magic, which more often than not proved to be a good enough distraction to allow him to slip back into the shadows and escape danger.
But now, he was completely defenseless and alone, being curiously watched by this handsome man in a dark suit who just happened to know his name. Not just his given name either.
Yuuri had the sinking feeling in his stomach that this was the very danger he very much wanted to escape.
“Yes,” he squeaked, his voice higher than intended as he picked up his phone and hastily pressed the button so his still trembling fingers could type out bathroom please, trying not to fumble it again, unable to think of anything aside from typing something more dramatic like help.
He didn’t want Adrien freaked out, but he definitely wanted to get out of this strange situation he’d found himself in, but he was starting to feel some of the panic setting in. There was no reason for him to think that this man had any nefarious intent, but there was just something about him that terrified Yuuri. And it didn’t help that he had no idea who this man was, but he knew his full name.
“My boyfriend will be looking for me,” he quietly mumbled as he kept his gaze lowered from the man in front of him, feeling the heat from the wine and embarrassment flush his cheeks because he knew he probably looked ridiculous as he shuffled backwards a little. How pathetic would it be if he locked himself in one of the stalls until Adrien got there?
He was starting to feel dizzy as he clutched at the lapels of his jacket, fingers digging into fabric. Part of him was curious as to who this man was. But another part was terrified and didn’t want to know.
It was like trapping a mouse with a cat. Archer wasn’t Wolfeite, and Wolfeite was not Archer, not at this moment; instead, his gaze remained calm and steady even as Yuuri was fumbling with his phone - presumably to call for help, Archer thought, as he watched. He said nothing for a moment, simply observed, and felt the corners of his lips quirk up into a flash of a feral smile.
Boyfriend, he says. How utterly pathetic.
There is no one you need except for me.
“I’m sure,” Archer said slowly, “he is. I wouldn’t want to keep you away from him.”
There was something deliberately mocking about the words, drawn out and low, Archer’s chin lifting. He slowly lowered his arm, and just as it fell to his side, the door to the bathroom was flung open, and Adrien came rushing in, apparently trying to look casual and probably failing.
“Yuuri?” he said blankly, and glanced from the dark haired one to his boyfriend before hastily darting over, wrapping a protective arm around Yuuri’s waist, a scowl on his face.
“Can I help you?” he said flatly, and Archer’s smile flickered onto his lips once more, but it this time it was a borderline sneer.
“No,” he said, after a moment. “Good evening, Yuuri. Be sure to watch out for yourself.”
And then he was gone, slipping through the door and away. Adrien stared after him, eyes wide.
“What the hell was that all about?”
Yuuri felt as though he was going to faint. The way the man looked at him, the way he spoke to him, as though he somehow knew him. Somehow knew better than him. And the way he smiled as he mockingly said he wouldn’t want to keep him away from his boyfriend chilled Yuuri to the bone.
He clutched tightly to his phone and his jacket as the room spun around him, his breathing uneven, feeling suddenly, maybe irrationally, fearful for Adrien. He didn’t like how the man spoke, as though it was a thinly veiled threat that Yuuri couldn’t quite process the purpose for. Had this man already done something to Adrien?? Was that why he was speaking like he was?
The door burst open, and Yuuri could have cried in relief at the sight of his boyfriend. It was as though the darkness in the room was suddenly lifted and while he still couldn’t quite breathe, it was definitely easier now. Yuuri didn’t even care that he probably seemed utterly pathetic as he quickly stepped forward to curl himself against Adrien, as though trying to hide from the man, peering almost fearfully from around his boyfriend’s arm.
He watched as the dark haired man left, shaking his head when Adrien asked what that had been about, trying to breathe and not doing a very good job of it.
"He - knew my name," Yuuri choked out, still trying not to panic, his hand lifting to clutch tightly to Adrien’s jacket. "Adrien – I can’t… I can’t stay here. I’m s-sorry. I’m sorry, I can’t." Not when that man was there, whoever he was. Not when he was making strange comments and speaking as though he knew him.
Adrien was still glowering after the figure of the man, pale brows drawn together. His other arm wrapped around Yuuri as well, so that he could cradle his boyfriend against his chest, burying his face into his hair, Adrien making soft shushing noises, little murmurs of comfort and reassurance that weren’t really words and more just sounds.
“It’s okay,” he said after a few minutes, and kissed the top of Yuuri’s head “I’m here. That jerk is gone, and it’s just you and me, okay?”
He didn’t like the idea of some creepy man hitting on his boyfriend, let alone knowing his name, or possibly - Adrien was horrified at the very thought - stalking him, because how else would he have known who Yuuri was otherwise? There were probably other explanations, but Adrien didn’t like any of them.
“Let’s go back to my place,” said Adrien firmly, leaning back so that he could look at Yuuri, one hand rising to press his palm against Yuuri’s flushed cheek. “Let’s get out of here, we’ve done what we came here to do, right? We mixed and mingled, it’s all good.”
He wrapped Yuuri in a hug again, just for good measure.
“Let’s go, sweetheart, let’s get out of here before that creep comes back.”
It took longer than Yuuri would have liked to catch his breath and calm down, feeling stupid that he was practically clinging to Adrien, not wanting to let go. Even though he was sure others might think him ridiculous, Yuuri knew that if Adrien hadn’t been there to gently try to calm him, he probably would have really passed out, and that would have been more embarrassing.
What had that mean meant? Be sure to watch out for yourself? Whatever it was, it wasn’t settling well with Yuuri and he buried his face against Adrien’s chest as he was held. They were still in the bathroom, but thankfully no one else seemed to have the need to go in those minutes.
He peered up at Adrien when his boyfriend pulled back enough to look at him, pressing into the palm against his cheek and trying not to look as fearful as he felt, the voice and sharp eyes of the dark haired man still lingering in his thoughts.
How he could have been so lucky to have such an understanding boyfriend like Adrien was something Yuuri would never know, and he hated that he kept having to question himself, because surely there would be someone else who would keep Adrien’s attention better, someone who would be able to enjoy these parties and other social events with him.
Adrien didn’t have to suggest it twice, because the thought of leaving was such a relief. He nodded and hugged Adrien tight for a moment longer, before pulling back to grip hold of one of his hands, so tight that he would have to be pried off of him.
Yuuri kept his head low as they left the bathroom and through the cheerful voices and music of the ongoing gala, taking the shortest, least populated route to escape into the cool night air. Everything was a blur, Yuuri feeling a little dizzy from the wine and hypervigilance, and it was very difficult to pull his hand away to let Adrien actually drive, but kept his hands wrung together and close to his chest until they parked outside the entrance to where Adrien’s apartment was above his salon.
Yuuri did not need to cling to Adrien on the way out, because Adrien was clinging to Yuuri, an arm wrapped tightly around his waist, his best show smile on as he scuttled across the dance floor and out to the car. He kept a firm grip on Yuuri’s hand even as he was driving, letting his fingers curl protectively against his boyfriend’s knee, Adrien trying to stay focused on actually getting them back to the apartment.
He was annoyed. Whoever had been the one to bother Yuuri had clearly frightened him, and Adrien was extraordinarily displeased that he hadn’t been able to do a dang thing about it. But he was a Negaverse Captain now; he could protect Yuuri if need be, and he damn well would when it came down to it, because Yuuri was his boyfriend and he was not going to let anyone touch him if he could make sure of it.
Too many scenarios. Too many variables.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Adrien said, sliding out of the car. He scooted over to Yuuri’s side and pulled the door open without waiting, reaching down to snag Yuuri’s hand and tug him out, Adrien nudging the door shut with his hip once Yuuri was free. He pressed the button to lock the doors and went to unlock the front of the salon, all the while keeping a secure grip on Yuuri’s hand.
It was closed, of course, the lights dimmed, but not out; Adrien never liked things in complete blackness. He made sure everything was locked up, checked the security system twice, and then a third time, just to be absolutely sure of things, and then finally led Yuuri up to the safety of his little loft above the salon, Adrien closing the door and bolting it once they were inside.
“Are you okay? Here, come sit down,” Adrien said immediately, dropping his keys onto the floor as soon as everything was closed. “Come on, it’s okay, I’m here. We’re safe.”
He wished he could have done a better job with faking at least looking cheerful. He didn’t want people to think that Adrien was the cause of his distress, because he definitely wasn’t. He wanted people to look at Adrien and see the amazing man that he saw, the man he’d grown to love, even if he would never be able to tell him that.
Yuuri was grateful that Adrien indulged him in holding onto his hand and onto his knee, even though he knew that Adrien was probably having a difficult time focusing on what he was supposed to be doing, but they managed to get back to the salon and even into his loft apartment without any further incidents.
Whatever that man had wanted from him, the things that he said really seemed to spook Yuuri. He couldn’t get the man’s sharp eyes out of his mind. They were familiar in some way, but he couldn’t put his finger on why or how.
So when Adrien told him to sit down, Yuuri gladly waited to sit down with Adrien, leaning heavily against his shoulder while trying not to ruin their suits.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he mumbled, feeling stupid and foolish and very much a coward. It had just been a man who knew his name and that was all. He might have seen his name anywhere. He might have known someone who knew Adrien who would have mentioned that he was his boyfriend. It was all completely reasonable. He didn’t have to start thinking of the other possibilities of being stalked.
What if he was the next planned victim of a serial killer?? Maybe he needed to stop watching things that got his imagination to overreact.
“I don’t know,” he finally answered Adrien’s question on whether or not he was okay, a shiver still running down his spine at the thought of Adrien being in danger. Surely that wasn’t what the man meant, right?
“I’m sorry, I’m just... overwhelmed,” he mumbled miserably, feeling stupid because he was always overwhelmed.
Fortunately for Yuuri, the majority of Adrien’s twenty thousand thoughts currently flooding his mind were mostly focused on just making sure that Yuuri was taken care of. Some of them involved finding the man who had frightened him and trying to stuff his head into a dumpster (and probably the rest of him, too, if Adrien even dared getting near a dumpster). Others steadily revolved on food, hugs, lots of hugs, maybe some kisses, food, chocolate, tea all in that order, and something about coffee and maybe snacks in between.
He sunk down onto the couch with Yuuri and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, making more shushing noises.
“Don’t apologize, sweetheart, none of this is your fault,” said Adrien sternly, because it was true. He turned his head and pressed another kiss to the top of Yuuri’s head, giving his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “You were cornered by some creepy weirdo, that’s totally not your fault at all. And being overwhelmed is fine, don’t apologize for that either.”
His other hand came to rest on Yuuri’s leg again, giving it a squeeze as well, just because it was important that Yuuri feel safe here. The loft wasn’t enormous, but it did span the length of the salon, and it was all one giant room, save for the adjoining restroom, which made it feel very warm and inviting, at least to Adrien, who liked having things be inviting. Even the heavy blackout curtains were a shade of light blue, the backing against the window preventing too much sunlight from coming in.
“Do you want anything to eat? Food? Drink? Hot chocolate? Coffee?” Adrien lifted his hand from Yuuri’s knee, absently loosening his tie without fully taking it off.
“I have cookies. And muffins, I think, I don’t remember if we ate them all.”
Yuuri didn’t mind that the loft wasn’t enormous. If it was bigger than it already was, he was sure that he would start to feel lost. But right now everything was homey and warm and it didn’t look as big as it could have looked; maybe if Adrien didn’t have his clothes everywhere, but that didn’t bother Yuuri as much as he thought it would have. Not when he knew that Adrien felt more comfortable with what others might consider a mess.
“We ate them all, unless you got new muffins,” he mumbled against Adrien’s shoulder, soaking in the comfort and warmth and affection he was receiving from his wonderful boyfriend. Sitting together as they were, it was easy to notice all the small movements, especially when Yuuri was very much aware of where Adrien’s hands were. So when his hand lifted from his knee to his tie, Yuuri pulled back to look up at him, trying to study his face for any frustration that might have been directed towards him. He didn’t see any, but he was always worried about things like that.
“Darling, you shouldn’t have coffee so late,” he said quietly, feeling his already heated cheeks flush a little darker because while Adrien had told him he liked being called darling, and surely other terms of affection, it was still new for Yuuri to call anyone that, even if it seemed to fit so well with Adrien.
“You have trouble sleeping enough as it is,” he pointed out, lifting a hand to gently brush at Adrien’s bangs, looking up at him with concern. “I’ll be fine. I’m here with you. That’s all I need,” he promised, pushing himself up a little to press the smallest kiss on Adrien’s lips, before settling back down beside him.
“He stopped me from leaving,” Yuuri admitted now that he’d had time to calm down enough to try and talk about it. “He greeted me by my given name, and then didn’t like that I only said ‘Good evening’ in return before trying to leave. He knew my full name, Adrien. I…”
He thought about mentioning the sharp eyes the other man had, but decided against it, slowly shaking his head.
“Let me help you. We can have cookies and milk if there’s any left,” he quietly changed the subject again, clearly having trouble talking about what happened for long periods of time.
“You looked… incredibly handsome tonight, you know,” he added quietly as he made to push himself up from the couch, holding out his hands to help Adrien up as well. “You always look handsome, I mean…”
He had not, in fact, gotten new muffins, which was sort of a bummer, because Adrien loved muffins of all kinds. But the muffin tragedy aside, he was more considered about the state of his boyfriend, Adrien making more soothing sounds as Yuuri burrowed against him, Adrien nosing affectionately into his hair just to make him feel safe and adored.
And loved, too, but he couldn’t say that.
The darling, of course, made Adrien’s heart leap a little in his chest, because it was such a silly, adorable term of affection that it made Adrien unbelievably happy to hear it. He reached out a hand and gently pushed a few stray strands of silky dark hair away from Yuuri’s forehead, trailing his fingertips down his flushed cheek, lingering a little, because he loved the feel of warmth against his skin.
“But if I have coffee now, I can stay up later,” Adrien said brightly, ignoring the fact that it was almost midnight already. He made a face, however, at the comment of his sleeping habits, because it was unfortunately true; Adrien did not tend to sleep well on a general basis. He woke up constantly and consistently, especially now, later, after everything that had happened.
The small kiss eased some of Adrien’s heart, but the rest of what Yuuri was saying didn’t. His eyes narrowed, expression becoming more and more visibly unhappy the more that Yuuri spoke of this creepy man in the bathroom, Adrien’s grip tightening unconsciously around his boyfriend so that by the time Yuuri trailed off, Adrien was really debating about that whole throwing the man in a dumpster thing.
“Well, he’s not here now,” said Adrien sternly. “I am, and you are, and not him. We’re both here, forget that dinkus.”
He sounded a lot lighter than he actually felt, but he needed to make Yuuri happy. Adrien reached out and accepted Yuuri’s offered hands, pulling himself to his feet and stopping at the soft, gentle compliment, Adrien’s expression softening.
“Thank you,” he said, and smiled down at his boyfriend, Adrien reaching up to tug gently at Yuuri’s tie.
“You look beautiful,” he said, and brushed his knuckles over Yuuri’s cheek. “You look gorgeous.”
Adrien knew how to make him feel better, knew how to make him feel good. Even in light of all the weird stuff going on with that creepy man in the bathroom and those sharp eyes and knowing look, Adrien knew how to calm him and ease his heart and mind.
He felt bad, of course. He knew that Adrien wasn’t pleased with what happened. Yuuri wasn’t pleased, either, but there wasn’t much he could do about it except be thankful that Adrien had somehow understood his two word text for help. He hadn’t known what else to type in his panic, so the fact that Adrien responded so quickly made Yuuri’s heart soar.
Yuuri also felt bad for cutting the night short. There had been so many people there that Yuuri felt completely and totally on edge the entire time, so he was sure he ruined things for Adrien. Despite what his boyfriend said, Yuuri knew he was definitely not the most entertaining person to be around, and yet Adrien had yet to give up on him.
Nervously, Yuuri bit at the corner of his lip, trying to hide the smile that threatened to take over as he looked up at Adrien from under lowered lashes. The compliments, while he was sure were quite exaggerated, were making his cheeks flush darker. It was an entirely stupid reaction, as was the way his heart fluttered madly in his chest at the brush of Adrien’s knuckles across his cheek.
“Dance with me,” he quietly requested, lifting his hand up to place over Adrien’s against his cheek, looking up at him anxiously. “We didn’t get to as much as… as I wanted,” he tried to explain, hoping it wasn’t stupid to want to dance with his boyfriend when they were alone in the apartment and didn’t have any real reason to dance because they didn’t even have music playing.
But… he did have his cellphone…
Yuuri shifted to pull back a little, trying not to think about the way Adrien was tugging on his tie, or how handsome he looked with his own tie loosened around his neck, and his floral suit, and beautiful smile that made Yuuri breathless and -
He reached into the pocket of his pants, and took a step back, unlocked his phone and clicked on a song to play before setting it down with the volume up just loud enough for them to hear, but not too loud.
“I… this probably isn’t a good song to dance to,” he mumbled then, shifting embarrassedly as he reached for his phone once more because surely Adrien wouldn’t want to dance in the apartment anyway. Yuuri knew he was just being silly and surprisingly impulsive when it came to Adrien, but… he couldn’t help it. He loved him so much and he couldn’t tell him.
He’d already made the decision - earlier, if he was being honest with himself, than tonight. Tonight had just been the catalyst for Adrien realizing just how much and how determinedly he was going to protect Yuuri from everything terrible and awful and dangerous in the world, He was going to make it better for him, even if it was just for a little while. He was going to make him laugh, and make him smile, and make him not think about how anxious he was, because Adrien was going to overshadow that with everything he could.
He loved that stupid blush on Yuuri’s cheeks and loved even more that he was the one who had caused it. He loved those dark eyes, those warm, soft lips, those looks that Yuuri gave him, he loved all of it, so much that he wanted to simply keep them locked away here and forget about the rest of the world.
Dance with me.
Adrien’s heart leapt. Yuuri’s fingers were gently twined over his own, and he looked - well, nervous, like he always did, but his voice was soft and not quite pleading, but entreating, gentle, wanting. Adrien couldn’t take his eyes off of him even as Yuuri took a step back, Adrien’s hand falling away as Yuuri reached into his own pockets to pull out a cell phone. The music was there, and it was soft, and lilting, and everything Adrien had wanted.
He felt light and airy and dizzy with how much he loved everything about this.
Adrien’s smile was blazingly large. He took a small step forward, then held out his hand, feeling absurdly, wonderfully affectionate.
“May I have this dance?”
Yuuri had been trying to decide if he wanted to change the music, or just turn it off altogether, but Adrien was stepping forward, holding out his hand, and smiling at him so brightly that Yuuri thought he would be blinded. He stared at his boyfriend, feeling surprised even if he’d been the one to suggest dancing in the first place. All of this was still so… unbelievable. Adrien was wonderful and so good to him that Yuuri thought he might cry.
What was more was that Adrien didn’t seem to think this was a horrible idea. He looked… so very handsome… His eyes, his smile, his hair. Even that floral suit he was wearing was handsome. It was charming, just like Adrien.
He stopped from reaching for his phone, turning back to face Adrien once more. He loved this man so much that he didn’t even know where to start. He wanted so badly to make him happy, to be enough for him, to show Adrien that he was perfect and beautiful and good and didn’t need to change for anyone. That the only person he needed happy was himself.
Lifting his hand, he placed it gently in Adrien’s, glad that no one else was around to watch them. It was so much easier when it was just the two of them. It was always easier when it was the two of them. He squeezed Adrien’s hand, reaching out with his other hand to take hold of Adrien’s, pulling it up and around his waist.
Yuuri stepped closer to him and leaned forward, his fingers smoothing along the lapel of Adrien’s suit as he rested his forehead against his boyfriend’s collar, his eyes fluttering shut.
“I’ll always dance with you, Adrien,” he mumbled quietly, his hand pressed against Adrien’s chest over his heart, while he held tight to Adrien’s hand with his other. “You’re so good to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Move along through life without ever feeling truly wanted or cared for, probably. He needed Adrien more than he could say. The words he wanted to say on the tip of his tongue, but he clenched his mouth shut.
I love you. I love you. I love you.
Yuuri should not have been so cute but he was. He was undeniably, unbelievably, ridiculously, outrageously cute. He’d been cute from the moment that Adrien had met him, and he was only getting cuter, and Adrien wanted to scoop him up into his arms and keep him there forever.
He’d settle for a dance now, though, because Yuuri was turning to look at him with that shy, uncertain smile. A hand slid into his, soft and achingly familiar, and Adrien let himself be guided into the right position, his other hand on Yuuri’s waist, drawing him nearer. A flutter of fingers near his collar made him smile; Yuuri was smoothing down the fabric, and then he was nestling close, forehead against his collarbone.
Adrien swayed, the hand on Yuuri’s waist sliding so that it was against the small of his back instead, so that he could wrap his arm more fully around his boyfriend, nosing into his hair. The words he wanted to say were crowded in his chest, ready to burst at any moment, but they wouldn’t come out, and Adrien swallowed them, let himself slowly rock back and forth, feet moving carefully.
“You’re the best thing, okay, sweetheart,” Adrien murmured, and kissed Yuuri’s temple affectionately. “You are so very sweet. And you can have this dance with me and any other you want.”
Anything. I’ll give you anything.
Adrien’s arm tightened a little around Yuuri’s waist.
“My sweet, lovely Yuuri,” he whispered. “What a good boyfriend you are.”
kuropeco