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[fourlevels]

"Hi! This is Viktor Nikiforov!
Please leave a message!"

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[fourlevels]

Not the whole time, no. And I know how far to push myself, I've been doing it since I was a child.

[ He tugs his arm out of Adachi's hold. ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi looked like he wanted to say more, that Viktor wasn't exactly the king of sound judgement either, but he thought better of it, looking away in annoyance. He spotting his communicator laying out on the barrier then, and he let out a sigh, pressing his hand to his forehead. ]

Guess that's why you ignored my texts.

[ At least he was the king of making the wrong assumption. ]

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor blinks, glancing over where Adachi is looking, a small stab of guilt lancing through him at forgetting to check his phone. ]

I didn't know you replied; I didn't hear it go off.

[ He kicks off towards the phone to see, still huffing for breath from before. ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi frowned at how he was breathing, but didn't comment. He kicked off after him idly, taking his time. Hey if he hadn't yelled at him to get off yet, he wasn't going to. ]

[fourlevels]

[ He skids to a stop at the barrier, the sound louder than usual and lacking Viktor's usual finesse in his post-workout tiredness. He opens his phone with his other hand on his hips, chest still heaving a bit but calming down as he stands there scrolling through his phone. ]

Ah, sorry. I didn't hear it come in.

[sleight_of_hand]

I see that.

[ He skidded to a stop next to him, resting his arms on the barrier. It was a moment more before he let out a frustrated noise, more focused on himself than Viktor. This had all fallen the hell apart, and he could blame anything he wanted to, but ultimately he fell on him. Because he panicked. Because the thought of someone around that was so much worse than him was so reprehensible it led to him not listening. ]

[ Because it was just another reminder that he was likely dead by the time those kids got their powers, and his promise of there being no more murders because of that other world meant shit. ]

[ Adachi let out a breath, flopping over onto the barrier like a fish out of water. ]

...sorry. I guess I haven't really changed as much as I like to think.

[fourlevels]

[ He blinks down at him flopping over the side. ]

... What?

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi let out an annoyed sigh, his voice muffled by the barrier he was flopped on. ]

I'm still screwing up and making excuses.

[fourlevels]

What excuses?

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi tapped his toepick against the ice, careful not to do it too hard. ]

That shit isn't my fault. That this stupid plan would have ever worked. That I can't deal with shit like a normal person because of how I was raised.

[ He pounded his fist against the barrier in frustration. ]

I'm a fucking walking disaster, and nothing I do will mean shit, so I just keep making excuses so I don't have to feel like it's my fault.

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor's quiet for a long moment, long enough for his breathing to calm down back to normal as he watches Adachi. His voice is quiet when he finally speaks up again. ]

... Have you told anyone else about your past yet?

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi shook his head, finally lifting his head. He didn't realize he started crying out of rage at himself until he did so, and he swiped angrily at his face before he answered. ]

No. I said I would after this, but I'm not even sure how to approach it after that disaster.

[ He let his arm drop with a thump against the barrier. ]

Not that it matters much in the grand scheme of things, hunh? My promise obviously means shit if people like that damn brat exist.

[fourlevels]

No, [ Viktor all but interrupts him, his voice uncharacteristically firmer. He was surprised at Adachi crying, but he tried not to let the sight of it throw him off. ]

It means all the more if you're honest with them. Hiding it is just another excuse, isn't it?

[sleight_of_hand]

I know!

[ He didn't mean to snap that out, and Adachi flashed an apologetic look at Viktor, taking a moment to try to calm down. ]

I know. But... I'm scared.

[ He hated admitting that. What he had been through was supposed to have made him feel more confident, but it was amazing how easily that crumbled in the face of personal issues. Fighting he was fine, reckless even, but he was confident in who he was. Anything else... he just failed. Spectacularly. ]

[fourlevels]

I know ... but being scared is the only time when you can be brave.

[sleight_of_hand]

Sure, it's easy to say that...

[ Adachi let out a breath, knowing he didn't have any footing for an argument. ]

You know Yuuri and Yurio are going to find out about this too.

[fourlevels]

I know. It's better that they do. I don't want to hide anything from them anymore.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi deflated at that, a miserable feeling churning at his gut. By telling just Viktor, he'd made it worse for him. Hell if the other two found out he knew all this time, it might even drive a wedge between them. Homewrecker indeed; Adachi groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. ]

...can we at least play it like you didn't know all this time?

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor leans against the barrier, a hand going up to his chin. It'd be an easy out for him, but then Adachi would get all the blame and that just wasn't fair. There was a reason Adachi told him in the first place and Viktor would not abandon that. ]

No. It'd be too much like lying if we did. If they get mad at me for not telling, then I'll deal with whatever they think I deserve.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi groaned again. He was right, of course he was right. If he was going to tell the truth of everything, then shrouding it in a lie wasn't going to help matters. He ended up pulling someone he loved down with him; that was the complete opposite of what he had wanted. ]

I'm sorry... I'll understand if you want nothing to do with me after this mess.

[ He was honestly surprised he hadn't told him to get lost the moment he texted him. ]

[fourlevels]

[ Maybe it was Viktor's frustration with himself over his behavior earlier, his inability to play cool in the face of a disaster, or maybe it was the fact that he had almost pushed himself past his physical limits and was close to exhaustion, his irritation threshold shorter than usual.

Whatever it was, what Adachi said just now pissed him off and Adachi will feel the unmistakable sensation of Viktor flicking a gloved finger at his ear. ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi hadn't exactly been expecting that. He jumped in surprise... which led to his feet sliding out from under him as he lost his balance. Both hands slapped onto the barrier to keep himself from bashing his head into it, and it wasn't until he was stable on his feet again did he put a hand to his ear, giving Viktor a wounded look. ]

Wh-what was that for?!

[fourlevels]

[ He crossed his arms after the flicking, but with the way he hunched his shoulders and pouted down at Adachi, it looked more like he was a child getting huffy than an adult being angry. ]

For thinking so little of me! Did you really think I'd abandon you over something like that? You're not alone, you know!

[sleight_of_hand]

[ ...was he for real? Adachi stared at him like he grew another head, completely not comprehending why he would still be okay with him after this. ]

I dropped all this on you, and now the truth has to come out to everyone in the worst possible way ever. Hell, I can already imagine how Yurio is going to react.

[ Not to mention Yusuke and... crap, Hanamura. He had to tell him too, especially after the outright lying he had done to him. ]

My shit is going to force a wedge between you and your family, and they're probably not going to be the only ones treating you like you're a damn accomplice to a crime.

[fourlevels]

[ His shoulders just hunch even more. ]

You didn't drop it on me, you shared it! Because we're friends, and you felt like you could share that part of yourself with me when you hadn't shown it to anyone else here. So don't you dare think I could turn away from you after you showed me that kind of trust!

[ He HUFFS LOUDLY but then he seems to calm down, shoulders drooping back down, the outburst draining most of his anger out of him. ]

As for the rest ... like I said before, I'll deal with whatever they think I deserve. That's between them and me.