IC Contact

[fourlevels]

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

Comments

[sleight_of_hand]

[ It was intimidating for him! Adachi flinched, screwing his face up, before muttering a small sounding, "Yes," before swiping through his communicator for Yusuke's number. This was not going to be a fun conversation. ]

[fourlevels]

[ He watches Adachi the whole time with a soft expression, sipping his drink while he waits. His shivering calms while he waits too, the chocolate and extra layer of clothing helping. ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ It's a bit before Adachi let out a soft breath, shaking his head before speaking softly into the communicator. A frown came to his face as he pulled it away from his ear, staring down at the screen. ]

Voicemail. I'll try again in a bit.

[ He hesitated, before letting out a breath. It wasn't just Yusuke and his companions he needed to talk to. ]

...I need to call another person to this.

[ He let out a breath, making another call. ]

[fourlevels]

Ah, should I ... ?

[ He gestures over to the side, asking if he should give Adachi space or not. ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi shook his head, keeping the conversation brief and ended off with some heartfelt Japanese, before hanging up. ]

[ Dammit, he was such an idiot; he stood there, staring at his phone for a long moment, like it was going to spring to life and eat him. How the hell had the fucked up so badly? ]

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor stays quiet for several moments, not wanting to disturb Adachi from his thoughts. Only when there was another sound in the rink, some clunk of the air vents or door closing, does Viktor finally move, holding out his hot chocolate to him. ]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi let out a faint noise, the movement snapping him out of it. He looked down at the chocolate, to Viktor, to the chocolate, before accepting it, just taking a small sip before handing it back. ]

Hunh... not bad for a vending machine.

[fourlevels]

[ He takes it back, still holding it with both gloved hands. ]

Better than being cold.

[ He sips again quietly, eyes still on Adachi. ]

... You should try them back again. This isn't something you should leave until tomorrow, if possible.

[sleight_of_hand]

Mm... yeah, I--

[ Adachi cut himself off as his phone started to ring. He answered it without a second thought, a weary look on his face. ]

[ And well... that happened. ]

[ Adachi let out an awkward noise as he heard the click, shouting at the phone even though the screen was showing that the call was disconnected. ]

Kitagawa!

[ He grit his teeth, rage bubbling in the empty void in his gut, but the only thing he could aim it at was himself. A cry ripped out of his throat, and he threw his phone in frustration. It was probably a good thing that it was in an armor case, and all it did was impact against the wall and flop to the floor -- he wasn't exactly in the mood to explain to the government why he needed a new communicator after this. ]

[ Adachi sunk down to his knees after, trembling all over. Even if there was anything to say right now, he couldn't; his throat was closed up, and it was a struggle not to cry out the rest of his frustration. ]

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor flinched when the phone hit the wall, nearly dropping his cup again. When Adachi sunk down, Viktor could only stare down at him dumbly, not at all certain what to say or do. ]

How ... how did they ... ?

[sleight_of_hand]

That... that bastard, Akechi!

[ He shuddered, feeling drained just from that shout. He slumped back, not even sure what the hell he was supposed to do now. ]

[fourlevels]

[ He flinches again at the shout, head turning to the side. He catches sight of the phone again as it lies there, and he goes cold as he realizes— ]

That was Yura's voice ... at the end there. Yura was with Yusuke.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi froze again at that, eyes widening, before he groaned, planting his face in his hands. ]

...which means he's probably going to go right to Yuuri after this. You better get home -- try to salvage this as much as you can.

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor's already moving before Adachi finishes the end, setting down his paper cup on the nearest surface (more like almost dropping it). He stops after a few steps though, looking back at Adachi. ]

What about you?

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi pulled himself up to his feet slowly, looking like he had just aged twenty years. ]

I'm at their mercy right now. All I can do is go home and wait.

[ He shook his head. ]

Now's not the time to worry about me. Worry about your family.

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor hesitates for a moment longer before turning to his pile of stuff at the side of the barrier, tearing off his skates and throwing them into his bag. When he has one of the skates off, he pauses only to send a text to Yuri. ]

You'll call me when they want to meet, right? I want to be with you when you explain everything, okay?

[sleight_of_hand]

I will.

[ There was no way he could handle this on his own now. Who the hell even knew what that bastard told the others. He was going to this in an even worse situation than he thought he was before, and it hurt. He hadn't felt this lost since he got that transfer notice to Inaba. ]

[ He lingered by him, hugging his arms to his chest as he made sure Viktor didn't leave anything behind by accident. He would worry about the skates he rented later, assuming he left after this. Some kind of stress relief would be necessary, and he wasn't exactly in the mood to get drunk. He'd apologize to Viktor later. ]

Just be careful going home, all right?

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor pauses, looking up at him. ]

... You don't think they'd ... do something, do you?

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi frowned, trying to think of some answer that was better than what he had. ]

...I don't know. I don't know what powers they have, or how different they are from the Investigation Team. All I can do is hope that being 'the good guys' still carries the same set of morals as it did for them.

[fourlevels]

Then you should come with me! If you really think that, then you shouldn't go by yourself either.

[sleight_of_hand]

And make things worse for you and Yuri?

[ Look, even he knew the kid was not going to forgive him or be friendly with him ever now, not to mention what he was going to do when it came to Viktor. He was so shaken from the conversation before, though, that just looking at Viktor was crumbling his resolve to stay away. No, they needed to separate right now; it was the only way he was going to save face with at least some of his family. ]

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor glances down, his hands clenching in the bag strap he's holding. ]

I don't want to have to choose one relationship at the expense of the other ...

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi's shoulder's sank, the weight of what was going on hitting him at full force with that. He really screwed up. He really screwed up, and he was going to have to pay the price for that. ]

You don't really have a choice, and it's my fault that you don't... and I'm not letting you choose me over the people from your world. I'm really... really not worth that.

[ How did that stupid saying go? "If you love someone, set them free"? They seriously failed to mention how agonizing it was to do that, didn't they? ]

[ Adachi stepped out of the way, giving Viktor an urgent look. ]

Go.

[fourlevels]

[ Adachi may have stepped aside, but Viktor stepped with him, enfolding him suddenly into a tight hug. ]

You're worth so much more than you think, Tohru. I hope you can start believing it soon.

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi let out a surprised noise as he was grabbed, for a moment, not knowing what to do. Viktor, as usual, was not making this easy. He struggled against himself, fighting against returning the hug, but ended up giving in anyway, wrapping his arms around him as tight as he could. ]

...maybe someday.