IC Contact

[fourlevels]

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

Comments

[fourlevels]

That's just as well; it's difficult seeing people vulnerable when they're not alert.

[ He takes the seat next to Yurio, handing him the bag. He brought the shrimp snacks as requested, but he also brought some more nutritional snacks, or at least of more substance than chips. ]

How are you doing?

[beautiful_monster]

[Yuri looks at him like he's grown a second head—who cares how he's doing??—before turning his attention to the contents of the bag and grumbling in approval.]

I'm just tired. I'm fine.

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor hums at that answer, reaching into the bag for an individually wrapped bun?? Looks like a sweet bread with some kind of filling. ]

Eat something.

[beautiful_monster]

[He takes the bun, but doesn't open it yet.]

This is supposed to be for her and Yusuke...

[fourlevels]

I bought more than enough, and I can get more later.

[beautiful_monster]

A lot more.

[There's a little more grumbling, but he does own the bun and takes a bite.]

Did you know Yusuke only eats once a day?

[fourlevels]

... What?

[ Athlete hackles raised!!1 ]

[beautiful_monster]

Once! The guy who raised him was a monster.

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor scowls (as much as he can anyway) down at the bag. ]

... I'll buy another two bags later.

[beautiful_monster]

Thanks... I'm going to talk to Otabek about it later too.

[fourlevels]

[ He gives a slow nod. ]

Every time you go out, make sure he eats something, lots of protein. We can have leftovers to heat up for him at the house too.

[beautiful_monster]

Yeah, that's a good idea... And I'm going to show him how to make some simple things he can make easily on his own. Breakfast shakes and things like that.

[fourlevels]

If you can manage to make him do it, try to have him add greens to them too, like kale or spinach. He'll need to rebuild his vitamins.

I thought he looked too skinny. I had no idea it was because he was practically starving himself.

[beautiful_monster]

[Yuri hums an agreement around another mouthful of bun, brow pinching together in worry.]

I should've noticed it sooner...

I'll use some of the recipes my nutritionist gave me during my last growth spurt. I was having trouble keeping my weight up during training, so he found some stuff even a kid could make to get it back up.

[fourlevels]

Mmm, good idea. Increase the proportions too if the conversions are easy.

[ He glances at Yuuri's side, poking it lightly. ]

For yourself too. You've been stressed lately.

[beautiful_monster]

They should be...but you can check my math on them to be safe.

[He bats at Viktor's hand and makes a face.]

Stressed, but I've still been eating.

[fourlevels]

Maybe, but I know your body better and can tell when you're taking proper care of it or not.

[ A beat. ]

... That didn't mean to sound so intimate and weird.

[beautiful_monster]

[Wow Viktor.]

It just sounded like a coach until you made it weird.

[fourlevels]

[ Shrugs, already over it. ]

Anyway. Besides the immediately obvious, why are you stressed?

[beautiful_monster]

[He shifts uneasily in his seat and takes as big a bite as he can manage to buy himself some time. Even if he wanted to talk about it, there are so many reasons to be stressed that he's not sure where to begin. The regular violent events? Dealing with two murderers in his immediate social circles? All his friends being abuse victims??? Maybe the impending memory loss when they finally go home!

He swallows after chewing for way too long.]

...How can you not be stressed?

[fourlevels]

[ The pause sort of answers itself. Viktor may be dense most of the time, but sometimes, on rare occasions, he picks up on cues the others might miss. That and the fact that they're living in a dystopian hellscape with sci-fi themes lends itself to Yuri's answer. ]

... I concentrate on what I can do or want to do rather than the things I can't change.

[beautiful_monster]

[There's another long, weighty pause. It's not that it's an unhelpful answer—more that even some of the things Yuri wants to do leave a knot of unease in his chest, or an icy frost of fear down his spine.]

...It's... I am doing that. I'm trying to. You know there's a lot I'm doing to try to make things better or safer, but it's still frightening. [He takes another bite of the bun and mutters around the mouthful.] Just not as scary as doing nothing.

[fourlevels]

[ He glances at him sideways. ]

You mean with your powers?

[beautiful_monster]

Not exactly... I mean—kind of?

[With the bun finished, he starts fidgeting with the wrapper, folding and unfolding it while he talks.]

It's more about what I'm going to do with them. I really want to protect people, but...I don't know. It's still scary.

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor reaches into the bag, pulling out a package of beef jerky and handing it to Yurio. ]

I would imagine being a hero-like figure would be scary.