Something New.
PROMPT: In which every morning, a character awakes in a different body, and is only able to see their true self in the reflection of another’s eyes.
Victor Nikiforov is magic - really, a magical person, like a person with magic. He doesn’t know when it started show, but as he grew up, he knew he had a power that others do not.
He remembered when he was in fourth grade. He just transferred schools from his town of St. Petersburg to the City of Moscow. He was afraid to make a bad impression, so as he was being introduced by the teacher, he thought, “Let me know how they see me! So I should know how to act!” he chanted those words over and over in his head.
On his fifth try, just as the teacher was asking him to find his seat, he found himself already sitting at the right side of the room, looking at himself a few minutes before and thinking, “He looks scared” before he felt a tug in his stomach as he mentally took a step back and found himself beside the professor again as he just stared at the kid, who he knew, was the person he ‘exchanged’, only to see the girl looking at him with a blank look.
‘She doesn’t know?’ he mentally asked himself as he squared his shoulders to visibly act brave.
When class ended he immediately went to the girl and asked for her name and if he vould tell him what happened and if she really thought he looked scared. The girl openly gaped at him and asked, ‘How did you know?’ after that, he shut his mouth, lest he be branded as a weirdo.
It happened a few more times after that. He keeps exchanging with his classmates, their teachers, the principal, even his parents. As he grew up, he learned to control it and use his power at will. He exchanges with a different person daily. Try to see himself from a different perspective. He can even go back in time to exchange, see a person's reaction from a few hours back. This eventually helped him in his career.
He knew what a lot of people are expecting of him.
He used it - he used it real well.
In fact, he managed to get two olympic gold medals and five worlds and grand prix medals, adding two more and a few silvers if we’re counting his junior years.
Everyone forgot about that.
At 27 years old, at the top of his career, he found that he’s bored. His powers already lost its appeal a long time ago. The only reason he ever uses it now is because no one would criticize him in his face anymore.
No one would tell, the Great Victor Nikiforov where in his performance did they get bored, happy, sad or surprised.
He only longed to please his audience.
So, color him surpised, when he stumbled upon a person at the hall after the ceremony, whom he couldn’t ‘exchange’ with.
So he did what he thought was best, he opened his mouth and asked, “Would you like a commemorative photo?”
Only to be harshly rejected by the man who turned his back on him and went the other way.
He found a nullifier.
He found him again at the banquet. Wasted - drunk out of his mind and challenging people left and right to a dance off.
Noticing everyone… but him. He was never even spared a glance by the drunk man.
‘Doesn’t he know me?’
‘Doesn’t he care?’
‘Does he hate me?’
He asked those questions in his head over and over as he followed the man go from competitors to sponsors. Fro. His rinkmates to his best friend to the higher ups and sponsors.
No one was spared.
Except for him.
He tried to exchange again.
‘Damn it! Why won’t this work?’ he thought irritably as he took picture after picture of the man.
For the first time in his life he found someone he couldn’t exchange with.
And he was curious.
The banquet ended and world’s soon followed. He hasn’t seen the man since then.
Yuuri Katsuki, 24, Japan’s Ace in Figure Skating was rumored to have just ended his contract with his coach, Celestino Cialdinni.
He was sitting in his empty apartment with no other company than his dog, Makkachin, when a link was sent to him.
It was Yuuri - skating to his FS Program, Stammi Vicino. This is a good call as any, he thought as he immediately started packing his bag after the nth replay of the video.
Yuuri was the exception.
“I just want you to be Victor” was the reply.
He smiled.
For the first time in his life, he was the one who was surprised.