super belated pliroyweek 2017 (!!) free au
The waves touch the shore, and Yuri rests his head on Otabek’s shoulder. Otabek is still and solid, grounding: around him, Yuri breathes. The ocean is calm.
“The old West wind,” Yuri says, “was better.”
“Why better?” Otabek asks. “I see no difference between Leo and Jean-Jacques. They put music in the trees and shake down fruit for us.”
“Leroy irritates me. You’ve seen it,” Yuri accuses. The waves begin to crash against sleek black rocks; the chatter of birds fills the air.
“There have been more storms,” Otabek acknowledges carefully. “He is enthusiastic about his job.”
“He never stays still,” Yuri gripes. “He has no regard for me, Beka. He comes and goes as he pleases.”
As if summoned, a sharp whistle cuts through their conversation; Jean-Jacques Leroy materializes next to Otabek. The trees sway, whisper. Yuri’s lips press into a thin white line. He should’ve known.
“Would you rather I stay, Yuri?” JJ says brightly. His cheeks are flushed red, almost as vivid as the ribbon around his wrist. Cheerfully, he shoulders Otabek. “Hi, Otabek.”
Otabek doesn’t move, lets JJ bounce off him. “Hello, JJ.”
“I’d rather they replace you,” Yuri snaps. “Even Guang-Hong would be better.”
“Guang-Hong has a surprising mettle to him,” Beka says. “He likes to tease.”
“Oh?” JJ says excitedly to Otabek. “I think so, too.”
To Yuri, JJ turns and says, “You would miss me! Nobody would be there to skim a hello against your waves.”
“Viktor and his stupid pig are far too fond of greetings,” Yuri says coldly. “I have no need for more.”
“You’ll warm up to me, you’ll see.” JJ winks, and Yuri wishes upon the stars once more: leave me alone. The stars must be laughing, because ever since Jean-Jacques Leroy became the West Wind, ever since Yuri began to believe in wishes again, quiet has been a rarity.
I think your heart’s wishing for something else, Mila had once told him, and Yuri had raged, let his waves crash against the rocks for one day, two nights, because never, never would he see JJ as anything but an annoyance. Why had she said that? What had she seen?
“Impossible,” Yuri tells JJ now, raising his voice over seething waves. “I’ll be happy when you leave.”
“Try a little harder, won’t you?” JJ croons, but he’s already vanishing, whistling away with that frantic energy he always has. Leo was graceful in the way he moves, but JJ never stays still, always blowing from one place to another. Yuri’s hair is left ruffled, and he scowls, patting it down with a heavy hand.
Beka’s looking at him with amusement.
“Nothing,” Otabek says, and Yuri rolls his eyes and groans. With Beka, he can’t be annoyed.
“You’ve been talking with Mila,” Yuri says. “She puts ideas into your head.”
“Not at all,” Otabek says, but a tiny smile plays on his lips. “Have I said anything, Yura?”
“You don’t need to speak to say something,” Yuri whines.
“JJ is not so bad,” Otabek laughs, runs a warm, affectionate hand through Yuri’s long, pale hair. “Befriending him may benefit you.”
“How?” Yuri demands. “What are the benefits?”
“Calm,” Otabek says mildly. “Quiet, for some of us.”
“You’re tired of me?” Yuri squints. “I won’t talk about him anymore, Beka.”
“I’m not tired of you.” Otabek’s tone is firm and Yuri finds himself believing it, clinging to it. “I just think you and JJ would be better off making peace.”
“Tell him to leave me alone, then,” Yuri grumbles. “Since you’re so smart.”
Otabek says nothing; eventually, the sea settles. Yuri sleeps.
Yuri spends the next day wading through garbage, armed with a spear and his signature scowl. He’s fighting to stay calm, because in his own anger, the waves send things scattering, and his frustration only grows.
“Fuck no,” Yuri groans, and then there’s JJ, carefully balancing on a six pack of beer. Show off.
“Hi Yuri,” JJ says brightly, standing firm as a wave buffets him. “Is this why you’re so cranky? Do you need some help?”
The wind pushes a plastic bag towards Yuri. Yuri spears it with much more ferocity than necessary, but JJ keeps following him and sending things his way. Eventually, Yuri delegates the holding of the trash barrel to JJ, hoping it’ll make him shut up.
“If you keep frowning like that, your face will freeze,” JJ says. Yuri doesn’t bother replying, just brandishes his spear a little higher. If JJ has any brains, he’ll get the message.
Yuri doesn’t speak as JJ keeps chattering. Something about his little brother and sister training to becoming Winds, something about Leo, some other things that Yuri filters out. He’s more concerned the trash he’s wading through. It feels like there’s more each and every week, and he really could drown someone right now.
“So were you always the sea?” JJ ends up asking. “I don’t really know much about you. New to the area and all.”
Dredging through polluted waters, apparently, makes Yuri tired enough to open up. Fucking humans.
“No,” Yuri says. “It used to be Viktor. And you don’t need to know about me.”
“This was Viktor?” JJ’s mouth opens in surprise. “I heard the stories but -- I didn’t know.”
“You don't know a lot,” Yuri says. “So I’m not really surprised.”
“I want to be a star too,” JJ sighs, looking serious suddenly. “I’ll do it.”
“Everyone wants to be a star,” Yuri sneers. “What makes you think you can do it?”
“Katsuki did it,” JJ says. “And there’s talks about you, someday.”
“Says who,” Yuri says suspiciously. “I haven’t heard anything.”
“Being the wind means I can pick up things,” JJ says smugly. His expression seems to freeze as he begins to backpedal. “Wait, shit, maybe I shouldn’t say --”
“Say what, Leroy?” Yuri tries to sound threatening, but his tongue is thick and tired and he just wants to melt to the bottom of the seafloor. Indulging JJ was a mistake.
“You probably know it already, though,” JJ says, more to himself than to Yuri. He hardly notices Yuri’s growing annoyance. Yuri isn’t sure what he expected, and sends a wave crashing over him.
Through sputters of saltwater, JJ says, “You’re too angry.”
Yuri does know that. He acts like he didn’t just to make JJ squirm: he falls silent and spears his trash with increasing aggression. JJ must think he’s really worked up, and follows him without a single whistle. Yuri can already imagine the kicked puppy look he must be wearing: those thick eyebrows furrowed close instead of shooting off with excitement, wide eyes drooping. It’s not as appealing as he thought it would be, not when the label too angry seems to hang over them.
“Yuri,” JJ tries, “I’m sorry. I think you’re amazing.”
At that, Yuri scoffs. “You what?”
“If anyone can be a star around here, it’s you,” JJ says. “I know I just got here and all, but you’re always shining when -- when I pass by without talking to you, haha. They really say you’re one of the best, too, uh, when you’re not so angry?”
“Which is a lot,” Yuri says sourly.
“I’ll join you up there.” JJ speaks with determination. “Let’s climb the skies together!”
“You’re already in the sky.” Yuri sends a half-hearted splash at JJ.
“Yeah, but I started at the bottom like everybody else did,” JJ says. He floats on his back, hovers by Yuri’s side. “But look at you. You take care of your ocean. You don’t just sit around; you do your best.”
“But I’m angry,” Yuri says.
“You can change that,” JJ says. For once, he’s speaking carefully. Yuri finds himself hating it. By now, JJ would’ve clapped his shoulder and jostle him around but he’s floating, suspended by Yuri’s head without so much of a push. Yuri doesn’t want him to reach out, but he hates fucking pity. He hates people who act different around him. The JJ thing to do would give some stupid well-meaning pep talk, right? So where is it?
“Don’t act like I’m going to blow up,” Yuri says. “I already know that.”
“So why don’t you?” is JJ’s immediate reply. “Change it, I mean.”
“It takes time,” Yuri mutters. “I’m -- better. And I’ll get better. Just watch.”
It feels like an invitation instead of a challenge, and Yuri’s ears burn. If JJ notices, he doesn’t say anything, just beams.
JJ doesn’t stop by for a while after that. Michele and Sara pass through, but Michele’s not much of a talker, and Sara usually spends her downtime with Mila.
Yuri knows he could go see Otabek when he’s bored, but somehow, his mind keeps drifting to JJ. He replays the day more times than he wants to admit: is everyone tired of him? Was JJ’s promise (together) empty? Did he say all that just to realize Yuri was hopeless and beneath him?
Summer, it seems, won’t be too windy.
The mornings are good, at least, because the humans throng to the sea and Yuri can watch them. It doesn’t take much to make them happy: Yuri sends little tides to the children, and they shriek and splash their chubby feet. He choreographs strong waves for surfers, and guides them to safety as well as he can.
It’s tiring, but it’s fun. It keeps his thoughts at bay.
When summer bleeds into fall and the ocean grows chilly, JJ returns, and brings it all back.
“Yuri,” JJ says, and he touches him, this time. He runs a hand through Yuri’s hair with a half-watt smile, and that’s when Yuri’s stomach twists. Something’s wrong.
“What?” Yuri’s mouth is dry. JJ settles next to him, and their shoulders touch. Yuri doesn’t move away, doesn’t turn to him, just feels his mouth get drier and drier as JJ stays quiet.
“Sorry for being off the grid,” JJ says, “after I said what I said.”
“I don’t remember,” Yuri says. JJ draws back a little. It’s getting colder. Yuri flops onto his back, lets the waves hold him up. He doesn’t want to do this: he’s tired of this push and pull with JJ, of not knowing what this is. Of not knowing what he wants it to be.
JJ peers down at him, face pinched with concern. “Yuri?”
“Did you come here to say sorry?” Yuri demands. “Or do something else? Spit it out.”
“I don’t know how yet,” JJ admits. “Wait for me?”
“I’ll wait for you,” Yuri says, and it comes out softer than he wanted. As if it could be any other way: JJ’s bangs are hanging over him, dark frames for his bright blue eyes. There’s nothing but those eyes, and Yuri sees his own reflection, sees how JJ sees him.
They float, air and water suspended and still, noses nearly touching until a breath shudders through JJ’s chest, ripples across the sea, and brings them together.
