there’s a stranger at yuuri’s bus ride home.
he has striking silver hair that reflects sunlight in a way that would probably be blinding for anyone whose view isn’t obstructed by a pair of thick glasses. likewise, he is full of laughter and smile, and his bubbly personality would probably be off-putting for some people. not for yuuri, though.
yuuri finds him endearing. yuuri also finds the dog with the sad eyes who sits patiently tucked in the crook of the stranger’s arms endearing, if a little shy. the stranger gets off at a stop after his, and whenever yuuri reaches his stop the stranger’s gaze always follows him and his dog is always asleep.
there’s a stranger at yuuri’s bus ride home.
to tell the truth, there are roughly thirty strangers at yuuri’s bus ride home during weekdays, and exactly 1 (one) familiar person. the guy he knows is nakamura-san from 3-5 back in high school, who thought yuuri was a stuck-up for enrolling to a university in detroit when they were eighteen, and who still thinks yuuri is a stuck-up now, so yuuri kind of pointedly ignores him and hopes he doesn’t ever look at yuuri’s direction.
the stranger, though, the silver-haired stranger with the smile shaped like a heart, yuuri wishes he looks at his direction. yuuri considers starting a conversation, maybe finds an excuse to pet the dog and coo over how adorable it is, but stops himself short and opts to stare at the back of his head like some kind of creep instead.
yuuri can’t shake the feeling that he has to put an end to the stranger’s wistful gaze everytime he leaves the bus off, so he tells himself: tomorrow i will talk to him.
and most days, tomorrow never comes.
but today, there’s a stranger at yuuri’s bus ride home who’s not quite a stranger anymore after yuuri walks up at him and says, “hello, um, can i pet him? sorry if this is impolite, i know we don’t know each other, and um–”
“no, no, please, he likes you,” the stranger visibly brightens and all but shoves his dog at yuuri. “i mean, he generally likes people, so, uh. anyway! yuuchan, say hi to the nice man,”
the dog barks eagerly and wiggles in yuuri’s arms before settling down and licking yuuri’s palm. yuuri scratches him behind his ears before. “that’s strange. my friends used to call me that,” yuuri offers a smile and his name to the stranger. “i’m yuuri,”
“hi, yuuri. i’m viktor,” says the stranger. there’s something in his expression that makes him look expectant, but whatever it is, it’s disappeared when a beat has passed and yuuri only nods in return.
“where are you headed?” asks viktor.
“just going home after work,” yuuri shrugs. “what about you?”
“i was looking for my husband, actually,” viktor confesses. “he told me to meet him at a hot springs resort here, so i’ve been going there every day, but i think he might have forgotten about that,”
yuuri frowns. “but the resorts have been closed for years,” he remembers his parents, the last of the survivors, packing their things to move nearer to the centre of the prefecture and starting anew when he was eight and mari was fifteen.
viktor’s voice sounds strained when it comes out. “really, now,” he sighs. “i did not know that,”
“but maybe there are new ones being built! i don’t know, i haven’t been to that part of town for years,” yuuri quickly backtracks, not wanting to upset viktor. it’s bad enough that this man, apparently a foreigner judging by his appearance, hasn’t met his husband for what seems like a long time. yuuri doesn’t want to tell him that his husband was probably lying to him, too.
“i don’t know, really,” says viktor. “it’s like i’m the only one who remembers him,”
the bus slows down as it nears yuuri’s stop, and he hands yuuchan back to victor. the dog whines at the loss of contact. his sad eyes won’t leave yuuri. “i have to go. good luck! i hope your husband remembers to contact you!”
yuuri squeezes viktor’s arm briefly before rushing to the door. viktor, as always, follows yuuri’s path before he disappears from sight, blinking back tears. “yeah, i hope he does,”
areudirty
gamechangershow
jimmyeatworldofficial
gummygunk
izzy806
amandla
blakekathryn
2087
