A/N First things first, I'm so sorry for the amount of time this took. I had to finish what I was writing for Eruriren Weekend and I wrote over 20,000 words for it so this came as second priority, updates should be back to usual now and the next one may even be sooner than normal. Sorry guys but for that, here's some draaammmaaa! Everything's kicking off now.

Two days later and Phichit and Yuuri were trapped in the same sense of deja vu. Phichit sat on the floor, just as he had on the day he arrived, whilst Yuuri sat cross-legged on his bed looking down at his friend, again, just as he had the day Phichit arrived.

Phichit had still not told Yuuri about his and Viktor's little...chat. A flash of an image suddenly passed through Phichit's mind: 'Viktor, don't you dare try and blame him!' Phichit shook it off and tried to focus back on Yuuri.

He didn't know that Yuuri could hear everything from outside that door; Yuuri still hadn't had the guts to mention it, it was fine- probably: 'Viktor Nikiforov, I will NOT hesitate to threaten you.' Yuuri tried to wipe it from his mind, mortified.

'So, Yuuri, what are you doing for ya' birthday?' Phichit smiled, tucking his head onto his knees, pulling them to his chest. Yuuri shrugged, he wasn't sure. He hadn't had time to think about it. He hadn't had time to think of much recently. He had spent most of his time, well, trying not to think at all.

'I guess stay at home. My mum will cook Katsudon.' The word sent a small smile to his lips, his eyes glistening like a child. Yuuri fell too easily for food, Phichit thought, sighing with a gentle laugh.

'That's depressing, Yuuri!' Phichit complained. 'You have two weeks, you better do something!' He sighed again. 'I wish I was here for it, I would plan something AWESOME!' He shouted, flailing his arms dramatically in the air, a jovial smile returning to his childish features- it was a shame, Yuuri thought, that Phichit hadn't been smiling so much lately. Yuuri guessed he was to blame.

Yuuri had fallen down the hole again before he had even noticed.

Yet, Phichit caught him immediately. He had forgotten, in years of loneliness, the support network he had, catching him every time he fell. He hadn't seen Phichit in too long, he had forgotten how easy it was to be picked up again.

'Yuuri! Don't be sad! You don't need me here. You have more friends than just me, I know that- you even told me. I'm sure from what you've said that Minami would throw you an extravagant party.' Phichit laughed, images of the boy Yuuri had pointed out jumping around a classroom more present than ever. Minami acted younger than Phichit and that was definitely saying something.

'I'm not sure if a party is quite my scene...'

'Of course it is! You'll be surprised, having a party with people you actually like is much better than the parties I know you are imagining.' Yuuri shrugged.

'I guess so but...'

'Uh-uh, no. No buts. I am planning this!' Phichit clapped his hands together a few times and got to work, quickly taking Yuuri's phone off of him and texting Minami the plan.

'So, anything interesting happen at school today whilst I was left to fend in the wild expanse of Chicago?' Phichit asked, his fingers rapidly hitting the keys of the phone as he texted back and forth with five separate people, somehow able to continue a conversation despite it- now, that was what Yuuri called skill.

'Nothing much, the usual conversation with Viktor at lunch but not much else. I guess, Chris came in today. That's something. Into me and Viktor's lunchtime session, that is.' Yuuri sighed, falling onto his back and uncrossing his legs, staring blankly at the ceiling.

'You don't sound too happy about that.' Phichit observed, watching as his friend took sad breaths, looking withered in the diminished light- the sun setting gently outside.

'I don't know. It's just,' another wistful sigh 'I don't know what I feel, Phichit. Chris, he's nice but it seems that since he came, Viktor's been further and further out of reach and maybe that's for the best.' Their eyes shifted away from each other knowingly. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe Yuuri would fall off the deep end or maybe, without his presence, he would go on with his life rather than being tangled up in this mess he had created.

'But, it just isn't easy, you know? Viktor's helped me and I don't want him to stop and we've...we've still got this whole power thing to do. He's as experienced as anyone can be with my situation and he's helping but, it's just...' Yuuri ran out of words, his mind reeling as thoughts drifted in and out of his conscience, fading like clouds on a sunny day.

'You don't have to explain, I get it.' Phichit smiled, his teeth shining and Yuuri found some comfort in that, something he had been missing for too long. It wasn't Phichit who needed to smile more, he realised, it was him.

-

Yuri had been told by his final period teacher that he had to meet Mr Smith at his office after school. It wouldn't be the first time and it certainly wouldn't be the last but Yuri was uncertain of what it could be about.

Lily had gone and he had stayed out of trouble. So, what else?

Trundling down the corridors, his ragged backpack slung lazily over his shoulder, he found Mr Smith's office- the route almost automatic. There had a been a time when he had been here every day.

He wouldn't say he and Mr Smith were close but he certainly would say that they were honest with each other. For a headmaster, Mr Smith tried not to pry and tended to solve cases of bad behaviour or whatever else students were sent to him with, with a certain ease that Yuri hadn't seen before. He had never seen Mr Smith lose control nor had he seen Mr Smith do anything but listen and give advice.

But, now he couldn't help but fear that this was going to be something different.

He was right, almost. As he knocked brashly on the door and strutted in before Mr Smith could even begin to call for him to enter, he was shocked to see Mr Smith look far more distressed than any other time Yuri had seen him.

His tie loose and his hair slightly scruffy, Mr Smith stared at the papers in front of him, his eyebrows drawing together frustratedly. 'Sit down, Yurio, I'm glad you could make it.' Mr Smith composed himself well for a man who had been milling over papers for the last few hours but he could not hide the dents where his fingers had gripped at his hair and the dark circles framing his eyes.

'I want to ask you something and I want you to keep it between you and me. Is that okay?' Mr Smith would never say anything without permission, an odd habit, Yuri guessed. Yuri nodded hesitantly but was too curious to hold back.

'I want you to tell me about Yuuri Katsuki.' An order, one that Yuri didn't even know where to begin with. Such an easy thing to answer but with too many answers to give.

'About Yuuri? What about him?' Yuri slouched down in his chair and ruffled his hair, trying to look as confused as possible. What did Mr Smith want with information about Yuuri?

'Anything and everything. He's been tangled up in something and I want to get to the bottom of it.' Never clear about what he says either, Yuri realised. He would never say what Yuuri had done, he would never make it clear that he knew what was going on.

Then again, did Yuri know that Mr Smith knew?

Was the only thing Yuri could relate with his own friend Viktor?

A relationship didn't define him so he spoke of as much else as he could, almost a task to himself to prove that he wasn't focused on that event. He was lying if he said that he wasn't but he would like to think he wasn't blinded by it.

'Yuuri, well, he's seventeen, about to turn eighteen. He's...' Yuri paused, was he already stuck? '...good at Russian. Well, most of his subjects actually. He likes to read and play video games in his spare time but doesn't meet up with people much. He's shy...I don't really know what you're aiming at here.' Yurio gave up, throwing his head back in defeat and straining his eyes to see the yellow stains on the ceiling, not focusing on the piercing gaze of his headmaster.

'Don't stop there, keep going.' Mr Smith urged, a small smile encouraging him- it looked too forced, though, to do much.

'Do you really need to know any of this? What do you want me to say? His favourite colour is blue?'

'You may not think its relevant but I would like to know as much as I can.' Mr Smith jotted something down on a piece of paper before sliding the scribbles out of Yuri's sight and turning back to him. Yuri was even more curious to see what he had written down.

'I mean, I don't know, we're friends? Um...do I really have to go on?' Yuri complained, pouting like a child. Mr Smith sighed, pinching his nose between his fingers before scribbling down another note before covering it up with a pile of crumpled sheets. What was it that Mr Smith did not want Yuri to see?

What was going on?

'Yuuri was involved in Lily's case, wasn't he? He was there when she used hers upon you.' Suddenly, Yuri wondered what Mr Smith's power was. Probably the same as him, he realised before looking up and realising he hadn't answered yet, lost in his own mind.

'Yeah, why? It wasn't like he was really involved. He was a witness.' Yuri shrugged, fearful of what was coming. The questions were getting closer and closer to the point Yurio feared it would go to.

'Who else was there?' Yurio almost wished he didn't have to speak.

'Viktor, I mean, Mr Nikiforov.' He corrected himself quickly; he had gotten far too comfortable with calling him Viktor in school. 'That's it.' Mr Smith nodded and continued to scribble notes, each time on a different piece of paper, no doubt willing to compile them later on.

'I want you to tell me about him.' Mr Smith spoke, repeating his earlier statement, diverting the topic of conversation. This was definitely becoming too close for comfort. Viktor and Yuuri in the same conversation, Mr Smith was drawing closer even if he didn't realise it.

'He's my teacher.' Yuri paused, debating whether to continue. Sighing, he spoke again: 'Viktor was also my friend before he came here, that's why I call him by his first name.' Yuri disliked the sound of Nikiforov on his tongue, it felt unnatural, it was easier if he put this out in the open.

'How close are you two?' Mr Smith inquired, his eyes narrowing as he leant forward.

'Close, our families were friends.'

'Were?'

'Can we talk about something else?' Yuri interrupted, not willing to talk about his family. It was too long a story to describe- it was something Yuri would rather forget himself. Something only he and his parents' knew and something that would remain that way.

'Okay,' Mr Smith leant back again, realising he had pushed too far and tried to keep the conversation at something simple. 'Who are Yuuri's friends?' Much simpler.

'There isn't many, I'm not sure if he has more that I don't know of but he mostly hangs out with Minami and that group: Takeshi, Yuuko, and Minako. He's also got a friend from abroad whose here at the moment, Phichit, that's about it.' Yuri explained with ease, glad that he could at least say something without feeling he was leading to anything else.

And then, it all fell down.

'What about Viktor, is he not Yuuri's friend? I heard they spend a lot of time together.' Shit.

'I wouldn't say they're friends, they...' Yuri stopped, he sounded too panic. Far too panicked. Mr Smith was suddenly paying far more attention. Everything was going wrong. Everything.

What did Mr Smith know?

Deep breath. 'They're relationship is just teacher and student.' He knew as soon as he said it that Mr Smith knew he was lying. Failure. He had given it away without even saying it. Mr Smith knew Yurio was covering something up, something about Viktor and Yuuri's relationship.

Shit, shit, shit.

Mr Smith noted something down again before dismissing Yuri. He ran without looking back.

Shit, shit, shit.

Yurio winced at the clinical lights of the school corridors and shut his eyes, punching at whatever was closest to him. A locker. A now very broken locker. He shouldn't forget his own exaggerated strength. He could do real damage.

He found himself not caring at all.

He was about to burst as he made his way outside, ready to knock down a tree but tried to take steady, calming breaths. He had work. And, if he didn't go, that would be no dinner tonight.

word count: 2190

published: 19.10.17