Shining Steel (Victuuri)

Anastasia Nikiforova

As we pulled up to the house, I reached out to squeeze Yuuri's hand lightly. After his initial surprise, which I could feel in the way he jumped slightly, his hand relaxed in mine, and I felt him squeeze back. I think he could sense the apprehension that was coursing through me.

"Vitya, are you okay?" I heard him ask.

I turned to face him but could barely find the words to explain. All this was was visiting my family, so why was I nervous?

Sure, I'd never really brought my ex-boyfriends to see them particularly often, but somehow this felt different. Maybe it was because of my sister, or maybe even my mother's current state of dysfunction that was causing me to feel as though my heart would fall through my feet.

I hadn't really told Yuuri the truth of my mother's current state, but I honestly hoped that Anya, or even Klara, had beat me to it.

"Yuuri, I think you need to know something before we go in there. Mama is... difficult right now," I managed with a wince.

I could see his expression change from concerned into one of confusion.

"Difficult? Is she ill?"

It was near impossible to find the right words to describe the situation, and I found my sight trailing away from his eyes and focusing more on the rims of his blue glasses. There was no way around explaining it now, not if I wanted the Japanese man to be able to understand my family.

"Mama has been having problems for a few years now. She lacks most of her independence now, which is why Anya and Klara have both moved in to help her. She changes from an adult to a child in seconds. It's not like talking to my mother anymore; it's like talking to a stranger."

I stared sadly into those deep brown eyes as I tried to gauge his reactions. I had expected that he'd be somewhat uncertain, or that he wouldn't know what to think, but the only thing I could see in his face was sympathy.

I didn't blame him. I'd spent the past five years receiving sympathy from the few people who'd been allowed to know.

"Have you had any help in that time? Professional help, I mean," he questioned, bringing his right hand up to join his left, and clasping my hand with both.

I shook my head, flinching slightly as I managed to compose myself.

"This is Russia; they'd never take it seriously, and she's my mother. It's hard enough to keep my family out of the press as it is, so this would be impossible to keep private. Anya doesn't even work anymore because of the extra stress."

Yuuri was still looking at me with those sad eyes as he released my hand from his and raised his palms to cup my cheeks. His face was still drawn over with sympathy; I finally broke my eyes away from his.

"Vitya."

I didn't respond.

"I won't judge your family. This won't change anything, and it certainly doesn't change how I feel about you."

I nodded in a silent understanding and gathered my things to enter the house.

I knocked three times, faintly aware of Yuuri's presence beside me, and took a sharp intake of breath as I waited to see who would open the door. Nervously, I stretched out to squeeze Yuuri's hand, and felt him anxiously squeeze back; I guess I wasn't the only nervous one.