Gift for albiondreams!
Title: [Untitled]
Recipient: albiondreams
Main pairing: Evgeny Plushenko/Brian Joubert
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I swear it's all lies, only lies and nothing but lies.
March 2005
Moscow
Something was not right.
It was calling to him, an almost inaudible voice whispering things he couldn't quite make out. It was crawling closer, the indecipherable words turning into pale splashes of colour that bore a strange resemblance to familiar faces. It brought a distinct feeling of uneasiness that covered him like a sea wave - and suddenly he felt like drowning.
Brian woke with a start.
Something was not right.
It was still dark outside and despite the warmth of the room he immediately felt cold from the sheer look of it. For a moment he had to concentrate on remembering where he was and what he was supposed to do next. God, he hated morning practices.
Allowing his reflexes to take the lead, with an empty mind Brian got out of the bed and sleepily padded to the tiny bathroom.
When he came back almost half an hour later, he didn't feel much better.
The morning felt gray and somber, giving no breathing space almost to the point of choking and slowly swirling into some weird dizziness. Unconsciously shaking his head, Brian took his phone and then just stood there for a minute trying to comprehend the numbers the clock showed.
"It's too early," he whined to himself sounding almost like a fretful child, when the second thought came. "And… there's no morning practice today."
Brian looked up in surprise, as if trying to figure out whose fault it was.
The gloomy morning showed no signs of remorse whatsoever.
"Oh well." He sat down on the unmade bed. "What now?"
He didn't have to be anywhere within the next few hours and he couldn't go back to sleep again. And sitting alone in his room waiting for the dawn to break didn't really have that much of an appeal.
Brian got up, crossed the small room in two long strides, opened the door and cautiously looked out into the corridor. The hotel felt deserted - most of the guests must have still been happily asleep.
"Well then," murmured the Frenchman to himself, "why don't we go for a walk?"
He quickly grabbed his jacket and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind.
The hotel's small winter garden was dark and quiet in the same sleepy way as the rest of the hotel. Brian walked past the plants, right to the glass wall through which the distant city lights were gleaming dimly. Absentmindedly he traced the cold surface with his hand. Under the touch it felt almost like ice. Almost like...
"Don't you ever have this sense of... déjà vu?" the familiar voice sounded quiet yet harsh in the thick air of the garden.
Startled by the unexpected intruder, Brian quickly turned around.
Despite the craziness of the day before the other man looked calm and composed. He might even have seemed like someone completely at ease with himself and the world around - if it were not for the weird gleam in his eyes.
"Evgeny." Brian acknowledged the intruder, feeling his earlier uneasiness slowly creep back.
"Brian," Evgeny replied with a nod. "Up so early?"
The Frenchman opened his mouth to try and invent some serious sounding reason, but then just shrugged avoiding Evgeny's eye.
"Couldn't... um... sleep, y'know."
He sensed rather than heard the quiet laugh, then Evgeny nodded again.
"I see."
Evgeny walked to stand beside Brian and gazed outside. The darkness of the early morning was lying over the city like a heavy blanket, the merry twinkling of the street lights doing little to dispel the weariness of waiting for something to happen.
"So," Evgeny started softly, "You have been here daydreaming?"
He half-turned to the Frenchman so their faces were now only inches apart.
"... or remembering Budapest?"
Brian blinked.
"You mean that time I ran into you at the hotel?" It was difficult for him to concentrate when all he could feel was the rhythm of the Russian's heartbeat, and his fingertips were tingling with desire to reach out and touch. "Hence the question of déjà vu?"
This time Evgeny laughed for real, a loud and harsh sound that scattered over the silent garden. Brian had no choice but to smile back, although he looked a bit confused.
"Fuck the hotel." The Russian waved his hand dismissively. "I saw the two of you the night after the short. You thought you were alone, but you were not… no, not really."
Brian blanched. He opened his mouth to protest, or deny, or both, but Evgeny didn't seem to even notice. Looking somewhere past Brian, Evgeny went on.
"I should have left, but I stayed. It looked like something right out of a fantasy." Evgeny paused for a moment, still avoiding Brian's gaze. "Or a nightmare."
Suddenly Brian found himself looking into a pair of pale blue eyes and felt tingling turn into shivers that ran up his spine. Was it fear? Or was it something else?
"You were so beautiful." Evgeny reached out and gently touched Brian's face, and Brian couldn't help but lean into the touch. "And I wanted so much to be… in your place."
The kiss started out as a slow exploration, but soon turned into a vortex of emotions that were threatening to eat them alive if not reined in. They both couldn't afford it.
Brian broke the kiss abruptly.
"Have you come here to take my immortal soul?" he half joked, trying to catch his breath. "Why… are you doing it?"
Evgeny smiled tightly, the same crazy gleam in his eyes promising things Brian couldn't even dare to think of, and then leaned back in.
"They say that if a door closes..." Evgeny's fingers gently caressed the back of Brian's neck, his tongue slowly tracing Brian's lips and teasing them apart. "Then there must be another one which opens, oui?"
The foreign word sounded so clumsy and uncertain, that despite the creepiness of the whole situation Brian laughed into Evgeny's mouth, a quiet breathless sound which turned to a despair-laced moan as Evgeny squeezed him lightly through his pants.
"You're more like him than you are ready to admit," Evgeny chuckled. "So hungry. So easy."
He kissed Brian again, this time a light touch on the lips, more of an apology than of an invitation.
"Stop that," murmured Brian. He made a half-hearted attempt at dodging the kiss but still didn't let Evgeny go. "What is this all really about?"
The Russian paused for a moment as if thinking the reply through, then nodded, all the playful gestures gone.
"You sure don't know it yet, my dear frog-eating friend, but…" Evgeny smiled at Brian almost sympathetically. "There's a door that has already closed for you."
He stepped away and Brian whimpered involuntarily at the loss of the contact, immediately hating himself for this weakness.
"Remember, back in Budapest I told you it was not always about the winning?" Evgeny straightened his clothes again, looking like the same calm and composed person who had walked into the garden half an hour ago. "I lied."
"And why I am not surprised?" Brian muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes.
Suddenly he felt like he'd been used.
Evgeny chuckled, but said nothing. Instead he turned away and slowly walked towards the exit. After a couple of steps he stopped, though.
"I'm withdrawing." He turned his head and gave Brian a wicked smile. "So there is another door for you."
With that he disappeared into the stairwell, leaving Brian to process what had just been said.
"What the hell was that?" Brian asked himself after a minute of stunned silence. "Just what the…"
He rubbed his temples feeling a headache coming. Then absentmindedly he turned around to look out at the city and saw the eastern sky begin to turn pale pink.
Ahead was the final day of the World Championships.
Recipient: albiondreams
Main pairing: Evgeny Plushenko/Brian Joubert
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I swear it's all lies, only lies and nothing but lies.
March 2005
Moscow
Something was not right.
It was calling to him, an almost inaudible voice whispering things he couldn't quite make out. It was crawling closer, the indecipherable words turning into pale splashes of colour that bore a strange resemblance to familiar faces. It brought a distinct feeling of uneasiness that covered him like a sea wave - and suddenly he felt like drowning.
Brian woke with a start.
Something was not right.
It was still dark outside and despite the warmth of the room he immediately felt cold from the sheer look of it. For a moment he had to concentrate on remembering where he was and what he was supposed to do next. God, he hated morning practices.
Allowing his reflexes to take the lead, with an empty mind Brian got out of the bed and sleepily padded to the tiny bathroom.
When he came back almost half an hour later, he didn't feel much better.
The morning felt gray and somber, giving no breathing space almost to the point of choking and slowly swirling into some weird dizziness. Unconsciously shaking his head, Brian took his phone and then just stood there for a minute trying to comprehend the numbers the clock showed.
"It's too early," he whined to himself sounding almost like a fretful child, when the second thought came. "And… there's no morning practice today."
Brian looked up in surprise, as if trying to figure out whose fault it was.
The gloomy morning showed no signs of remorse whatsoever.
"Oh well." He sat down on the unmade bed. "What now?"
He didn't have to be anywhere within the next few hours and he couldn't go back to sleep again. And sitting alone in his room waiting for the dawn to break didn't really have that much of an appeal.
Brian got up, crossed the small room in two long strides, opened the door and cautiously looked out into the corridor. The hotel felt deserted - most of the guests must have still been happily asleep.
"Well then," murmured the Frenchman to himself, "why don't we go for a walk?"
He quickly grabbed his jacket and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind.
The hotel's small winter garden was dark and quiet in the same sleepy way as the rest of the hotel. Brian walked past the plants, right to the glass wall through which the distant city lights were gleaming dimly. Absentmindedly he traced the cold surface with his hand. Under the touch it felt almost like ice. Almost like...
"Don't you ever have this sense of... déjà vu?" the familiar voice sounded quiet yet harsh in the thick air of the garden.
Startled by the unexpected intruder, Brian quickly turned around.
Despite the craziness of the day before the other man looked calm and composed. He might even have seemed like someone completely at ease with himself and the world around - if it were not for the weird gleam in his eyes.
"Evgeny." Brian acknowledged the intruder, feeling his earlier uneasiness slowly creep back.
"Brian," Evgeny replied with a nod. "Up so early?"
The Frenchman opened his mouth to try and invent some serious sounding reason, but then just shrugged avoiding Evgeny's eye.
"Couldn't... um... sleep, y'know."
He sensed rather than heard the quiet laugh, then Evgeny nodded again.
"I see."
Evgeny walked to stand beside Brian and gazed outside. The darkness of the early morning was lying over the city like a heavy blanket, the merry twinkling of the street lights doing little to dispel the weariness of waiting for something to happen.
"So," Evgeny started softly, "You have been here daydreaming?"
He half-turned to the Frenchman so their faces were now only inches apart.
"... or remembering Budapest?"
Brian blinked.
"You mean that time I ran into you at the hotel?" It was difficult for him to concentrate when all he could feel was the rhythm of the Russian's heartbeat, and his fingertips were tingling with desire to reach out and touch. "Hence the question of déjà vu?"
This time Evgeny laughed for real, a loud and harsh sound that scattered over the silent garden. Brian had no choice but to smile back, although he looked a bit confused.
"Fuck the hotel." The Russian waved his hand dismissively. "I saw the two of you the night after the short. You thought you were alone, but you were not… no, not really."
Brian blanched. He opened his mouth to protest, or deny, or both, but Evgeny didn't seem to even notice. Looking somewhere past Brian, Evgeny went on.
"I should have left, but I stayed. It looked like something right out of a fantasy." Evgeny paused for a moment, still avoiding Brian's gaze. "Or a nightmare."
Suddenly Brian found himself looking into a pair of pale blue eyes and felt tingling turn into shivers that ran up his spine. Was it fear? Or was it something else?
"You were so beautiful." Evgeny reached out and gently touched Brian's face, and Brian couldn't help but lean into the touch. "And I wanted so much to be… in your place."
The kiss started out as a slow exploration, but soon turned into a vortex of emotions that were threatening to eat them alive if not reined in. They both couldn't afford it.
Brian broke the kiss abruptly.
"Have you come here to take my immortal soul?" he half joked, trying to catch his breath. "Why… are you doing it?"
Evgeny smiled tightly, the same crazy gleam in his eyes promising things Brian couldn't even dare to think of, and then leaned back in.
"They say that if a door closes..." Evgeny's fingers gently caressed the back of Brian's neck, his tongue slowly tracing Brian's lips and teasing them apart. "Then there must be another one which opens, oui?"
The foreign word sounded so clumsy and uncertain, that despite the creepiness of the whole situation Brian laughed into Evgeny's mouth, a quiet breathless sound which turned to a despair-laced moan as Evgeny squeezed him lightly through his pants.
"You're more like him than you are ready to admit," Evgeny chuckled. "So hungry. So easy."
He kissed Brian again, this time a light touch on the lips, more of an apology than of an invitation.
"Stop that," murmured Brian. He made a half-hearted attempt at dodging the kiss but still didn't let Evgeny go. "What is this all really about?"
The Russian paused for a moment as if thinking the reply through, then nodded, all the playful gestures gone.
"You sure don't know it yet, my dear frog-eating friend, but…" Evgeny smiled at Brian almost sympathetically. "There's a door that has already closed for you."
He stepped away and Brian whimpered involuntarily at the loss of the contact, immediately hating himself for this weakness.
"Remember, back in Budapest I told you it was not always about the winning?" Evgeny straightened his clothes again, looking like the same calm and composed person who had walked into the garden half an hour ago. "I lied."
"And why I am not surprised?" Brian muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes.
Suddenly he felt like he'd been used.
Evgeny chuckled, but said nothing. Instead he turned away and slowly walked towards the exit. After a couple of steps he stopped, though.
"I'm withdrawing." He turned his head and gave Brian a wicked smile. "So there is another door for you."
With that he disappeared into the stairwell, leaving Brian to process what had just been said.
"What the hell was that?" Brian asked himself after a minute of stunned silence. "Just what the…"
He rubbed his temples feeling a headache coming. Then absentmindedly he turned around to look out at the city and saw the eastern sky begin to turn pale pink.
Ahead was the final day of the World Championships.