Chapter Text
Present
Wind him up.
That's all that's left to do.
Yuuri Katsuki pulled up his round goggles, pushing his hair out of his face, and wiped his oily hands on the nearest cloth rather than his bronze waistcoat and white button up underneath.
The inventor then traces the soft forehead of his finest creation yet. A body that resembles a young boy with golden locks and soft porcelain skin in a deep slumber. Yuuri made sure to dress him up in clothing provided by his employer; consisting of deep crimson button up with a golden chain that held the top collar together- with black pants and an engraved leather belt. The belt buckle is held together with gears placed tightly together to turn as needed so. He even gave him a bronze wrist watch with it's visible gears ticking silently in place. The clothing was suitable for presentation if needed be.
Yuuri cupped the back of the boy`s head and slowly sat him up to an upright position. He rested the boy`s head on his own chest so he could reach the hole on the small of his back with an engraved windup key.
He carefully began winding. When he heard a soft click, he placed the key back in his pocket and carried the boy over to the velvet chair in the corner. There was only one thing left to do.
Wait...
One year ago
It was a tragedy really.
The young Nikiforov heir had died in his sleep the previous night. The current head of the family, Victor Nikiforov, had lost his heir to an illness.
Victor pounded his fist against the night table. How could this happen?! His only son whisked away at a mere 15 years!
When his son started coughing, he immediately brought him to the finest of doctors in the town. They all said he had nothing to worry about, and that it was just a small cold. A week went by, and he progressively grew worse. Then was pushed to the point of death.
Victor grieved all day alone in his son`s bedroom. The servants were all in a sullen mood, an extra compliant for the week to come. For they were afraid of what the aristocrat would do in his unstable state.
Victor felt alone. Nothing could replace the warmth of his son.
What was he supposed to do now?
A week went by.
Victor was sitting upon a bench by a lamppost downtown. His butler convinced him to leave his study for the day. So instead of contemplating in the confinements of his manor, he did so outside.
A young boy holding his father's hand- laughing at something he said, walked past him. Victor silently recalls when his own son was that age. He brushes away the tear that forms in the corner of his eye.
“But mother the mechanic in there is so cool!” another child says pointing at a display window with contraptions resembling small birds and insects. An older lady pulls her daughter away from the display.
“My child, you know he's usually working this time of day. You don't want to disturb the lad.”
Two other women stand from the display window next door.
“Young Katsuki is a nice lad, but he shows little interest in interacting with others.”
“My children love seeing his contractions when he the shop is open. They've told me they are almost life like, whatever that means.”
“I heard that he talks to his machines when he's alone.”
“That wouldn't surprise me so. He stays fed up with his own work for sometimes days on end without seeing a soul. I feel bad for his lover.”
“If he even has a lover.”
They walk off giggling with that thought in mind.
Victor strolls over to the display window and peers in. He's never heard of this place before. He enters through the door, the bell above chimes announcing his entry. The front room is rather small, but full of many impressive trinkets and gadgets.
Where was the maker?
His eye catches a velvet red curtain draping from a post in a doorway.
It was just another day at his family's workshop that Yuuri inherited. His goggles placed over his warm brown orbs, a magnifying glass attachment pulled down in front of his right eye. Hunched over his desk ,and the overhead light shining with it's near blinding intensity above him. He was tuning up a small contraption of his.
The chime at the front door went ignored. If somebody really wanted to see him, they would call for him. But most knew better than to disturb him and his work.
“Amazing.”
Yuuri sat upright too quickly at the unfamiliar voice, head bashing into the overhead light. Hands following to nurse the forming bruise on his cranium.
“I`m sorry! Let me-”
The light swung and hit the intruder square in the face.
Yuuri shot up from his chair.
“Are you alright?”
He pulled the swinging light away from the man`s face. The man is covering his nose with gloved hands.
“I-is it bleeding?” Yuuri panicked, pushing his goggles off his face.
The man withdrew his hands and smiled, making Yuuri`s stomach flutter- ever so slightly.
A chestnut bronze top hat sits on the man`s stunning silver hair, neatly parted over the left half of his face- framing his azure orbs. A deep violet waistcoat with gold chains connecting the gear buttons hugs his sternum from under his jet black jacket. Another gold chain hangs from his left trouser pocket, presumably holding a pocket watch, a clear sign of an aristocrat in these parts.
“No worries. It not a scratch.” Yuuri is snapped awake from his gaze. “Who knew that a man of such intricate work would be so clumsy.”
“A-any way. H-how can I help you? Um, Sir.” Yuuri stutters, still overcoming his embarrassment.
“Victor Nikiforov.” he says extending out a gloved hand.
“Y-Yuuri Katsuki.” he says grasping his hand in a nervous greeting.
Victor withdraws his hand.
“Yuuri? What a coincidence. That's my son`s name.”
Yuuri pretended to not notice the sadness those sky blue orbs held at that mention. He naturally didn't ask.
“And I presume you are the fabled mechanic said to bring life to his creations? Hm?”
Yuuri rubs the back of his neck.
“Yeah. That's me. Kinda. That's what the kids say anyway.”
“I would ask if I intruded upon anything. But it's seems that I answered my own question with that. My apologies once again.”
“Oh no no no. It's fine! It's wasn't anything too important anyways.”
“That's reassuring to hear. Now this may be an odd request. And I completely understand if I should come back later, but would it be possible if you could show me some of your work?”
The confused expression on Yuuri's face must have urged the man on.
“Show me what pieces you are most proud of.”
“Um. S-sure.”
The young mechanic has come across many strange customers in his time, but this was hardly a strange request. Besides, he didn't think he could turn down those bright blue eyes.
Yuuri brought him to the back room. Several contraptions resided under sheets to protect them from dust. On higher up shelves resided porcelain dolls behind glass. Those seemed to grab Victor`s attention first. He closely examined them, placing a gloved hand on the case.
“I didn't know you did work aside from mechanics.” he said, almost to himself.
“All of them move. I-if you wind them up that is. Wanna see?”
The aristocrat looked at him with curiosity in his eyes. That's all the confirmation he needs. Yuuri opens the glass case and gingerly takes out one with a red dress and blonde locks. It's eyes were closed, almost like a real slumbering girl. Victor watches intently as the mechanic smoothes out her hair and pulls out a windup key from his back pocket. After he finishes winding up the doll, he holds her out for Victor to see.
The doll shakily turns her head up at her maker and slowly opens her eyes.
Victor watches in pure awe as Yuuri places her down on the floor and takes a few steps forwards.
“Amazing.” Victor says under his breath.
“What was that?” Yuuri says turning his attention to the aristocrat.
“You`re amazing.”
Yuuri couldn't hide the blush that graced his cheeks.
“I-I guess. I keep the dolls back here because most people think they're weird. It's something I do when I don't work on commissions.”
“Commissions….”
“Yeah. I kinda make a living off of them.”
“....would you do one for me?”
Yuuri thought this man was crazy.
Recreate his deceased son as a life sized doll?! That's something that comes out of nightmares! But Yuuri blames the man`s alluring eyes. Damn those beautiful eyes.
He agreed.
He worked on mainly that one project for most of the year. Victor supported him with the money he needed for both the project and to get by living.
A bonus added to Yuuri's talents was he was gifted in science. One has to be inept in the field to be a mechanic. But Yuuri had done studies on the human body in order to create his dolls with the best mimication of a live human. (He's swears that it's not weird)
No, Victor wasn't just paying him to recreate his son as a doll.
He was asking him to create his son .
Turns out Victor kept his son's body fresh in a preservative chamber. Yuuri was able to scan the body and duplicate most of his bodily functions in machine form. He was able to give the body everything it needed to be almost a live human. A functioning digestive system, a pulse, breathing functions, vocals, he was even able to give him brainwaves.
During the past year, Victor would spend almost all of of free time at Yuuri's workshop. He simply watched for hours on end. Yuuri didn't understand how it could be all that interesting to someone who knows barely anything about mechanics and science. But he wasn't in the way. He would even bring food with him many a times -food his worried servants would make whenever he would set off. Often times he would wake up at his desk with a blanket over him and a note. Things like ‘take the next day off.’ or ‘get some rest in your own bed.’ Yuuri hardly slept in his own bed to begin with. Life dedicated to your workdesk does that.
“You`re amazing. You know that?” Victor would often tell him over his shoulder.
“T-thank you. I -”
Yuuri stops mid sentence as the aristocrat traced down his arm, and interlaced his gloved hand with his own, and brought his hand to his lips. Yuuri used to get embarrassed easily at this action, but grew used to it when he was greeted almost every day with the same gesture.
He found himself beginning to enjoy the time spent with the strange silver haired man. He doesn't really know where he stands with him. But he thinks he can live with that for now.
Present
Yuuri watched earnestly as his creation slowly lifted his head.
The boy`s eyes opened.
The mechanic smiled warmly.
“Welcome back, Yuri.”