Author's Notes: I shouldn't be doing this. I really shouldn't. But I watched Atelier on Netflix and now I can't get this AU out of my head. Updates for this one will likely be sporadic compared to my Hogwarts AU. Enjoy and, as always, please leave a review so I can hear your thoughts!

Yuuri draws in a deep breath.

This is it: his first real job interview fresh out of graduate school. Exhaling slowly, he settles his gaze on the logo in front of him, carved out in an elegant, cursive script.

"Lyublyu"

"Love" in Russian: a subtle, elusive emotion that inspires joy, passion, hate, and the occasional madness. Love is a mystery that even the best writers and poets have yet to pin down, much less comprehend.

What Yuuri really doesn't understand is what love has to do with high-fashion lingerie.

It was Yuuko who encouraged him to accept the interview offer with shrieks of fervent enthusiasm. It was Yuuko who gave him an earful about the intricacy of Lyublyu's designs, the care afforded in each and every stitch on Lyublyu's products, the vividness of Lyublyu's colors. It was also Yuuko who begged him with large, watery eyes to please, please, please give Lyublyu a shot.

"Looking to buy something for your girlfriend?"

Yuuri flinches in surprise, before he turns to see a brunette smiling amiably at him. The man has a jaunty style to his dressing: a jacket draped casually round his shoulders, the top buttons of his charcoal dress shirt popped open to reveal just enough skin.

"No I was just uh, um…" Yuuri realizes, then, how creepy it looks for an adult male to be staring so resolutely at the door of a lingerie store. "I'mhereforaninterview," he blurts out hastily.

"Sorry?" says the man, laughing.

Yuuri flushes. Way to make an impression. "I'm here for an interview," he repeats carefully.

"Ohhh, you're here for the marketing position." The brunette extends a hand. "I'm Leo, a fashion designer at Lyublyu."

Yuuri accepts the offered hand with a firm shake. "I'm Yuuri."

"Nice to meet you, Yuuri. C'mon in, I'll show the way."

Nodding, Yuuri follows after Leo into the store.

Lyublyu is smaller than Yuuri expected. Filled with natural light, mannequins line the sides, adorned with assortments of silky, lacy lingerie pieces. (Yuuri keeps his eyes fixed straight ahead, cheeks burning.) The furniture all appear to be vintage antiques, contributing to the overall feel of the old-fashioned Victorian ages.

"We produce custom-made lingerie, tailor made to each customer's size and unique preferences," Leo explains as he leads Yuuri past the displays. "We're not exactly a booming business, but our regular patrons love our products."

They enter a cozy office space in the back. A petite man seated near the windows lifts an arm to give a wave. Unlike Leo, he is clothed in formal attire, save for the tiny prints of fluffy sheep dotting his tie. "Leo! I thought that might've been you."

"Morning, Guang Hong," Leo says cheerily. "Yuuri, that's Guang Hong, another fashion designer. Guang Hong, Yuuri."

"Hello," says Guang Hong with a shy smile. "Here for the marketing job?"

"Yes," says Yuuri, returning the smile. He is starting to relax, comfortable in the friendly atmosphere.

"Is the boss here," asks Leo. He walks up to the desk across from Guang Hong's to throw his jacket across the top of a chair.

"Yeah but Christophe's in there," Guang Hong says, eyes flickering over to the double doors at the far end of the office. His voice drops to an audible whisper. "It doesn't look good."

Before Yuuri can ask what that meant, the doors fly open.

"Unless you've got something new, Viktor, don't expect a glowing review from me."

The man who walks out is tall and good-looking with eyelashes that seem to extend forever. Something about the sultry way he moves his hips (clad in leather, no less) has Yuuri turning away, feeling abashed.

"I will see you at the trunk show, Chris," a lilting voice says flatly from inside.

Chris – short for Christophe, probably – clicks his tongue and saunters out of the office, without so much as a glance at the other men in the room.

"Is this a bad time?" Yuuri says, his nervousness flooding back tenfold.

"Good luck," Leo whispers, before he shoves Yuuri through the double doors and shuts them after him.

The man who looks up at his entrance is the most gorgeous person Yuuri has ever seen in his life. Blue-green eyes, shimmering like gems behind silvery strands, highlight a slender nose and high cheekbones. Standing by the window – the sunlight hitting him just so – he is dressed simply: collared navy blue shirt with black skinny jeans. The outfit compliments a lithe body and the color of God-given features perfectly.

Suddenly, Yuuri understands what love has to do with high-fashion lingerie.

"Can I help you?" Viktor asks after a moment.

Yuuri snaps to attention, startled out of his reverie. "Sorry," he says, turning bright red. "I'm here for the uh…. the interview. The marketing interview. I mean, the marketing position. The job opening."

A voice in the back of his mind wonders idly if the ground will do him a favor and just swallow him whole.

Then Viktor smiles and Yuuri feels his knees start to tremble. "Yuuri Katsuki."

"Y-Yes, that's me."

Viktor moves away from the window to circle Yuuri slowly. "What interests you in working at Lyublyu, Yuuri?"

Yuuri swallows, feeling incredibly self-conscious. He stifles the urge to smooth out the wrinkles in his pants. "Your business is very niche, so that keeps the job scope simple enough for a fresh graduate like myself, yet challenging enough to afford new learning opportunities. I also understand that – "

He stops when the other man holds up a hand.

"What do you know about lingerie?" Viktor asks.

"It has to be comfortable but also sexy enough for the wearer to feel good about herself," Yuuri replies.

"Not untrue," says Viktor. He shifts to the front of a large desk where he leans, head tilting to one side. "Yet also a generic answer."

Yuuri flushes at the blunt evaluation, but raises his chin in determination. "I don't know much about fashion," he admits, "But I'm a fast learner and I'm very willing to learn."

"I expect every new graduate to tell me that," Viktor says with a shrug.

"Then hiring me is a risk you'll have to take," Yuuri says firmly.

Viktor stares at Yuuri for a beat, before his features split into a bemused smile. "Well," he says. "The bunny has teeth."

"I also have friends in fashion," Yuuri adds, confidence building at the other man's response. "I'll study hard, catch up with the trends, and learn more about your product."

"Is there anything you do know about my product at this point?"

"I know that it's unique," Yuuri says, desperately recalling Yuuko's gushing. "There's always a special element every season, a surprise, something that the clients never think to expect."

Silence falls.

Arms folding across his chest, Viktor's eyes narrow at him in a penetrating stare. Yuuri fidgets uncomfortably; with every passing second, his nervous sweat is getting worse and soaking up the dress shirt under his blazer. Just when he is about to break the silence with a stupid joke, Viktor finally speaks.

"Take off your glasses."

Yuuri blinks in confusion.

Silently, Viktor mimics the gesture with one hand.

"Oh, um..." Fumbling, Yuuri hurriedly removes his glasses. "Like this?"

Again, wordlessly, Viktor slides a hand through his hair and nods towards Yuuri.

Bewildered, Yuuri obediently copies the move, thrusting a hand through his bangs and sliding the strands up and through his hair.

Instantly, Viktor's eyes light up, lips curving in delight.

Then, without breaking his gaze, he pushes himself off his desk and stalks up to Yuuri with all the grace of a starved panther approaching its prey. Stunned, Yuuri freezes in place as long fingers reach out to stroke at his cheek in a light caress, before gliding down to grasp his chin.

"Your first lesson of the day," Viktor drawls, his lilting accent adding an entirely new dimension of sensuality to his tone. "Beauty is in the eye of those who create it. We represent beauty; we define it." He tilts Yuuri's chin up to brush a feathery kiss tantalizing close to parted lips. "As a representative of Lyublyu, I expect you to bring out your beauty for my brand every day, any day."

Before Yuuri's brain can register what is happening, Viktor has pulled away to walk past Yuuri and open the double doors. "Guang Hong," he calls. "Will you show Yuuri to a desk?"

"Yes, boss."

Yuuri is still clutching onto his glasses when Guang Hong comes in to usher him out.

"Congratulations," says Guang Hong with a soft smile. "You even put him in a good mood despite the whole Christophe thing."

"Not an easy feat," Leo pipes up from his seat. "Love the look without glasses, by the way."

"Thanks," says Yuuri, following Guang Hong to an empty desk next to Leo's. He pulls out the chair and drops onto it, mind whirring.

He has a job.

At a lingerie store.

With a sexy boss who clearly has the potential to open all sorts of doors to sexual harassment lawsuits.

Never mind Yuuko, Phichit is so going to have aneurysms of unadulterated excitement when he hears about this new development.

"Hey guys," Yuuri says after a while. "Where can I get a good batch of hair gel?"

Next chapter:

"Yuuri's entirely too precious for such hedonic thrills."

Yuri shudders violently. "You just had to pick someone with my name, didn't you?"

"I aim only to please," Viktor says cheerfully.

In which Yuri just wants to get off Viktor's rollercoaster of hell.