Archive of Our Own ^beta

Yuuri Nikiforov liked to believe that he was prepared for most things in life. Before he'd met Victor, things had been hard. But the other man brought out the best in him. He made Yuuri strive to reach for the stars (and to actually be able to reach them). Yuuri's confidence had bloomed under Victor's care and he always felt ready to face anything, but this… well, this was most definitely testing him in a way that he had never been tested before. Namely, his sanity, because he was quite sure that he was dreaming or that he was having some kind of mental breakdown.

He pinched himself.

Nope, definitely awake.

“вставай!” came the loud, excited cry of Russian words from the small child that was bouncing on his bed, rocking Yuuri slightly from where he sat staring and feeling very confused. Because here was the thing: Yuuri didn’t have any children.

“I don’t… I…”

Yuuri looked around, worried that someone had somehow misplaced their child and it had found its way into his apartment. He wasn’t surprised to hear the cry of Russian words, after all, he had just moved to St. Petersburg and into his new husband's apartment. There was often the cry of children in the building and the sounds of them running through the hallways... this must be a child that had found its way into his and Victor’s apartment! He was probably looking for his parents! But… he looked so calm... In fact, he didn’t look afraid at all. He looked perfectly happy jumping on Victor’s bed as if he had done it a hundred times before.

Maybe not then?

Who are you?

“Victor?!” Yuuri called out, desperate for his husband to appear with some kind of explanation, because Victor could always fix everything.

There was no response.

"Victor!" he repeated, his time yelling a touch louder.

“Виктор! Виктор! Виктор!” the little boy mimicked, enthusiastically jumping all over the bed and laughing at the top of his voice.

Now Yuuri didn’t know much about children, but this child couldn’t be very old at all. He was dressed in an overly large shirt that looked more like a dress as it skimmed his toes, only making him seem smaller than what he actually was. His silver hair was bouncing around his face messily and the sight of such unique hair made Yuuri come to the logical conclusion that this must be a relative of Victor’s. It was the only thing that he could think of that actually made sense.

“Привет. Как Вас зовут?” he asked, hoping that the little boy could understand his clumsy Russian question as he tried to ask for the boy’s name.

“Виктор! Виктор! Виктор!” the boy chanted, continuing to jump all over the bed.

Victor. His name is Victor? Hmmm, that can’t be right. He must be saying that because he heard me shout for Victor.

Was it possible that his husband had a nephew that he had never mentioned? And where was his husband anyway?

Yuuri stood, slid on his slippers and then still dressed in his nightwear, he made his way to the bedroom door, peering outside. He looked around and expected Yuri and Mila to jump out from somewhere, shouting “Punked! Got you!” But his apartment seemed to be empty aside from Makkachin who appeared and looked at him with a tilt of his head before having a good stretch.

“Where’s your daddy?” Yuuri asked him, but the dog just sat down and gave him his paw with a wag of his tail.

Yuuri glanced towards the little boy. He didn’t want to leave him by himself. What if he falls off the bed? What if he gets into something that hurts him? What if…? The questions were swarming Yuuri’s mind and not wanting to somehow mess up this small child, Yuuri walked over to him and put on a great big smile and in a universal language, he gave him a wave and then a thumbs up.

The little boy stopped bouncing and turned his attention to Yuuri, talking to him in Russian but the poor Japanese man had no idea what he was saying. His Russian was very limited and he was still learning, therefore he couldn’t understand the squeaky, high-pitched words of the child.

“I can’t understand you, I’m sorry,” he replied sympathetically, feeling terrible for this small and lost child.

But the little boy was full of sass as he rolled his eyes and then folded his arms, looking up at Yuuri he repeated the words as he stamped his foot. Yuuri was pretty sure the only thing he could understand was “frying pan” and he was sure that couldn’t be right.

The little boy sighed and then grabbed Yuuri’s hand and frog-marched him out of the bedroom and to the kitchen.

“Яйца,” he said again and tried to pull open the fridge, though he was so small that he couldn’t pull the door open. He dramatically pulled at it in an attempt to try and get inside, his little feet skidding across the laminate floor.

Unsurely, Yuuri pulled open the fridge and the little boy immediately pointed up towards a tray of eggs.

“Яйца,” he repeated.

“Oh, you’re hungry?” he asked him and grabbed two eggs, now understanding that he might have in fact said something about a frying pan.

“Ура!” he exclaimed in happiness, bouncing on the spot.

So, that’s how Yuuri Nikiforov found himself cooking eggs at five AM for a child that he didn’t know, all the while wondering about his missing husband.

He’d only turned his back for two minutes before he heard the distinct sound of the bag of dog biscuits pouring all over the floor. Yuuri turned to see the little boy scooping up huge handfuls of biscuits into Makkachin’s bowl. The dog licked the boy’s face happily.

“No, no!” Yuuri protested, dashing away from the cooker’s stove and grabbing the large bag of biscuits which he was sure weighed more than the tiny person in front of him.

“Нет! Нет!” Yuuri translated for the little boy but it seemed to fall onto deaf ears as he just walked off, instead now interested in sitting in Makkachin’s dog bed and emptying all the toys out of it instead of feeding the animal.

Yuuri hesitated.

Do… do I move him?

He wasn’t sure what to do, he was rubbish with children and he wasn’t sure what was ok...

He didn’t have time to think about it too much as the smoke alarm sounded from behind him and Yuuri jumped in the air in a panic.

The eggs… I forgot about the eggs…

Dismayed, the man cleaned up his mess and turned off the smoke alarm by waving a pillow at it desperately until it finally shut up.

Once he finally managed to successfully cook some eggs, he also made some toast and put it on a tiny plate in front of the boy and then sat him down in front of the TV. He browsed through the channels looking for some kind of children’s show to keep him entertained while Yuuri tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

Once he was sure that the boy was hypnotized in front of the TV, Yuuri reluctantly stepped away and worried, he dashed to his bedroom and grabbed his cell phone off his bedside cabinet. He immediately called Victor’s mobile.

It didn’t connect for a few seconds but then it started to ring. Yuuri’s anxiety immediately peaked as the familiar ringtone erupted from inside the bedroom on Victor’s side of the bed. He looked around for the phone checking where his husband kept his charger, inside his draw, and then eventually, he found it under the bed, his own name flashing in Russian on the screen. He hung up.

“What the hell?!” he muttered to himself, trying to think of a logical explanation for what could have happened.

He stood and paced the room, uncertain of what to do.

Should I call the police?

No. He wouldn’t know how to explain what he meant in Russian. He wasn’t sure how to even start.

Should I call my mom? I just… feel like I should call… someone…

Yuuri returned to the lounge to check on the little boy and then sat down on the sofa uncertainly. The boy was where he had left him, egg dripping all down his shirt as he sat and ate it with his hands instead of the cutlery that Yuuri had given him.

What am I supposed to say to my mom? he worried. I’ve found a child inside my locked apartment and I can’t find Victor? That sounded stupid even to himself.

Yuuri yawned. It was too early for this. He was exhausted and hadn’t gone to bed until gone two o’clock in the morning, and it was still dark outside at this time. He decided to get a coffee and then contemplate this situation when he had woken up a little.

Wherever Victor was, he knew that he would be back in time to walk Makkachin at seven AM because it was the one thing that he did religiously. So by that logic, all he had to do was to wait until seven, and then all of this would be explained.

So with that in mind, Yuuri made himself a very (very) strong coffee and then some breakfast before changing into his yoga clothes and beginning to go through his morning routine.

As Yuuri rolled his yoga mat across the living room floor, it caught the attention of the boy and he jumped up excited and started clapping his hands. He then did a handstand, slowly leaning further over, his little legs bending until he landed into a bridge. He grinned at Yuuri upside down, obviously pleased with himself. He then stood up again, proud of himself to have landed perfectly.

Yuuri raised an eyebrow at him. “You know gymnastics?” he asked him surprised and it seemed more and more likely that this was a relative of Victor’s.

There must have been some kind of emergency… but why didn’t Victor wake me up and tell me what was going on?

With this new discovery, Yuuri smiled at the boy and began to go through his usual yoga routine, waiting for the boy to copy him every time he did something new. Though, he seemed clever for his age and quickly got the idea, easily able to copy Yuuri as he stood in the upward salute position, standing straight with his hands above his head. Yuuri gave him a thumbs up again and then began to slowly progress through the different positions. He started with a sun salutation then progressed into the downward-facing dog, and other simple positions. The little boy copied him until he started to get bored, and then he began to climb on Yuuri as he lay down and it became impossible to continue. The little boy made a game of trying to tickle Yuuri and then running off, screaming in delight every time Yuuri started to laugh and would fall to the floor.

Though they couldn’t understand each other, the two of them collapsed into giggles on the floor and Yuuri gave up and just decided to try and spend some time with the cute child that had magically fallen into his care.

And so, it quickly rolled around to six AM, and then to seven, and then to eight… but no Victor walked through the door. By the time the clock struck nine, Yuuri was starting to feel like he was going a little bit crazy because there was only so much he could do with a child and apparently he was already crap at this and running out of ideas.

I am not equipped for this!

He stood and went back to the bedroom, looking to see if there were any clues to what was happening that he could have missed. It was possible since he was so shocked when he woke up and he was right, there had been a note on the bed that had been disrupted by the little boy bouncing. He eagerly snatched at it and frowned as he read the words.

Good morning,

I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to do. Check your laptop. It explains everything.

I love you

Victor xxx

Yuuri carried the note into the lounge and on the side table, the laptop was already open and the keyboard lit up, signaling that it was on. He sat down in front of it, kneeling down unsurely and then wiggled the mouse. As soon as the picture appeared, a video was enlarged on the screen with a still-shot of Victor. Yuuri clicked play.

“Hi, darling,” he greeted, looking very awkward as he chewed on his lip and looked at the camera unsurely. “By now you’ve probably realized that there’s a three-year-old with you and that I’m gone. I don’t want you to worry. I’m safe!” he said.

Video Victor took a deep breath before squaring his shoulders. “Yuuri, I want to apologize. I wanted to tell you what was going on, but I kept putting it off and then I was afraid of what you might say. That you might laugh and think that I’m joking.”

He smiled sadly for a minute and looked like he might cry for a second, but then he soon composed himself.

“So, I might as well start at the beginning. It kind of started when I turned eighteen. I don’t know why it happens, how, nor do I have any explanation, but every year since my eighteenth birthday, on this day, I… I wake up and somehow I’ve reverted to my three-year-old self.”

Yuuri gulped and then side-eyed the child who was now over by the bookcase and pulling the books out one by one and dropping them to the floor, before focusing back on the screen. Victor looked deadly serious and Yuuri still felt like he was missing some kind of huge joke somehow, and he waited for the punchline from his husband but it never came.

“I wanted to tell you, but let’s face it, you would have never believed me,” said video-Victor. “So, no-one really knows about this outside of my parents and Yakov and they told me to tell you but… I just didn’t know how…” He pulled a face, looking sorry. He sighed. “There isn’t really much that you need to know, aside from I spoke no freaking English when I was three so good luck with that. Plus… I can kind of be a terror… Just… try your best to not let me die and I’ll see you tomorrow. I promise I will make it up to you.”

He gave Yuuri a sheepish smile and then video stilled, complete.

What?

Yuuri wiggled the mouse and clicked play but the video just restarted.

You’ve turned into a three-year-old and this is all you’ve told me? Yuuri felt like once this was all over, he was going to murder his husband.

As if sensing Yuuri’s inner panic, the tiny boy walked over to Yuuri and he stared at him, tilting his sweet little head and looking up at him.

He then promptly peed everywhere, his shirt soaking with it and it going all over the floor.

“Oh my God!” Yuuri cried, panicking and then lifting the boy and running with him to the toilet but it was too late and by the time they arrived he had finished. Yuuri looked down at him unsurely. 

Oh damn, I know nothing about kids! What do I do?

Tiny Victor frowned at Yuuri, his bottom lip sticking out and Yuuri watched in horror as he began to cry.

“No, no, no!” he said, dropping down to his level, “don’t cry!” he said softly. This was the last thing that he wanted to happen and it was breaking Yuuri’s heart. He felt completely useless. Here was Victor at his most vulnerable and Yuuri had already made him cry!

Tiny Victor looked down at himself, clearly upset at his wet clothes and crying loudly up at Yuuri, big round tears splashing down his face like this was the worst thing to happen to him.

Yuuri plastered an exaggerated smile on his face. “This is fine!” he promised, nodding at the child, and then reached for the bath and turned it on. Immediately, the boy stopped crying and clapped his hands, excited at the prospect of having a bath.

“Мыло!” Victor cried excitedly, tears vanishing as quickly as they had come. He pointed at the colorful bottles on the shelf by the bath and Yuuri grabbed one and poured it into the tub. Victor laughed, delighted, and gave Yuuri a big smile.

“Okay, I can do this,” Yuuri said, taking a deep breath and then removing the wet t-shirt from Victor and it was then that he realized it was his husband’s pajama top.

How did I miss that? he asked himself before he threw it to the hamper.

Makkachin appeared at the door and whined, and it was then that Yuuri realized that the poor pooch had not been out this morning. “Oh, damn.”

“Damn,” Victor mimicked.

Yuuri turned to him wide-eyed. “No, no, don’t say that,” he said, facepalming at his own behavior.

I’m going to need some help…

Yuuri wracked his brain, thinking about who could help him and take Makkachin out, but the only person that he could think of was Yakov. Plus, Victor had said that Yakov knew about this. He really hoped this wasn’t a huge joke because he was about to make a huge fool of himself.

Yuuri checked the bath and then lifted Victor inside, he held his breath for a second, hoping that the boy didn’t cry at the water but thankfully, he sat straight down and started splashing, singing to himself loudly, what Yuuri expected to be some kind of Russian nursery rhyme.

Yuuri sat on the floor and pulled out his phone, immediately calling the coach as Makkachin started to lick his face in an attempt to get Yuuri’s attention.

“Erm… hi, Yakov...” he greeted and then immediately lost his words as his mind went blank.

“What do you want?” came the rough reply, before he promptly shouted something loudly in Russian at one of his skaters. Yuuri held the phone from his ear for a second. “Hurry up, these boys are idiots this morning,” he grumbled.

“Um… so, I have a problem,” he said, “an erm… a little problem. And I can’t leave the apartment. Can you send someone over to come and get Makkachin? Victor left a note and said that you’d know what I was talking about. I mean, it’s okay if you don’t. Or you can’t. I can figure something out--” Yuuri was rambling, the words pouring from his mouth uncontrollably.

“Oh, crap…” the man cursed. “I completely forgot. I’ll send someone now.”

“You will?” Yuuri asked, completely surprised.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine. I’m just glad I don’t have to look after the little brat this year. You’re his husband, it’s your job now,” he replied with a deep laugh before he hung up on Yuuri.

Yuuri stared at the little boy who had put bubbles all over his head and now was trying to empty the water from the bath with his hands, but the water just dripped through the gaps in his fingers.

Oh God, this really is my husband, Yuuri thought, full of anxiety. He took a deep breath. This is fine. This is completely fine! This is Victor! We can watch movies and just…. What the hell do I do with a three-year-old?!

While he was wondering this, Victor pulled himself out of the bath and Yuuri stumbled to grab him as he began to walk off, soaking the floor in water and bubbles as he attempted to wander off - bubblehead and all.

“Right, let’s get you washed,” Yuuri decided. He was the adult here and he could do this. He could do anything he put his mind to, and Victor trusted him, he believed in him, he trusted Yuuri to take care of him in this state, so he had to believe in himself.

I can do this.

Yuuri washed Victor’s hair and attempted to wash him, but it was like trying to grab a fish. The boy giggled as he squirmed and wiggled around and the more Yuuri tried, the more Victor resisted. In the end, it took way longer than Yuuri had ever expected such a simple task to do and suddenly he had a whole new respect for Yuuko.

I can just about cope with one. How the hell did she cope with three?!

Yuuri wrapped Victor up in a fluffy towel and then had to kind of fireman carry him to the bedroom. He plopped in him on the bed and Victor immediately rolled over and grabbed a pillow and started to throw everything on the floor.

"Нет! Hет, Виктор!" he said, scooping the boy up again and attempting to dry him, and the little boy giggled and wiggled around. It was contagious and Yuuri found himself laughing as well. "You're such a little trouble," he said with a laugh but he meant it in the most affectionate of ways.

It was proving impossible so Yuuri had to think creatively. He couldn't just leave him soaking wet! He glanced towards the hairdryer on Victor's vanity and grinned. He slowly creeped towards it, and then holding it out like a gun, he turned it on and blasted Victor with warm air.

"Ahhhh!" Victor squeezed in delight and began to run around in circles.

"Pew, pew!" Yuuri exclaimed, chasing the boy with his ‘gun’ and rapidly drying him.

Victor eventually gave up trying to run away and let Yuuri brush and dry his hair. Though after he was dry, Victor was reluctant to turn off the dryer and tried to walk off with it. He was devastated when Yuuri unplugged it and he pouted at it, annoyed it was now broken. He sat on the floor and sulked. 

Yuuri opened Victor’s closet in a hope there would be something suitable for Victor to wear, but there was nothing. He couldn't leave him naked all day! It was cold and the poor thing deserved some modesty. He looked through the wardrobe in search of something suitable.

What the hell am I going to dress him in?

Yuuri looked towards the study through the open bedroom door and his eyes fell on the sewing machine in the corner. He had used it years ago to fix his costumes back before he had sponsors. He hadn’t used it for many years but he was sure that he could easily remember. 

Determined to have something nice and comfortable for the little human, Yuuri grabbed some of his own shirts that he didn’t use anymore and then tried to encourage Victor out of the bedroom so he could safely watch him as he sorted him something to wear.

“Нет! Hет!” he protested, stamping his little feet in defiance.

I’m going to have to get creative...

Yuuri opened the fridge and then tried to bribe Victor with a packet of strawberries. This worked a treat and he reached for the berries, happy to suddenly follow Yuuri with a tasty distraction.

Yuuri was just finishing making a tiny, soft t-shirt for Victor when the doorbell rang and he jumped out of his skin. He had completely forgotten about Makkachin! The pooch in question ran to the door and barked, excited to finally be allowed to leave the apartment for the first time that day.

It was Georgi. Yuuri had never been so happy to see another person. Just knowing that he wouldn’t have to worry about Makkachin for the rest of the day was a huge relief.

“Georgi! Thanks so much! Come in!” he said before grabbing Makkachin’s lead.

“Aww, cute kid!” he said, grinning at Victor and making a beeline for him.

Oh crap… I am so bad at this. 

“Hahaha!” Yuuri laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, this is Victor’s cousin!” he lied, not sure what else to say.

Victor looked fascinated at the newcomer and stood up, wrapped in a blanket. He was covered in strawberry juice from head to toe and it was visible over every part of his body that wasn’t covered.

Yuuri blinked. He was sure he’d only left him with them for barely ten minutes. How was it possible for such a small child to make so much mess?

Victor told Georgi something in Russian and the man laughed. Yuuri tried not to have a heart attack on the spot.

What are they saying?!

“Aww, he likes you! He said you’re his best friend!” Georgi said, before leaning forward and ruffling the boy’s now dry hair.

He did? Yuuri thought to himself, his heart warm that the tiny human who seemed to like him. It was such a relief. He must have been doing something right. It was a nice feeling.

“Anyway, I’ve gotta go, but I’ll take good care of Makka for you guys. Tell Victor I said hi!” he said before waving at the little boy and then saying bye to Yuuri.

The Japanese man slumped against the door in relief.

Right, now back to Victor.

***

Little Victor looked so impossibly adorable dressed in a matching t-shirt and leggings. The baby blue color lit up his big bright eyes and it made Yuuri wonder about having children of his own with Victor one day. If they used Victor’s genes then he was sure that they would be as beautiful as the little boy looking up at him now. It made something inside Yuuri yearn for something he didn’t understand, it made him suddenly feel like something was missing in his life.

Yuuri knew that he wanted to get a picture of Victor and that he wanted to remember this day forever. His husband had said he didn’t know why this happened to him, so by the same logic, surely he didn’t know when it would stop? Could this be the last time? Or would this carry on being a yearly occurrence until Victor was no more.

Either way, Yuuri needed to get a picture to show his husband how cute his younger counterpart was ready for tomorrow when he returned. Three-year-old Victor was pleased with his new outfit too.

Yuuri learned that Victor was clearly a poser from a young age. As soon as Yuuri grabbed his phone and took a selfie with the child, he seemed to glow with happiness at the sight of himself on the screen with Yuuri. He mumbled away to Yuuri in Russian, undeterred that he couldn’t understand the man either and pressed the screen, fascinated as filters appeared on the screen. He squealed in delight. Happily, Yuuri snapped away, his smile almost splitting his face as the two of them pouted at the phone camera with little cat ears and whiskers decorating their faces. 

They spent a few moments messing around with the phone until Victor got bored of that and started jumping all over Yuuri again, winding him in the process.

“Offt… you definitely have a lot of energy, don’t you?” he asked him, wondering how he was going to make it through the day in one piece. The little boy that looked up at him seemed to be vibrating with energy. 

“I hope you don’t mind me spending today with you,” he told him, “your older self seemed to trust me for some reason.” He let out a little laugh.

Victor looked up at him blankly.

“You must be wondering what I’m saying, hmm?” he asked. “Yuuri,” he told him, placing his hand on his chest. “Your - eeee,” he repeated slowly before then pointing at Victor, “Vick-tore.” He wondered if Victor could understand what he was trying to tell him.

This would be so much easier if he could at least understand what the child was telling him, but there was no way to do that. Not unless he could get someone to translate for him… and he just didn’t feel that he could let someone that close to Victor when the man had clearly trusted Yuuri to take good care of him.

“Yoo-ree,” Victor said, pointing at Yuuri, before he ran off again, a little ball of chaotic energy as he zoomed around the room pretending to be a aeroplane.

A grin spread on Yuuri’s face, and for some reason he felt unbelievably happy, almost proud, that the boy had understood what he was trying to tell him.

Yuuri let the boy make his own entertainment for a few moments. He seemed to be happy yelling, “Здравствуйте! Здравствуйте!” at the top of his voice while staring out of the lounge window and playing pattycake with his own reflection.

Yuuri took this time to quickly return to his laptop. He closed the video of his husband, though for a moment, he looked fondly at his face. He loved the little Victor, and he felt honored to be spending today with him, but he was excited for the Victor he knew to return.

In an attempt to entertain Victor and to make the most of his day, Yuuri found himself googling: What to do with a three-year-old?

Yuuri scrolled through most of the results and read them in disappointment. He didn’t have any of these things, they all required toys, books or things that he just didn’t have in the house such as pencil crayons or craft supplies. The two of them were in their twenties (Victor in his thirties! Though they did not talk about that!) and their sole focus tended to be on exercise, dance, and sports. There was nothing here suitable here for a small child.

Yuuri thought about leaving the house to go to the store but as he glanced towards the window where Victor was singing, he looked outside and he just knew it was freezing cold out there. Victor didn’t have a coat or shoes… There was no way that he could leave the apartment with him...

I’m going to have to improvise.

“Right, I can do this,” Yuuri said aloud as he continued to scroll through google, and luckily a few things caught his attention that he was pretty sure he would be able to do with Victor if he were to get bored.

He glanced up at the child in question and frowned as he saw him smushing his face to the window and staring out.

Yuuri let out a laugh. “Oh, God, you’re actually quite funny.”

He went and sat with Victor, looking out the window and trying to see what he found so interesting.

“Птица!” Victor exclaimed, grinning at Yuuri and pointing at the building opposite. There were two pigeons huddling together on the rooftops.

“да,” Yuuri replied, agreeing with Victor’s statement of ‘birds’. And then holding up two fingers he said, “две птицы,” informing the little child that there were two.

This basic Russian was okay for Yuuri, and he could understand it fine. Plus, one of the things on the lists said to count with children, or go through colors and numbers and Yuuri was pretty sure he could do that if nothing else. Victor looked amazed at the familiar words and nodded eagerly, holding up two of his tiny fingers.

“Три!” Victor replied, and then the two of them counted together back and forth until Victor managed to get to twelve, but then was suddenly convinced that ‘twenty’ and ‘sixty-something’ were the next numbers. It left Yuuri in stitches as Victor laughed with him and then reached forward. Tentatively, the toddler went for Yuuri’s neck and started to tickle him.

Shocked, the man immediately dissolved into laughter at the tiny assault on his neck. He had always been really ticklish - something that the older Victor had not yet discovered. It made him think about if Victor would remember this fact, or if he would remember any of this at all. Was this three year old being transported from the past? Or was his husband being transformed into a smaller and younger version of himself?

Instead of thinking about it too much, he jumped up and ran away from Victor in an attempt to escape the tickling, but also to try and entertain the boy. This quickly turned into a game of tag between them and even Yuuri found himself panting as he ran around in circles. He let himself fall to the floor dramatically.

“Oh, no! Ahhhhh!” Yuuri cried and Victor flopped over him.

It was going to be a long, long day.

***

Several hours later, Yuuri was making some lunch as the toddler started to get more and more restless. All Victor kept asking him for was eggs but Yuuri had used the last of them this morning. So that’s how Yuuri Nikiforov, at almost twenty-eight years old, found himself losing against a three year old.

It was difficult because Yuuri wasn’t sure at all what Victor wanted and he was pretty sure that Victor didn’t know what he wanted either. He couldn't understand there were no eggs despite showing him the empty box several times. Logically, he must be hungry… but the sandwich he made found its way to the floor as well as everything else he was given.

Hmmmm… maybe not food. 

Over the next half an hour, Yuuri gave Victor about six cups of juice, took him to the bathroom ten times, gave him six snacks, read him a story, put on a TV show and tried to play a game with him… But nothing seemed to please the little human.

Victor was grouchy, grumpy and didn't seem to want to do anything.

Yuuri sat on the couch and yawned, feeling completely exhausted from running around all day. It was a different kind of tiredness that Yuuri hadn't experienced before and as he looked at Victor, he realized that was what Victor had been trying to tell him all along.

He's tired.

God, I am so bad at this… 

"Виктор," he called and the child did nothing but glare at him.

Yuuri stood and then picked him up softly from the floor. The boy protested, flopping backwards and dropping like a deadweight in Yuuri's arms but Yuuri gripped him tight and repositioned him onto his hip. He carried him back to the bedroom and he pulled the blinds closed and let it darken the room. He made the bed, tucking the two of them inside. The two settled quickly. 

Victor rolled in circles for a few moments, fidgeting, and then crawled under the duvet, facing the wrong way with his feet on the pillow instead of his head, before falling silent. Yuuri dare not move in case he had fallen asleep. He didn't want to wake him. He lay there, looking towards the bump in the covers until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

***

Yuuri shocked awake and sat bolt upright in bed.

Victor?

The boy was as he had left him, a little lump under the duvet which was snoring.

Thank God.

Yuuri carefully slid out of the bed, trying his best not to wake the boy before he crept out of the room to leave him and rest. It was almost three o’clock… had he really slept so long?

Almost two hours… I must have been more tired than I thought…

Yuuri made himself some tea and grabbed an apple, munching on it in the open planned kitchen as he looked around the living space. He wanted to do something nice for when the boy woke up. He only had a few more hours with him and he wanted to enjoy them. He might not see him again for a whole year… if ever…

Yuuri’s eyes fell on the dining room chairs and he thought about one of the suggestions he had read on the internet. So with that in mind, Yuuri went about collecting some bedsheets, a lamp, lots of pillows and some clothes pegs. He moved everything into the living room in front of the TV and determinedly, he created a tent, pinning the sheets together and holding them up with the chairs. He padded the floor with the duvet out of the spare room and then set the lamp underneath. He clicked it on and looked at his masterpiece. It wasn’t perfect, but it was most definitely cozy and it looked very comfortable inside.

Pleased with his accomplishment, he then went to the kitchen and emptied some snacks into little bowels before lining them up on the floor. He didn’t have any soda as he tried to keep it out of the house so he could not be tempted by it, but in this case, it was a shame. Yuuri would have liked Victor to have had something nicer than water to drink.

Yuuri popped a pretzel in his mouth and wondered about what he could make Victor for dinner. He had a feeling that his usual recipes were not going to satisfy the (fussy) little boy.

“Dominos it is then,” he muttered because he was sure that he couldn’t go wrong with pizza and cookies.

As soon as he had ordered the food, Victor appeared behind Yuuri with no notice, and Yuuri yelped in shock at the little boy that seemed to have appeared from thin air.

“Jesus, you almost gave me a heart attack,” Yuuri muttered to himself before giving him a big smile and kneeling down in front of him. “Привет,” he greeted him.

Victor stepped into Yuuri’s space, his tiny arms weaving around Yuuri’s neck and cuddling him and Yuuri felt himself melt at such a precious cuddle. He felt his heart glow and somehow, that single cuddle made the chaos of Victor’s behavior all worth it.

“Awwww, are you okay?” he asked Victor.

The child merely looked up at him and then climbed in his lap, sticking to Yuuri like a little monkey. The man let out an amused laugh and stood, holding him close as he walked then over to where he had made the pillow fort.

Victor let out a gasp of surprise and immediately wanted to get down. Yuuri placed him down on the floor and he practically tripped over himself in his haste to climb inside. He bounced around excited for a few moments before sitting down and reaching for a bowl of snacks. He pointed towards the TV and then screamed something in Russian.

Yuuri had brought some Disney movies on their amazon account and he pressed play on the first one - Hercules.

Victor patted the space to the side of him and wiggled over, making room for Yuuri and the older man sat down, happy that he had managed to get this right because he had no idea what he was doing still.

The two of them sat and watched the show and Yuuri found that he actually liked watching it in Russian (with English subtitles) and seeing if there were differences in the version that he had watched between this one and the version he had grown up with.

It wasn’t long before there was a knock at the door and Victor looked surprised. “Yoo-ree!” he shouted, excited and curious to who else was here. He ran to the door and tried to open it and Yuuri laughed at his enthusiasm. He was afraid Victor might bolt out of the door as soon as it was open, so he grabbed the little terror as he opened the door and put him on his hip.

Upon seeing the delivery man, Victor looked confused and went shy, his fingers going to his mouth where he sucked on them for comfort. It was the first time Yuuri had seen this quiet side of him and he held him close, wanting to protect him.

“Спасибо,” he thanked the pizza man.

“Спасибо,” Victor mumbled around his fingers, copying Yuuri as his guardian took the boxes.

Yuuri kicked the door closed and went back to the little den that they had made. He turned the lamp on, lighting up their little sanctuary and then put Victor down. He returned to the kitchen and put the pizza and the rest of the food onto plates. He made Victor some of the soda he had ordered and then returned with a grin.

Victor stood eagerly and immediately was happy at the sight of pizza.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Yuuri told him but then rolled his eyes at himself. Instead, he leaned over and poked the pizza before it could make its way to the boy’s mouth. It felt okay so Yuuri let him eat.

The two of them sat and stuffed their faces, and Yuuri didn’t let himself feel bad for it. He wouldn’t normally eat like this, but then it wasn’t every day that your husband reverted to a three-year-old... 

By the time Yuuri had finished his third slice, Victor was already on his fourth and he wondered how someone so small could fit so much food in such a tiny belly.

I hope he doesn’t get a stomach ache…

Victor finished the pizza and then even ate three of the four cookies and Yuuri watched as his eyes started to dip. He let him watch the film until the credits ran on Hercules. Then he stood him up and held his arms out to the child and Victor crawled into them.

Yuuri put Victor on the toilet, sitting him down on the edge and then slowly backed out the room and went to quickly get changed, one eye still on the bathroom door as he changed his clothes in record time.

When he returned he praised Victor, clapping his hands for being such a good boy and then got about brushing his teeth (aka wrestling Victor). It was hilarious. Victor’s toothbrush looked huge in the tiny mouth of his much younger counterpart. It was comical but Yuuri managed to keep a straight face as Victor tried to fight Yuuri off and karate chopped him. He ended up getting toothpaste all over the boy’s face and he was pretty sure the mirror had more than his teeth.

“Well, I tried,” Yuuri reasoned before giving up. He cleaned his face and then returned to the den with him, tucking the two of them in under the blankets and going back to the amazon menu.

Victor pointed towards The Little Mermaid and then looked to Yuuri like he might explode into tears if he didn’t press play. Yuuri hadn’t brought that one. He’d brought things like The Fox and the Hound and Oliver and Company, thinking that they would be around when Victor was a child, but nope, he didn’t want those. He wanted mermaids. Yuuri couldn’t wait to tell his husband tomorrow.

Well, it turned out that Victor knew exactly what he was talking about, and he sang his way through each of The Little Mermaid songs in Russian, and Yuuri sat and watched him, taking in every detail of his little angelic face and he looked so delighted at the screen, enraptured by Ariel’s long hair and swishy tail.

I wish I could have this every day, he thought before he could stop himself, and the thought surprised him but was welcome. Today had been the biggest challenge, but it had satisfied him in a way that he couldn’t even comprehend. There was nothing like this feeling. It was as if something new and amazing had just clicked in his mind and now he could see everything differently.

I want this. I want this with Victor.

Yuuri had never really thought about having children. He had never thought about marriage. He had thought that anyone could ever love him as he was - broken, but Victor had proved to him that he loved Yuuri, even on the days when he didn’t love himself. That made Yuuri feel like anything was possible. As long as he had Victor, Yuuri could have the world. And as he stared at the tiny version of Victor, he felt like he might be looking at the whole world. It had been one day, and this child had become so important over such a small amount of time. Yuuri would miss him.

As if sensing his eyes on him, Victor turned and gave Yuuri an innocent smile. “я тебя люблю,” Victor told him and Yuuri immediately understood. After all, they were words that were whispered to him every day.

I love you.

“я тебя люблю,” Yuuri replied, meaning it with every inch of his body, with every part of his soul.

Yuuri felt blessed to have shared this day with Victor. Yes, this had been unexpected and Victor was right: If he had tried to tell him Yuuri would have thought he was playing a prank, he never would have listened. So Victor was right. He had done the right thing by waiting to show him and Yuuri felt like he had experienced something magical… well, more magical than this somehow all happening in the first place.

Victor fell to sleep as Sabastian sang “Kiss the Girl”, and Yuuri leaned over and kissed his head, smelling his soft hair and trying to memorize the scent and hoping that he would get to experience this again - whether it be Victor visiting next year, or him and Victor having a child of their own.

Yuuri dosed until Makkachin returned at nine o’clock and Yuuri thanked Georgi profusely for looking after him.

As soon as the pooch was in the apartment, he made his way to Victor, curling around his tiny master and Yuuri wondered if he had known this whole time. He looked suspiciously at Makkachin and wondered if that was why he had been so good this morning.

Selfishly, Yuuri snapped one more picture of the two of them sleeping and then climbed into the side of them. He felt calm and relaxed as if everything in the world was perfect.

Now I just need Victor to come back, he thought, but he felt odd. “Goodbye, Victor,” he muttered, casting one last look at his perfect little face before he let his eyes fall closed and he fell into a comfortable sleep.

***

Yuuri woke up drowsily, still heavy with sleep as he felt himself being picked up and held in his husband’s strong arms. A smile curled onto his face. It was still dark outside. The man carried him to the bed and lay him down gently, before scooting into the side of him and the two moved together, connecting in an embrace which was flawless between them. Something that was automatic and was like an instinct.

“I missed you,” Yuuri whispered into Victor’s neck.

“I missed you, too,” Victor replied and then kissed him on the forehead. “Thank you for taking such good care of me,” he said.

Yuuri peered an eye open. “Do you remember?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Kind of, it’s all fuzzy,” Victor explained in a whisper. “I’m sorry I just sprung it on you, I didn’t know what to say…”

“No, it was fine. Everything worked out. I… I loved spending time with you as a child… Kind of makes me wonder about having our own someday…” he murmured, still half asleep and unaware of the intimate confession he was making, his inhibitions lowered.

“Yeah?” Victor asked softly, his hand finding Yuuri’s. He linked their fingers together.

“Hmmm, yeah. I’d love a little Victor running around all the time…”

Victor smiled. “I’d love a little Yuuri running around…” the man admitted.

Yuuri’s eyes fluttered open and they shared a look, and then a smile, both understanding that they were about to start the next biggest adventure of their life. But right now, exhausted from a day of madness, it was time for sleep.