Chapter Text
“Dad come on!!” Yuuri heard his son yell as he let himself get dragged away, laughing as he looked at his son’s urgent expression.
To be honest, he doesn’t know what Yurio is so agitated about. The six-month long training with Chris and Victor is over and his son was chosen – like they all know he would, to stay and train with Chris and Victor as his coach, along with Otabek and two others.
Of course, now that Yurio will most likely stay here for the long term, for his training and bonding with Victor, Yuuri supposes that they make their stay here permanent. He talked to Victor about it, back when they were still trying to slowly get back into their relationship and they both decided that they should start living in their old apartment.
True to his words, when Yuuri and Yurio went back to Japan to process their documents to move back to Russia permanently, Victor joined them and had a long discussion with Yuuri’s family. He got scolded by Yuuri’s father and Mari but Yuuri's mom, Hiroko just smiled and nodded her head as she held Victor’s hands and thanked him when he asked them if they can give him another chance to take care of Yuuri and Yurio – this time without letting them go, and although he couldn’t understand why he was being thanked, he was grateful anyway.
It took a while before they heard Toshiya huff and say, “Well, I could never stop my son when he tried to pursue you that first time – and now with my grandson too” Victor saw the old man shook his head slightly as he held his breath and released it when the older man continued, “Just make sure to take care of them properly this time… alright?” and Victor just nodded as happy tears fell from his face.
It was Mari who spoke up next as he thumped the back of Victor’s head as the man winced and she said, “That’s for leaving Yuuri and Yurio the first time” and Victor rubbed the back of his head as he looked up at Mari who was smiling sadly at him as she continued, “I don’t ever want to see my brother or my nephew make that face again Nikiforov or so help me –” she threatened but Victor saw her smiling as he started to smile back and nod at Mari.
Victor left Hasetsu two months before Yuuri and Yurio did and when they got to the airport, Yuuri wasn’t even surprised when Victor drove them to their old apartment. Yuuri knew that Victor wanted them to stay there again, in fact, they’ve talked about it before, but he swore that he wouldn’t let Yurio inside that dusty apartment ever again if Victor didn’t live up to his promise when he said that he’d start cleaning.
And clean he did.
Yuuri whistled as Victor led them inside the apartment. White walls, empty rooms, open windows – everything looks new and empty, like a model house with nothing in it. He walked around the apartment as Yurio looked around as well.
It took a full minute before he remembered Victor as he turned around to look at the guy who was sheepishly rubbing his nape as Yuuri asked, “Did we get robbed? Where are the –” but he wasn’t able to finish that as he saw Victor walked closer to him as he was immediately enveloped in a hug. Yuuri felt Victor trembling a bit as he thought, ‘he’s scared? About what? This?’ as he tried to calm his partner and hugged him back as he heard the older man sigh in relief and whispered to him, “I – I told you I was willing to do an overhaul” and disentangled himself a bit from the embrace to look at him as he heard Victor add, “I – I want a fresh start with you and Yurio”;
A couple beats of silence hung in the air as Yuuri and Victor smiled fondly at each other’s embrace only to jump away from each other when they heard Yurio say, “You can be gross to each other later when we settle down!!” and looked up at Yuuri and say, “Are we – are we gonna stay here now Dad?” and Yuuri nodded as Yurio nodded a bit to that before the kid asked hopeful, “with Victor?” as he looked expectantly to the other man who also nodded.
Yurio smiled widely for a bit before he schooled back his features which amused the adults and as they heard him say, “Well… then we need some furniture! I want a tiger themed room!” he announced as he saw his adopters – dads, doubling in laughter for a full minute before he heard his dad Yuuri say, “Aren’t you too old for a themed room my little tiger?” and Yurio just harrumphed away from the two as he got his suitcase from the door and went to where his old room is located and yelled, “dibs on this room!” as he slammed the door shut.
That day, they rested for a bit before they went out to buy the essentials. And as Victor donated all of their furniture to the orphanage where they found Yurio, which Yuuri agreed was a good decision, – TV set, Sala set, Kitchen set, Bed set and all, including their tea cups and utensils, they really just brought everything that they wanted from the store.
Yuuri and Victor shared the payment – despite Victor’s insistence that he could pay for everything, Yuuri was adamant that he pay at least some of it and left the place when they finally compromised.
They ate at a local restaurant, the one they frequented before to order food and arrived at their apartment at the same time as the truck loaded with their new furniture arrived.
That night, they didn’t bother with unwrapping and doing everything as Yuuri and Yurio’s exhaustion from the flight and the rush caught them and they just pushed looked for the bed among their furniture and just slept on the living room. Yuuri and Victor lay side by side while Yurio laid on his bed.
The following morning, they put everything in place and the week after that, they had a house warming party which was attended by everyone – even Yakov and Lilia, who Yuuri insisted to be invited arrived with gifts of wine and cake. The party lasted well until the night and everybody wished them well as they parted with promises of meetups now that everything is starting to settle.
That was three months ago.
They were now at the rink where just yesterday, Yurio won gold on his debut at the Junior Grand Prix and Otabek won silver – much to everyone’s delight.
Phichit, Seung Gil and Yuuri attended the event and the whole rink was shouting at the group since it’s the first time that Yuuri actually shown himself again and the media started crowding Yuuri, angel of the ice, as Phichit and Seung Gil tried to fend off the reporters away from all of them until Victor called them and threatened to send in the security as the reporters left one by one.
Now, it’s the exhibition gala and Yuuri couldn’t, for the life of him, understand why his son started to get fidgety. Unlike his confident demeanor while skating his SP, which was what Victor choreographed and his FS which was choreographed by both him and Victor – which he admitted looked really cool, no pun intended. He choreographed the step sequence and Victor choreographed the transition and the jumps.
But Yurio is still fidgeting even as he let go of his hands and for a second, Yuuri was worried that his anxiety before a performance somehow rubbed off of Yurio but quickly poured water over that idea when he saw his son drag Victor towards him as Yurio held his hands again and said, “I – I promised myself – when I – when you both – what I’m trying to say is –” he babbled as Yuuri raised an eyebrow and looked at Victor as he put his free hand on top of Yurio’s shoulders and said, “Slowly son… calm down… we’re not going anywhere” and they saw Yurio took deep breaths before he looked up again before he heard the kid say:
“I will skate for you”
“You did so much for me – the both of you although especially you dad” Yurio continued and Yuuri teared up a bit as he saw Victor looked on with a proud smile and said, “I – I found out about this just last month and helped tweaked it a bit – everyone’s already helped and … I love you so much Yuuri and Yurio does too… we both owe you so much” and the family hugged a bit until Yurio pushed both of his adoptive parents off and said, “Don’t take your eyes off of me dad – this is my gift” as he looked meaningfully at Victor and said, “Our gift”
And as Yurio skated to the middle of the rink and proceeded to do his first pose, he felt Victor’s arm wrapping around him as he hugged the man sideways and the music began.
She works the night, by the water
She's gonna stress, so far away from her father's daughter
Yuuri hasn’t heard this song but it immediately struck a cord inside him as he saw Yurio looked lost in the ice – as if he’s just realized how cruel the world actually is.
She just wants a life for her baby
All on her own, no one will come
She's got to save him
Yuuri remembered the numerous times he cried himself to sleep. From loneliness and exhaustion – but he never gave in, Yurio needed him. So he woke up for Yurio every day, cursed the heavens whenever his son gets ill – he’s going to raise Yurio by himself, his son will live.
She tells him "ooh love"
No one's ever gonna hurt you, love
I'm gonna give you all of my love
Nobody matters like you
She tells him "your life ain't gonna be nothing like my life
You're gonna grow and have a good life
I'm gonna do what I've got to do"
His tears started flowing as he listened to those lines. Those same promises. He made those too, every day – whenever he sees Yurio, all those years… he promises every day.
So, rockabye baby, rockabye
I'm gonna rock you
Rockabye baby, don't you cry
Somebody's got you
Rockabye baby, rockabye
I'm gonna rock you
Rockabye baby, don't you cry
Yuuri remembers some nights when Yurio has nightmares. They slept together side by side hugging each other. Willing to kill each other’s nightmares.
And no mamma you never shed tear
'Cause you have to set things year after year
And you give the youth love beyond compare
You find the school fee and the bus fare
Hmmmm more when paps disappear
In a wrong bar can't find him nowhere
He looked at Victor and saw pride in the man’s eyes. ‘So this is our story?’ he thought to himself as he looked back as his son did some spins before doing a beautiful step sequence –
Now she’s got a six year old
Trying to keep him warm
Trying to keep all the cold
Yuuri was crying at the end of the performance and he looked around to see that Victor was crying too – all of them really, everyone was crying but everyone was also smiling.
This is his life. This is his love. Right here. He thought as he and Victor ran to the exit of the rink to hug their son as they lived, laughed and loved.