You're Never Too Old
Written by: SadieAnnabethMellark ( porkcutletbowltrash)
Summary: Mari thinks she's too old to go trick or treating. After a heart to heart with her Papa, the rest of the Katsuki family pitches in to cheer her up. Sister story to Halloween Nostalgia.
o.O.o
The Yu-topia Onsen was fairly busy for Halloween night; guests were steadily tricking in and out of the inn for dips in the hot springs or to enjoy steaming bowls of Mama's dinner. Her Papa and her younger brother, Yuuri, had left a couple hours earlier to go trick-or-treating, leaving her at home to help her Mama around the inn. Mama had immediately put her to work folding the laundry and helping bring dinner to guests while she herself danced around the onsen checking people in and cooking dinner. Everything seemed fine from someone looking in, but that wasn't the truth.
The truth was that Mari was miserable.
Absolutely, without a doubt, totally miserable.
She had been looking forward to going trick or treating this year; she even had a costume in mind, but then that fateful moment when she asked her friend Shiori if she wanted to go trick or treating together. Trick or treating is for babies and little kids, Shiroi had told her, I thought you were mature, Mari.
She wasn't a baby. It was already bad enough that she was the youngest in her class. She didn't need to be made fun of more because of it. So she told her Papa that she'd stay home and help around the inn.
At first, it had all been fine. Of course, she was a little disappointed, but then when her Mama asked her to sweep the porch and the walkway, she had seen them. Kids were running around the neighborhood, their parents or older siblings in tow as they went from house to house to get candy.
Trick or treating is for babies. Mature girls have Halloween parties or sleepovers. Shiori had said to her at lunch a few days before. She knew here Mama and Papa would veto the Halloween party idea with how busy the onsen was so that was out of the question. Mari's only friend, Shiori, was already going to another girls house for a slumber party and that left Mari out of the loop.
Seeing the other kids in the neighborhood trick or treating was like rubbing salt in the wound and she slowly felt herself becoming more and more angry with each kid passing by. Once she was done sweeping and doing her chores, she retreated up to her room. She wanted to be in misery alone since working wasn't making her any less angry.
There was a knock at her door not long after she had settled into her room. Mari rolled over onto her back and pushed herself up onto her elbows as her younger brother's voice drifted in through the gap under the door.
"Mari?"
"Come here, Yuuri." She sighed and fell back on her bed. She loved her brother but he had slowly become more and more annoying over the years; always cowering behind her because he was too shy or, being the exact opposite, and excitedly engaging in things he was passionate about for hours on end without stopping. He also seemed to be able to charm every single person he ever came across, even the old man a few houses down (who hated every single person, it seemed like), had automatically fallen in love with Yuuri. He never yelled at Yuuri, instead giving him a smile and a wave.
Yuuri pushed open the door and came excitedly into the room, coming to stand by where her head was laying, "Mari?"
"Hmmm?"
"Look at all the candy I got this year!" Yuuri gave her a wide smile and held up his sack of candy.
She peaked at him out of the corner of her eyes and rolled her eyes, "Wow, Yuuri." While the words themselves were nice, the tone in her voice was filled with sarcasm and bitterness.
"Papa and I had so much fun. He even came up to the doors with me and we met this really nice lady who was really—"
Mari let out a frustrated sigh, "Yuuri…"
The little boy halted in his rambling, "Yeah anne1?"
"Just…Just leave me alone. It's past your bedtime anyway." She said as she turned over onto her side, facing away from her brother.
"But, Mari…"
"Go, Yuuri." She said snapped firmly, just barely raising her voice at her brother, "Go bug Mama and Papa. I'm sure they'd love to listen to their golden child ramble…"
"Anne…" Yuuri's voice was growing softer and she felt his tiny fingers reach out to grab onto the back of her loose pajama shirt.
"Watashi o hottoite!2" the fingers softly released her and she heard the tell-tale sign of sniffles before she heard little feet pad across the floor. The door shut quietly a few seconds later.
Mari felt her cheeks burn with anger as her eyes began to fill with unshed tears. She knew she shouldn't have yelled at Yuuri. She knew that he wasn't doing anything wrong. She even knew that he wasn't the one she was upset with. It was all Shiori's fault that she had missed trick-or-treating this year. It was all Shiori's fault that Mari didn't get any candy. It was all Shiori's fault that she was forced to stay home and fold stupid laundry and sweep the porch, watching all the kids in the neighborhood bounce around excitedly in their costumes gathering their stash of candy until Christmas came.
And she was stuck at home all because of Shiori.
Tears began to roll from Mari's eyes as she silently seethed.
There was another soft knock at her door before it was pushed open.
"Go away, Yuuri." She mumbled softly still looking at the wall as she laid on her bed and stewed.
"So that's why he's upset." Her father's soft fingers caressed her back softly as she felt him perch himself on the side of the bed, "That doesn't tell me why you're so upset though, Koibito..."
She sniffed and let her fingers clench around the blanket underneath her, "Nothings wrong, chichi."
"Chichi..." Her father crooned softly to himself, "When did that start? What happened to the days when you called me Papa?"
Mari's lips pouted softly, "I'm too old to keep calling you Papa."
She heard her father give a soft sad sigh to himself before he put a hand on her head once more, "Mari? Please look at me."
Mari sniffed once more before turning to lay on her back to look up at her father's eyes that she had inherited. Toshiya's eyes looked down at her with disappointment and sadness, but none the less they were gentle. He brushed a stray curl from her face and gave her a gentle smile, "Who told you that you were too old to call me Papa?"
She kept let her gaze fall from her father's eyes, "I'm eleven, Chichi. Don't you think I'm a little too old to be calling you Papa still?"
"You could call me Papa for the rest of your life, Mari, and you wouldn't be too old to me." His thumb traced her hairline softly in reassurance, "You could be 60 years old and I'd still call you my Baburubān."
"It's embarrassing though..."
"Why would it be embarrassing? You're showing everyone how much you love me." Toshiya gave a look of melancholy at his daughter.
"Because everyone will laugh at me! I already got laughed at school because I asked if Shiori wanted to go trick-or-treating with me and now everyone thinks I'm a baby because I go trick-or-treating instead of having a Halloween party or having a sleepover." Everything seemed to be flowing out of Mari, rambling as she seethed, her tears still flowing down her cheeks out of pure rage. Toshiya didn't say anything, just looked down at her with a gentle gaze as he listened to the rant, occasionally wiping away tears with his thumb, "I'm already the baby of my class and now everyone really thinks I am a baby at school, Chichi."
Her father stayed quiet for a few moments longer, just letting her breathe as she fumed, letting her get her energy out. It seemed that her Papa had always known what to do when she was like this; never pushing her over her boundaries and while also letting her roam amongst her feelings, letting her get out what she needed too.
"Do you know why I call you Baburubān, Mari?" Toshiya finally asked softly.
"You've just always called me that."
"You're right. I have. But I call you Baburubān, bumble bee because you are very much like a beautiful bumblebee."
"You're saying I'm like a bug?"
Her father gave a slight chuckle, "In a way I am, I suppose. Do you know what bumblebees do?"
"Pollinate flowers..."
"Yes. Bumblebees work hard every single day to pollinate flowers and plants. Without pollination, most things wouldn't grow. We wouldn't have beautiful spring lilies from Mama's garden or sweet mandarin oranges to cook with. Bumblebees keep things beautiful. However, they are often unliked by people. They are scared of them, intimidated by them, so they lash out in fear, swatting at them or trying to squish them. But bumblebees never stop pollination because they are disliked. The continue to push through; to do what they want and need to do. They do this their whole life, never getting tired of spreading pollen, collecting nectar to make honey. They don't let those who don't like or appreciate them stand in their way."
"What does that have to do with me? I don't go spreading pollen around every day."
"No, but you're like your mother that way. It doesn't matter what you do Mari, you spread happiness by doing what you love. Who cares if people don't like you for it? You enjoy it don't you?" He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling softly at the edges, "Your Mama and I never raised you to be someone who was taken out easily by petty people. I raised my Baburubān to be a hard-working girl, a beautiful spreader of happiness, one who follows the beat of her own drum. I raised my daughter to do what she does best and to be herself."
Mari looked up at him with wide brown eyes, "Papa?"
"Yes?"
"Can I keep calling you Papa?"
Toshiya smiled and pulled Mari into his arms to hug her, "Of course, Baburubān."
"C-can I go with you and Yuuri to go trick-or-treating next year too?"
"If you'd like too." He hugged her tighter and pressed a gentle kiss to her hair, "You know, Yuuri kept talking about how he had wished you come with us."
"He was?" Her father nodded to her and continued to rub her back softly.
"Oh." She stayed nestled in her father's embrace, a soft smile on her face. Maybe, for once Shiori was wrong.
"Now, how about you and me go and join Mama and Yuuri? We can join their little sleepover that I heard they're planning. You said that it was cool and hip to have a sleepover right?"
Mari couldn't help but give a soft laugh, "I'll go as long as you don't say "hip" again."
"What? Your dad can't be the bomb?"
"Papa…" she groaned between giggles, "You said that you wouldn't…"
"I never said anything about that. However, you also said I wasn't allowed to say 'hip' again."
o.O.o
The two of them found Yuuri and Mama in the kitchen; Mama pulling some sugar cookies out of the oven as Yuuri kept a hand on the end of her apron that was placed over her pajamas. Her brother had been changed out of his costume already and must've had a bath by the looks of his damp slicked back hair and his warm looking pajamas.
"Hello, you two." Mama smiled at them and after setting the cookie sheet down on the top of the stove, scooped Yuuri up into her arms, "Are you here to make Halloween cookies with us?"
"Sounds fun." Toshiya told her before giving Hiroko a kiss on the cheek, "What do you two think? Should we help Mama frost cookies?"
Yuuri gave an excited nod while Mari answered, "Sure!"
The Katsuki family had a fun time as they set to work frosting pumpkin and bat-shaped Halloween cookies together. The mood between Yuuri and Mari was a little somber at first, but soon they were laughing and giggling with each other as always.
"Look at this one Mari!" Yuuri was smiling and giggling as he pointed at a bat cookie that he was spreading green and orange frosting over, "Isn't it silly?"
"Very silly, Otouto." Mari held up her own to Yuuri, "I did a pumpkin, see? Look at its face!" The two of them kept showing their cookies off to each other as the night went on; having fun with each other. Once the cookies were frosted and everything was cleaned up, they meandered into Hiroko and Toshiya's bedroom where they could snuggle up and watch a movie while munching on cookies they made together. Yuuri had fallen asleep curled up around Toshiya half an hour into the movie and just as the ending credits had started rolling Mari felt her own eyes getting heavy.
"Papa?" she whispered softly as Hiroko got up to switch off the TV
"Hmmm?" He hummed, trying to be careful to not wake his sleeping son.
"Thank you."
"For what, my Baburubān?"
"For being the best Papa, ever."
"I love you, Mari."
"I love you too, Papa." And as Mari shut her eyes and fell into sleep, she didn't hear her parents speaking softly to each other. She didn't see the small flash of the camera as Hiroko took a picture of her husband and two children. And she didn't feel the soft kiss to her forehead from her mother and her father before they too settled to sleep.
o.O.o
20 Years Later
"What's this a picture of?" Viktor Nikiforov was sitting next to Hiroko, a photo album in his lap. Yuuri's mother had graciously allowed him a peek into Yuuri's childhood via pictures and Viktor couldn't have been happier to see how adorable his fiancé looked as a little kid; Yuuri's chubby cheeks, fluffy baby hair and big brown eyes had made Viktor melt almost instantaneously.
"You know Yuuri is gonna freak out when he comes home and sees you looking at pictures of his bare baby ass." Yuri Plisetsky told him as he began to sip his cup of coffee in front of him, "Where is Katsudon anyways?"
"Unfortunately these are those kinds of baby pictures Yura. I already saw the pictures of toddler Yuuri playing in the tub anyways." Viktor sighed both in regret and in fondness, "He was just as cute back then as he is now. Also, he took Maka and went for a quick run."
Hiroko leaned over and looked down at the picture in question, "Oh! That's Halloween in 1998. Yuuri would've been four turning five that year." She pointed to a picture that had obviously been taken of Yuuri before he went trick-or-treating, "He dressed up as Ash Ketchum that year."
"He's so adorable!" Viktor cried as he looked down at the picture.
"You always say that. There could be a picture of Yuuri getting punched in the face and you'd still say he looked adorable." Yuri grumbled.
"That's what happens when you fall in love, Yu-chan." Hiroko smiled at the teen which caused the blonde haired boy to give her a small smile in return. Since he had come to Hatsetsu over a year ago for the first time, he had found Hiroko Katsuki to be just as much of a mother figure to him as she had been to Viktor. He couldn't ever get upset with the small woman and often found himself trying to help her as much as he could with chores around the Onsen.
"There's Mari, right?" Viktor asked as he pointed to another picture of Mari frosting cookies with a big smile on her face.
"Yes. And there's Papa with Yuuri and Mari. They had fallen asleep together when we were watching a movie." She pointed to another picture of the three of them laying on what was obviously Hiroko and Toshiya's bed, curled up like sleeping puppies.
"What're you all looking at?" Mari asked as she came into the room a basket of laundry in her arms. When she saw the photo album in Viktor's hands she gave a soft groan, "Yuuri's gonna flip when he sees that. You better not be showing Vicchan the bathtub pictures, Mama."
"Pictures from Halloween." Hiroko said at the same time as Viktor called, "Already saw those."
"What year was it?" She asked as she set the laundry basket down and leaned over Viktor's shoulder to look at the pictures, "Oh. That was 98 or 99? That was the year Yuuri dressed up as Ash and we had that family sleepover."
"That was really fun," Hiroko said as she still looked down at the picture.
"I don't get what the big deal is…" Yuri said as he set down his cup of coffee, "It's just Halloween."
Mari chuckled, "Weren't a huge fan of trick or treating Yuchan?"
"Never done it so no I'm not a fan."
Mari's face fell slightly, "You're kidding me, right? We're going trick or treating then this year, you better start looking for a costume because Halloween is in a few days."
Yuri growled softly, "Don't you think I'm a little too old for trick or treating?"
A/N:( I'm posting this later than I was planning too (sorry for the inconvenience), but I'm so excited to be sharing this with you for Day 2 of YOIHalloweenWeek. I was kinda stuck for this prompt, but I thought this would be a cute idea and it is a side story to the fic I posted yesterday Halloween Nostalgia so go check that out. Just a side note, but the Katsuki's have to be the most adorable family ever, you know? All of them are just like the sweetest people ever. What do you all think? I hope you all have an awesome day, lovelies! I'll be posting again tomorrow. – Sam)