He sighed and ended the call. "Yuriii," Victor called from his sprawled out and half asleep position on the couch.
"That was Yurio's teacher." explained Yuri. He turned to face Victor. "He's not doing well in his literature and history classes. The teacher says he's missing several assignments."
"Hmm," Victor mumbled noncommittally. However, his eyes seemed to light up as he patted the couch lazily. "Come lay next to me."
Almost immediately Yuri turned a shade of pink that he knew Victor was fond of. He shook it off. "Victor I'm being serious right now. Yurio is failing two classes. That's unacceptable."
"I'm being serious too." Victor grinned. Somehow, angelic and still partially asleep looked almost exactly the same. "Lay down next to me. There's nothing we can do until Yurio gets back from ballet class anyways. Might as well relax and not worry about it until he does get back."
Victor patted the couch invitingly again, adding an easy smile. That was exactly the moment Makkachin bounded into the room and on to the couch… right on top of Victor's diaphragm.
Oof!
"Makkachin…" wheezed Victor, sitting bolt upright, or at least trying to with eighty pounds of standard poodle square on his chest. "No bad dog. That spot was for Yuri."
Victor dissolved into a coughing fit, clearly struggling to get his breath back. "It's not his fault he doesn't understand that couch pats aren't just invitations for him." Yuri said. He wasn't quite able to hide his grin.
Makkachin, for his part, looked completely unphased if not a little confused as to why Victor didn't seem to enthusiastic to cuddle with him. He let out a low whine and Victor's irritation with him fizzled away. A soft look spread across his face as he scratched behind Makkachin's ears. "Come sit down Yuri. You haven't taken a moment to breath since you walked in the door this afternoon." Victor insisted, casting that same soft look his direction.
That was when Yuri realized just how much his knees ached and how sore his feet were. He'd been on them all day. "Yeah…" he said under his breath, "okay."
"Rough day at work?" asked Victor as Yuri sat down beside him heavily. Victor moved the hand that wasn't currently occupied with scratching Makkachin behind the ears to squeeze Yuri's.
Yuri shook his head. "Not exactly. Nothing out of the ordinary. Axel twisted her ankle though."
"Is she alright?" Victor's eyes went wide.
"She's fine. Kids her age are springy. They bounce back from injuries quicker than adults. Didn't stop Yuko or the other two-thirds of her triple combo from hovering over my shoulder the entire time."
He loved his childhood friend and her children. However, there were times that Minako frayed his nerves. It was one thing to treat his average, every day patients. It was another thing entirely to treat Yuko's kids. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin any future sports career for anyone, especially for the triplets. "You're a good athletic trainer Yuri. I wouldn't have asked you to work with me if you weren't." Victor told him with a heartfelt quiet.
Yuri felt his eyes drag up to meet Victor's. His smile was always reassuring and grounding. "I know. I know my stuff but there times when I sometimes I remember the pressure that's on me and I get nervous that's all."
Makkachin whined again as Victor stopped petting him in favor of trailing his hand down Yuri's face gently. He pressed a light kiss to Yuri's temple and whispered into his ear. "You just need a good nap is all. Come on. Lay down with me. We've got a nice big space heater now."
Victor gave a little nod to Makkachin, who was now scratching his own ears. Yuri gave a start as he felt Victor's arms wrap around his torso and his weight start to sag sideways. He pulled away. "No! No! Now is not naptime. I have to go check Yurio's gradebook so I can see what assignments he's missing so I can get him on track to completing them when he gets home!" Yuri started to scramble to his feet but Victor's arms held him tight.
"Shh… No, it's naptime."
"Vic… Victor!" groaned Yuri.
"Shh… Naptime." Victor repeated with a dreamy and light tone. Yuri went down underneath Victor's weight. Trying to wriggle out of his grasp only succeeded in enticing Makkachin to come lay on top of him. With Victor's arms locked around him and Makkachin pinning him down on the couch, there was zero chance of Yuri getting out and away. He was literally trapped. Yuri let out another groan and covered his face with his hands.
"If Yurio doesn't bring his grades up then he can't compete. That was the deal remember? His Grandpa wants him to pass his classes and go to college. We need to make sure that he isn't falling behind because his training schedule is so rigorous."
"Later…" Victor told him, snuggling his nose deeper into the crook of Yuri's neck. Yuri felt his cheeks heat up. Victor continued, "Later. Once Yurio gets home. Can't do anything about it until then so it does you no good to stress yourself out any more."
Victor fell quiet beside him. Not still though. Yuri felt Victor's hands lazily traced circle across his arms and shoulders. His fingers were warm from where he'd had them tucked underneath his head. Yuri could feel the heat through his thin long sleeved shirt. After spending all morning and early afternoon in a chilly room at the ice skating rink, it was like being kissed by the sun. Not only that but Victor's breath fell in even, warm puffs against the side of his neck. Yuri's eyelids drooped low against his will. "Victor…" he murmured.
The only thing that came out of Victor's mouth was a little moan as he readjusted himself so that he could rest his chin on Yuri's shoulder. Yuri's last conscious thought before he let himself drift away was how much he really wished that Victor hadn't gotten so good at convincing him to nap.
X X X
At some point over the next hour and a half, Makkachin must have decided the sleeping arrangement wasn't very comfortable because he'd jumped off by the time the front door creaked open and footsteps echoed from down the hall. Victor picked his head up off the side of the couch as the steps grew louder. Yuri mumbled a little in his sleep but didn't wake up. He twisted, hand blindly feeling for something. Victor threaded his fingers through Yuri's hand before resting his head back on the couch.
"So gross." Yurio grumbled as the footsteps stopped in front entrance to the room.
A grin spread across Victor's face as he moved to sit up. The look that hit Yurio's face was beautifully priceless. Almost like that of a gaping fish that had been pulled out of the water, complete with wide eyes that practically yelled 'busted.' Yurio stood completely frozen in the doorway. "Welcome back Yurio." Victor said with the little grin that he knew always irked Yurio.
"Do you two have do that all over the house where people can see you?" complained Yurio, pointing at the couch. "Because, believe me, no one wants to see you act all lovey-dovey and couple-y."
Victor didn't take his eyes off of Yurio as he pressed Yuri's hand against his lips. As expected of a typical sixteen year old boy, Yurio stuck his tongue out in disgust. That, of course, made Victor laugh as he carefully extricated himself from behind Yuri's body. There wasn't really a good way to go even with Makkachin no longer laying on top of the two of them. "Very smooth Victor." snorted Yurio as Victor climbed up and over the back of the couch to avoid waking Yuri.
"Don't make fun of me." Victor said simply as he finished swinging his leg over. "Walk with me."
Yurio pulled back and frowned. "For what?"
Behind him, Yuri shifted uncomfortably at the sound. Victor smiled through his wince. He put a finger to his lips and motioned for Yurio to follow him out of the room. "How was ballet?" Victor asked conversationally as he slid the door shut behind him.
"Fine." He gave a shrug. "Minako is a decent enough teacher."
Decent enough teacher. Yurio might as well be singing her praises from the roof with that sort of remark. "Excellent! I know you're a hard worker so I know you're definitely getting the most you can out of your lessons."
"Victor… is there a point behind this incessant chit chat or what?"
"Astute." Victor smiled and nodded. Yurio just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Victor took a breath and, as he exhaled, he replaced his smile with a stern look. Yurio's standoffishness faltered immediately. "You're teacher called Yuri this afternoon."
"Ugh…"
"So you know about your failing grades then I take it?"
"It's just a couple classes. Not a big deal."
"You do remember the deal we made with your Grandfather when you came to Japan to train with Yuri and I right?"
Yurio raised his hands in the air in a kind of 'I don't know' gesture. The wary look that flashed through his eyes was more than enough to tell Victor that he was lying. Once more Victor flashed a smile, turning his head to the side and angling it just so. "Allow me to refresh your memory then." he said sweetly. "We assured him that you would graduate with impeccable grades that would make you a competitive scholar on an international level. Do you remember it now?"
"I really hate that stupid smug look you get." muttered Yurio. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Victor straight on. "Again, it's just a couple of classes. It isn't a big deal. I have all the time in the world to pick my grades back up."
"That wasn't the impression that Yuri got on the phone with your teacher."
"Pfft! Is that the problem? Katsudon is having a nuclear meltdown about my grades so you have to go and blow it all out of proportion."
"Yuri," Victor emphasized the word more harshly than he usually did, "is under a lot of stress at the moment and having to worry your grades… something that you should have responsibility over, is not helping. He's only worrying because he cares about you."
"And so are you I'm assuming." Yurio rolled his eyes. Victor just gave a little shrug with his shoulders. Yurio snorted again. "You do realize that neither one of you is my dad right. You can't just act like it."
"You're right. Yuri and I aren't your fathers despite how much we both care about you. However, you are training with us and I am your coach which gives us a little bit of a right to make sure you're on the right path… and to set you back on the right path when you fall off of it."
"What's that supposed to mean you cryptic idiot?"
"You might not think that failing a couple of classes at the moment is a big deal but Yuri does and I completely agree with him. Until all your grades are passing, you won't step a toe on to the ice."
That made Yurio break out in laughter. Loud laughter. "You're kidding right?"
Then he froze. All the laughter died in his throat. Victor's smile hadn't fallen at all. It had, however, taken on an unmistakable air 'have I ever joked about this sort of thing' quality. "Not a single toe." Victor repeated lightly.
Yurio's eyes went wide. "The season starts up next month Victor! You can't do that!"
"I believe I just did. Don't worry though. Like I said, I know you're a hard worker. You'll definitely get the most out of your lessons."
Yurio's jaw continued to hang open in pure astonishment. Victor reached forward and patted him on the shoulder before stifling a yawn. "I think I'm going to go finish my nap with Yuri. If we're not up in an hour then please come wake us okay. Mrs. Katsuki is making yakitori tonight for dinner. I want to make sure I can help her if she needs it."
"No wait! Victor! We aren't done talking about this yet!" snapped Yurio. It was too late though. Victor had turned on his heel and was walking back down the hallway towards the room he'd left Yuri in. Yurio was still sputtering and spitting profanities at his back.
Victor let himself smirk. Yurio's grades would be passing by the end of the week.