Twenty-seventh fic for a Pride Month prompt challenge from tumblr. Prompt: shopping.
Otabek saying the fruits wrong in the store is entirely based off the Chaz Smith vines where he does this exact thing - I think they're pretty funny and figured something dumb like that might make Yuri smile too.
The slam of the front door opening tells Otabek everything he needs to know, even before Yuri stomps inside and throws it shut again. The cat scurries into the living room, diving behind the sofa, and Otabek hears a frustrated roar from the hallway. He gets up off the sofa, going to the doorway to see Yuri standing in the hallway looking furious.
"What happened?" Otabek asks.
"Nothing!" says Yuri savagely. "I'm fucking fine!"
"You're not."
"Fuck off."
Yuri disappears into the bedroom, throwing an acidic look Otabek's way as he goes, and Otabek hears the mattress squeaking in protest when Yuri (presumably) throws himself onto it. With a sigh and a slight roll of his eyes – and no, he shouldn't roll his eyes but Yuri can't see right now – Otabek crosses to the bedroom doorway and stands there, arms folded. Yuri's lying on his front, facing away and scrolling around on his phone. His feet – still in his shoes – dangle over the near edge of the bed, and there's a sullen silence in the air, along with the smell of rain from outside on Yuri's clothes.
"Yura."
Yuri lets out a grunt in response. It's abrupt, angry, but it's something.
"I'm going to the store," says Otabek.
"Have fun."
"You're coming with me."
Yuri's back tenses. "No I'm not."
"You need to calm down – we're going for a walk."
"I told you I'm fine."
"And I told you you're not."
"Fuck off Otabek." Yuri puts his phone down, unable to keep up the charade.
"If you don't get up and come with me I'll carry you."
"Don't you dare."
"I've done it before."
Yuri slams one hand down onto the mattress and throws a glare over his shoulder. "Why are you being like this?"
Otabek raises an eyebrow. "Because you're being like that." Yuri says nothing, frowning up at him, until Otabek adds, "Come on – you know I'm not going to budge on this, just come out for a bit."
Yuri sighs and rolls his eyes (because he's not above doing it to Otabek) before pushing himself to his feet and following him, muttering darkly. Otabek slips his shoes on and grabs a jacket as they leave the flat. Outside, the air holds that fresh earth smell from after a heavy shower, and Otabek breathes it in, trying to relax so he can figure out how to approach Yuri's temper. Hoping that Yuri is feeling a little calmer, he reaches out and brushes the back of Yuri's hand with his fingers. Yuri folds his arms, glowering at the ground.
"Yura?" Otabek asks. "What's up?"
Yuri says nothing.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?"
Yuri nods, pursing his lips and still not meeting Otabek's gaze.
"Yura–"
"Oh my god just drop it!" Yuri explodes, coming to a stop by a bench. "I had a fucking shit day and I just want to fucking punch something and I'm trying really hard not to but Jesus fuck Otya if you keep fucking talking it's going to be you!"
Otabek stands still, staring down at Yuri in silence.
"I fucking fell, okay?" Yuri growls. "On a fucking double axel. And then Yakov yelled at me and Viktor laughed and the piggy was being all gross and concerned and shit, and I broke the laces on my skate and then I came home and the fucking cat ran away from me because I'm a dick and you're annoyed too and I just... my shoulder fucking hurts so much."
By the time he's done, Yuri's hands are clenched at his sides and Otabek wants desperately to pull him into a hug. Instead, he clears his throat and asks, "Did anyone look at your shoulder?"
Yuri shakes his head. "I didn't tell anyone."
Otabek pinches the bridge of his nose. "Okay, I'm getting bandages."
"I'm fine."
"Yura, stop it," says Otabek. "You already said it hurts."
Yuri folds his arms once more, but when he speaks again his tone softens. "Fine – let's go."
At the store, Yuri shuffles along beside Otabek, who finally notices how Yuri's arms aren't so much folded as arranged to support his left shoulder. It seems so obvious now that Otabek knows about it, and he heads straight to the pharmaceuticals to get what they need. Yuri remains silent the whole time, but the silence is accompanied by a flush in his face rather than glowers and glares. Still, there's no smile on Yuri's face. Otabek casts about in his mind, looking for something to say to try and cheer Yuri up. As they step into the fruits and vegetables section, he remembers a stupid video he saw online and picks up a banana.
"Ba-nay-nay?" he asks Yuri, who looks at him like he's grown another head but says nothing. Otabek picks up another banana. "Ba-nay-nays?"
Yuri seems speechless, too confused to say anything. Otabek puts down the bananas and gestures to a pile of pineapples.
"Peen-eye-peoples?" he asks.
Yuri shakes his head a little. "Fuck are you doing?"
A little smile quirks at the corner of Otabek's mouth as he moves along the aisle to pick up a papaya. "Papa-yay-a?"
He looks into Yuri's face hopefully, rewarded finally when he sees the corner of Yuri's mouth twitch. Encouraged, he puts down the papaya and waves a hand at a display of champagne mangoes.
"Sham-pag-knee man-jooz?"
"What the fuck." Yuri's tone is softer still.
Otabek smiles and wanders along the aisle some more, picking up three oranges and starting to juggle them. "Oar-an-geese?"
"Oh my god, stop juggling!" says Yuri, a genuine smile starting to spread on his face.
"Are you sure?" asks Otabek, putting down the oranges. "You don't need oar-an-geese?"
Yuri shakes his head. "Could get a cant-ala-poop though."
Otabek looks over to where Yuri is pointing at a pile of cantaloupes and laughs. "Unless you'd prefer some lee-mone-eyes?"
Yuri follows him to the display of lemons. "You're such a weirdo."
"Love you too."
"Shut up," Yuri says, flushing and grabbing Otabek's hand.
Otabek leans forward to kiss Yuri on the cheek. "I'm sorry today was crappy," he says, voice quieter than before.
Yuri shrugs, twinging a little at his shoulder. "It's not your fault." He tugs on Otabek's hand. "Come on, let's get out of here... unless you want some water-mel-own?"
Otabek looks at the watermelon display and then back at Yuri, who snorts and dissolves into helpless giggles, the sound causing ripples across Otabek's heart.
