The lettering on the Yutopia sign had been recently repainted. Yuuri can tell because they only repaint the sign once a year and it never stayed that shade of white for long. He glanced over at the potted plant holding an ashtray. No cigarette butts, which meant Mari hadn't taken her break yet.
Yuuri paused a few steps away from the main entrance and glance over the the side. He could go in through the service entrance around the side. There was even the alley way, if he was willing to wait until it got dark so he could slip in through the entrance. Yuuri knew he was being ridiculous. The lights were on. He had already flown all this way, why was this part so hard?
"Yuuri!" cried a voice from behind.
Yuuri jumped, hand automatically coming up around Shouri in the front carrier. The night was darker after having adjusted to the bright lights of Yutopia. It took him a few minutes to realize make out the figure in the dark. "Minako-sensei?"
She waved at him with her free hand and then unfurled a banner. "Stop skulking in the dark and come over here! Welcome home." The banner was big enough to block her entire head when she unfurled it. Yuuri was spelled with big thick katakana in her awful handwriting. He had missed it when he left home.
Yuuri knew he should have been happy to see her. "This really isn't necessary, sensei." He tried to say. The words got stuck in his throat.
Minako put the banner down and shoved it under her left arm. "When are you hiding him? Baby, baby, baby!" Yuuri unzipped his jack just low enough for the top of Shouri's head to he visible.
Minako made a cooing noise. "He looks like a squashed potato." She said, sounding delighted. "He's hideous."
Gee, thanks, Yuuri thought, what every parent loves to hear.
Her hand twitched in Shouri's direction, "I love him. He's my favorite ugly potato," Minako said, finally making up her mind and tapping Shouri's little nose with her free hand.
The wind blew across Yuuri's exposed neck, making him shiver. "I should get him inside," Yuuri said.
Minako wraped one of her arms around his shoulder and steered him in. Her arm was a heavy weight against his back. Yuuri couldn't help but feel like she was pinning him in place to keep him from running.
He heard his mother before he ever saw her. There was no grey in her hair but Yuuri was pretty sure his mom had a different hair color before he left. Dad on the other hand looked a little rounder than before. "I'm home," he mumbled in between hugs from both of them. They took turns, hugging Yuuri until Shouri was awake and fussing a bit.
"Can I take him?" Mom asked and his hands were unfastening the clips before his mouth could say, Thank you. Yuuri had just enough energy to apologize for being tired before he fell asleep taking off his shoes. He woke up to Dad shaking his shoulder and telling him to go to bed.
"Shouri?" Yuuri asked, putting his right foot into a left slipper.
"Grandma Katsuki has him. Go to bed, " Mom said.
Yuuri mumbled something that he wasn't sure was a word and went straight to his bed without changing any of his clothes. He slept sixteen hours and woke up wearing all his clothes and feeling the most rested he has ever felt in his life.