A/N: This is the worst-written chapter in the whole story tbh so please have patience with me T-T

Mornings went like this:

Yuuri would wake up to his third alarm while Viktor was out on a run. He got up half-asleep, hair messy and pajamas askew, to make breakfast with which to bribe Yurio awake. Viktor was a morning person, but Yurio was decidedly not, no matter how early his bedtime. So Yuuri often carried Yurio out of bed and seated him at the island to eat.

Halfway through eating breakfast, Yurio would fully wake up and Viktor would be back from his run. They finished up their meal together, then Viktor went to his room to shower while Yuuri got Yurio ready for kindergarten.

Dressing Yurio was always a nightmare; his fashion sense was terrible, as was typical for his age, and he'd been on a big cats kick for the past year so he always went straight for the animal prints he wheedled Viktor into buying. Other than that, he wore a lot of blacks and reds, so by the end of it Yuuri would have him dressed up in jeans, a graphic tee, and a black sweatshirt, looking every bit the little punk he was.

Yuuri's morning duties stopped there. Viktor was adamant about being the one to send Yurio to kindergarten. They spent so little time with each other during the school year, so he wanted to at least be the one to bring him to school. So Yuuri was left alone in the house for a bit to clean up and get ready for classes.

Chris's classes started at the same time as Yuuri's, so they usually walked to school together. Yuuri liked Chris well enough, and enjoyed swapping stories about the brothers' antics. But sometimes, Yuuri didn't know how to handle Chris's…directness.

"You mean you two haven't banged?"

"Chris, what the heck?" All Yuuri wanted to know was Viktor's type, figuring Chris would know what kinds of men Viktor tended to date, and this was what it immediately devolved into.

"I'm serious! I thought you two were already together."

"It's nothing like that."

"You're living together!"

"In exchange for me being a housekeeper and babysitter!"

"But you like him!"

"So?"

"So bang him!"

"CHRIS!"

Chris crossed his arms. "Really, though. He hasn't touched you?"

"Not like that," Yuuri said, feeling his cheeks burn. Viktor was affectionate sometimes, sure, but not in that way.

Chris whistled. "Man's got some killer self-control."

"Chris, please. I'm his brother's babysitter, and his student. That would be inappropriate."

"He's just a TA, it's fine."

"Anyway, if something goes wrong, then I'm out of a place to live and Yurio's alone again. No matter what my personal feelings on the matter are, it's not even worth considering."

"You're too serious, Yuuri. Viktor likes you. I can tell that much. You'd have to be blind not to see it."

Yuuri fought a smile at the suggestion, but at the same time, it was a terrifying notion. "Chris…"

"I know you don't want attention on campus, and you're worried about Yurio. I get it. I do. But Viktor's just a person who needs love the same as everyone else, not some untouchable god."

"The way some people treat him, you wouldn't know the difference," Yuuri mumbled.

"That's besides the point."

"No, that's entirely the point. We don't talk to each other on campus for that exact reason."

"Viktor would love to talk to you on campus, but he refrains because he knows you're nervous about people knowing you're living together. If it weren't for that, he'd be all over you. He adores you. Dude thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread."

"I'm…I'm just me."

"Exactly. You're you. Look, Yuuri, you're an attractive man—"

"No."

"Yes. You are. Deal with it. You're cute, witty, nice, his brother likes you, you're living together…"

"Chris, please, just drop it."

Chris shrugged and turned forward. "Well, if you ever want help seducing him, you know who to ask. I know all his weak points."

Yuuri stifled a smile. "If you do, why don't you seduce him yourself?"

"…would you be okay with that?"

"No." The answer came out embarrassingly fast.

"There, now you're being honest."

Yuuri hid his face in his hands. "Just leave me alone," he whined.

Chris grinned. "Never."

Yuuri thought about what Chris said about Viktor liking him. He didn't think Chris would lie about something like that, and the two were best friends so Chris ought to know Viktor's feelings best. But on top of all the trepidation Yuuri had about getting attention, there was the inherent awkwardness of crushing on someone you're living with. It just wasn't a good situation, and it made the thought of their feelings being mutual quite frankly terrifying.

It might be strange to say, but Yuuri actually found the idea that his crush was one-sided a lot more comforting than the idea of his feelings being returned. Yuuri was well-practiced in one-sided feelings, so he had no problem admiring from afar. Admiring from up close was difficult but doable, and he was doing fine so far. Navigating the treacherous transition from friendship to romance, though? That was new and uncharted territory.

"By the way, to answer your question…" Chris started.

"It's fine," Yuuri said quickly. "I was just curious. It's not like I'm going to 'seduce him' or anything like that."

"Nope, I'm going to tell you. I think the hopeless romantic in him wants a relationship like something out of a novel— someone sweet and dynamic he can be himself around. They've gotta be good with kids, obviously, because of Yurio. Oh, and I found this out recently: he prefers sweethearts, but he likes it when they take control sometimes. He thinks it's hot or something. Gentle guy with a hidden spine of steel."

"So, not me," Yuuri said bitterly.

"So, exactly you," Chris countered. "You're assertive when you need to be. Have you seen his face when you sass him? You can practically see the hearts in his eyes."

"You're exaggerating."

"Not exaggerating. He likes to tease and make you blush, as I'm sure you've noticed, but the fact that you occasionally take him by surprise and tease him right back is probably his favorite thing ever. I can tell. I'm telling you, he likes people he can't predict. The poor guy lasted maybe a week before he was head over heels."

Yuuri pulled a face. He wasn't sure what Chris was seeing in Viktor, but it was definitely a misinterpretation. Viktor did like to tease Yuuri, but he did not make heart-eyes at him. Yuuri was the one making the heart-eyes.

"You'll believe me someday," Chris said.

Yuuri wasn't sure where he got his confidence.

Afternoons went like this:

Yuuri's last class of the day always ended by 4pm, after which he'd go get Yurio from his after-kindergarten program at the local YMCA. On days that Yuuri had other obligations, either Viktor or Chris would arrange to pick him up instead, but usually it was Yuuri who took a bus to the YMCA and brought Yurio home. They always picked him up at promptly 4:30pm. Even if the people in his life were always changing and Viktor wasn't always around in the afternoons, at least they could keep his schedule consistent.

Dinners usually consisted of Yuuri and Yurio alone in at the island in the kitchen. Viktor's classes ended around the same time, but he almost always had meetings or projects of some sort that kept him until after dark.

Over dinner, Yurio would chatter about his day while Yuuri listened and asked questions. Yurio was generally a quiet kid, but sometimes he liked to fill the emptiness of the house with his voice, going on about school and daycare for up to an hour before he started to run out of energy. At that point, he would be done eating, so Yuuri cleared the dishes, sat Yurio down in front of the TV, washed the dishes, and then joined Yurio for whatever he wanted to spend the time until bedtime doing. Sometimes it was just TV, sometimes he wanted to play with one toy or another, sometimes he just wanted to color. They'd play until 7:30pm, at which point Yuuri started the bedtime routine. Yurio was always in bed by 8; usually, Viktor didn't get home until at least 9.

"No Viktor today?" Yurio mumbled, already drowsy as Yuuri pulled a pajama shirt over his head.

"Sorry. Do you want to call him?"

Yurio shook his head. "It's okay." He looked up, suddenly remembering something. "Oh, yeah. The kids at the Y were saying they all have parents who are married. And married people need to have rings."

"That's true; most married couples exchange rings at the wedding to show how much they love each other." Yuuri wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"But you and Viktor don't have rings."

Yuuri's heart skipped a beat. Oh boy. How in the world was he going to explain this one?

"That's because Viktor and I aren't married," he said slowly.

Yurio frowned. "But two people who stay together are married, right?"

"Not always; sometimes they're just roommates. Young adults who aren't married often live with friends because it doesn't cost as much money. I lived with a different friend before I came here."

"Oh." Yurio seemed troubled by this revelation. He stared into space, still frowning.

"Were you worried because me and Viktor don't have rings?" Yuuri asked.

"I thought you would stay here forever," Yurio mumbled.

Yuuri's heart broke.

"Yurio, I don't need to have rings with Viktor to stay here, and I promise I won't leave anytime soon. Can you trust me?"

"…I made you rings though."

"What?"

"I forgot. They had pipe cleaners at the Y today, and I made rings. I don't want you to leave."

Yurio was putting Yuuri through all sorts of emotions tonight. He felt like tearing up. "Yurio, that's really sweet of you. Thank you."

Yurio looked up hopefully. "So you'll wear it?"

"You made it for me, so of course I will. Did you bring them home?"

"They're in my backpack."

Yuuri stood up. "You get in bed, okay? I'll be right back."

"Okay!"

Just as Yurio said, there were two somewhat squashed circles made out of twisted pipe cleaners in his backpack. He pulled them out and tried sliding one over his right ring finger, specifically avoiding the left. It was a little big, but with some strategic bending, it was comfortably snug. He hurried back into Yurio's room to show him. Yurio was lying down, but his head was upright and staring excitedly at the door when Yuuri entered.

Yuuri held out his hand to show off the ring. "It fits perfectly, Yurio. Thank you."

"Viktor too, Viktor too!"

"I'll tell him about it when he gets home. How about that?"

"But I wanna see."

"We'll both wear them in the morning. Viktor won't be home for a while tonight, so get some sleep, okay? I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight!"

In the hallway, Yuuri inspected the ring. He'd picked out the blue one of the two, blue being his favorite color; would Viktor mind having the pink one? He'd have to ask when he got home.

Yuuri had about a page left of his last reading when he heard the click of a key in the front door. He looked up briefly to greet Viktor as he entered.

"Yurio asleep?" Viktor said, dumping his bag on the ground next to the armchair and then collapsing into it with a long breath.

"Out like a light," he said. An idiom he learned from Phichit. He glanced at the clock, reading 10:47pm, and back at Viktor sinking languidly into the armchair. "Long day?"

Viktor sighed. "Very long. One of your classmates paid me a visit to complain about his bibliography grade. Honestly, it was obvious he did it the night before; it was terrible and wasn't formatted correctly. I have little hope for his final paper. That took up an hour."

"Oh god."

"He simply would not leave. Then— Oh, did Yurio make that?"

Viktor sat up curiously, his eyes looking at Yuuri's textbook…no, at his hand holding the book. Yuuri suddenly remembered he still had the ring on. He subconsciously drew his hand to his chest to hide it.

"A ring? What's the occasion? Did he propose?" Viktor's eyes were sparkling with amusement.

Yuuri laughed nervously, feeling a little lightheaded. "No. Actually…" He picked up the pink one from beside him and handed it to Viktor without meeting his eyes. "They're for both of us. He thought I'd leave if we're not married."

Viktor took it numbly. "Oh." He looked up, somewhat distressed. "I'm so sorry about that. I hope he didn't make you uncomfortable."

Yuuri's stomach twisted a bit. "It's fine," he muttered. "I don't really mind? I guess? I thought it was sweet of him to make something for me. I told him we'd both wear them tomorrow morning. He was really excited about it."

"If…if you're okay with that."

Yuuri nodded, biting his lip to fight a smile. He really didn't mind. It was just very embarrassing.

Viktor slide on the ring. Like Yuuri's, it was a bit misshapen, but he roughly got it to fit to the shape of his finger. He held it out, admiring it. "Perfect!"

"I told him I wouldn't leave even without the rings, but he was really excited to have us wear them, so if it's just for tomorrow, I think it'll be fine. It's something he made for us, after all."

"Whatever you think is best, dear husband," Viktor said and flashed a mischievous smile.

Yuuri's stomach did another little twist, but this time, it was in a good way.

Yurio was, of course, delighted when he was woken up to both Yuuri and Viktor wearing the rings. Yuuri thought it was worth the embarrassment just to see the excitement on Yurio's face to see his creations being put to good use.

The problem was that Yurio then expected them to keep wearing them.

The first day, Yuuri took the pipe cleaners off for school and picked Yurio up like usual after classes, having forgotten about it. Well, Yurio didn't forget, and he was upset to see the ring gone. While Yuuri could put his foot down when he needed to, this time he couldn't resist indulging Yurio. After all, it was just a little pipe cleaner ring. He only had to wear it around Yurio, and Viktor didn't seem to mind doing the same.

But this went on until the weekend, and Yuuri was tired of the thing. Pipe cleaners were mostly soft and fuzzy, but the wiry ends were starting to poke and feel uncomfortable. And he'd like to not have to worry about taking it off and it keeping it dry when he did the dishes or washed his hands.

On Sunday while Viktor was out on an errand, Yuuri tried convincing Yurio yet again that the rings weren't necessary, putting a bit more authority behind his words this time. It didn't go well.

"Yurio, I'm not going to leave just because I took off the ring," Yuuri insisted.

"You will! Dedushka said he wouldn't leave but he did!"

Yuuri's heart kept breaking each time he tried to argue with Yurio. There was a better way to handle this, but he had no idea how, and he was panicking. Yurio had never been this stubborn before, and Yuuri knew it was because of the repeated traumas of losing his parents as an infant and his grandfather-figure as a toddler. But Viktor and he couldn't wear these pipe cleaner rings forever. There had to be a way around this that would still make Yurio feel secure.

Viktor came home then, tote bag on his arm looking surprisingly empty for what was supposed to be a trip to the convenience store. What did he need anyway, just toothpaste?

Viktor noticed the mood between Yuuri and Yurio immediately. Yuuri sent him a distressed look.

"What's going on in here?" he asked carefully.

Yurio sniffled, a little teary. "Yuuri's going to leave."

"Yurio, I'm just saying that I can't wear this forever. I'll need to take it off sometimes. But that doesn't mean I'm leaving, I promise."

Yurio shrugged Yuuri's hand off his shoulder, still not having it. Yuuri looked up at Viktor again, pleading for help.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Yuuri. Pipe cleaners can get dirty. We wouldn't want them to get dirty, right?" Viktor said gently, leaning down to Yurio's level. Yuuri breathed a little sigh of relief that Viktor was helping him out.

"But I made them! If you're not married, he'll leave!" Yurio protested. "Married people don't leave…"

Viktor looked pained, but slapped on a smile. "I'm really happy that you made them for us. That's why Yuuri and I are going to put our rings right up there on the fridge, so we can always see them and they won't get dirty. Instead, I got us something else." Viktor pulled out a little box, and Yuuri's breath hitched. There was no way he got actual rings. But he had. "These won't get dirty," Viktor said, taking out a pair of simple silver bands. "They can stand in for the ones you gave us. Is that okay?"

Yurio nodded, suddenly much more okay with his pipe cleaner rings being taken off Viktor and Yuuri's fingers. But he was still suspicious as Viktor let him take one of the rings and inspect it.

Viktor met Yuuri's eyes and gave him a little apologetic smile. Yuuri wondered what his own face looked like right now.

"They're tungsten," Viktor said. "Nothing fancy. We can talk about it later."

Yuuri smiled weakly, honestly a little relieved, though he wasn't entirely sure what kind of metal tungsten was. He still couldn't believe Viktor had went and gotten actual rings just to humor Yurio. What was he supposed to do with it? Wear it? At least he didn't have to worry about ruining it like he did with the pipe cleaners.

"Yurio, the one you're holding is Yuuri's; give it to him."

Yurio held out the ring in his stubby child's fingers. "Here."

Once Yuuri had it in his hands, he hesitated, unsure what to do with it. Which finger should he put it on? Did Viktor even know what size to get?

His confusion must have shown on his face, because Viktor reached for the pipe cleaner ring and tapped it. "Put it on the same finger you had Yurio's on. That's how I sized it."

Yuuri dutifully slid it on. Somewhat surprisingly, it fit well. Viktor raised his eyebrows a little at the sight of it on Yuuri's finger, but promptly followed by putting on his. Yurio bounced excitedly.

"Now, Yurio, one more thing," Viktor said. "You need to understand that we can't wear these all the time. We're not really married, so we have to keep them a secret to other people or they'll get the wrong idea. This doesn't mean Yuuri will leave, but we can't always have them on our fingers. If I keep mine in my pocket during school, is that okay?"

Yurio looked like he was about to protest, but he kept his mouth shut, thinking. Eventually he looked up. "…you promise to keep it?"

"Promise."

He looked to Yuuri. "Katsudon promise?"

Yuuri held out his pinky and linked it with Yurio's. "Promise." He would have to be careful not to lose it, but having the ring somewhere on his person rather than specifically on his hand was a lot easier, and would make a good transition toward not needing them at all once Yurio was ready for that.

"You have to keep it always so you don't disappear," Yurio said seriously.

Yuuri nodded. "Okay."

This whole thing had seemingly come out of nowhere, but it was obviously a deep problem for Yurio given how quickly he'd latched onto the rings idea. For some reason he thought the rings were what kept married couples together. He clearly wasn't aware of divorce as a common phenomenon. And Yurio's own parents had passed away; if that counted as leaving, then Yurio of all people should know that marriage didn't mean forever.

Yuuri wondered what Viktor thought about all this. They hadn't talked about his parents except in passing, and Yuuri was dying to know Viktor's true feelings about their deaths and raising Yurio. But Viktor never offered the information, and Yuuri was afraid to ask.

With that bit of drama dealt with, Yuuri sent Yurio to his room for a bit while he and Viktor lingered behind in the kitchen to talk.

"You…you got us rings," Yuuri said slowly, not really sure how he was supposed to feel about all this.

"I had them delivered to Chris so they would be a surprise. They apparently got here yesterday, but Chris forgot about it until this morning. Sorry for not telling you earlier."

Yuuri shook his head. "No, it's fine. It was a nice surprise."

Viktor visibly relaxed. "I'm glad. I decided to get them when Yurio wouldn't let us take them off, and I remembered how you seemed happy about getting a gift from him. I thought maybe you'd be happy about these too, kind of. That probably sounds stupid."

"It doesn't. I was…surprised, yes. But it's not bad. It was really thoughtful of you; thank you."

Viktor fidgeted and fought a smile, and if Yuuri didn't know better, he might almost think Viktor was being shy. "You're welcome."

"But um…how much were they? I can pay you back…"

"No, no, they were quite cheap. I bought the cheapest ones on Amazon that seemed decent. Not even ten dollars. If you're still worried, you can think of it as being a gift for my brother rather than for you."

It didn't seem like Viktor was going to budge, and that was a reasonable price. Yuuri could live with that.

"Okay. In that case, I'll accept it gratefully."

Viktor beamed. "Excellent! I'm really sorry about all this. I don't know what's gotten into him."

"He has some attachment issues," Yuuri said, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "I don't know how to deal with it well, but I think having rings we can keep with us without ruining them is a good idea. It feels like a compromise."

"I was thinking of just taking them off and letting his emotions run their course, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get you a gift."

Yuuri blushed.

"This is definitely easier than dealing with his tantrums, though. I'd put him into counseling, but then we'd have to cut out something else balance the budget. We saved some money having you move in, but that's going toward his skating fees, and he loves skating so much…"

"Don't American schools have counselors?"

"I've already talked to the school about it after he gave us the rings. Hopefully they do a good job, but judging by the counselors at the high school I went to, I don't have high hopes," Viktor said. "The other students complained about them all the time. They didn't care about the students. I'm hoping elementary schools counselors are better."

"I hope so, too," Yuuri said.

Viktor let out a breath. "Now that that's out of the way, it's time to take Yurio to practice. Are you sure you'll stay home? I'd love for you to come with me. We can hang out while he's in class. Just do your homework later."

Yuuri nudged Viktor down the hall. "I'm sure. Go make sure he's actually packing up his skating things like he's supposed to."

"Okay, okay. Whatever you say, dear." Viktor pulled Yuuri's ring hand to his lips and winked. Then he walked away, laughing delightedly at Yuuri's startled flush like the baffling incessant flirt he was.

If Yuuri called goodbye from his room instead of seeing them out when they left, it wasn't his fault; it was Viktor's.

A/N: Look I know it's contrived shhhh the rings just need to be a thing that's all shhhhhhh