They both stood waiting near the gate, each one searching the crowd for Sagida's familiar face. Otabek paced, and looked at the time on his phone.
"Stop pacing you're making me nervous." Yuri said, the heel of his own foot tapping out a beat.
"Sorry, I've just missed her is all."
Yuri stood up on his chair, scanning the crowd. He spotted a short woman, with dark hair, wearing a sky blue dress, and a heavy brown wool coat.
"Anam!" Yuri called out happily.
Otabek pricked up at the word, and turned around. His mom hurried along, pulling her suitcase behind her.
"Otabek! Yuri!" she called out waving her free hand wildly, like the funny little mad woman that she was.
Otabek pushed past Yuri and met his mother halfway, engulfing her short frame in a big, burly hug. He hadn't seen her for over a year. The previous year had been rough on him, the accident, therapy, and competition season had left little time for travel. He noticed how small she looked, and the dusting of gray at her temples, he playfully picked her up off the ground, as she protested wildly.
"Otabek! Put me down!" she laughed.
Otabek and his mother were close, maybe it was him being the middle child, and her only son. She was a middle child too, and they both shared that same empathetic nature, and need for independence that most middles have.
Otabek had gotten his rebellious streak from her, his strange sneaky humor, his warm laugh. He inherited his sober personality, and boundless patience from his father. His looks were a near perfect blend of both parents. Otabek's slightly stocky build, determined gait, and thick unruly black hair, was his mother through and through. Facially, he was a younger version of his father, dark piercing eyes, square jaw, and thin lips that smiled only when necessary.
Otabek set his mother down, smiling and chattering with her in rapid, boisterous Kazakh.
Yuri stood awkwardly to the side, not sure if he should jump in and say hello yet. He wanted them to have their moment, but felt a bit left out as the two greeted each other fondly. Suddenly, Sagida gave her son a smack on the arm, Otabek flinched, and Yuri looked worried.
"Yuri, come here!" she said arms opening to him, "Otabek, why did you leave him there standing all alone?"
Otabek shrugged sheepishly, "Sorry Anam."
Yuri had to stoop down a little to embrace her. She smelled like Chanel No. 5, and cloves, and her hug was as warm, and tight as Yuri had remembered.
"Yuri you get taller each time I see you. Have you grown?"
Yuri laughed, and shook his head, "don't think so."
"Maybe I'm just getting shorter." she teased.
"You can't get much shorter Anam, or we might lose you." Otabek laughed, taking her suitcase. The two men towered over her, Otabek being the tallest out of the three. Years ago, Yuri was certain he'd be taller than Otabek, but in the end he was happy he wasn't. It would be hard to be the little spoon in bed if he were taller.
"I'm here five minutes Otabek, and already you're giving me trouble." she giggled.
She took Yuri's arm, and started to fire off a plethora of questions. How was his skating going? How is the new house? Had he been eating, he looked so thin? Was Otabek taking good care of him?
Yuri answered freely, his mouth going a mile a minute. As they walked he showed her photos of their trip to Barcelona, and funny pictures of Malysh doing cat things on his phone.
Yuri drove, while Otabek talked back, and forth his mother. They both tried to speak English as much as possible, but each time the conversation picked up in speed, they unconsciously slid into Kazakh. He heard his name uttered a few times, along with the names of Otabek's sisters, but other that he was clueless.
"I swear I'll get the hang of this language someday." Yuri said, as he fought through traffic.
"You're getting there," Otabek said, "you know most of the curse words anyway."
"You know Otabek, Yuri taught me a few Russian ones, the last time he was visiting. I have to say the Russians have cursing down to an art. "
"Yuri, you didn't?" Otabek scolded.
Yuri shrugged, "I can't help it Beka, she asked. We'd both had a few glasses of wine, and I can't say no to her! And thank you Anam, I've always been pretty proud of our cussing prowess as a nation."
With that, Yuri started to grill her on her Russian curses, wanting to see if she remembered them all.
Otabek leaned his head back against the headrest, and let out a groan. The two of them reminded him of when Yuri, and Mila got together. Yuri had this way of enchanting certain women, especially the older ones. Maybe they liked him because he looked so innocent and pure, with his lithe little figure, and mischievous green eyes. Or maybe it was just oddly endearing to see someone as pretty as Yuri, curse like a sailor. Otabek could never figure it out. The only answer he could come up with was that when you were as beautiful as Yuri, you could get away with murder. The older lady that ran the desk at the rink loved him too, and laughed fondly when she heard him rant and rave. Otabek would never understand it. He could never get away with half the things Yuri did.
Yuri pulled in to the garage, and went to drop the keys off at Victor's apartment. Victor was ready go with Yuri, and introduce himself, but Yuuri held him back.
"She only just go here Vitya, I know you're excited, but let her get settled. We'll come by tomorrow."
Otabek had pulled out the sofa bed, and had already placed clean sheets and blankets on it when Yuri walked in.
"We haven't slept on this, so if it's uncomfortable, let us know and you can have our bed. You can set your bags in either room in the hall. The one on the left is Beka's, the one on the right his mine." Yuri said, filling the kettle, and setting it to boil.
"Pshh, I've slept on worse. I'll be fine, I won't kick you two out of your own bedroom."
Yuri fed Malysh and cracked the balcony door, she liked to sit outside after her nightly meal, and watch the cars zip by. He heard the kettle start to whistle, and finished making tea.
"Tea's ready" he said, setting out the pyraniki on the table.
The three sat at the table talking, and laughing back and forth.
"Otabek, Dinara has met someone." Sagida said.
"She has? She never told me."
"He's new, but he seems like a good match for her. I'm not sure but I think he might be spending most of his nights at her apartment. I think this one might be it for her."
"What's he like?"
"He's a teacher, and a pretty good one, from what she says. His name is Osip, and he's Russian. My children seem to gravitate to the Russians." she smirked, taking a cookie from the plate.
Yuri dunked his own in his tea, letting it soak for a few seconds.
"That's funny, I was telling my friend Mila to find herself a nice Kazakh boy. I actually think her, and Alan would hit it off."
"I love Alan dearly," Sagida chuckled, "but truth be told he's an Идиот (idiot), but I know lots of eligible men your age. I could find her few. While she be at the wedding?"
"Yeah, she's actually going to be my Bitc...I mean Maid of Honor, or something like it. She's my best friend, after Beka of course."
"I'll see what I can arrange, it's been awhile since I've done any matchmaking."
"How's Gigi?" Otabek said referring to his younger sister Guldariga. She had been named after their paternal grandmother. As much as she loved her grandmother, she hated the name, and it had been difficult for her to pronounce as a child. So the family had nicknamed her Gigi when she was little, and it stuck. She almost never answered to her full name.
"Gigi is good, she'll be starting high school soon. The boys are buzzing around her, and all the girls want to be her friend. She gets annoyed by most of the girls though. She says the only reason they want to hang out with her is so they can meet you, and Yuri. They all think you're both adorable."
Otabek made a face, "We're a bit old for them aren't we?"
"They don't care, they're fourteen. All they see are two cute boys. They don't think about much more than that."
"How's Akem?" Otabek said a bit more seriously.
"Akem is good, he sends his love. He still works more than he should. He wishes he could have joined me, but someone had to stay home with Gigi."
They talked for little while longer. Yuri made sure to show her pictures of Yana.
"She's great," he said, "but you should see Beka with her. He's absolutely whipped. The first few weeks she was here, Beka was the only who could keep her quiet. He talks to her in Kazakh, although I doubt he will now that you're here, which is a shame cause it's funny as hell."
"You? The one who avoids all your little cousins? Be careful, Otabek, someone might be led to believe you actually like children." she teased.
"I like Yana, and I'd like my own if we end up having any. Other than that I'm still not partial to them."
Yuri nearly dropped his mug. Children? Them? Have? It was discussion they had never had. Chidren were still a long way off, but it was nice to know Otabek was mulling it over.
"Otabek, I think you frightened Yuri." Sagida laughed, looking at the pink flush that spread over his pale cheeks.
"No, I'm not frightened. It's just the first I've heard of it. I like kids. If Beka wants to have them someday, then I'm all for it. I just hope it's not anytime soon."
Their eyes met, as a silent conversation went on between them.
No, not anytime soon, don't worry we have our whole lives ahead of us.
It was getting late, and Sagida had endured a long trip, so they left her to get settled into bed.
"Did you really mean that? About kids I mean." Yuri said, as he left the bathroom, a damp towel around his waist. Otabek was in bed, reading.
"I did. It's not something I think about a lot, but I think we would make good parents. Someday."
"I think so too. It's nice to know it's not completely off the table."
The next morning they did a few touristy things. They toured the Winter Palace, and ate lunch on the waterfront, and did a little shopping, but Yuri was itching to get home. He had to make dinner for five (six if Yana decided to cooperate and eat) that night. Things were defrosting on the counter at home, and if he left it too long Malysh would assume it was an all you can eat buffet.
He had ruminated for weeks about what to make for dinner. Finally deciding on Zharkoye, a simple stew with beef. It was a simple dish, and easy to make in a large quantity.
They had just finished lunch, when Yuri checked the time on his phone. "I'm gonna head home you two. I've got dinner to make."
"Yuri, let me help you." Sagida offered.
"No, stay, hang out with Beka. I've got it covered. Dinners at seven. You might want to prepare yourself Anam, Victor has been dying to meet you."
"Are you sure?" she said, already prepared to rush home with him.
"I'm sure. It's no problem." The bus he needed to catch was pulling to a stop across the road. He gave Otabek a quick kiss, and tore off towards it.
"I wish he would let me help him." Sagida said, watching his blond hair fly behind him as he ran.
"He's fine Anam, he's been looking forward to this for days. He's not one to ask for help, especially when it comes to cooking. I learned that the hard way."
"He's a good man Otabek. I'm glad you two found one another."
"Me too."
Yuri's dinner went off without a hitch. Bread baked, stew simmering away, apple sharlotka tucked away for dessert, and the table set. He had gotten home just in time to see Malysh sniffing the tightly wrapped beef, and shooed her away.
Sagida and Otabek arrived home early that evening.
"Yuri, dinner smells great! Are you sure you don't need any help?" Sagida asked, hanging her coat up.
"Nope, everything is done. Just waiting on Victor and Yuuri."
Almost on cue the couple walked through the door.
"Hey guys, make yourself comfortable." Yuri shouted from the kitchen.
Otabek took their coats, "Victor, Yuuri, this is my anam Sagida"
Sagida stood smiling warmly and held out her hand for them to shake.
"Sagida, it's nice to finally meet you." Victor said taking her hand a little to eagerly, "Yuri's told us so much about you."
"I was just about to say the same thing about you two. It's nice to meet you!"
Yuuri said his hellos while trying to wrangle Yana, who had started to bounce in his arms the moment she caught sight of Otabek.
"Who is this?" Sagida asked.
Otabek came up next to Yuuri, and Yana lunged out to him. Otabek caught her before she tumbled out of Yuuri's arms.
"This is Yana." he said, as he planted a few soft kisses on her head..
"She's Beka's shadow." Yuri commented finally leaving the kitchen.
Sagida took her little hand, and started to baby talk her in Kazakh, Yana's ears pricked up at the familiar speech. She quirked her head, confused that someone other than her Uncle Beka was speaking to her in that familiar tongue. Yana reached out for Sagida, Otabek gave her up to his mother halfheartedly.
"I guess that's it for me then." Otabek laughed, only slightly hurt that Yana had ditched him for his mother.
"Now you know how I feel when you walk in the room, Beka. I'm secondhand goods once she sees you." Yuri gave him a playful nudge.
"She's beautiful, what a sweet little girl."
Victor laughed, "You wouldn't have said that a few months ago, she screamed like a banshee for weeks."
"How old is she?" Sagida asked as Yana sucked on her large beaded necklace.
"Almost seven months." Yuuri said proudly, "she's crawling all over the place now."
"Before you know it she'll be walking and talking. Enjoy it, it goes by so fast. I remember when Otabek was little, it took him forever to start walking. He was so stubborn, I guess he figured he'd be carried around his entire life. I thought he'd never start walking, once he did though he never stopped." Sagida gave her blushing son a sly smile
The group sat and talked for awhile, waiting for Yuri to put the finishing touches on the meal. Victor brought the Spanish Cava they had gifted him from Barcelona, and a bottle of red wine. He poured Sagida a drink, and brought it to her.
"So, what do you think of these two getting married?"
Sagida sipped her drink, "Oh I knew from the start what the outcome would be. I knew the minute I saw Otabek look at his Yuri that it was just a matter of time. Once my son has an idea in his head, that's that."
Otabek wasn't prepared for this kind of conversation, he cleared his throat and quickly left to 'help Yuri', knowing full well there was nothing in the kitchen for him to do.
"Oh, I've embarrassed him." Sagida giggled.
Victor already adored this woman.
Yuri gave Otabek a knowing smirk when he came through the kitchen.
"What?" he asked, brows firmly knit together.
"From the start huh?" Yuri snickered.
Otabek rolled his eyes, "shut up Yura."
Dinner was lively, and the laughter never ceased. Unfortunately most of the humor was at Otabek and Yuri's expense.
"Tell me Victor," Saigda said, refilling her drink, "what was Yuri like as a child? I'm curious."
Victor sucked his teeth, "he was...a handful, and that's putting it nicely." He laughed, "I met him when he was about ten when Yakov started to coach him. He was an angry little thing, he never listened, and always had something smart to say. The other kids were terrified of him. He thought he could do jumps and spins that were way beyond his years, and couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to do them. He was a terror. He'd shout, and throw fits with the best of them, but if Nikolai was nearby, he turned into the sweetest little boy you've ever seen."
Yuri let out a low 'tch' sound and tore at his bread. Otabek gave his thigh a squeeze under the table. Victor palmed his back pocket and pulled out a worn photograph, handing it to Sagida.
"Where did you get that?" Yuri asked.
Victor gave him a wink, "You got most of your grandpa's photo albums, but he left me a few as well. This is a favorite of mine, it sums up you as a child pretty well."
The photo was of Yuri as a child, surrounded by young smiling skaters. They all looked so elated, and brimming with energy. In the middle was Yuri scowling, with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Oh Yuri! What in the world did you have to frown about?" Sagida laughed. Otabek took the picture from her, it was rare to see pictures of him as a child.
"No, that seems about right for Yuri." he remarked, elbowing his partner in the side in jest.
Yuri tried to frown, but it didn't last, he cracked a smile instead, "Yeah, I was a pretty pissed off kid. I definitely had an attitude problem."
"Had?" Yuuri teased.
"Okay, I still do, but I only use it when it matters now." Yuri admitted.
Saigda left the table, and rifled through her purse and brought out a small album. The moment Otabek caught sight of it he groaned.
"Анам жоқ (No mom not that!)" he begged.
"Oh, don't be a baby. Here," she shoved an empty plate into his hands, "quite whining and go get us more bread."
Otabek gave her a weak frown, but dutifully went and did as he was told.
"I thought this might happen at some point this week, so I came prepared."
The album contained childhood photos of Otabek. Most were in his skating costumes (his taste for complex costumes had definitely started at a young age). Some were candid photos of him with family and friends. None of them involved much smiling on his part. There was one particularly nice photo of him around the age of ten with windswept hair and ruddy cheeks, riding a horse bareback.
"I didn't know you could ride?" Yuri said, fawning over the album.
"It's been years since I've done it. I prefer bikes to horses nowadays." Otabek said flatly.
After everyone had, had their fill of baby photos the conversation went on to more important things.
"So, have you two decided on a date for the wedding?" Victor asked.
Yuri nodded, "the end of September, before the season really starts to pick up. I wanted to do it November, but it's too close to Grand Prix time, and I'm not cheating myself out of a honeymoon."
Otabek and Yuri shared a look. Otabek cleared his throat.
"Speaking of which there was something I- we wanted to ask you Anam. How would you like it, if we got married back home, in Almaty?"
They had kept their decision to wed in Almaty a secret until her visit. Otabek knew his mother would be pleased, and he was not disappointed by her reaction. She leapt out of her chair, with a joyous shriek, and enveloped both men in a tight hug.
"That's wonderful news! I can't tell you how happy that makes me! I have to admit, I was hoping you would, but I didn't push the subject, I didn't want you to feel obligated."
"Well, I have so few family members, they won't mind flying in for a few days." Yuri said after Sagida released him.
Later that night, after dinner had been cleared away, and their guests had gone home. Yuri and Otabek laid in bed talking quietly.
"Anam sure sounded happy to hear the news." Otabek said.
"I knew she would be." Yuri answered, shuffling around to get comfortable.
They could hear her in the living room, chattering away on the phone excitedly in Kazakh.
"What's she saying?" Yuri asked.
Otabek listened for a bit, "wedding stuff, food mostly. Sounds like she's talking to Тетя Banu (Aunt Banu). Once Aunt Banu is in on this it'll basically get planned for us, she's a party planner."
"That sounds great, we should use that to our advantage. It gonna be hard to plan a wedding from here. Maybe Anam will give me her email address, I could send her a few ideas about what we want."
"What do we want? We haven't really talked about it."
"I think I want something low key, and fun. Victor and Yuuri's wedding was nice, but it was so stuffy looking. I want something that's 'us', you know. I wouldn't mind getting married near the mountains, they're so pretty there."
"I'd like that too. Anam will know of a few places, she knows what we like, and don't like. She and Aunt Banu will be more than happy to take photos, and videos of different venues to send to us."
Yuri felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The thought of planning a wedding in Almaty had been distressing him for the last few weeks. He had put all wedding planning on hold, until Sagida's arrival. Now that he had help, it all seemed less scary.
"God I love your mother Beka."