After Yuuri got settled into his room with Aki set up in a playpen next to him, he fell asleep and slept hard.
He awoke with a start, blinking in the bright sunlight coming through his window. He sat up, looking in the playpen for Aki, only to find it empty. In a panic, he threw off the covers and dashed out of his room, slamming the door open.
"Otousan," he called, dashing down the hallway, almost running into his sister carrying a stack of towels.
She smiled at him and said, "Hey there Yuuri, slow down a bit. What are you in such a hurry for?"
"Mari-neechan, do you know where Aki is?"
"Isn't that a rude way to greet your neesan after not seeing her for months? Yes, I've seen Aki-chan. Okaasan has her in the kitchen. They've both been up for a while."
Yuuri placed his hand on his chest. "Oh, thank goodness. I woke up and she wasn't there."
"You got in so late last night that we figured you needed to rest." She gave him a scrutinizing look. "Why did you come so late in the night without Victor, anyway? You didn't even call us first."
He looked away as he answered. "I'd rather not talk about it right now," he mumbled.
She was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Well, I know I can't force you to talk to me, but just so you know, I'm available if you want to." She shifted her load to one hand so she could ruffle his hair. "I have to go restock the towels, but I'm sure you can find me later if you need me." She walked away, and Yuuri stared after her for a moment, feeling conflicted. He wanted to talk to his sister, but he just didn't know how to put his problems into words yet.
He sighed heavily. For now, the best thing to do was go get Aki so his okaasan could get back to work. He wound his way through the inn until he was in the kitchen. His okaasan was standing with her back to the door, carrying Aki in a wrap on her back. The sight of his daughter calmed his nerves, and he smiled as he saw her little dark head resting on his mother's shoulder.
"Okaasan, I can take the baby now," he said, walking towards them.
They both turned at the sound of his voice, and Aki's plump little face broke into a grin as she gave a delighted squeal.
"Oh, Yuuri, you're awake! You certainly slept a long time! And showing up in the middle of the night, is something wrong?" Hiroko's equally plump face stared up at him with concern.
His throat felt choked up, and he busied himself with undoing Aki's wrap so he could hold her. "Ah...well, that's…"
Hiroko smiled softly at him. "It's all right, Yuuri. We're always glad to have you here, and you can stay as long as you need to. And when you're ready to talk to me, I'm here for you."
Staring down at his okaasan, Yuuri felt the tears he'd been holding back overflow. He nodded fiercely as they started to stream down his face.
His okaasan shuffled closer, reaching up to wipe them with a towel she was holding. "There, there, now. You don't worry about a thing, we'll take care of you. Are you hungry?"
He wasn't expecting to have much appetite, but surprisingly, he found that his stomach was growling at his okaasan's suggestion. He nodded, sniffling as he tried to stop the flow of tears.
"All right. I'll bring you something to eat, so why don't you go sit in the dining area?"
He nodded again, and she turned around, busying herself at the stove again. He whispered, "Thank you, Okaasan," before turning around and leaving the kitchen.
He went to the dining room and found an open table, seating himself and placing Aki in his lap. He had barely settled in when he heard his name being called in an excited voice. "Yuuri-kun! Is that you?"
He turned in confusion and looked around, not recognizing the voice. He was startled to see a young man hurrying towards him from a few tables away. "Minami-kun?"
The man stopped in front of his table, a big grin on his face. "Yep, it's me! I can't believe I ran into you here! I came to relax a little bit and train at your home rink before the next season starts. I didn't know you would be here, too! I thought you were living in Russia?"
Yuuri shifted uncomfortably. "Ah, well, yes…"
Luckily for him, Minami noticed Aki sitting in his lap, and his eyes widened. "Oh my goodness, is this your daughter? She's so cute!" He dropped to his knees as his face melted. "Hello there, little one! Aren't you the cutest thing? Just like your otousan!"
Despite himself, Yuuri gave a small smile. It was nice to hear his daughter being praised.
"Oh, what's this, Minami-kun? You found Yuuri already! As expected from his biggest fan!"
Yuuri looked up to see his mother approaching with a tray. She knelt down and started placing dishes on the table as the younger man smiled at her sheepishly.
"Well, I saw Yuuri-kun and came over to say hello, and then I was captivated by this little beauty!" Minami offered the baby his finger, and she squeezed it tightly, regarding him with wide eyes.
Hiroko smiled benevolently. "Yes, this is our Aki-chan. Isn't she adorable?" She turned to Minami and said, "Since you're already here, would you like to eat with them? I have your breakfast with me as well." She indicated the dishes that remained on her tray.
Minami looked a little panicked. "Oh, I'm not sure about that, I don't want to intrude…"
Yuuri interrupted. "It's fine, Minami-kun. I'd be happy to have you eat with us. Right, Aki?" He gave his daughter a kiss on top of her head, and she looked up at her otousan with adoring eyes.
His mother clapped her hands gently. "There, that's settled." She busily unloaded the remaining dishes, gave a small bow, and stood back up, retreating to the kitchen.
Minami watched her go almost helplessly. He turned to Yuuri and said, "I really don't have to eat here, I don't want to bother you."
Picking up his chopsticks, Yuuri said in a matter-of-fact voice, "It's fine, we both have to eat, don't we? And it's not as if we're strangers. We might as well eat together." He put some rice into his mouth and said, "Besides, Aki seems to like you."
It was true. She was staring at Minami with a solemn look that she rarely used. She seemed to be fascinated with him. He chuckled nervously and said, "I'd love to hold her, if she'd let me."
Yuuri smiled. "We can certainly try it." He lifted Aki out of his lap, placing her on Minami instead. He sat very still, as if frozen, as she stared up at him with that serious look. Then she reached her hand up and tugged sharply on his red lock of hair.
Yuuri couldn't suppress a chuckle. "It seems, at the very least, that she likes your hair."
Minami's face finally relaxed a little, and gradually broke into a grin. "I'm glad she likes it," he said, and picked up his chopsticks. Throughout the meal he kept talking to Aki, and they both seemed fascinated with each other.
By the time Hiroko returned to collect their empty dishes, Yuuri and Minami were chatting freely, mostly discussing the baby. She smiled as she knelt down to the table and said, "Goodness, Yuuri, you certainly seem to be relaxed now."
He smiled sheepishly, surprised to find that it was true. A lot of his anxiety had been lifted by being able to have a normal conversation.
"So, what are you planning to do today?" she asked.
"Hmm, I hadn't really thought much about it. I might just walk around a little bit. I'll probably go to the rink later."
"That sounds lovely. Minami-kun, why don't you go with him? I'm sure Yuuri would like the company."
Minami's eyes widened. "What? Me? Oh, no, I don't want to bother Yuuri-kun. I'm sure he has things to do today."
"But he just said that he didn't. Besides, aren't you here to do the exact same thing he just said he wanted to do today? And I'm sure he could use some company today." She smiled at her son. "I'll even watch Aki-chan. I know you probably could use a break. I remember what it was like to be a new parent."
His eyes misted up from the love behind her offer. He nodded, furiously attempting to regain control of his emotions before he responded. "That does sound like fun, Okaasan. If you'd like to come along, that is, Minami-kun," he added.
Minami looked like he might explode from excitement. "Of course! I'd love to!"
Hiroko smiled. "Well, that's settled, then! Let me take these dishes back to the kitchen, and then I'll be back for Aki-chan." She stood and scuttled away.
Yuuri turned to the younger man with a smile. "Well, then, is there anywhere in particular you were wanting to go? I'm fine with going anywhere, for me it's just nice to be back in Hasetsu."
Minami squirmed a little, looking nervous. "Anywhere is fine with me, too. I'll follow you around. I'm just happy to get to spend some time with you."
Yuuri considered this. "Hmm, all right. Maybe we'll visit the castle and do some shopping, then."
At that moment Hiroko returned and collected Aki from Minami's lap, and after Yuuri gave her a parting kiss, the two men left. They wandered around the town leisurely, heading from store to store. Minami's eyes gleamed with bright excitement the entire time, and Yuuri gradually relaxed a little. It was hard to feel down in the face of such glaring enthusiasm. By the time they sat down on the patio of a restaurant for lunch, Yuuri had nearly forgotten the reason he had come to Hasetsu in the first place. At least, he was trying very hard to forget, and to keep the dark hurt at bay.
As they were finishing their meals, Minami looked at Yuuri with an uncharacteristically serious face and asked, "So, why are you back in Hasetsu, anyway? And why isn't Victor with you?"
Yuuri froze with his fork in midair, his mouth suddenly dry. Slowly, he lowered his hand to his plate. Not looking at his companion, he said softly, "I...came here alone."
Minami quickly waved his hands in front of him. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Yuuri smiled sadly. "No, it's fine. I can't keep avoiding it. The truth is...I left."
"You mean...you left Victor?"
Still not looking up, Yuuri said, even more quietly, "Yes."
"But...but why?"
Yuuri's mouth quirked up in a humorless smirk. Minami just couldn't keep his mouth shut. He supposed that was part of his charm, though. "Well...it just seems like Vitya doesn't need me anymore. Doesn't need either of us. He hasn't had a lot of time for us lately, and I've just been thinking...maybe he'd be better off without the two of us weighing him down. He has a lot of other options, and all I really want is for him to be happy…" He was startled to see drops of liquid fall to his plate, and lifted his hand up to his eyes. His fingers met with moisture, and he realized he was crying. Desperately, he scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to erase them.
"Oh, Yuuri-kun, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!"
Yuuri tried to reassure him, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was a broken sound.
A hand was placed on his back, and a voice spoke in his ear. "Why don't you go wait on that bench over there, beneath the tree? I'll deal with the payment and then come get you. You can have a little privacy." Minami gave him a small push, and Yuuri obediently stood and made his way over to the bench, barely able to see it through his tears. He desperately tried to get control of his emotions, and by the time Minami came to stand in front of him, he was no longer crying. He looked up at his companion and gave him a rather watery smile. "I'm sorry, Minami-kun. I shouldn't have dumped all of that on you."
"No, no, it's fine. I'm glad you felt like you could talk to me." Minami did indeed look delighted, but it was a strange expression mixed with concern and some sadness. He looked around them quickly. "This isn't really a great place to be right now. Should we go to the Ice Castle? We should have more privacy there."
Nodding, Yuuri sniffled and stood up. They fell into step, walking silently until they reached the ice rink. As they entered, Yuuko looked up from the front desk. Taking them in, she exclaimed in surprise, "Yuuri! Is it really you? And Minami-kun! I didn't know you two were here!"
Walking closer, Yuuri tried his best to smile. "I just got here last night, Yuuko-chan. I'd love to chat more later, but for now, is anyone using the rink?"
She shook her head. "No, there's nobody there. If you two want to lace up, I can make sure you have some time to skate alone." She smiled broadly at Yuuri, but her discerning gaze lingered a bit. "Make sure you come talk to me later when you're done, ok?"
He nodded, and managed a small genuine smile. "Thanks, Yuuko-chan."
The two men went to the area where the rental skates were stored, fishing through until they found some that would work. Silently, they both laced up. Yuuri finished first and eagerly stepped out onto the ice.
As soon as his blades touched the frozen surface, he felt his body relax a little. Even just being in the Ice Castle was relaxing for him, but being on the ice had always helped ease his anxiety. He suddenly realized that he hadn't been to a rink since Aki had arrived. For a long time, he simply lost himself in the sensation of gliding smoothly over the ice,
When his consciousness finally returned to him, he remembered that he wasn't alone. He slid to a stop sideways, his skates creating a loud swish of noise in the quiet of the arena.
Minami had been a few feet behind him, and also came to a stop, looking rather startled. He barely managed to halt before running into Yuuri, and stood, panting, mere inches away.
Yuuri backed up a little, his face heating up. "Sorry," he mumbled. "And, Minami-kun...thank you for listening to me earlier, and coming here with me. It helped."
Minami's voice was equally soft as he responded, "Yuuri-kun, I'm so sorry about all of that...but maybe this is an opportunity for you to consider other options?"
Yuuri looked at him sharply. "What do you mean by that?"
Slowly, the younger man slid closer. "I'm just saying...I know you probably don't want to think about this right now, but...well, I feel like I'm not a bad option at all. I would never ignore you like Victor has done, especially if I had an adorable husband and daughter like you two. I just think...you should find someone who can appreciate everything you have to offer." His eyes glazed over, and he reached out to grasp Yuuri's hand, catching it up tenderly between them.
An unpleasant shudder ran up Yuuri's spine as the younger man leaned in closer, clearly intending to kiss him.
A cold, authoritative voice rang across the ice. "Get away from my husband."
Minami froze, and Yuuri's head whipped around to see the person he most and least wanted to see in the world, and his name fell from Yuuri's lips in a fervent whisper.
"Vitya."