Yuuri had taken Makkachin on an early morning run, trying his best not to wake his fiancé as he left their bed. Victor had seemed tired lately, which was understandable considering his return to skating for a final season while simultaneously coaching. Yuuri kept Makkachin out for as long as the dog could last in an effort to give his coach more time alone. When the dog began to pant heavily, Yuuri slowed their pace to a walk and turned their steps towards home, hoping that by the time they got back, Victor would be well-rested.

They entered the apartment as quietly as possible, considering the presence of an overly-excitable poodle. As soon as the door shut behind them, Yuuri realized something was wrong. Kicking his shoes off, he frowned. Why did it smell like something was burning? And was that…smoke coming from the kitchen? Hurriedly, he dashed over, terrified that he had left the stove on last night.

Instead, upon entering the kitchen, he was met with a rather unusual scene. Victor was standing at the counter, wearing an apron. He turned to look at Yuuri and gave an uneasy smile. "Ah, luchik, okaeri!"

Shaking off his surprise, Yuuri exclaimed, "Vitya, this isn't the time for that! Is something burning?"

"Just my love for you, solnyshko."

Scanning the kitchen quickly, Yuuri located the source of the smell. "Vitya, the toaster is on fire!" He dashed over to the sink to get a wet rag as his fiancé laughed uneasily.

"Oh, yes, that. Didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to."

Rushing over and pushing his insane man out of the way, Yuuri threw the wet rag on top of the toaster, watching carefully to see if there would be any more flames. As it began to smoke heavily, he asked, "And what way did you want it to turn out, exactly?"

Victor at least had the grace to look sheepish as he answered. "You've been doing pretty much all the cooking since we moved in together. And now you're even cooking for Yurio one night a week. I just thought that it would be good if I tried to pull my weight a little."

The fire appeared to be completely gone, and the smoke was starting to dissipate. Yuuri judged that it was safe to turn his gaze fully upon his coach now. He looked into Victor's eyes, and was caught a moment by their beauty. He mentally scolded himself. It was no time to give in to his fiancé's charms. He looked deeper and saw in Victor's gaze a gleam of uncertainty, or perhaps anxiety. Yuuri stepped closer and softened his tone. "Why would you worry about that? I'm perfectly happy doing the cooking. We're both good at different things, so it makes sense to divide up the household chores in a way that benefits us both. You're the one who does most of the dishes since I cook, and you always make sure to pick up any extra cleaning. I think that's more than fair." Victor's eyes flickered, and he wondered for a moment if he had overstepped his bounds in their relationship. He was always keenly aware that the apartment they lived in had been Victor's first, and had been only his for years. He didn't want the Russian man to feel like his space was being violated.

But Victor simply wrapped his arms around Yuuri. He buried his face in Yuuri's shoulder and sighed deeply. "Are you sure it doesn't bother you that I don't help with the cooking?"

Yuuri shook his head emphatically, squeezing Victor in return.

"I know we've only been living together for a couple months, but it's already hard to remember how I survived before you came here. It's always just been a place where I lived, but now it feels like home." Victor pulled back a little and smiled. "It probably has something to do with the kitchen actually being used now. I mostly survived off of takeout before."

Glancing over at the still-smoking toaster, Yuuri muttered, "I can see why."

Apparently over his bout of self-pity, Victor laughed merrily. "It's fine, sakharok. We do have a wedding coming up soon. We can just add a toaster to the registry. Besides, what says wedding gift more than a toaster?"

Yuuri shook his head as Victor gave him a heart-shaped grin. A smile tugged at his lips too. "Sounds like a lovely wedding gift. As long as we still have a kitchen left by then."

Victor looked surprised, then chuckled. "I promise to stay away from the other appliances until then." He sealed his promise with a kiss.