"You guys are going to be put to work for the next week or so, so this is the only outing to town you'll get for a while. We're going to the market to get some stuff but I figured you could say hi to your aunt or whoever it was that you came to visit. Two birds, one stone and all that."

Yuri gave Viktor a sidelong look and nodded to their guide. Thankfully, Phichit had tagged along with them but he was ninety percent sure it was because of the faces he made when he saw the other man waiting in the car for him.

"Okay. How will we know where to meet up? Are you going to give us our phones back?"

Otabek reached over and stretched until his hand grazed the floor of the car. Yuri jumped when his hand brushed his bare ankle and a hot flush lit up his face and neck when the man raised an eyebrow at him. He thought he saw his lips quirk up into a smirk but he didn't trust himself with the glare of the sun and the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself in front of everyone. Still, he crossed his ankles and discreetly rubbed the spot where he'd touched with the heel of his other foot, trying to rid the skin of the goosebumps.

Viktor gave him a look, something he totally would've snapped at if it hadn't been for Otabek clearing his throat.

"There's phones in there that we let our volunteers use whenever we go out or work in different stations at the sanctuary. That won't be happening since you two will be working with us the whole time, but we do need to get supplies for getting the enclosures ready and won't be able to give you the tour."

It was weird to hear him talk so much at once. Yuri had figured that he was socially awkward or something, had considered him having some sort of stutter or speaking problem, but his voice was deep and smooth and he blinked when he stopped talking, jolting back to reality when the silence cut through the trance he didn't notice.

Viktor unzipped the black bag and pulled out the phones, making a face as he pried it apart with his forefinger and thumb. "Um, do you have any other ones? I haven't used flip phones since I was a kid and I don't remember how to text on them."

"That won't be a problem. The only function it has is to call people and our numbers are already programmed into it. It has a long battery life so you shouldn't have a problem with that either."

"Why can't we have our own phones? This could be considered harassment and-"

Phichit made a buzzing sound and crossed his arms as he turned around. "Wrong. You guys signed the papers and in the documents it specifically layed out our requirements that the volunteers don't bring any of their own technology unless strictly necessary. They used to be more lenient in the past, but some jerk wad took pictures and tried to release it and I'm not even going to try to tell you what a mess that was, because I still get headaches thinking about it."

There was an awkward pause and Viktor nudged his foot with his own, giving a subtle shake of his head when he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Anyway, we'll be going around the market all day but we'll be bringing the car to load our supplies in so whenever you're done just look for us and we'll let you in so you can rest. Sound good?"

"Yes, thank you. And I'm sorry that you guys had to go through that in the past, it's terrible." Viktor told them, as sincerely as his fake smile let him.

Otabek grunted and Phichit waved a hand, turning back to the phone that he was typing on. "It's fine now, but there's a reason why we do the things we do. Just don't let Yuuri or Seung Gil hear you, they'll blow a fuse."

"Oh?"

"We're already here, so make sure you have your wallets and phones." Otabek interrupted, blatantly ignoring their unspoken question. "Most locals come to the markets so I'm sure you'll be able to talk to your relative for a bit while we do our own thing. Just remember that you're under oath not to speak of anything you've seen at the sanctuary."

Yuri's stomach clenched and he pushed the sudden stab of guilt out of his mind. "Okay."

Viktor got out of the car before him and he scrambled to catch up with his long strides, throwing a glare over his shoulder when he heard Phichit laughing. They didn't even know where they were going for fucks sake and he was over there walking as if he knew the place like the back of his hand.

"Viktor! Wait for me, you ass!"

The older man groaned but slowed his pace, wincing when Yuri slapped his arm. "Sorry, but I wanted to get away from them. Do you think they know why we're here?"

"I don't think so, they're probably just giving us a subtle warning or something like that."

Viktor groaned and swept his hair back with his hand. "Was it just me or did that make you feel guilty, too?"

"... It did. But we didn't even do anything so we shouldn't-"

"I hope I didn't hear you right, Plisetsky. I know you're both excited to be here, but keep in mind that you've been on the clock the second you stepped off the plane."

They turned to face the approaching woman and Viktor quickly moved in to give her a hug, whispering something that had her rolling her eyes before giving him a pat on the back. She moved to him next and Yuri stared at her, puzzled as she gestured for him to come closer.

"I don't want a hug! Stay away from me you hag!"

Lilia glared at him and he flinched when her hand drew him in sharply, her hands slapping his back harshly instead of resembling any sort of greeting. "Follow your team captain's lead, idiot. We're in public and the forms say that we're related. I'm your loving aunt, remember?"

He pulled away and rubbed his sore back as far up as he could reach. "Hmph. Whatever."

"Come on, I'll buy you something to eat and then we'll go to a small park nearby."

"Do they have-"

"No."

Viktor frowned down at her as they shuffled through the crowd. "You didn't even know what I was going to say."

"We're in Africa, Viktor. I doubt whatever kind of Russian meal you're thinking of is made here."

"What if I wanted bread?"

"It depends on what kind."

"I want cinnamon buns."

"Well, you're going to have to make it yourself here."

Yura trudged behind them, his hands in his pockets as he looked around curiously. He saw a small booth with key chains and made a beeline for it when he saw a tiger. The man smiled kindly at him and spoke in a heavily accented language.

"Um…" His cheeks flushed when the man frowned and cocked his head. He pulled the key chain off of the rack and set it down, then a couple more after that when he saw a lion's silhouette as well as a panther that reminded him of the one he met the previous day. "How much for these?"

Again, the reply was foreign to his ears and he regretted not trying to learn at least the basics before he left. They were stuck in a standstill and he shifted when the man tried to speak a little slower. He said something to Yuri and he froze when he pointed at his wallet. Did he want to take the money himself? But how did he know he wouldn't be scammed? The key chains glinted in the sunlight and he mumbled a sharp curse in his native tongue before reaching for it. Yuri held it out stiffly, watching the man's smile grow as he reached for it. A firm hand encased his wrist and drew it back, making him stumble along with it and into a hard chest.

"Hey, what are you-"

Otabek glared at him and stuffed his hand in his back pocket, and Yuri's jaw dropped when he saw him pull out a handful of coins. He had over two hundred in his wallet and that man was about to take all of it? He sneered and fought Otabek's hold, biting insults ready on his tongue. Again, he easily restrained his attempts and huffed at the glower he got.

"Calm down, you don't know what would've happened if you gave him your wallet. This isn't like Russia, we're in a small community and faces are easy to remember so crime rates are low." Otabek grabbed the small bag and gave the man a nod, letting go of him as he walked in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going? And give me that!" Yuri snatched the bag away and narrowed his eyes at his back. He waited a minute before taking out the first key chain he touched out of the bag, laying it in his palm and tilting it so it caught the sunlight. He smiled, pleased at the way it glimmered.

Otabek turned away before he was caught looking, an amused smirk making its way onto his face as he watched the blonde trace the engravings. "Where's your partner? I thought you guys were going to meet up with your aunt."

"Hm? I think she was showing him a park or something. Why?"

"We're almost done getting everything we need from here. A lot of the materials weren't in stock so we're going to have to order them online."

"We start working tomorrow, right? Do you know what it is that we'll be doing?"

"I thought Yuuri explained it already."

"Well, if he did I forgot." Yuri shrugged unabashedly and quickly changed his direction when he saw a dream catcher. It was red and black with a hint of a dark purple in there, embroidery of a savannah on the large face of it. He was sure Mila would like it and even if she didn't, he'd just take it for himself. The woman had a paper that held translations for the prices, and he sent Otabek a smug look as he paid for it.

"You're that kind of shopper, huh?"

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he said. "Nothing at all. Come on, Phichit's waiting in the car. I guess Viktor found him already so we better go before he drags him into some crazy idea?"

"Viktor or Phichit?"

Otabek snorted and Yura almost smiled at how pleased it made him to have done that. "We'll see."

They walked a little closer together on the way back, and even though no words were shared other than the man pointing out shops he might like, Yuri thought that maybe the stay wouldn't be as annoying as he thought it would be.

Even with those damned work boots.

Yuri expected the work to be hard, tedious even. He had prepared himself for the alarms waking him up right at sunrise and had imagined the languid bustling movement that would happen while he ate with the others. Hell, he kind of looked forward to it. As it turned out, all of his thoughts had been put to shame and he swallowed an agitated scream as the next round continued.

He groaned and pulled the pillow up over his head, trying to drown out all of the noises from outside. He had no idea how the rest of the staff slept with all of the roaring and chirping and the high pitched, giggle whines that the hyena's made, but he gave them major kudos for it. Viktor had already given up and was sitting up in bed, staring at the wall blankly with droopy eyes. His shirt was missing and he had lines on his chest and face from how he had fallen asleep, and Yuri would've had the time of his life making fun of him if it hadn't been for his own sanity being compromised as well.

There was a sharp series of knocks on their door and he blearily glared in the general direction when it was opened with a flourish. Phichit stood there with Otabek, who looked far more awake than he had the right to be considering the time. Both were already dressed, heavy duty jeans and plain shirts that he figured they wouldn't miss if they got damaged.

"Good morning!" Phichit sang cheerfully. "It's time to start waking up, so get dressed and come down for breakfast. Yuuri and Guong Hong are making pancakes and french toast, so hurry up before we eat it all."

"But the sun isn't even-"

Phichit cackled as he walked away and Otabek gave him a smirk, tapping the doorway twice before following the other man. Yuri seethed at the condescending look and pushed the blankets aside roughly, grumbling curses under his breath as he tore a pair of jeans out from his suitcase and tugged them on.

"I don't recall signing away my rights to sleep." Viktor voiced idly, half falling out of his bed to copy him.

Yuri snorted and forced his arms through his shirt, cursing when he slipped and banged his elbow on the wall. "That's what we get for not reading the fine print, I guess."

Viktor paused and glanced at him from over his shoulder. "You didn't read the fine print?"

He stared at him incredulously, mood souring when another string of roaring met his ears. Phichit yelled at them to hurry up from down stairs and Viktor laughed at the face he made, grabbing him by the shoulders and leading him out.

The energy in the kitchen was completely different from the days before, and Yuri realized that they've never witnessed the group actually working before. The boy who was paying bills when they first arrived was tending the stove, flipping pancakes and making sure the french toast wasn't burning while laughing at something Phichit told him. Katsuki was bringing out the condiments and he did a double take when he saw how built the man was. He knew he wouldn't be out of shape because of his job, but still. The muscles the guy had on him weren't bulging or anything like that, but it was definitely enough to take notice of and he wondered if he'd be putting on some extra muscle of his own before he left.

Breakfast started in the same manner, an organized mess as the tenants moved around each other. Viktor and himself had been told to stay at the table by both Phichit and Katsuki and even when he tried to get up to help them with a plate piled with french toast, Otabek forced him back down with his shoulders.

He tilted his head up to give him a glare, startling when he realized how close the man's face was to his own. They both paused and Yuri could feel something stirring in his chest. Otabek quickly grabbed a plate from the stack in front of him and sat down beside Phichit, a pang of disappointment going through him at the changed seating. Yuri frowned down at the table. What was going on with him?

Katsuki allowed them a few minutes to eat and chat, taking a quick drink of orange juice before he cleared his throat. "I thought I'd get today's plan out of the way since we're all here already. Otabek, I gave the blueprint and sketches to you right?"

"I have them in my pocket. I made a couple of copies too, just in case."

"Great, thank you. Anyway, we have two main projects that need to be done by next week. My friend found some animals being abused and neglected in the entertainment industry, so we're going to transfer them here."

Viktor leaned forwards on his elbows, a darkly serene expression coating his face. "What kind of animals are they? And how badly were they mistreated?"

"Our main priorities right now are the tigers and the elephant. There's also four lions, but they'll be coming at a later date since they need to receive treatment before they can board a plane."

"I see."

Yuri brought a knee to rest under his chin, folding an arm around it. "Phichit and Otabek mentioned enclosures. Is that what we'll be doing? Building them?"

Katsuki nodded. "Yeah, but we're going to work in teams instead of all together since the time is short. I have to work on the tiger enclosure since there's things I have to make sure it has and Otabek already agreed on preparing the one for the elephant. You guys can choose who you want to work with. It doesn't really matter as long as things get done."

Viktor jumped at the opportunity, hastily agreeing to work with Katsuki. "I'll work with you! I'm stronger than Yuri is, so I think the two of us can get the work done faster. I may not look like it, but I'm good at taking directions."

Yuri made a quiet, disgusted noise and cut a piece of his pancakes to shovel into his mouth. He heard a snicker and whipped his head in the direction, flushing when he saw Otabek's amusement. Seriously, what the fuck was going on with him?

"Are you okay with working with Otabek?"

He made sure not to make eye contact with anyone, mumbling his consent around the food in his mouth. Besides, all he had to do was sneak a few pictures of their progress anyway, right? If he was lucky he could probably snap some of the animals and how well they were cared for, but he didn't want to push his luck. Not yet, anyway.

And all it came down to lifting a few things and nailing them together, right? Yuri could do that in his sleep… Probably.

Viktor was grateful Yuri followed his lead. He trusted him, sure, but Yuri still struggled to separate his personal feelings from work when it came down to it. Not that he was the best, but he at least had a decade of experience on the other man. Lilia had told him quite bluntly what was expected of him and he still shuddered at her thinly veiled threats.

"Here. Make sure you hide these from everyone staying in that house with you."

Viktor grabbed the small box curiously, stiffening at what was inside. There were two cameras, one for each of them, along with four flash drives. "What is this?"

"Yakov figured your things would be confiscated upon your arrival, so he told me to get these for you in advance."

"There's no way we can carry these around. We'll be found out within a day, and that's if we're lucky. The rumors about the security there weren't lying, we've been walking on eggshells since we got there."

Lilia cocked a disbelieving eyebrow. "I just saw a man help Yuri out with paying for something. You also looked pretty chummy with the other one, too. You can understand why I'm not sold on what you're saying."

Viktor groaned and ran a hand through his hair, putting the cover back on the box before anyone could see them. "The CEO is different from them, he's welcoming and kind of naive but his staff make up for it tenfold. We hear one of his friends walking the halls almost every hour of the night. We're doing our best to come off as friendly and trustworthy, but that's hard to do when you know the truth."

"Viktor. This is a job, just like any other. Yakov won't care about your personal feelings and neither do I. Just take some good pictures, write up a few pages about your experience and put them on the flash drives before you return them to me so they won't get found out. It's not rocket science."

Viktor's stomach churned and he kept his face perfectly blank. That was easy for her to say. She didn't see what was going on, didn't have the conversations and laughs with them like Yuri and himself had. Sure the two of them hadn't spent long in the house, but it was more welcoming than any other place he'd been to and whether he wanted to notice it or not, it was always thrown back in his face when he had conversations like these with his so-called work colleagues.

"I'll do my best, but I won't promise anything." He stood up without looking at her, clenching his jaw when she grabbed his wrist.

"Just a reminder, Viktor. Anything but your best may land you in prison for life."

"-ktor? Viktor? Viktor!"

He jolted to attention, standing briskly as he looked around. Yuuri was standing by the door, a gentle smile and questioning eyes facing him. "Are you alright? If you're not feeling well I can ask someone else to help me."

He waved his hands frantically in front of him. "No, no! I'm totally fine, I was just daydreaming. Sorry about that."

Yuuri eyed him for a little longer. "Alright, but let me know if you start feeling sick. You guys aren't used to the heat here yet and the last thing I want is for you guys to get heat stroke."

Warmth spread through him at the man's attentive kindness and he had a strayward thought, wondering if all other workplaces had this kind of atmosphere. "I'll be okay. So what are we doing today?"

Yuuri held the door open for him and he squinted when he followed him out, the sun beaming down on them. "We have to measure the perimeter first, and then we'll spray paint over that. We'll have a break after that and depending on the time, we might be able to pull some weeds and take care of any anthills and things like that."

"I see. How big is this one going to be?"

"Roughly the same size as the others, give or take a mile. They've been cooped up in cages their entire life so I want them to have somewhere where they can run around and play."

Viktor silently agreed with the sentiment.

It was noisy as ever that day as well, and the more animals that saw Yuuri the more sounds they made. It was endearing to watch the man and he found himself following his actions rather than the words he was saying. He broke off in the middle of his sentences to crouch and give attention to the animals, talking to them as if they were as intelligent as they were. Viktor had assumed some of it had been for show the first day, a 'look how much I care for the animals' thing. Maybe not everything that he'd done, but some of it at least. Viktor had never known someone to be completely true to themselves before, everybody he worked with had an arsenal of masks for the picking.

Yuuri, however, didn't seem to have even one. It was jarring, spellbinding almost to witness someone who was so true and confident in themselves that they didn't have a care what other people thought, working only in the direction towards their goal.

Viktor wondered idly if he could ever be like that.

The small camera jolted in the fanny pack Yuuri provided for them to carry water and their walkie talkie, and he sighed resignedly. Lillia was right. He was breaking the law right now, and as much as he liked Yuuri and the work he did, he couldn't imagine himself going to prison and leaving his Makka behind.

Yuuri gave him more instructions once they got to the vacant area along with two cans of spray paint. They worked better than he thought they would, the man being clear with his instructions and both of them putting in all of their effort to make sure it was perfect. If there was anything he had to complain about, it was the heat. They weren't joking about the weather and he was in disbelief that they did such grueling work on a day to day basis.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand after taking a drink from his water, smiling tiredly when Yuuri flopped down next to him. "It's hard to imagine you doing this all day every day."

Yuuri laughed and shook his head. "I just do what I have to do. Personally, I don't care about getting all gross and dirty for a handful of days. As long as the animals have somewhere safe and peaceful they can live the rest of their lives out that's all that matters."

Viktor stared down at his hands. "You're amazing."

"No I'm not. I'm just another person out there who's doing what they can to achieve their dream."

"And what is your dream, Yuuri? I mean, you already own the world's biggest and secretive sanctuary. You take care of more animals than I can keep track of and you yourself go look for more that are in need of help, even if it means you have to stay up to make sure everything is in order."

He tilted his head a little and crossed his arms, leaning back so he was flush with the grass. Viktor shakily brought out his camera, his heart pounding in his ears as he quickly hid it underneath his thigh.

"My dream, huh? I don't know. Are we going for realism or ideality?"

"Both."

He hummed and thought for a minute, giving Viktor a chance to position the camera as stealthily as he could. The first 'click' seemed like it was a roll of thunder instead of a quick snap and he quickly turned his head to Yuuri, silently letting out his breath when he didn't move or jump to accuse him.

"Realistically, I want to help as many animals as I can. Maybe I'll open another sanctuary or two in the years to come, but right now I want to focus on making this one the best it can be. Everyone has a history here, employees, volunteers, the animals. It would be so easy to take that all away and use it for public entertainment or to make a marketing plan with it. You see that all the time with other sanctuaries where half of it is turned into a zoo or something." He shook his head, the darkness in his eyes turning lighter when he met his own.

"In a perfect world, I'd want no reason for sanctuaries to even exist. I'd want for them to live happily and freely in the environment made for them that humans ruined for their own satisfaction. Poachers and canned hunting wouldn't be a thing and there would be mutual respect on both sides of the spectrum. They already respect us, it's us who need to return it."

"You… you must really love them, huh?"

"Of course I do. They're my family."

He shifted to stand as well and brushed off his knees. "How did you even start this place? Did you decide to build it by yourself or did you have sponsors of any sort? What college did you graduate from?"

Yuuri gave him an odd look, smiling hesitantly as he walked back towards the space they were working on. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you were interrogating me." Viktor swallowed dryly, words to play it off as a joke ready on his tongue. Luckily, the man was committed to his work and picked up the paint cans from the grass.

"Let's go, we only have a few hours left while the sun is up and I want us to be finished with painting so it can dry overnight."

"Right, yeah. I'm right behind you." He gave it another moment to shove the camera back in his fanny pack, hurrying to catch up to him when he was falling behind. A lioness made eye contact with him from a few yards away, her eyes shining with wisdom. Viktor bit his lip and turned his head.

He didn't have time to think about these things. This was a job, just like Lilia had said. So what if their boss was the most attractive man he'd seen? There were other people out there, a bunch of people who caught his eye enough to have a fling. This was no different and Viktor would lose interest sooner or later.

He would.

Right?

Phichit lifted his head when they walked in, absentmindedly playing tug of war with a shoelace Marley had found. Leo was still talking to him and he asked him to hold on a minute while he muted the phone.

"You guys came back in one piece! Congrats! How's it feel to be a full blown worker now?"

The blonde Yuri glared at him, chest heaving as he wiped his sweaty hair away. He staggered when he took off his boots and Otabek held his arm steady when it looked like he was going to fall.

"Don't talk to me," he hissed at them. "I'm exhausted, hungry and I need a shower and sleep. Good night."

Viktor, at least, was in a bit better shape than him. He was only panting lightly and even though the bottom of his shirt was damp with the sweat he'd wiped from his forehead, he didn't think he'd overexerted himself to the point of exhaustion. He'd have a hell of a time moving at first with the sore muscles, but that was something they'd have to get used to while they stayed with them.

"Well, make sure to stretch before you go to bed tonight. We're going to work on putting up the framework for the gates."

Viktor groaned and slumped against the wall to catch his breath. "Do we get to sleep in at least?"

"Sure, we can give you another half hour. You'd have to work an extra hour before you can have dinner, though."

"What?"

Phichit shrugged with a gleeful smile. "One of the house rules. Yuuri made it when someone who volunteered here kept taking advantage of the hours. He slept just as much as he worked, even more than that, actually. So because of that, for every half an hour you sleep you have to do an extra hour of work." He laughed at his face and shifted to peek behind him. "Anyway, where's Yuuri?"

"He went to make sure they didn't leave anything on the grass. He should be back any minute now." Otabek told him. "I'm going to go shower quick, I'll be down when I'm done."

He waved his hand and grabbed the phone. "'Kay. Tell blondie to come and eat once he's done. You too, Viktor. You should wash up before you get even more sore."

Viktor took his advice and flashed him a smile before slowly trudging up the stairs, groaning as his muscles protested the movement. He heard the door opening and closing as he reached the top of the stairs, a mumbled conversation following. He could have listened in if he tried, but he was more focused on washing off all of the grime and dirt his skin had gathered from throughout the day.

Yuri was already in the shower across the hall and he mumbled his gratitude to the person who designed the house with multiple bathrooms available. He grimaced as he watched the water turn murky, rubbing his skin harder with the loofah he'd brought to make sure nothing remained. The work was hard and his back ached from bending over so much, but there was a sense of accomplishment that he hadn't felt since he first started publishing his articles. That alone was enough for him to look forward to the next was a thump on the other side of the door and seconds after Yuri's muffled curse. Viktor laughed, his partner's threats aimed his way only making his amusement grow.

He was looking forward to the rest of his stay, even if there were tendrils of guilt already starting to creep into his subconscious.