Yuuri barked his orders at Phichit and Otabek through the walkie talkie before unmuting his phone and continuing his conversation with Leo. The rescues were on their way to the sanctuary a day earlier than they expected and while everything was set up for them, they had to do the final checks before Yuuri was satisfied. He trusted Otabek and Phichit, though. They worked for him long enough to know his standards and what he expected, so things were going fairly quickly.
Viktor and Yura had been keeping their distance and watching the ongoing scene wide eyed, and Yuuri would feel bad for not taking the time to check in with them if he wasn't so busy. Leo had called him at almost four in the morning, asking if he was able to bring the tigers directly to the sanctuary instead of meeting at their usual spot. Usually the answer would be a no, but with all of the stress they were under even before the flight, Yuuri wanted to get them settled in as soon as possible so they could relax. It helped change his mind that Leo assured him he would be the only one traveling with the animals.
"Leo, are you there?"
"Yeah, I'm still here. It sounds really busy over there."
Yuuri huffed a laugh and put the phone between his ear and shoulder, yanking on his boots with his hands before grabbing it again. "When is it not? I'm about to check in on the enclosures now, but I don't think there'll be a problem with them since I've been supervising both the entire week. It's just the last minute things like making sure there aren't any holes in the fences or there isn't anything we left inside."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out, Yuuri. You always do." There was a muffled voice on the other line and Leo quickly gave him their ETA before hanging up.
"Yuuri, are you there?" Phichit asked from the walkie talkie.
He gave Viktor a sheepish smile when he moved to ask him something and held up an apologetic finger. "Yeah, what's up?"
"There was a pretty big hole in the enclosure where the tigers are going to go so I was wondering if I could use some of that dirt we're saving to fill it up. It's not too close to the gate but I don't want the cubs to get any ideas."
"Do we have an extra bag in case we need it for something else?"
"Yeah, Otabek just looked and he said there's four in total so we should be okay until Guong Hong can buy more."
"Then yeah, go for it. Make sure it doesn't have any of the weed repellent in them though, I mixed it in with one of the bags. I spray painted an x on the outside so you should be able to tell."
"Alright, I'll do that now. Oh! Otabek wanted to know if he should fill up the water trays or wait until they're settled in a little bit."
"Do it now, I don't want to bother them for the next couple days so they can get settled in."
"Got it."
Yuuri glanced at the Russian's and took off his sweatshirt, knowing the weather would be several degrees warmer than the air conditioned house. "Did you need something? I'm going to do a final check at the elephant's enclosure. It'll take a while, so let me know now if you do."
They exchanged glances and Yuuri frowned when Yura scoffed and turned away from his brother. Did they have an argument?
"I was wondering if we'd be able to watch them once they got here. You know, since we helped build their new home."
The subtle reminder of their work wasn't lost on him and he eyed him sharply. "Watch? What do you mean?"
"I wanted to see their reaction to the enclosures and how they act once they're free. It's okay if we can't, though. I just thought I'd ask." Viktor smiled at him and something seemed off about it, but Yuuri was far too busy to delve in any deeper.
Sighing, he nodded his head and clipped his walkie talkie to his belt. "Fine, but you have to stay with Otabek and Phichit outside of the gates. You can't make any loud noises, either. They're going to be stressed enough with the new environment and hearing all of the other animals nearby."
The man beamed at him and stepped forward, his arms up as if he wanted to hug him before they fell to his sides awkwardly. "That's more than enough," he assured with a grin. "We're just happy being able to see our work put to good use."
"Uh. Right." Otabek's voice came out of the speaker and he waved at them over his shoulder as he made his way outside. "Guong Hong is in the living room if you have any questions."
Yura gave him a nod of thanks and stalked towards the sink, grabbing a glass and filling it with water as he glared at his partner. Yuuri was sure there was something going on with them and he hoped they could figure it out on their own because the last thing any of them needed was an ongoing argument with their only volunteers for the next three weeks.
Leo was, as ever, a grinning mess of a man. Yuuri laughed as he was yanked forward, patting his friend on the back a few times before he stepped away and examined the large truck. There were already roars coming from inside, along with a few smaller sounds that he pinpointed to the two cubs.
"Is that mom and her cubs?"
Leo inclined his head, face growing more serious. "Yeah, the sedatives started wearing off an hour ago. They're still pretty slow and weak though so I don't think it'll be a problem once they get into their enclosures. They'll probably sleep the rest of the day, is what the doctor told me."
"That's good. Did they tell you anything else to watch out for?"
His friend stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a slip of folded paper, handing it to him with a grimace. "Some of the mom's injuries might take a while to heal yet, so Dr. Higgins wanted me to give this to Celestino. It's just a summary of things to monitor over the course of the next month or so to see how she's healing. I have a USB too, with more specifics and what treatments they had her on before coming." He quickly dug it out from his pocket and handed it to him.
Yuuri nodded his thanks and made sure the USB was secured in his pocket before quickly skimming through the list. It wasn't anything he was surprised about seeing as how she came from a zoo, but it still made his gut churn with disgust at how cruel some people could be. "I'll give this to Ciao Ciao once he comes back. He should be flying in tonight with Minako."
Leo's lips twitched playfully. "Did they get together yet?"
He smirked and gave a chuckle of his own. "Not yet, I don't think. They claimed that they 'met up with each other' in the airport."
"Did Phichit start a betting pool yet?"
"Of course he did. I'm sure he's falling over himself to add you to the group chat."
Leo faked a groan. "Another one?"
"Exactly what we tried telling him. Anyway, Guong Hong said to send you to his office once you got here. Sounded like he had a surprise for you."
Brown eyes lit with interest and Leo gave him another warm smile as he headed to the other building. The tigers vocalized their distress and Yuuri gestured for Phichit to come closer. Viktor and Yura were already outside, with the latter a few steps closer than he would've liked but not enough to chastise him on. Viktor was watching them with a careful smile and Yuuri raised an eyebrow when he caught his eye.
The older Russian was the most excitable by far, at least from what he'd seen, so it was odd that Yuri wasn't as enthusiastic as his brother. There was a heavy thump on the side of the truck and he switched his focus effortlessly.
"Phichit, when I say 'go,' raise the truck doors. I'm going to drop the enclosure doors behind them and make sure they can't get out." He sent a stern look towards the Russians and nodded to Otabek. "You two make sure you're close to him. I doubt it will happen, but if they somehow manage to get out he has a tranquilizer that he's trained on how to use."
"Got it."
"Alright then." Yuuri grabbed the top of the gate to the enclosure and pulled it up with both of his hands, making sure that it was wide enough for all of them to fit into and that it was flush against the truck door before giving Phichit the go ahead.
The mother flew out first, her babies scrambling after her and Yuuri quickly brought the gate back down and twisted the key into the lock. Phichit gave him a wave before starting the truck again and he nodded his thanks before turning his attention back on his new priorities.
The mother was in better shape than he imagined, not that that was saying much. She was far too skinny for her age and she had a heavy limp in her hind leg, but it wasn't something that proper nutrition and a few trips to Ciao Ciao wouldn't fix. Her cubs were malnourished too, but they didn't seem to have any other blatant injuries. Still, he would make sure Ciao Ciao looked them over at the first chance the man got. Their previous owner probably held them in a higher regard than the mother since they were still young and, in their eyes, trainable.
"Why are they doing that?" Yura asked suddenly.
"Doing what?"
"They're not walking right. And they keep patting the ground."
Yuuri smiled sadly and watched as the mother eyed them carefully, placing herself between them and her children. "They've never felt grass or dirt before. All they've known was steel and cement, so of course they're going to be hesitant at first. That's how Vicchan was when he first got here, too."
"Really? That beast?" Viktor asked dubiously.
Yuuri snorted and gave him an amused smile. "Vicchan was bred in a zoo. They had grass, but he'd never experienced dirt or mud beforehand. It took him a while to get accustomed to it but now he loves to roll around in it after it rains. Lord knows what a mess me makes out of his fur, but he's happy and that's all that matters to me."
"Huh." Yura's lips spread into a small smile, as if he was imagining the animal rolling in a large puddle of mud.
They spent a few more minutes watching the tigers pad along the enclosure, the cubs frolicking in the taller grass and then rushing to catch up with their mother when she chuffed at them. Yuuri's shoulders relaxed as the seconds went on with the small family exploring, and the next breath he took came easier. He always got nervous when they were receiving new animals. There were so many things that could go wrong, whether it be during the travels or during the transition period.
He knew the tigers still needed a lot of work to get used to their new lives and new caretakers, and he'd follow their lead as he did with all of the others he took under his wing. Now, watching them as they trudged to the back of the enclosure where there were a few trees, he clapped his hands softly and turned on his heel. This was something they should experience without bystanders.
"Let's head back. Us observing their every move isn't going to get them to relax any time soon and I want them to settle down as much as they can. They've been to hell and back and it's about time they get some rest and privacy."
Yura frowned but was the first to turn around, sending a dark look towards Viktor before walking to the house with his chin in the air and hands resting in his pockets. Otabek gave him a smile and clapped him on the shoulder before following and Yuuri watched as he took longer strides than necessary to catch up with the shorter man.
Yuuri waited until they were out of hearing range before leveling an inquisitive look at Viktor. "What was that about?"
"Hm? What was what about?"
"You and your brother. Did something happen between the two of you?"
The man waved him off easily. "Nothing worth mentioning. By the way, is this the usual? How you do things here?"
Yuuri gave him a look that clearly said he recognized the topic change for what it was, but he humored the man. "There is no usual when it comes to the animals. Each and every one of them is different and came from different backgrounds. We learn about them as much as we can and then build them something as close to their authentic home as we can get. It really depends on the situation, but if you're asking if we take this much time to prepare for them, then yes."
Viktor fell silent for a few seconds before a bright laugh slipped through his lips. He spun on his heel so he was walking backwards and grinned at him. "I know I said this before, but you really are incredible, Yuuri. Absolutely amazing. I'm glad I got to meet you."
Yuuri blushed and played it off with a laugh. "I'm not anything special. Someone should take care of them when they're being mistreated and I can, so I do. It's not that unusual, is it?"
Viktor chuckled and linked their arms together, leading the way. "It's something very unusual. But the good kind. The kind that's rare these days."
Yuuri licked his lips and tried not to focus on the muscles he could feel through their thin shirts. "Oh."
The Russian eyed him out of the corner of his eye with a secretive smile, but thankfully didn't mention his supposed uniqueness anymore than that. They made light talk the rest of the way and as soon as they entered the house, Yuuri gave the excuse of cleaning out Momo and Marley's jungle room to get some time alone.
He could feel their stares on his back, but calming his pounding heart and heated cheeks took priority. Yuuri couldn't let himself fall for the man, not when they only had a few weeks left together. He didn't even know anything about him, for crying out loud! It wasn't like Viktor would move across the world to stay with him and raise all of the animals, and even if he was willing Yuuri couldn't bring himself to ask him.
There was too much on the line and his animals needed him far more than he needed someone else's intimate company, no matter how much he selfishly wished for it. He already had his friends with him, and that was more than enough to satisfy his occasional, bone deep loneliness.
It had to be.
