The Baby Question
"Mmm, something smells good." Yuuri came up behind Viktor at the stove, wrapping his arms around his husband and rising on his toes to look over his shoulder to see what he was cooking. "Katsudon? What's the occasion?"
"Can't I just want to make my wonderful husband his favorite meal every once in a while?" Viktor asked, glancing back at him with a far-too-innocent smile Yuuri had learned not to trust.
"Maybe I would believe that if you didn't want something every time you make it outside my birthday and our wedding anniversary." And after Yuuri won a gold medal, but as they were both now retired from competitive skating, that wasn't a legitimate reason any more.
Viktor pouted. "Fine, you don't want it? I'll just throw this away and we can have salad for lunch instead…"
"No, don't you dare!" Yuuri practically shouted as Viktor started to lift the frying pan off the burner.
"That's what I thought," Viktor said, laughing. He set the pan back down and reached for a small bowl of beaten eggs he had prepared earlier. "It's almost ready, so will you set the table?"
"Sure."
Yuuri pecked Viktor on the cheek before grabbing two pairs of chopsticks from the container where they stored them. He set them on the small dining table, along with napkins, and poured a couple of glasses of tea. A few minutes later, Viktor brought two steaming hot bowls of katsudon to the table, and they sat down across from each other. They repeated the usual before-meal blessing, then dug in, Yuuri moaning as soon as he took the first bite.
"Good?" Viktor asked.
Yuuri nodded, grabbing another piece of the pork cutlet with his chopsticks. "Your best yet!" It still wasn't quite as good as his mother's, but over the years, Viktor had definitely improved from his first disastrous attempts at learning the cherished family recipe.
Viktor grinned and took a bite from his own bowl.
"So, Yuuri…"
He paused, chopsticks suspended in mid-air. Here it was.
"What is it this time?" Yuuri asked, somewhat wearily. He never knew quite what to expect when Viktor pulled out the "katsudon" card, but it was almost always something big, for better or for worse. The last time Viktor had made him the special meal, they ended up becoming the new owners of his childhood rink, Ice Castle, with the intention of opening their own skating school sometime next year.
"Well, I've been thinking… Don't you think it's time we had a baby?"
Choking on the bit of rice he had eaten, Yuuri grabbed his glass and took a couple of large gulps of tea to wash it down. "A b-baby?"
"Yes!" His mouth went heart-shaped as he smiled brightly, his eyes practically sparkling like an old-school anime character.
Yuuri cleared his throat, swiping his napkin across his lips to clear away the crumbs. "Um, I know I've joked before about you being so hot that you could make me pregnant, but…"
"Just because we both have a penis doesn't mean we can't have children," Viktor said. "There are options for us. We could try to adopt, or maybe even look into surrogacy…"
Well, yes, on an intellectual level, Yuuri had known there were ways for them to have kids if they ever decided that was something they wanted, but the idea of becoming a father had never really been on his radar.
"Vitya…" Yuuri reached across the table for one of Viktor's hands, tenderly brushing his thumb over his knuckles. "Is this sudden desire for a child because of Makkachin?" he asked softly. Their beloved poodle had passed away six months ago of old age. "I know you miss her – I do, too – but a human baby… It's a lot more work than taking care of a dog."
"I know. And it's not because I miss Makkachin, even though I do." He closed his eyes, taking a moment to compose himself before continuing. "I've actually been thinking about it for a while," Viktor admitted, his face becoming more serious. "I'm getting older now, and…"
"Thirty isn't old."
"Tell that to Yurio. Did you see that meme he tagged me in this morning?"
"Yurio's just messing with you. You know that."
"That doesn't change the fact that I am getting older, and I'd like to be young enough to enjoy our kids."
"But we never really talked about… I mean, a baby is a huge responsi–"
Yuuri's phone chose that moment to ring, Yuuko's name flashing across the screen when he pulled it out of his pocket. "Mind if I take this?" he asked, grateful for the temporary distraction. "It could be important."
Viktor sighed. "Go ahead."
He answered the call. "Hey, Yuuko, what's up?"
"Oh, Yuuri, I'm so glad I got a hold of you! I need a big favor," Yuuko said, the desperation evident in her voice. "I know it's kind of last minute, but I didn't know who else to ask. My parents are out of town, visiting my aunt, Takeshi's dad has that sprained ankle and needs his rest, Minako is going out on some hot date, Mari's attending a concert, your parents are busy as usual with the onsen –"
"Whoa, okay, slow down," Yuuri said, getting the picture. "What kind of favor do you need?"
On the other end of the line, he heard Yuuko take in a deep breath to calm herself. "We need a babysitter for tonight. It's our anniversary, and Takeshi and I were supposed to go out on a date to celebrate, but our usual sitter just canceled because she's sick with the flu. Please tell me you and Viktor are free!"
"What is it?" Viktor asked.
Yuuri pulled the phone away and lowered his voice. "Yuuko needs a babysitter for tonight," he explained before bringing the phone back to his ear. "Um, I'm really sorry, Yuuko, but I'm afraid we already have pl–"
Reaching across the table, Viktor snatched Yuuri's phone right out of his hand. "Yuuko? Yes, Yuuri and I would be delighted to watch the girls for you!"
"Vitya!" Eyes widening in shock, Yuuri brought his voice back down to a whisper. "Did you forget that we have that interview tonight over FaceTime?" A reporter from International Figure Skating magazine planned to write a feature article about Yuuri's life back in Japan after retirement and the new skating school he and Viktor were planning to open.
Viktor waved it off as nothing. "Oh, we can always reschedule that. Your friends are in need!"
"We really are!" Even though the phone wasn't on speaker, Yuuko spoke loud enough that even Yuuri could hear. "Please, Yuuri! You have no idea how much we need a date night. I'm begging you!"
Sighing, Yuuri motioned for Viktor to give him back his phone. "Okay, fine," he agreed. He hadn't been looking forward to the interview anyway. Besides, Yuuko and Takeshi rarely asked for much. The least they could do was watch the triplets for them for a few hours so they could enjoy a kid-free celebration. "What time do you need us there?"
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
She told him to come over around five-thirty and proceeded to thank him several more times before finally saying goodbye. Upon ending the call, Yuuri put his phone away and gave his smiling husband a look. He had a fairly good idea what was behind Viktor's sudden desire to look after the Nishigori triplets.
"You owe me."
"Don't you mean Yuuko owes you? It's her we're doing the favor for."
"I'm considering it as part of their anniversary present," Yuuri said. "And you're rescheduling the interview."
"Deal," Viktor agreed, grinning triumphantly as he bit into a piece of pork cutlet.
They arrived at the Nishigori household about ten minutes before the time Yuuko asked them to be there. Takeshi, already dressed in a nice suit and tie instead of his usual sweats, his hair neatly slicked back, was the one to answer the door.
"Hey, good to see you! Come in, come in," he said, waving them inside. "Yuuko's still getting dressed. I can't tell you how much we appreciate you two agreeing to do this so last minute."
"Of course. We're happy to help!" Viktor said, helping Yuuri out of his puffy blue jacket. Winter had come early to Hasetsu this year, with temperatures hovering near freezing even though it was only mid-December. "Right, Yuuri?"
"Y-Yeah. Happy anniversary, by the way." While Viktor hung his jacket on the coat rack and shrugged out of his own fashionable trench coat, Yuuri handed Takeshi a small paper sack. "Sorry it's not wrapped, but we brought you a bottle of wine."
"You didn't need to –" Takeshi pulled the bottle out of the sack, letting out a low whistle when he saw the label. "Oh, wow, this is one of Yuuko's favorites. We always drink this whenever we stop by Minako's bar. Thanks! I'll just go put this away for now. Make yourselves at home."
After taking off their shoes and changing into guest slippers, Yuuri and Viktor followed Takeshi into the main living area.
Yuuri was surprised they managed to get that far into the house without being ambushed with hugs and demands for pictures yet. Usually, the triplets greeted them right at the door, but they barely glanced up when Viktor called out a friendly, "Hello, girls!" Lutz and Loop were both sitting under the kotatsu, Lutz photoshopping some pictures on the laptop while Loop's fingers flew over her smartphone as she texted someone. Axel, on the other hand, was curled up on the armchair, a throw blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a forgotten Nintendo Switch laying on her lap.
"Papa, my stomach still hurts…" she moaned as Takeshi passed by her chair on the way to the kitchen.
"Still? Okay, I'll get you some more medicine."
"Is Axel sick?" Yuuri asked. Yuuko hadn't mentioned anything about them needing to take care of a sick kid over the phone. He thought it was only their regular babysitter who had the flu.
"Oh, don't worry. She's not running a fever or anything," Takeshi assured them. "It's only an upset stomach. She knows she's lactose intolerant, but she just had to drink that glass of milk anyway…" He rolled his eyes affectionately.
Yuuko entered the main room a few seconds later, putting on a dangling pearl earring. "Takeshi, have you seen my –" She stopped short. "Oh, Yuuri! Viktor! I didn't realize you were already here."
"We just got here a couple of minutes ago," Yuuri said.
"They brought us a bottle of that wine you like," Takeshi told her, nodding his chin toward said bottle on the counter as he measured out a dose of medicine for Axel in the provided tiny cup.
"Oh! Thank you, but you really didn't have to give us anything… Agreeing to babysit the girls is more than enough."
"Nonsense! You've been married for a decade – that deserves to be celebrated. Congratulations!" Viktor walked over and kissed Yuuko's cheek, her entire face going red in response. Even though he'd been living in Japan for over a year now, some habits still died hard. "You look beautiful, by the way, doesn't she, Yuuri?"
"Yeah. You look great, Yuuko," Yuuri said honestly.
"Thanks." Self-consciously, she patted the back of her head. Instead of her usual ponytail, she'd pulled her chestnut brown hair back into an elegant bun at the nape of her neck, accessorizing the hairstyle with a pretty rhinestone hairpiece. "It's not often that we get the chance to go out, so I wanted to dress up," Yuuko said, smoothing away a few non-existent wrinkles in her black sheath dress.
"Hey, what about me?" After giving Axel her dose of medicine, Takeshi came up beside Yuuko and wrapped an arm around his wife's waist. "Don't I look beautiful?"
Yuuri and Viktor exchanged a grin.
"Yes, yes, you look gorgeous, too," Yuuri said.
"The most beautiful," Viktor agreed, Takeshi preening at the compliments until Yuuko laughed and playfully slapped his chest, telling him to stop.
"So, where are you two going?" Yuuri asked. Yuuko hadn't mentioned anything about what their plans were during their earlier phone conversation.
"Out to dinner, then Minako managed to snag us tickets to the ballet," she said. "We're going to see The Nutcracker."
"Ah, one of my favorites!" Viktor sighed, placing a hand over his heart. "We ought to go see it sometime, too, Yuuri. It's been years since I last saw a live performance."
"Y-Yeah, maybe we'll check it out. I heard tickets always sell out fast, though. They're probably already sold out for the season."
"Really? That's a shame. Well, perhaps next year, then."
Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief.
Unbeknownst to his husband, he had already bought them a pair of tickets as a surprise birthday/Christmas present for Viktor. As it was the first time since their relationship began that neither one of them had to compete at their respective Nationals, Yuuri planned to go all out to celebrate, determined to top the amazing birthday Viktor had given him a couple of weeks back.
"Anyway, we should be home around ten, maybe eleven at the absolute latest depending on how traffic is," Yuuko said. "The girls' bedtime is nine, and I've already told them they'll be having pizza for dinner. Oh, here, let me give you some cash…" She looked around the room, frowning as she rubbed at her forehead. "Takeshi, where's my purse? That's why I came out in the first place! I know I brought it out here earlier…"
"Here it is." Takeshi grabbed the sequined clutch from where it was tucked in between the cushions of the sectional and handed it over.
"Thanks. Honestly, sometimes I swear I would lose my head if it wasn't attached to my body!" She pulled out a crisp 5000 yen note and handed it to Yuuri. "That should about cover it, I think. You have our numbers?"
Yuuri held up his cell. "Saved in my phone, along with all the emergency contacts."
"Right, silly question. Well, if you need anything, anything at all, feel free to call or text. We'll need to turn our ringtones off during the ballet, but I'll keep mine on vibrate in case of an emergency. Oh, and Axel isn't feeling well. I don't think she's sick or contagious, but –"
"I've already told them, honey. Come on, we should get going." Takeshi came up behind Yuuko, helping her into her most stylish coat. "I don't want to be late for our reservation. Don't worry, the girls will be in good hands."
"Oh, no, I didn't realize it was already so late!" Yuuko said, glancing over at the clock on the wall. "Come on, girls, give Mama a hug since you'll be in bed by the time we get back."
She stood with her arms spread open, but none of the girls moved from their spots, still engrossed in their own respective activities. Yuuko rolled her eyes and proceeded to go around the room, kissing each of the triplets in turn on the top of their heads. "You three be good for Uncle Yuuri and Uncle Viktor, okay?" she said, caressing Axel's face in motherly affection.
The girls all mumbled variations of "We will."
Yuuko pouted. "They used to be so cute."
"They used to be little terrors," Takeshi corrected, gently guiding Yuuko toward the door. "Trust me, this is an improvement. We'll see you all later, girls!"
Yuuri and Viktor accompanied them to the entrance to see them off, Yuuko continuing to give them last-minute instructions as she slipped on a pair of strappy gold heels, holding onto Takeshi's shoulder for balance.
"Make certain to take away their phones before bedtime, or else they'll never go to sleep. Loop will try to tell you that she needs hers so that she can set her alarm, but don't listen to her. They have a perfectly good old-fashioned alarm clock to use. Oh, and make sure Lutz flosses. She'll 'forget' if you aren't there watching her. No watching horror movies or else they'll have nightmares, and –"
"Yuuko, we got this, I promise," Yuuri assured her. It wasn't as if they were babies; how hard could watching three ten-year-olds possibly be? "Go, enjoy your anniversary."
After Yuuko and Takeshi left, Yuuri plopped down on the sectional and pulled out his phone. With the girls preoccupied with their own activities, there didn't seem to be much for him and Viktor to do other than keep them alive until their parents came home. He had just pulled up Monster Strike when Viktor clapped his hands to get everybody's attention.
"Okay, time to put that laptop and those phones away!" he said in his patented "coach" voice. "Yes, that means you, too, Yuuri."
"But, Uncle Viktor, I need to finish this video edit," Lutz whined.
"And I'm busy chatting with my friends from Drama Club," Loop said, holding up a screen full of texts on Line.
"No 'buts'," Viktor said, hands on his hips. "It's not good to spend all your time staring at a screen. Come on, take a break. I promise we'll have some fun."
"Fine…" Lutz and Loop rolled their eyes in a perfect mirror image as they shut down their electronics and pushed them aside. Axel had already turned off her Switch, lightly moaning as she curled up in a ball on the armchair.
"Good! Now, what would be an entertaining way to start off the night? Any suggestions?"
None of the girls spoke up, already looking bored to death.
"Nobody? Yuuri?"
"Me?" Yuuri squeaked, guiltily hiding his phone behind a throw pillow. He hadn't realized he got a vote. "Uh, video games?"
Viktor gave him a look. "I just said it was time for a break away from electronics. Loop?"
"Um…" She frowned, twirling the end of her ponytail around her finger. "We could maybe give you and Uncle Yuuri makeovers?"
"Oh, yeah!" Lutz said enthusiastically. "Then we can make a music video and post it on TikTok!"
Viktor tapped his chin. "Well, that technically still involves screen time, but… Oh, who cares? Let's go with that! Sounds fun."
"Awesome! We'll get the make-up." Lutz grabbed a suddenly much more interested Loop by the hand, the two of them giggling and running off to gather the necessary supplies. "So, I'm thinking…"
"Axel, you don't want to go with them?" Yuuri asked as the other two triplets' voices faded away down the hall.
She shrugged. "No… Not really."
"Your stomach still bothering you?"
She nodded, letting out another soft moan. Poor girl. He was a bit lactose-intolerant himself, so Yuuri sympathized with her discomfort. "Well, the medicine should kick in soon," he assured her.
"I hope so…"
It didn't take long for Lutz and Loop to return back to the main living area. "We're back!" Lutz announced in a sing-song voice, whipping a bright orange feather boa around her neck.
"And we've got make-up!" Loop sat back down at the kotatsu and popped open the sparkly make-up kit she had brought out, taking out colorful eyeshadow palettes, nail polish bottles, and tubes of lipstick.
"Wow, that's a lot of make-up!" Viktor said, joining her.
"Mama gives her stuff to us whenever she buys a new shade and decides she doesn't like it," Lutz said. She took a seat on the other side of Loop and began lining up the bottles of nail polish at the center of the table. "What color do you want us to paint your nails, Uncle Viktor?"
"Hmm, which color indeed?" He rubbed his chin in contemplation as he looked over the color selection. "This is a pretty shade of purple, but this yellow could be fun, too. Or should we go for more of a goth look?" Viktor picked up a bottle of midnight black polish as Yuuri wondered what possessed Yuuko to buy such a color in the first place. Black nails seemed more Yurio's style than Yuuko's. "What kind of music video are you planning, Lutz?"
"BTS!"
"Ah, I should have guessed," Viktor said with a laugh. "Then how about this hot pink?" He set the black aside for the brightest pink known to mankind.
Loop's eyes lit up. "Pink's my favorite!"
Leaning over, Viktor pressed his forehead against Loop's. "You know what? Mine, too!" he said in a loud stage whisper before turning his attention to Yuuri over on the sectional. "Yuuri, what are you still doing way over there? Come down here and pick your color!"
"Oh, okay." Yuuri slid down to the floor and crawled over to join them at the table. Though he wasn't as into the whole makeover idea as Viktor, he didn't want to spoil Loop and Lutz's fun. He looked over the available nail polish colors, but none were particularly appealing to him, consisting of mostly garish neons and dull pastels. "Um, I can't decide. Lutz, you can pick for me."
"Really? Hmm… Maybe this one?" Lutz selected a glittery sapphire blue, which at least was one of the less offensive shades.
"Yes, that's perfect!" Viktor exclaimed, clapping his hands together in delight. "Do his toes, too."
"Viktor!" His husband was lucky that the fear of burning himself on the heater prevented Yuuri from kicking him underneath the table.
"What?" Viktor smiled innocently. "You have such pretty feet."
Yuuri rolled his eyes. As if Viktor didn't know the moment somebody else touched his foot, he would burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "I do not. I have ugly skater's feet. You're the only one who –"
He slapped a hand over his mouth just in the nick of time, stopping himself from saying something highly inappropriate in front of the girls.
Viktor's grin widened. "The only one who?" he prompted as Loop took his right hand and began painting his nails the violent hot pink.
Yuuri loved Viktor more than anything, but at times, he could be the most annoying person on the planet.
"Has thinning hair."
It made no sense whatsoever in relation to their current conversation, but Viktor reacted appropriately, using his free hand to cover the barely noticeable bald spot on top of his head. "Yuuri, how could you? I'm your husband, the man you love!"
Yuuri smirked. "All's fair in love and war."
"Don't worry, Uncle Viktor," Loop said. "I'll make sure your hair looks pretty in the video."
"Thank you, Loop. At least someone is understanding of my delicate condition."
"So, should I paint his toes or not?" Lutz had already started painting Yuuri's fingernails the glittery blue color.
"No."
"Yes!"
"I'm not getting out from underneath this kotatsu until it's absolutely necessary," Yuuri said, "so if you want to do my toes, you're going to have to crawl under the table to reach them."
"Fine, fine, you win." Viktor sighed. "It does feel really good under the kotatsu. Axel, you should join us." He lifted up the blanket skirt in invitation.
"Okay…"
She took a seat on the empty side of the table, resting her head on her arms as she silently watched the makeovers unfold.
Half an hour later, everyone was all dolled up and ready to shoot the video. Even Axel, after some encouragement from her sisters, had agreed to her nails being painted the purple shade Viktor had admired earlier, her lips colored crimson red.
Lutz, who had declared herself producer, wanted to film the video outside, but all Yuuri had to do was slide open the glass doors leading to the backyard before she and Loop were shivering and shouting at him to close them again. With that idea firmly shut down, it was decided to film in the living room. Viktor and Yuuri moved the heavy kotatsu and armchair out of the way while the triplets did some light cleaning.
"Here, since you're not feeling good today, you can be in charge of filming," Lutz said, handing her phone to Axel.
"Okay," Axel agreed.
"So, have you decided what song you want to use in the video?" Viktor asked the girls, looking far too pretty with glossy pink-painted lips and purple smokey eyes, his hair pulled back with a fun polka-dot print headband that effectively hid his bald spot, as Loop had promised.
"We're going to use BTS's 'Idol'!" Loop said from over at the dining table. She had rebooted the laptop, playing the song in question.
"Ah, one of my favorites!" He was already dancing along to the beat, mouthing along to the lyrics.
"Uncle Viktor, will you choreograph for us? Please?" Lutz asked.
"Yes, please?" Loop echoed, hands clasped together. "You're a really, really, really good dancer!"
"Well, since you asked so politely, I would be delighted," he said, holding out a hand to Yuuri. "You'll assist, Yuuri?"
"Of course." Smiling, Yuuri accepted the hand, laughing as Viktor twirled him around. One of their favorite activities at home was engaging in impromptu dance battles, trying to one-up each other with their moves. Sometimes, they would even include the best pieces of choreography in one of their programs.
It would take far too long to choreograph and teach a dance to the entire song, so it was decided that Viktor would plan the opening and Yuuri the ending, with all four of them getting a turn in the spotlight to do whatever kind of dance they wanted, similar to Yuuri and Viktor's dance battles. After taking a few minutes to come up with their choreography – borrowing heavily from the official music video – they taught the moves to the girls and each other, rehearsing a couple times before Lutz declared them ready to film.
"Ready with the camera, Axel?" she asked.
Axel moved to stand in front of them, holding up Lutz's phone. "Ready!"
"Okay, everybody get into position!"
Getting into the opening pose, Viktor and Yuuri stood back-to-back in the empty space in front of the sectional, their arms crossed over their chest. Viktor had taken possession of Lutz's boa, some of the orange feathers tickling Yuuri's face, while Axel had loaned Yuuri her sequined baseball cap, which all three girls insisted he had to wear backwards. Lutz and Loop kneeled in front of them, holding up the pink pompoms Loop had brought out.
"Okay…action!" Axel said.
As the music blared from the laptop, they began performing Viktor's opening choreography. It came as little surprise that Yuuri and Viktor ended up doing most of the actual dancing, the girls forgetting most of the steps they had just learned, but Lutz and Loop made up for it with enthusiasm, lip-syncing the lyrics and waving their pompoms around until it was time for the dance battle portion of the video to begin.
Lutz elected to go first. Of the triplets, "Lutz the Klutz" – as her sisters sometimes affectionately called her – was by far the least athletic and coordinated, so she mostly stuck to wiggling her hips and shaking her pompoms, at one point zooming around in a circle with her arms held out like the wings of an airplane. Giggling when her section was finished, she switched places with her sister.
Loop, on the other hand, was actually pretty good. As an aspiring idol/actress, she took dance lessons at Minako's studio three times a week after school along with Axel, who was the only one of the triplets who had decided to seriously train as a competitive figure skater. Admittedly, Loop's balletic leaps and pirouettes weren't quite what the music called for, but Viktor, Yuuri, and Loop silently applauded her from the sidelines, impressed nonetheless.
Third up was Viktor, and he was amazing, of course, dancing like he was a long-lost BTS member. As usual, Yuuri couldn't take his eyes off of him. Whether it was on the ice or on the dance floor, his every move was captivating. Yuuri became so entranced by Viktor's dancing that he completely missed his cue to go on.
"Your turn, Uncle Yuuri!" Lutz said in a stage whisper, pushing him forward.
Viktor grinned when he saw him out of the corner of his eye. He was supposed to clear the floor for Yuuri's turn in the spotlight, but instead, still gyrating his hips, he yanked the feather boa from around his neck and used it to wrap around Yuuri's waist in order to drag him even closer – close enough that their mouths were only a couple of centimeters apart, Viktor's breathing heavy after dancing so vigorously. Yuuri's cheeks warmed, but remembering they had a young, impressionable audience, he laughed and lightly pushed Viktor away, jumping into his own hip-hop inspired solo dance.
When he was done, Viktor and the girls rejoined Yuuri for the finale, but by that time, even Yuuri had forgotten most of his own choreography. Grabbing Viktor by both hands, Lutz shouted for Loop to do the same to Yuuri, and the two girls began spinning them around, everyone collapsing on the floor in a pile of shrieks and laughter as the song came to an end.
"And...cut!" Axel said when she finished filming, giggling at their antics. "That's a wrap."
"Oh, let me see, let me see!" Lutz said, jumping up and grabbing her phone back from Axel.
Everyone gathered around her as she played back the video. As Yuuri anticipated, the result was rather...mixed, but everybody looked like they were having a blast, which was the important part. He grinned as Viktor, Axel, and Loop enthusiastically gave Lutz suggestions on what kind of special effects to add, slipping an arm around his husband's slender waist and landing a chaste peck on his cheek.
"Hey, what was that for?" Viktor asked with a grin of his own. "Not that I'm complaining."
Yuuri shrugged. "Just felt like it."
After filming ended, it was getting close to dinner time, so Yuuri ordered the pizza – a medium pepperoni for the girls and a small teriyaki chicken pizza for him and Viktor to share between them. The girls took their baths while they waited for the pizza to be delivered, then everybody huddled under a couple of throw blankets on the sectional to watch a movie until bedtime. Frozen had been the unanimous vote from all of the triplets and Viktor, much to Yuuri's resignation.
Axel hadn't complained much about her stomachache since they finished their make-overs earlier, but shortly after the movie began, she excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving her slice of pizza half-eaten on the kotatsu. When she failed to return ten minutes later, Yuuri started to grow concerned.
"Hey, where are you going?" Viktor whispered when Yuuri pushed aside his half of the blanket and extracted himself from Viktor's warm embrace. "Elsa's about to sing. That's the best part!"
"Axel's been gone awhile. I'm going to check on her, make sure she's okay." Besides, as much as he loved his darling husband, he could live without having to listen to Viktor belt out "Let It Go" for the thousandth time, having learned all the lyrics by heart in English, Russian, French, and Japanese. "Don't bother pausing. I'll be back in a minute."
Yuuri headed down the hall and lightly knocked on the door to the bathroom. "Axel, are you okay? You've been in there a while."
There was no reply. He pressed his ear against the door, but he couldn't hear anything.
"Axel?" Yuuri knocked again, a little louder that time. "Are you not feeling well? I can give you another dose of medicine if –"
The door creaked open, a brown eye peering through the crack. "Uncle Yuuri… I-I'm bleeding," she said in a soft voice.
"What?" Automatically imagining the worst, Yuuri's heart began to race. Had she slipped and hit her head? Broken a mirror and cut her hand? Oh, God, Takeshi was going to kill him for letting one of the girls get injured under his watch! And, unlike all those times when he had bullied Yuuri when they were kids, Yuuko would let him. She'd probably join in herself, in fact. "Are you hurt? Let me see."
Maybe it was just a scratch, nothing a little antibiotic ointment and a cute bandaid couldn't heal...
"No, not like that," she said, pushing the door open a little wider. From what he could see, Axel didn't look injured, much to his relief. Staring down at her slipper-clad feet, she mumbled, "I'm bleeding down...there."
Her feet? But if she was wearing slippers, why would she –
"Oh!" Yuuri's eyes widened when the realization finally hit him. "Um, do you, uh, you know, have what you need?" he asked, hoping Yuuko had already talked to the girls about menstruation. He was in no way prepared to have that discussion. After all, Axel was only ten; wasn't that a bit on the early side for a first period? Mari had been in middle school when she got hers. Yuuri still remembered the dinner of red bean rice his mother had served in celebration of the milestone, much to Mari's complete and utter mortification.
Axel shook her head. "Mama usually keeps some pads under the sink, but I can't find any."
"Okay. Let me call your mama."
Yuuri hated having to disturb Yuuko during her date, but he pulled out his phone and called. She picked up on the third ring.
"Oh, my god, Yuuri, what happened?" Judging by her loud whisper and the faint strains of the "March of the Toy Soldiers" he could just barely hear in the background, Yuuko and Takeshi were already at the ballet. "Are the girls okay? Why are you calling?"
"Everything's fine, Yuuko," he assured her, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just, um, well, Axel got her first period."
"Oh! My sweet girl… She's been complaining of a stomachache all day, but she must have been having cramps. I had no idea!"
"Do you have any pads for her to use? She says she can't find any of your stash." With any luck, Yuuko had some more hidden somewhere else.
"No, I ran out last week and haven't gotten around to restocking. Dammit!" She sighed. "Okay, Takeshi and I will leave early and pick some up on the way home."
"No, you don't have to do that. I don't want something like this to ruin your anniversary," Yuuri said. "I'll go to the store around the corner and pick up a pack."
"Are you sure? Remember that one time in middle school when you begged me to buy Mari's tampons for you when she ran out and your mother was sick in bed with the flu?"
"I can do it." He was a grown man, not a little kid anymore. If he and Viktor had a daughter one day, he needed to get used to things like this anyway, so it was good practice. "And Viktor will be fine alone with the girls for ten minutes. They're watching Frozen."
Down the hall, he could hear Viktor leading Loop and Lutz in a rousing chorus of "Ari no mama no sugata miseru noyo, ari no mama no jibun ni naru no…"
"Of course they are," Yuuko said. Even though he couldn't see her over the phone, Yuuri was almost certain she was rolling her eyes, sharing in his fond exasperation. "Well, if you really don't mind… Are you near a piece of paper?"
"I can be. Hold on a sec."
If he remembered correctly, there was usually a pad of paper and a pen beside the home phone to take down messages, located right by the entrance to the hall. Yuuri managed to sneak back to the living area, wincing as Viktor and the girls tried – and failed – to reach a particularly high note, and scribbled down the brand and absorbency type Yuuko told him to buy. Afterwards, he slipped the piece of paper in his pocket for safe-keeping.
"Let me talk to Axel for a minute," Yuuko said when they were done.
Yuuri headed back to the bathroom. "Here," he said, handing Axel his phone. "Your mama wants to talk to you."
"Okay."
She closed the bathroom door to talk to Yuuko in private. A short time later, Axel came back out and gave the phone back to Yuuri. "Thanks. Mama says you're gonna get the stuff?"
"Yeah, just...hang tight. I'll try to get back as fast as I can."
Axel nodded her understanding, going back inside the bathroom and once again closing the door behind her.
Returning back to the living area, Yuuri headed straight for the entrance and pulled his jacket off the coat rack. "Vitya, I'll be back in a few minutes," he called out, pushing his arms through the sleeves. "I need to grab a few things from the store. Watch the girls."
"What?" Viktor's head whipped around. "Wait, Yuuri!" He tossed his blanket aside, getting up from the couch and joining Yuuri at the door, where he was switching back into his sneakers. "Is something wrong with Axel?" he asked, lowering his voice so her sisters, who were still engrossed in the movie, wouldn't overhear.
Yuuri glanced in the direction of the bathroom, biting his bottom lip. He didn't think Axel would appreciate him telling Viktor about her period, once again remembering Mari's horrified reaction to their mother's joyful announcement over dinner, but it wasn't as if he could leave without giving Viktor some sort of explanation. Otherwise, knowing him, he'd probably try to weasel the truth out of Axel herself.
"Axel's fine," Yuuri assured him, pulling on his gloves. "I just need to get some...supplies."
That was vague enough for plausible deniability, right?
Viktor mouthed an "O", picking up on the unspoken implication, and for once, he was discreet, saying nothing more on the subject. "Okay, be safe," he said, wrapping Yuuri's blue-and-white snowflake scarf around his neck.
"I will," Yuuri promised, kissing Viktor good-bye. "I won't be gone long. Save a slice for me?"
"Always."
Yuuri arrived back at the house a short time later with a package of menstrual pads and some medication that was supposed to be good for period pain, according to a fellow shopper he had asked. After grabbing a clean pair of pajamas and underwear from the triplets' shared bedroom – thank goodness for Yuuko's efficient color-coding system, which made it easy to tell which clothes belonged to which triplet – he again knocked on the bathroom door and handed over the discreet paper sack containing the pads and change of clothes to Axel.
"Here, take one of these, too," he said, giving her one of the pills. "It should help with your cramps."
"Thanks, Uncle Yuuri," she said shyly before closing the door to change.
Yuuri headed back to the living room and cozied up with Viktor, who had left him a couple slices of pizza on a paper plate as promised. He had just finished eating one of them when Axel returned to the living area. To Yuuri's surprise, instead of retaking her original seat next to Lutz on the long portion of the sectional, she chose to snuggle up on the other side of him on the shorter end. He momentarily froze before smiling, handing the remaining slice of pizza back to Viktor as he wrapped an arm around Axel's shoulders and pulled more of the blanket over to cover her.
He didn't miss the fond smile that crossed Viktor's lips as he moved to set the plate on the kotatsu, then did the same with Loop next to him, Lutz curling up against her sister. Yuuri's heart warmed at the sight, and he rested his head against Viktor's shoulder, joining in as they all began singing the dumb troll song.
"The girls asleep?" Yuuri asked an hour later when Viktor returned to the living area after putting them to bed. He finished folding the last of the throw blankets, tossing it over the back of the armchair before sitting down on the sectional and patting the cushion beside him.
"Yes, finally." Wearily, Viktor collapsed next to him, his head falling on Yuuri's lap. "I thought they'd never settle down."
Yuuri wasn't surprised. When he had poked his head in the triplets' bedroom earlier upon hearing some high-pitched shrieking, the girls (plus Viktor) had been engaged in a fierce pillow fight. "Did you take away their phones?"
"Plugged into the charger, despite Loop's best attempts to convince me she 'absolutely, positively needed' hers." He rolled his eyes, looking up at Yuuri. "What about you? Did you make sure Lutz flossed her teeth?"
"Brushed and flossed." Although not without a fair amount of begging on Lutz's part that it was totally no big deal to skip a night and nobody would have to know. "And Axel? How is she doing?"
"Good. The medicine you gave her earlier seems to be working. I asked how her stomach was feeling, and she said it was all better."
"I'm glad." Yuuri ran his fingers through Viktor's silky hair. "Hey, Vitya?"
"Hmm?" Viktor's eyelids were drooping downward, on the brink of drifting off to sleep himself.
"Let's do it."
"What?" That woke him up, Viktor's eyes popping open. "Have sex?" He sat up and reached for the back of his sweater. "I'm actually kind of tired, but if you're up for it..."
"No!" Blushing, Yuuri waved his hands in front of his chest. That wasn't what he meant at all! "I meant, you know…about what we were talking about earlier? Let's have a baby."
Viktor dropped his sweater back into place, his face breaking into one of his trademark heart-shaped smiles. "You mean it? You're sure?"
Yuuri laughed. "Yeah, I am," he said, caressing Viktor's cheek. "Watching you with the girls today… Well, um, I really liked it," he admitted. "You would make a great father."
"What about you? The way you dealt with Axel's situation? I was really proud of you."
"Yeah? I didn't really do much…"
"You did more than enough," Viktor insisted, reaching for Yuuri's hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. Yuuri's glittery nails shimmered in the light, contrasting with Viktor's bright pink. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here to handle things."
"I'm sure you would have figured it out, but...thanks."
"You're going to be a great father, too, Yuuri. I just know it. I can't imagine raising a family with anybody else but you."
Leaning forward, Viktor gave Yuuri a sweet, tender kiss on the mouth.
One kiss, of course, inevitably turned into two, then three. By the fourth, Yuuri had fallen on his back against the seat cushions, Viktor's lips journeying down his neck while his warm hands found their way underneath Yuuri's sweatshirt.
"Vitya...what are...you...doing?" Yuuri asked in between increasingly feverish kisses. "I thought...you were...tired?"
"Got a...second wind." Breathing heavily, Viktor propped himself up and grinned mischievously as he looked down at Yuuri beneath him. "Besides, if we're going to have a baby, there's no better time than the present to start trying, right?"
Yuuri laughed. "Didn't we go over this earlier? You can't get me pregnant!"
"Yuuuuuri!" He collapsed on top of Yuuri, burying his face in Yuuri's sweatshirt. "Don't spoil the fun with your science and logic!"
"We can't." As much as he might have wanted to… "One of the girls might wake up and walk in on something she shouldn't see," Yuuri said, gently pushing Viktor off of him as he sat back up.
Viktor sighed. "I suppose you're right," he said, running a hand through his silver hair. "Can't we at least fool around some, though? That's what baby-sitters are supposed to do once the kids are in bed, right? You see it all the time on TV and in movies. It's like...a tradition."
A tradition, huh? Tapping his chin, Yuuri pretended to think it over. "Well, as long as all our clothes stay on and we don't make too much noise, I guess a little make-out session wouldn't hurt…"
"Deal," Viktor agreed, recapturing Yuuri's lips as they once again fell back on the sectional.
It was close to eleven when Yuuko and Takeshi arrived back home from their date. Yuuri and Viktor, who had fallen into a light sleep on the sectional while cuddling and watching a new episode of Yuuri's current favorite anime on TV, startled awake at the sound of the doorknob jangling, Viktor tucking his undershirt back into his pants while Yuuri readjusted his glasses and tried to tame his messy hair in some semblance of order.
"We're home," Takeshi called out as he and Yuuko stepped inside and began slipping off their shoes.
"Welcome back," Yuuri said. They walked over to the entrance to greet them, Viktor gallantly helping Yuuko out of her coat. "How was your night? Did you have a good time?"
"The best!" Yuuko said with a bright smile. "As much as I love the girls, it really was nice to have a night to ourselves for a change. Dinner was delicious, and the ballet was absolutely beautiful. Takeshi was in tears by the end."
"Hey, nothing wrong with a guy showing a little emotion in appreciation of some wonderful dancing," Takeshi said, not the least bit embarrassed. "How were the girls? Did they give you any trouble?"
"Nothing we couldn't handle," Viktor said. "No, seriously, they were great. I wish Axel hadn't felt so bad most of the night, but I think Loop and Lutz had a lot of fun. We did, too, right, Yuuri?" He grinned at Yuuri, who couldn't resist smiling back. "You could even say the evening was quite...inspiring."
"Yeah, it was," Yuuri agreed, reaching for Viktor's hand.
"Okay, what's going on?" Yuuko asked, waving an accusing finger at them. "What's with those huge smiles?"
Yuuri and Viktor exchanged a look, Viktor raising a questioning eyebrow. Not caring either way, Yuuri shrugged, opting to let Viktor decide if he wanted to spill the beans or not.
"Well, don't tell anybody yet," Viktor said, lowering his voice and taking a quick look around the room to make certain there weren't any sneaky triplets awake and spying on them, "but… Yuuri and I are going to have a baby."
Yuuko brought her hands to her mouth, her eyes going wide. "What? Oh, my god! I'm so happy for you guys!" Squealing, she threw her arms around Yuuri, hugging him tightly, then did the same to Viktor. "When? How?" she asked as Takeshi added his own congratulations.
"Um, we haven't really decided yet?" Yuuri rubbed the back of his neck. "We just made the final decision about an hour ago. I assume we'll go the adoption route?"
"Hey, want to adopt one of ours?" Takeshi offered. "We've got plenty."
Rolling her eyes, Yuuko playfully whacked his arm. "Takeshi!"
"Surrogacy is also an option," Viktor added, giving Yuuri's hand a squeeze. "You know, I'd love a little boy with Yuuri's eyes..."
Yuuri lightly blushed. "How about a little girl with your smile?" he countered back.
"Oh, we could have twins! Wouldn't that be fun?"
Yuuko laughed. "Be careful, you may regret saying that one day…"
DISCLAIMER: "Yuri! On Ice" doesn't belong to me.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This fic was written for the YoI Big Bang 2021. If you'd like to see the artwork created to accompany this story, you will need to check the fic out on AO3. Special thanks to my talented artist, Lilo, who really went above and beyond with not just one, but three adorable pieces of artwork, and my beta reader, mor! I hope you enjoyed the story!
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