Otabek stretched his arms out across the back of the park bench, curling one loosely around his husband as he allowed his head to fall back. Yuri automatically tipped his head sideways onto Otabek's shoulder in a comfortable, practiced motion. Absently, Otabek ran his hand through the blond hair as he let his eyes travel lazily over the playground where the children were playing. Today, they had offered to take Victor and Yuuri's son along with their daughter, meeting at the park closest to the Katsuki-Nikiforov residence.
It was a warm day, the kind that evokes laziness in adults while seeming to do nothing to hinder the energy of children. Yuri quickly seemed to doze off as Otabek kept an eye on the playground. Their daughter's sandy brown head bowed over the sandbox, studiosly focusing on the little world she was building with her friend. Nikolai, although two years older than her, seemed just as invested in Aliya's creation as she was, diligently supplying her with sand so she could continue construction on what looked like a little town.
Satisfied, Otabek allowed his head to rest on his husband's as he continued carding the blond hair that he loved so much through his fingers. Eventually, his eyes slowly drifted closed as he mentally allowed them to take a short rest.
The peace shattered suddenly as a wail ripped through the warm air. Otabek's eyes snapped open as he started up, searching for the source of the noise.
He located it quickly. Nikolai was standing in the sandbox, looming over another child who was bent over double as two other children looked at him in fear. Aliya sat behind Nikolai, crying over the scattered remains of what had once been her sand town.
Shifting his husband's head gently down onto the bench, Otabek stood up quickly and strode over to the sandbox. He drew within earshot just in time to hear Nikolai spit, "Don't come back here! You'd better leave Aliyen'ka alone now!"
As the three children that he didn't know saw him coming, they all turned pale and ran away across the playground, presumably back to their parents. Kneeling down in front of his young charge, Otabek leveled his gaze at the child and asked sternly, "What happened here, Kolya?"
He stared back at Otabek for a moment, anger apparent in his blue eyes, before turning around and crouching on the ground next to Aliya, wrapping her in a hug the best he could with his small arms. Her little body shook as she cried, and the sound ripped through Otabek's heart. He shifted his body so he was also sitting next to her, patting her soothingly on the head as he repeated his question. "Kolya, what happened?" He knew he wasn't going to get anything out of his daughter while she was upset.
This time, Nikolai held his gaze as he responded. "They were being mean to Aliyen'ka, so I made them stop."
Otabek held back a sigh, suspecting that he knew the answer before he even asked his question. "How were they being mean?"
"They asked where our parents were, and when Aliyen'ka told them, they started being mean and kicked over her sand city. So I hit them." He paused thoughtfully. "Well, I only punched one, and then the others ran away."
At that moment, Aliya sniffled pitifully, and Otabek looked down at his little daughter. She was still very young, and didn't really understand why the world opposed her family. Nikolai, however, seemed to understand all too well, with the benefit of his seven years, and had made it his personal mission to deal with anyone who dared to direct their ire at his friend. Usually, Victor dealt with this behavior, but since the Plisetsky-Altins were on duty today, it appeared this duty would fall to Otabek.
Truthfully, he didn't feel very inclined to punish the boy. His protective sentiment rang much too true for Otabek. Looking around, he drew closer to Nikolai and said quietly, "Kolya, I understand what you're feeling. I'm not going to pretend that I haven't done the same thing to protect Yura. But you have to know when and where to pick your fights. A public park is not a good place to start beating people up. At times like this, it's better to use your words, and to get an adult. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Nikolai's eyes widened, losing their defiant look. "You've beat up bad guys, too?"
Otabek nodded. "Yes, a long time ago. But that's not important. Kolya, you scared Aliya with your fight. Doesn't that bother you?"
Nikolai looked down at the little girl trembling in his arms, and his face hardened. He looked up and said, "I didn't mean to scare her."
"I know you didn't. Still, you need to think about things like that too, if you want to protect someone."
The little boy seemed to turn this information over in his head for a moment. Slowly, he nodded. "Okay, Otabek. I'll be more careful from now on. But I don't want people to say mean things to Aliyen'ka."
Using his free hand, Otabek ruffled the boy's short blond hair. "I know. So next time, what should you do?"
"...get an adult. And if I have to hit someone, do it away from Aliyen'ka."
"Very good." Turning his attention fully to his sniffling daughter, Otabek asked, "Are you all right, Aliya?"
She looked up at him through moist eyes. "I...I'm fine, Әкем. But...my city is ruined." Her eyes moistened again, but Nikolai rushed to comfort her.
"It's okay, Aliyen'ka. We can start rebuilding it now." Grabbing a bucket, he filled it with sand. "We'll make it even bigger than before!"
Aliya watched him for a moment before picking up her own toys and resuming her building. Otabek stood up, observing them for a minute before he was satisfied that they would be all right on their own. He walked slowly back to the bench, keeping an eye on them until he was within a few paces of his previous seat.
His husband's voice greeted him. "That was quite the speech there, Beka."
He turned to see Yuri sitting up, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Yura. I can't imagine what you mean."
Yuri snorted. "Cut the crap, Beka. You're practically raising that kid to be a delinquent." He gave a crooked smile, reaching out to pull his husband down next to him. "Well, I can't say that I don't like that side of you." He settled his head back into its former place, clearly intent on going back to his nap. Otabek, however, was more awake than ever now as he watched the two children playing happily. He hadn't really thought about it in the moment other than feeling sympathy for Nikolai, but it was true that his husband liked his...protective tendencies. Which was fine for them, but what if their daughter ended up sharing her papa's proclivity for that type of man? Otabek eyed Nikolai as he obediently scooped sand for Aliya.
He'd certainly have to keep an eye on that boy.
