Happy birthday, Yuri!

So I know that I'm out of order with the prompts here, but I needed to write a birthday fic and this fit perfectly! I promise that I'm working on the other requests though. This is for .902 who wanted to see Yuri getting a cat. I hope that you like it!

Also, this story has 82 reviews! That's amazing! Please keep following, favoriting, and reviewing! It keeps me motivated.

For the sake of this story, I'm pretending that Yuri doesn't have the cat that he had in the anime anymore. As per usual, Yuri P. is Yuri and Yuuri K. is Yuuri. Enjoy!

"Happy birthday, Yuri!" says Yuuri as they walk into the animal shelter. Within seconds, Victor has made a beeline for the dogs and quickly finds himself surrounded by an enthusiastic group of friends.

"Come on, Victor, we're not here to get a dog," scolds Yuuri, although he smiles fondly at his fiancé's dog-whispering ability.

Victor pouts, but slowly entangles himself from the pile of dogs. "But they're so cute, Yuuri! Don't you have a heart?"

"They're wonderful, but we're not here right now to adopt a dog." Victor's pout deepens, and Yuuri decides to compromise. "Maybe for your birthday we can get one."

"Can I help you?" interrupts one of the shelter workers. Her nametag reads Victoria. She sounds amused by their conversation.

Yuuri turns to face her. "Yes, actually. Our friend over there would like to play with the cats." He gestures to Yuri, who is hovering over by the glass surrounding the cats' enclosure.

"Of course, of course. Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?" she asks, leading them over to go join Yuri.

"Actually, we were hoping to find one to adopt," Yuuri says, lowering his voice so that Yuri won't be able to hear him. "We would prefer to find one that gets along with dogs." They were hoping to surprise Yuri by getting him a cat for his birthday, hence the reason they came here.

"I've got a few in mind," she replies. "You know, your son is lucky to have such great parents."

Yuuri opens his mouth to correct her, then decides that it's not worth the effort. Fortunately, Yuri is still focused on the cats and probably isn't listening to a word that they're saying, otherwise he would definitely throw a fit at being referred to as Yuuri's son.

As soon as he's in the cat enclosure, Yuri is like a different person. His smile is soft and unguarded, and he laughs brightly as the kittens nip at his shoes and tumble over one another. He strokes the kittens with gentle fingers and talks softly to them. There's no sign of his usual abrasive personality.

If Victor is the dog whisperer, then Yuri is clearly the cat whisperer; within minutes, he's surrounded by cats of every shape, size, and color. He's careful to make sure that each one gets attention and that no one is left neglected. Victor is busy snapping pictures, his disappointment at not being able to get a dog completely forgotten. Yuri is so entranced that he doesn't even notice.

All of the cats in the enclosure have flocked to Yuri, except for one: an exquisite white Persian cat with bright blue eyes who watches warily from the corner. "What's that one's name?" Yuuri asks Victoria, curious about the lone standoffish cat.

"Oh, that one? That's Bella," she responds, tucking a strand of her long red hair behind her ear. "She's very shy and takes a while to warm up to people, but once she does, she's extremely caring and loyal."

"That sounds like someone we know," comments Victor, still taking photos of Yuri with his cat army. Yuuri smiles and nods in agreement.

As they watch, though, Bella seems to be thinking about something. She's staring at Yuri, her long white plume of a tail swishing in the air. Suddenly, she leaps down from her perch on the counter and slowly begins to make her way over to the teenager sitting in the middle of the room. Yuri gladly accepts the new addition, and she jumps onto his lap.

Victoria looks shocked. "She's not usually this friendly," she says in awe. "Your son must really have a way with cats." Across the room, Yuri strokes Bella, who begins to purr loudly. The teenager grins in response.

"We should have known that Yura would be a cat whisperer," Victor points out. "I mean, he practically is a cat, so of course he would get along with them."

"They are very similar," Yuuri admits softly. Then, more loudly, he asks, "Are you enjoying your birthday present, Yuri?"

"This is the best birthday present ever," declares Yuri. He's careful not to disturb the cats nestled on and around him.

"Well, I think I have a way to make it even better," Yuuri says with a grin. It's wonderful to see Yuri so happy, with no trace of his usual grumpiness. "How would you like to take one of these cats home with you?"

Yuri's green eyes go wide, his mouth dropping open with surprise. "You really mean it?" he whispers.

"Well, that was the point of you coming here today," Yuuri says fondly. "We thought that it would be a nice birthday surprise. Do you have one in mind?"

It doesn't take long for Yuri to make up his mind. "I want this one," he says, pointing to Bella.

Victoria smiles. "I thought that you might choose Bella. I've never seen her warm up to someone so fast. We just need to fill out the paperwork, and then you'll be able to take her home!"

It doesn't take very long for Yuuri and Victor to do the paperwork, and soon they're exiting the shelter doors, Yuri holding Bella in his arms. He'd tried to put her in the cat carrier that Yuuri and Victor had brought with them, but she seemed to prefer being carried.

"Thank you," Yuri says for what seems like the millionth time as they get in the car.

"It's nothing, really," Yuuri says. "We're just happy that you like your surprise! Now, I hope that you've got an appetite, because we have dinner and cake waiting at home for you. And don't worry, I was the one who made it this time, so it's safe."

Yuri snorts, remembering the last time that Victor tried to bake. "That's a relief."

"Hey!" Victor says, sounding affronted. "You guys are the worst family ever!"

If you liked it, please leave a review! Constructive criticism is always welcome!

Also, this fic is open for requests, so if there's something that you'd like to see me write, please let me know and I'll do my best to make it happen.

This work is cross-posted to AO3.