The flight seemed endless but they were finally in Russia, finally in their cozy apartment that they presented to the little girl, making sure she understood she could go anywhere, anytime. They were going to transform one of their two guestrooms into her bedroom but that was going to take some time so they let her pick one of the beds where she wanted to sleep. They considered letting her sleep with them too but that might have been problematic yet so they gave up on the idea. They slept on the plane and it wasn't wise for them to sleep before the night fell so after they unpacked, Viktor went to make some tea.
They had a shopping session the morning before the flight – mostly buying new things for Lola, new clothes and shoes and even some toys she liked and now the girl was staring at them as Yuuri unpacked the suitcases, ready to put them in place. He was deepened in thought but when the girl grabbed one of the toys – a stuffed seahorse – he snapped out of it and looked over at her. She gulped and grasped tighter on it.
"You can take them all if you want to play." He assured and motioned to her to come closer. "How about a kiss?" She smiled cutesy and leaned to kiss his cheek before grabbing the others. "I think Viktor deserves a kiss too, don't you think?"
"Yest" She agreed and soon she ran towards the kitchen, her little steps echoing all around, making the Japanese grin as he continued his work. In the kitchen, Viktor was doing his best to pour tea into the new orange sippy cup when he heard hurried feet and felt a shy tug on his pants.
"What's the matter, princess?"
"Tiss" She said and his eyebrows shoot for the sky before he bent to let her kiss his cheek. He smiled at the feathery movement and then pulled her in his arms for a hug where her breathing began to hitch.
"Lo" He whispered calmly and his hand began to caress her back until the inhales and exhales evened. "Thank you, zvyozdochka" He kissed her forehead and then got up to grab the sippy cup and offer it to her. "Tea for you" He smiled and she took it without a second thought.
Yuuri decided to wash some clothes so he picked every white piece that was worn by them and headed to the bathroom when he realised there was one more white thing that he wanted to wash. He found Lola in the living room, playing on the carpet with Viktor and spotted the toy he wanted right away because it was in the arms of its owner, like always.
"Lo, can I borrow mister Bunny?" He asked and she frowned at the question.
"Why?"
"Because he needs a bath" She shook her head and he sighed because he was sure it was going to be difficult. "But he will smell so nice after – and he will enjoy it, don't you like taking baths?"
"He bafs with me" She concluded and Viktor chuckled at the sudden sassiness, earning a deathly glare from his husband. He cleared his throat and wrapped a hand around the girl's shoulder.
"I think we must listen to Yuuri, lapochka"
"No" She shook her head and held tighter on the bunny.
"You can have him back in an hour, you won't even feel his absence and he will have fun!" He tried and she pouted, the expression surprisingly familiar with his husband's. "I'll show you" She didn't want at first but then followed him to the bathroom where he opened the door of the washing machine. "We put him here and he will spin, like in a carousel"
"Ca-iu-sel?"
"Carousel" He repeated and she blinked, obviously confused. "Do you want to see?" She nodded so he started the machine and when the bunny began to spin around she gasped and then giggled, following him with her eyes. "See? Now we can go and do something else while he washes." But she didn't want that, she sat on the bathroom floor and watched intently the process.
"Is she alright?" Asked Viktor and stretched on the sofa when his husband entered the room.
"She won't leave the bathroom for the next hour and twelve minutes" Viktor burst into chuckles and Yuuri grinned, going closer for a hug.
"Thank God we don't have weak bladders" The Russian whispered and was rewarded with a playful slap against his shoulder at which he answered with a long and soft kiss. "I think I will go to keep her company"
"You orbit around her." The older man smiled and kissed his nose.
"Jealous, solnyshko?"
"Don't be ridiculous." He laughed but Viktor wouldn't let it go so he leaned to kiss his ear and whisper.
"I will remind you just how much I love you soon enough" Yuuri pouted.
"I'll hold you to that" And with a wink, he left so he could find his daughter who was in the exact same position in the bathroom, her lips parted. She didn't say a thing when he sat by her side but she quietly leaned against his chest, enjoying the feeling of his fingers playing with her hair.
When the bunny finally was out of the carousel they used a hairdryer so she could get him as soon as possible. They were in the living room, watching cartoons when someone knocked on the floor and they exchanged confused looks because they weren't waiting for anyone. Yuuri was the one to answer and not little was his surprise when he saw that in front of him stood the Russian punk, Yuri Plisetsky, holding a leash connected to their puppy's collar.
"Yakov sent me to deliver your mutt" He rolled his eyes and almost threw the leash at him, which the Japanese grabbed, smiling at the happy bark of Sakakibara.
"Come in, Yuri" He offered and stepped aside, knowing the young skater will accept, even if he looked reluctant at first. "We got back a few hours ago" He announced and he heard Viktor's voice who asked who it was.
"It's me, baldy!" Yuri shouted and untied the laces of his leopard-print sneakers before hurrying towards the origin on the voice. Truthfully, he was curious because they both acted suspiciously – no one knew anything about the reasons why they were going to the states again and uncharacteristically of Viktor, there was no picture posted on Instagram or any other social media. It was clear the geezers were hiding something and he wanted to find out...
What?
He was ready to shout at Nikiforov that he was going to torture the truth out of him when he saw they were not alone and his green eyes were ready to pop out at the sight. Because pressed against the side of the older Russian was a little girl, her little fingers grabbing at his shirt, probably scared by the sudden movements and the violent shout.
"What the fu-"
"Language" Yuuri warned entering the room holding Sakakibara in his arms, catching Lola's attention immediately but obtaining no change. If anything, she pressed further against Viktor.
"Lola, this is Yurio" Viktor said and rubbed her shoulder gently. "Yura, this is Lola Katsuki-Nikiforov"
It took more than a minute for the blond to process the words and when he finally did he was left speechless, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, making him look like a fish.
"Bullshit" He whispered and Yuuri threw him another look that was supposed to warn him about swearing. "There's no way – right, kid?" He was waiting for some words that never came, instead Lola kept staring at him, half-hidden behind her father's arm. He looked at her and found something familiar in those blues, it was like he was seeing an old picture of himself and at that realisation, his mouth went dry.
Yuuri released Sakakibara that headed straight for the couch, making the girl squeak and raise her feet scared.
"This is Saka, our puppy." Viktor explained and rubbed the pet's head, showing her there was no reason for her to be scared. "Look, he likes when you pet pet him" A trembling hand touched the animal's ear and he barked happily before he started to lick it, making the girl giggle.
"Yurio, would you like some tea? Are you staying for dinner?"
"I'm meeting Beka when he's done with practice" Half a year ago Otabek and Yuri moved in together, their long-distance relationship finally blooming into something more. The change reflected into the teen's behaviour too because even if he was still edgy and grumpy, he was obviously happier. He spoke the words mindlessly because he was still focused on the little person, wondering if this was some kind of twisted dream. "Lola" He repeated the foreign name and the child turned towards him, their eyes locking. "Hi"
He felt dumb but he had no idea how he was supposed to talk to humans this tiny.
"Hi" Her voice was weak and it was there only because she knew she had both Yuuri and Viktor by her side. He bent so they were at the same level and she pointed towards his shirt, making him look down and see there was a cat on it.
"Do you like cats?" She nodded and as hypnotised, his face broke into half a smile. "I have a cat, do you want to see her?" He didn't wait for the reply, he fished the phone out of his pants and showed her a few of the hundreds of pictures he had of Sofyia. She didn't say anything but the smile on her face was getting wider and wider with every image.
"I am sure Yurio will let you visit Sofyia if you ask him nicely."
"Pwease" The blond felt something pulling at his heart when he heard the sweet voice.
"Sure"
The husbands exchanged surprised glances but didn't say a word, instead they both smiled, happy that it went so smoothly; let's just say that they expected a reaction that would be more on the volcanic side but they were completely satisfied with what they got. Yuuri decided it was time to feed Saka and then go and buy some groceries from the near store. Lola tagged along so in a bit over 15 minutes they were dressed and leaving, time in which Yuri crashed on the sofa, beside Viktor and let his buzzing phone aside.
"Tell me"
"What?" The silver-haired man asked as he switched the channels of the TV.
"Don't fuck with me. What happened to her?" Of course he would be sharp, he was not one to be called unperceptive. "And why so sudden?"
"We're in our thirties, we never said we were not going to have children and now it was the right moment." It was true, the right time has come, they could focus now on their family. "She has been abused in the past, they gave her no food and she has been beaten constantly by her mother's lovers. That's the reason why her vocabulary is so limited too." At her age, children usually couldn't be stopped from talking but she was a special case and they knew they had to take it easy and never force her into doing anything that might make her uncomfortable. The good thing was that she was speaking more and more each day.
"I see" Yuri could feel his skin crawling. If his grandpa wouldn't have taken him in he would have probably ended up in some orphanage too but he's never been abused, only neglected. "I'm glad you took her" It was a rather surprising thing for him to say but all he could think about was how grateful he would have felt in her situation because, gross or not, they were both loving and could offer her near to everything in this world.
Viktor showed him his million dollar smile, feeling ready to swoon at the words. They small-talked until the other two were back and Yuuri began to prepare the dinner, doing his best not to fall over because of the puppy and Lola who were running after each other, the girl giggling wildly when the dog began to lick her hands or nudged her from time to time.
"I'm off" Yuri said around 6 and got up, eyeing Yuuri.
"Too bad you're not staying"
"Another time" The skater then turned to see Lola was watching him, her previous playing forgot. So he had to hold himself from going and rubbing her head because he knew she wouldn't be comfortable and instead waved at her once. "Take care, kid." She waved back and then ran towards Yuuri because something was smelling very nice around him.
Once Yurio was left they put the table and it was not surprising that Lola loved the Japanese's cooking and ate so fast that they were scared she was going to choke. Every time they tried to slow her down it would only last a minute or so but they were too tired to insist. They decided to go at the rink the following day and present Lola to the Russian team because eventually it had to happen and it was better if it was sooner. Lola fell asleep around 8 so Viktor tucked her in her new bed, making sure to leave a lamp on and the door open so she wouldn't panic in case she woke up.
"Done?"
"I hope she won't wake up during the night." He sighed and then wrapped his arms around Yuuri, burying his face in his hair. "You smell so nice" The brunet hummed and their lips met hungrily, wanting more and more of each other.
"Vitya" He moaned when the lips began to run down his throat while restless hands reached under his shirt.
"Mmm" He knew there was going to be a hickey in the morning and he would have stopped his husband if he wouldn't have been so distracted by his touch. "Bed" The older man murmured and the other accepted without a second thought, knowing too well that this was what he needed. Soon they were a mess of tangled limbs and he felt himself hardening at the seducing movement of Viktor's hips who were buckling against his. The shirts didn't last long before they were gone and then the pants and underwear followed and they were lost in each other. So they fell asleep curled around each other, taking precautions such as putting their pants back on after they were done because who knew what could happen?
The rink was almost empty and that was because it was lunchtime and everyone was out to eat but that didn't stop them because Yakov's voice could still be heard booming near the ice. The poor victim must have been Yuri because an annoyed groaned followed and they smiled at each other, amused. Lola was holding on Viktor's hand, distracted by her bunny but the deep voice startled her so Yuuri rubbed her head gently, assuring her he was there too.
When they reached the ice, Yuri was putting his purple guards back on his skates and was ready to go and eat when he spotted them and his mouth turned into a displeased line, making his coach turn around and see what was so dissatisfying. He furrowed his eyebrows – he was not so young anymore and even if Lilia insisted on it, he never wore his glasses at the rink - and recognised right away the familiar silver head; his former student was hard to miss as he began to wave but what caught his attention was not him nor the other younger Asian man. His eyes were focused on something that became more and more human with each step towards him – a little girl, it seemed. The question was : what in the world was she doing with them? Maybe she was one of Yuuri's relatives but she didn't seem Japanese and when they stopped in front of him she hid behind Viktor's long leg, peeking at him.
"Yakov! It's so nice to see you!" He didn't understand why he was using English but then looked down an realised it was probably because of her.
"Welcome back" Yakov has learned English when he was younger and competing in foreign countries and it served him well during his coaching career too because this way, he could never fall behind the younger ones.
"Whose child is this?" He asked in Russian, not caring about pleasantries. "Is she lost?"
"Lola is ours" Viktor said and squatted to wrap and arm around her small shoulders. "Aren't you happy, grandpa Yakov?"
A moment passed. A blink. The silent was always scary when it came to Yakov and just then Georgi and Mila entered the place and stopped, surprised by the sight.
"WHAT?!" The yell was so loud that the girl jumped and Viktor wrapped the other arm around her too, pulling her closer to kiss her cheek.
"Now, now, he just seems scary, he's actually pretty nice" He whispered and then turned towards the elder.
"Oi, Yakov, take it easy!" Yuri intervened as he saw the scared expression on the child's face.
"Nt" The coach decided he was too old for this but at the same time he couldn't believe it – he never thought he'd see the day when Viktor would call himself a father. He sighed, knowing it wasn't the proper way to react and counted from 1 to 10, a trick he always used when Viktor would do stupid things during his career so he wouldn't allow his poor heart to explode. After he exhaled deeply he looked at the girl – she was cute but she also looked ready to run for the hills and it was all his fault. "I'm Yakov, nice to meet you" His voice was thick and Lola leaned to whisper something to Viktor.
"What's that?" He asked and she repeated. "You think he has a funny accent?" He chuckled and she nodded innocently. "Funnier than mine?" She observed both her caregivers had weird accents and she said that to them this morning, while having breakfast, which made them both chuckle because it was so true. She nodded again and Yuuri grinned.
"Well, why don't you say hi to him"
"Hello" She said shyly and Yakov offered her a hand she touched, surprised at the coarse texture of the skin.
"Grandpa Yakov can teach you how to skate if you want to" Viktor said, gently holding her sides.
"I think your Papa can do that perfectly well too" The coach replied and the silver-haired man's heart fluttered at the word Papa, knowing his status was already accepted. Icy blues met familiar severe blues and Vitya almost became teary when he saw Yakov's eyes were smiling. They were saying "I'm proud of you" and it was true because that was what the old man was feeling. They've been family, ever since he took the boy in, after his mother abandoned him and he was proud to witness Viktor blooming in this direction. He's always been a star on ice but in private, he's been a scared little boy ever since he met him, insecurities burdening him so he could barely breathe. Always lonely – Christophe Giacometti being his only friend, one who was living thousands of kilometres away. Yuuri change that; as angry as he has been when the skater left out of the blue to chase some imaginary love, Yakov was glad it happened like that because seeing Viktor this happy was better than any gold medal.
"We'll see what we can do" He promised and kissed her soft hair.
"OMG! She's so cute! I can't believe you haven't told us you were gonna adopt!" Mila's voice was pitched and she almost ran to them once she overheard the word "papa". "I'm aunty Mila, sweetie! You're so cute!"
"Leave the kid alone, hag! She deserves better aunts" The redhead turned to throw Yuri an annoyed glance for that but concentrated on Lola who seemed shyer now, that she was in the centre of attention.
"I can't wait to spoil you rotten!" She giggled and tugged a little on her green dress. "Such a pretty dress, who got it for you?" The girl pointed towards the two former skaters and Mila grinned. "Awesome fashion sense, as expected. That's your uncle Georgi" She presented the man and Lo hesitated, Yuuri offering an apologetic smile.
Otabek left to take off his skates and change his t-shirt because it was way too sweaty so when he came back and saw everyone was basically agglutinated in one certain place he frowned, confused. Yuri saw his distress and motioned for him to go closer when he spotted two familiar figures. He saw Lola and realised right away it was the girl who Yura talked about so he told her his name but didn't make a real conversation, knowing he will have various occasions in the future. Having two sisters and countless cousins he grew up with, the Kazakh was rather skilled with children and he enjoyed spending time with them but he decided to wait a little until getting closer to her, so she could get used to his presence in the first place.
"Let's have lunch together" The Japanese suggested and they all agreed on a near bistro they all fancied. Yakov usually preferred not to tag along because the Russian team was a circus at the rink, he didn't need more of them during breaks but this time he went along and followed his pupils to a jolly and loud lunch. Lola seemed to agree with Yuri and Mila the most from the new acquaintances and she even answered to their questions, even if she held tightly to Yuuri's arm the entire time. It was almost surprising to see the retired skaters with such a gentle aura around them but one thing was sure – it fitted them like a glove.
Once they got back home Viktor took Saka for a walk during the time Yuuri prepared Lola for her nap-time. As they had no friends with children, the only person he could ask things related to toddlers was his mother whom he was already calling at least three times a day now. And she told him she needed naps otherwise she would be demure in the afternoon and here he was, staying on his and Viktor's bed with her cuddled under the soft blanket and him holding her books. They needed to go shopping badly – he decided he would talk to Viktor about that because they needed furniture for her room too and that needed to happen as soon as possible.
"Which one do you want?" She pointed towards "Snow White" once again and he hummed, settling on the pillows by her side. Lola closed her eyes and rested her head in his lap instead of her pillow, making him smile and bend to kiss her cheek. "Lo?" She opened an eye. "Do you like it here?" She nodded and he placed a strand of hair behind her ear. "We like that you're here too. If you want something you can tell us anytime, okay?"
"Okay"
"We love you a lot" She smiled shyly and he kissed her temple again before beginning to read the story. It took 5 stories to get her to sleep and when he finally succeeded he felt the slumber taking over him so he decided to close his eyes for a couple of minutes. After all, it wasn't like he had anything scheduled for the day.
Viktor took a shorter route than normal with Saka and that was only because he couldn't wait to get home, missing Yuuri and Lola badly. His furry friend needed attention too so he played with him, trying to teach him fetch and other tricks and rewarding him lovingly even if he didn't always succeed into completing his tasks. The truth was, he felt like flying. As soon as he entered the apartment he expected Yuuri to come and kiss him like he always did but that didn't happen and he chose not to call for him because their daughter was most probably sleeping. So he hurried the puppy towards the bathtub where he left him for a bit, searching for his lover; once he entered the bedroom his face almost split in two because of his humongous smile and he took out his phone to photograph the lovely image in front of him. They were both sleeping, Lola's head resting on Yuuri's tummy as the man was holding her hand in his, his glasses forgotten next to him and their faces crowned with serenity. He snapped a few photos and decided this was the perfect time to introduce Lola to the world.
They knew some photographs have been taken at the airport when they landed in St. Petersburg and they decided they weren't going to stop the publishing because this was not a thing they wished to or could keep hidden. She was already a huge part of their lives and they knew their admirers were not gonna attack her in any way, not that they would allow it. He chose the sweetest one and posted it on his Instagram with the caption "Happiest man in the World! Meet Lola Katsuki-Nikiforov" followed by many hearts and other emojis . Yuuri was used to being all over his husband's Instagram so he came to a point where he didn't get flustered anymore because he couldn't stop the man from being extra – it was his nature. He knew a lot of comments and articles and calls were going to follow so he put his phone on silent and went to wash the waiting puppy before drying him and following him towards the bedroom. The little pet jumped on the bed and sat by Lola's feet so Viktor decided it was a wise choice and joined the trio on the double bed, wrapping an arm around the little girl, assuring her she was safe and sound.
A/N: I hope you like the story so far! The truth is I am heart and soul involved (that's why I was rather prolific these past days) and I hope I can stir some sort of emotion! Your reviews are awesome and I look forward to them after every chapter! I hope you're all well; thank you for reading! xx
zvyozdochka - little star
lapochka - sweetie pie ^_^