"I can't believe you're finally called daddy in a non-sexual way" Viktor burst into laughter at the petty comment of Christophe and the amusement grew once he saw his husband frowning behind the kitchen counter where he was working on their lunch. He winked at him and Yuuri sighed, preferring to continue to chop vegetables, rather than ask what was all that about because he was sure that his poor heart didn't need to know. He was amused by the "Ice daddy" thing that was going on all over the internet too.

"It's been a week, you better start believing it" The Russian pouted and Yuuri rose his eyebrows, wondering how could he look so young and innocent in his mid-thirties. He probably had to get used to it – Viktor was going to be gorgeous until the end; he smiled at his fanboy thought and then processed the words because it has been a week indeed. A week of them being parents, that was quite some time and he couldn't decide if it felt like forever or it was like they just adopted yesterday. Either way, it was perfect.

"How's she doing?"

"She's having her cat nap" The man sipped from his iced tea while looking at the screen and examining the beaming look on his friend's face. "Yes – it's possible!" But that was only because she had troubles sleeping at night, waking up several times and crying almost hysterically.

"I can't wait to see her!" Chris and his boyfriend, Dorian, were supposed to visit in a few weeks and honestly, everyone was enthusiastic because they were some of their closest friends and they always had a fun time together. "If she is as sweet as she seems in the pictures I might just die" So dramatic, both of them burst into chuckles.

"You must brace yourself, then. We're trying to potty train her. I've never imagined myself reading Uh, oh! Gotta go! or Once upon a potty."

The Swiss leaned on his arm with a wide grin and shook his head.

"With the first occasion I will need you to read that to me"

"Unfortunately – there are versions for little girls and little boys and I don't think we have what you need." Viktor teased back and the blonde laughed, relaxed.

"I think I can manage it. All I have to do is get you drunk." He was ready to protest when he realised they had company and he turned to see a familiar curly head that was peeking from behind the doorframe. Blue eyes were teary, obviously scared so he got up without warning and went to pick the child up, nuzzling her cheek.

"Hello, princess" He murmured and kissed her temple, wiping away the few tears that were wetting her warm skin. Whenever she woke up and saw they weren't near she started crying and as many times as they explained it to her that they were never leaving without her she wouldn't accept it. "Have you slept well?" She nodded with her face buried in his chest and he smiled when he saw Yuuri came to kiss her too.

"Welcome back, sleepyhead." The girl still clung to Viktor as his daddy explained they were having lunch soon and then going to the playground. She liked to go to the park with them, even if she never spoke to other children and insisted on Yuuri going with her everywhere. "We're having piroschkis – they're yummy" He promised and then went back to the boiling sauce that was sputtering dissatisfied. They were lucky that Lola was eating anything they gave her but her eating habits were still worrying them as she often got sick afterwards.

Viktor sat back on the sofa and looked at Chris who had his glasses on now and who gasped surprised at the sight, even if he couldn't see the face of the little girl's. The silver-haired man smiled, his hands gently rubbing her curled back and he kissed her head.

"Hello, ma cherie!" At the strange voice she changed her position and Viktor was worried a bit about the location of her knee.

"Look, there's Chris." Viktor pointed towards the screen she watched, frozen. "He's Papa's best friend" He murmured and she turned so she was now facing the camera, surprised to see herself on the screen.

"You're so pretty, Lola" At that she blinked rapidly and the blond smiled kindly. "Your daddies told me all about you – they told me what a good girl you are. You like cats, right?" She nodded so he disappeared for a moment to bring his cat closer, showing her white fur and blue eyes to the laptop. "This is Angelique."

She grabbed Viktor's arms as if she was trying to tell him how much she liked it and he leaned closer, pressing his cheek against hers.

"She's a beautiful kitty. Maybe you can bring her along when you visit."

"I can try but she hates planes." For the rest of the conversation Lola stood almost still and reacted only when she was asked something by the stranger man. When Yuuri said lunch was almost done she struggled to climb down and ran to him, being welcomed in another pair of arms.

They were going on walks every afternoon because they were aware that their daughter needed fresh air and activities and she seemed to agree the most with the playground. She was never complaining of anything, barely speaking but it was clear she liked more to whisper to her bunny at the sandpit or at the slides than to walk around aimlessly.

Sakakibara was happy to run too, sometimes chasing Lola and the other way around, making the couple smile. They were watching over her from a bench when she was with the puppy, taking pictures at times because they decided she needed lots of albums, even if it seemed old fashioned. She was coming to them from time to time, just to lean against their legs or grab them as if she made sure they were still there and it was not all in her imagination. At one point she dragged Viktor towards the sandpit where they began to build some type of tall silhouette, the man trying to guess what she wanted and help her pursuing it. It was hard because she almost never spoke but they were getting better at understanding her body language and they were encouraging her to use new words, even if there were days when she wouldn't open her mouth.

She looked over at Yuuri and the man smiled, waving at her. She waved once and turned to Viktor that was holding her bunny for her.

"She's a sweetie pie" The words in Russian startled him and he turned around to see it was a woman sitting on a bench near him. She was tall and her blonde hair was braided, making her look a bit more severe than she intended, probably.

"Thank you" The answer was short but that was only because he had no idea if he was supposed to continue the conversation.

"Mine's over there" She pointed towards a girl who looked around 6 or 7 years old, two piggy tails falling over her shoulders as she ran around with some friends, her pants dirty from so much climbing. "Darya"

"Lola" His voice was fond when speaking the word and he checked on them to see Viktor somehow ended on all fours, waiting for next commands. He was so smitten that Yuuri could barely contain his smile at the sight.

"Babysitting?" Well, the dots could be connected easily, she was Caucasian, brown hair, blue eyes, he was Asian, black hair, brown eyes, of course she would assume they were not related.

"No, she's my daughter" He then motioned towards Viktor. "And that's my husband over there." And that's where the conversation ended. In fact, he's been surprised when she even turned so she wouldn't face him anymore. Well, Russia was not exactly opened to gay relationships, let alone marriages and they were lucky not to face any violent homophobia before; he was used to the ignoring but he couldn't help but feel sad at how that might affect Lola's life. He couldn't understand how loving someone could be a stigma.

But he didn't say anything when his little family came to him, looking for napkins and water, he kept a smile on acted like he couldn't see the mean stares they were receiving. Viktor realised something was wrong and when he turned around he saw the many "traditional" people going back to their business so he picked Lola and placed her on the bench next to Yuuri to see the little bump on her knee – the one she earned earlier that day and that was covered by a patch with unicorns.

"Is the boo-boo better?" She nodded eagerly and then pointed to the edge of the patch that was creasy. "Do you need a new patch?" Another nod so he smiled and began to look through the bag, bringing all the offers to the light. They had Garfield patches, ones with unicorns and rainbows, with animals, butterflies and she pointed towards one with ladybugs. "This one?" He peeled the previous one gently and placed this new one before kissing her knee to make it better. When she was done she grabbed Yuuri's hand and pulled him towards the swings where he knew exactly what he had to do.

They stood until pretty late and tucked in early because the next day the furniture for Lola's room was arriving and they had to make sure everything was alright. The room was already painted but they decided not to let her see it until it was ready so she would have a bigger surprise. When the workers came by, Lola seemed very scared by all of them so Yuuri decided to play with her in their bedroom while Viktor made sure everything ended up perfectly. There were toys scattered all around the bed but she was still focused on the bunny and Yuuri realised there was something wrong with the toy.

"Can I see it for a bit?" She offered it to him hesitantly and he realised one ear was almost entirely pulled off the head. He had a missing eye too and per total, he was looking rather scary. "Do you want us to fix him?" Her eyes widened and she nodded so he got off the bed and began to look for the sewing kit he threw in one of the drawers. Yuuri learnt to sew when he was little because his mother often had him helping around the onsen and he hoped he could still remember the basics. He took a button too, for the missing eye and he gently tended for the stuffed animal, explaining every step because he felt Lola was tensing every time he moved his hand.

When he was done Mr. Bunny was looking decent, especially because he sewed some cute patches on him too.

"Look how pretty he is now" He murmured and ran his fingers through her honey curls. She leaned into the touch and he smiled, bending to kiss her forehead and pull her in his lap. "I love you, Lo" She closed her eyes at the words and he continued to pet her head gently, until Viktor came inside to tell them it was all done.

"Are you ready to see your bedroom, malysh?" She didn't answer because she wasn't sure what they were talking about but Viktor offered her his hand and after he took the other's they began walking towards the next door. When they stepped inside she gasped and her eyes widened as she looked around at the little paradise they built for her. It was friendly, it had everything a little girl could wish for and there were some extra toys placed on some shelves too so she got out a long sound that made them both smile and squat so they could examine her happy face.

"Do you like it, Lo?" She nodded so Yuuri rubbed her back. "It's all yours, sweetheart" He promised and she furrowed her brows.

"It's yours" Viktor accentuated the last word and kissed her soft cheek. "Let's look around" He took her hand to show her everything, even if they were sure she wasn't going to sleep in there for at least a few more weeks. It seemed incredible to her and they could understand that but they didn't want to encourage the thought of possessing nothing because they wanted to give her the world. The day passed by pretty fast and when the time came for sleeping she walked towards her bedroom and began to bring all type of things from there. Toys, a few books from the shelves, even some pillows with Disney princesses. When Yuuri came back from the bathroom he found a pile of things on their bed and saw Lola entering the room with a handful of Lego pieces.

"What are you doing, Lola?" He asked surprised and she looked up, as if cornered. She became teary right away and he went closer and kneeled by her side. "No, no, no need for tears, baby. Explain to daddy." But tears began pouring down her cheeks already so he pulled her in a hug that was meant to soothe her. "Sweetheart, I'm not mad, I promise. Daddy's not upset." But she couldn't explain so she simply continued to sob into his neck as he pulled her in his lap and rocked her while whispering calming words.

When Viktor saw what was going on he frowned confused but was by their side as soon as possible.

"What happened?" He couldn't stand seeing Lola crying like that so he caressed her little neck and back as she rested on Yuuri's chest.

"Mine?" It was the only word she spoke ever since this started and it got them both confused but she pointed towards the pile of things.

"Of course they're yours, princess" Viktor cooed and kissed her temple. "No one is going to take them away, I promise." It was mind-blowing for her, to know she possessed something and it was normal to act this way and not want to let it go. "You must trust us – when you wake up tomorrow they will still be there." She sniffled.

"Okay?" She nodded hesitantly. "Now let's take them back to your room" They helped her and after a few more promises and kisses she finally accepted the idea of leaving them there.

Viktor entered the room looking for things they needed to wash and was surprise when he felt a very bad odour enveloping him. It was curious because it couldn't have been Saka as he was trained but he didn't exclude the possibility, beginning to search around for the source. It was in one of the drawers so he began to pull all of them until he reached the last one and his mouth gaped when he saw what was inside. French fries, vegetables, small chocolate bars, all combined in a smelly mess because most of the food was old.

"Yuuri!" He called loudly and the man put the dishes he was drying on the table and went to see what was so urgent. When he entered the room his nose wrinkled in discomfort and Viktor turned around to look him in the eye. "Why is food in here?"

"Food?" There was no way he would put food anywhere beside the fridge or, to some extent, another place in the kitchen. He went closer and saw the little hoard that made him gasp, shocked. "Why is it here?" Lola, who has been following his steps exactly stopped by the door, probably intuiting that her secret was discovered and when they turned around she flinched.

"Lo?" Viktor tried but she didn't move, her little fingers grabbing the doorframe tightly. "Come here, rybka" She was already used to her Papa's strange nicknames so she knew she was the one being called but she refused to move. "Come here" She finally began to make small steps towards them, until Viktor picked her up and showed her the mess. "Did you put all the food here?"

She hid her face in his neck and nodded slowly because by their actions it was clear they were not pleased.

"Lola, look at me" Yuuri inhaled. "Food isn't supposed to stay in drawers or closets, it's supposed to stay in the fridge, okay? Otherwise it spoils and it smells yucky." He was sure there was some hidden reason behind it and as his brain started to think in that direction, Viktor already elucidated the mystery.

"Food is never going to miss." His thumb brushed her cheek gently. "You're never going to be hungry again." The brunet felt his eyes watering at the thought of her fearing that. That's why she was always eating so much – now hiding food – she was afraid of suffering again like that and they couldn't do anything to help her understand, she would only learn as time passed by.

"Don't hide food." He said a little more imposing than he meant to be. "If you're hungry you can always come to me or Papa and tell us and we will fix something for you." She understood, he could see that and he sighed. "Now we have to clean here"

They never raised their tones, they always tried to explain but this time Yuuri knew he needed to be a little harsher so she wouldn't repeat her actions. So he went to grab the cleaning utensils and after discharging the mess he began to rub the grease off the wood. It still smelt terrible. Viktor went to pick other things for washing and he took Lola along, knowing Yuuri needed some time to process. She was worried, flinching at every sound that came from the next room, her head raising when she heard the man talking on the phone, muttering some strange words.

"Daddy is from Japan so he can speak Japanese too." Viktor explained. "Just like Papa can speak Russian because I'm from Russia." She stood still while he sorted the clothes and put some to wash and then he offered her a hand and guided her to the living room where Yuuri was staring outside the window, still on the phone. She began to play with her cubes, building something with the nice, light green ones but she was obviously focused on the younger man, who turned around to offer her a glance before furrowing his brows and answering his mother's question. He had no idea what he did because he paying attention to the conversation but the impassive eyes made Lola get up and run to him. She had no clue about what she was supposed to do so she suddenly stopped, wanting to tug on his pants but unsure that was a good idea.

"Daddy" She whispered and Yuuri didn't hear.

"Daddy, our daughter is calling for you" Viktor helped and the man turned around to find the girl on the brink of tears, staring at him like the end of the world was near. He raised his brows and then offered her a gentle smile before petting her head. "I think princess needs a kiss-kiss." Yuuri grinned and bent to kiss her forehead and then her cheek, followed by her nose. She didn't smile because she was still worried and until he was done with the call she held tightly on his arm, forcing him to keep that position.

"Mom, I really have to go, I'll call tomorrow" He promised finally. "Viktor and Lola say hi" After saying goodbye he let the phone aside and concentrated on the girl. "What's the matter, Lo?"

"Lola good" She said, her voice filled with fierceness making his brown eyes to widen.

"Lola's a good girl, indeed" He agreed and she tightened the grasp on him.

"You're not upset anymore, are you, daddy?" Viktor encouraged the conversation from his place on the couch and Yuuri shook his head, a gentle smile steady on his lips.

"Of course not."

"Daddy" She repeated and he picked her up, feeling her arms wrapping around his neck. He didn't understood where the urgency came from but he decided he was going to give her what she needed, even if that meant her clinging to him all day long.

Their day went on normally and after Viktor and Lola fell asleep, Yuuri took his laptop and headed for the living room, knowing there was no chance of him falling into slumber so early. The truth was, he was exhausted but that was not enough to stop his owl-ish behaviour and make him tuck in. He decided to answer Phichit's messages and check his Instagram, grinning at the amount of photos he's been tagged in. Vikor was very active on social media and he had to admit he was good at taking pictures – his favourite was the picture he posted that morning, of Lola eating yoghurt with granola and fruits, her hair a mess and her cheeks puffy. He felt his heart swell at the sight and after hearting all the new posts of their friends he decided to check his email because his phone has been annoying him to the point where he simply put it on silent mode.

He had a few contracts he needed to check but something else caught his eye in the first place. It was called simply "Lola" and that intrigued him the most because he had no idea what that could be. He clicked on it immediately and pushed his glasses higher on his nose, his brows furrowing.

Dear Mr. Katsuki-Nikiforov,

You probably have no idea who am I and you probably have no interest in my existence at all. My name is Phoebe Bloom and helped by the internet I've found out that you and your husband adopted my daughter, Lola. The surprise was not little when I became aware of the fact that she was adopted by international celebrities and dragged across the world, as you are currently living in Saint Petersburg, Russia. I am sure the orphanage or the CPS informed you about her past and you have every right to choose not to answer me for I've been anything but a good mother but I want you to know that I've just been released from the rehabilitation institution where I spent the past four months and I'm doing my best to redeem my mistakes. I would love to meet her again, even if only for an hour and if you'd let me do that, I promise to completely disappear from your lives. As soon as you say yes – if you may – I will go and buy myself a plane ticket. Thank you very much for understanding; I am looking forward to your reply.

Yuuri was not confused, he was perplexed and after re-reading the mail again and again and again he leaned against the backrest of the sofa. He took a big breath in and as soon as he straightened his posture he decided he should do what was the best for all of them – so he began to type.

A/N: Thank you for reading and for your support! I hope you won't hate me after this cliff-hanger of a chapter and that you will continue reading my family fluff ^o^ Arigato for the amazing reviews - they make me feel amazing and I adore each one of them! I wish you a nice week! Enjoy summer! x

rybka = little fish (yes, that is a real Russian pet name, most probably taken after the story of the golden fish)

malysh = baby