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As far as Victor can tell, Yuuri’s gotten over his trouble with Chris entirely. Maybe it’s because Victor took Yuuri aside, held him close, and promised that Yuuri was the only hybrid, the only person for him, and now Yuuri shines with the confidence of their relationship. Or maybe it’s because Chris is just so very soft and beautiful, and it’s very difficult not to pet him.
Either way, Victor’s grateful for it. He does enjoy watching them cuddle with each other on the couch, constantly nuzzling and cooing, Chris purring his sultry moans and Yuuri gently humming. It’s a sight too sweet, too cute, too pure, or at least, it is at first.
Then Victor starts to notice a faint flush to Yuuri’s cheeks, a deeper look in Yuuri’s eyes, and a slight bulge in the shorts he’s borrowed from Victor’s drawers. Chris always looks aroused, which doesn’t help matters at all, especially with the way Yuuri weakly swoons into his arms. Eventually, it breaks Victor, and he finishes lunch one sandwich early, retreating to the privacy of the porch so he can give Phichit a call.
He can still see Yuuri and Chris over the back of the couch, past the dining table and through the sliding glass door. They look perfectly comfy, perfectly content, and Victor almost feels guilty. But he has worries he can’t convey in only text, so he waits for Phichit to answer—he does on the third ring.
He says just, “Hello?” because Victor’s called his private line rather than going through the zoo.
Victor, naturally direct, jumps straight to, “When does Yuuri’s rut season start?”
Phichit’s quiet for a moment, then answers, “You should still have a week or two. And trust me, you’ll know.”
“So it will be after Chris is gone then, yes?” He doesn’t realize until after he’s said it that it sounds like exactly what it is: jealousy. Which is silly, because Victor’s not a jealous person, exactly, and he was the one wanting Yuuri to not get worked up over simply petting a cat. Before Phichit can pick up on that, Victor explains, “It’s just that I don’t want Yuuri to do anything he’ll regret...”
“He won’t,” Phichit promises, sounding distracted but sure. “He’ll still be himself, even if it’ll seem like overdrive—you have to remember that this isn’t like being drunk; it’s a natural thing for him. He can still say ‘no’ just fine when he doesn’t want someone, like he did with our other buck and the handlers.” Mostly, that’s a huge relief, and Victor sighs for it. In another, very small way, that still leaves a problem. Phichit continues, “Actually, I thought the director would be back before the rut started, but now that I’m looking over his schedule changes...” He pauses for a moment, maybe flipping through other apps on his phone, ones that seal Victor’s fate.
Victor has to prompt, “Phichit?” before he returns.
Then Phichit answers, “Shit, I’m sorry... there’s a chance you would still be looking after Chris then... which won’t be good for either of them; Yuuri will demand all of your attention, and if you’re serious about him, Chris will suffer...”
Victor pinches the bridge of his nose, grateful that Phichit isn’t there to see it. Yuuri and Chris still seem too wrapped up in each other to look back and notice Victor’s struggle. It’s for the best: he has to stay strong—there’s nothing he can do about it. He said he’d take care of Yuuri, and he meant it. Looked forward to it, even. But he won’t let Chris suffer, either.
After a tense silence, Phichit says, “Okay, I’ve got it. It’ll take a bit of rearranging, but I don’t see any other option—I can’t just dump the director’s cat on anyone; he’d kill me!” Victor doesn’t know what that means, until Phichit tells him, “I can be at the cabin in few days. I’ve still got the address on file from Yuuri’s transfer. I’ll come and take Chris back with me until the director gets back. It’ll suck for my schedule, but I don’t see any other way. ...And hey, I wanted to visit Yuuri sometime anyway, so I guess that’s a plus...”
Stunned, Victor answers, “Perfect!” Because it is greatly helpful, even though, once he thinks of it, that means Yuuri might have Phichit for an option too. But Yuuri was quite fond of Phichit, and Victor knows Yuuri will be glad to see him. And that happiness will be more than worth it.
Phichit chirps, “Great! Hey, I have to go now—Yurio’s roaring my ear off. But I’ll text you after my shift to work out the details, okay?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Awesome, see you then!”
And the phone clicks to signal the end of the conversation, leaving Victor out in the cold, looking out across the lake that he and Yuuri often skate over. They won’t be doing that for at least a month once the rut starts, and Victor will miss that.
He misses Yuuri more. He shuffles back into the house, kicking the snow off the boots he had to slip into for even just that call. Yuuri and Chris are still all tangled up in one another. Victor heads right for the couch to face them.
He could keep Phichit a surprise, one that would surely have Yuuri giddy with excitement on the day, but watching them has Victor blurt, “Chris, I was just speaking with one of the handlers at your master’s zoo.”
Chris looks up, one eye peeking open and one ear flicking up. Yuuri stills at his side, head nestled against his shoulder. Chris purrs, “Which one?” as though he’s had his fun with every last one of them, and maybe he has.
“Phichit,” Victor answers. As soon as he does, Yuuri perks up too. Victor can’t resist telling them, “He’ll be coming by in a few days to take you home.”
He expected a broad smile on Yuuri’s lovely face, but instead, Yuuri balks. He asks Victor in a small voice, “Why are you taking our cat away?”
On the one hand, Victor’s pleased that Yuuri’s come so far in accepting Chris. But on the other, the more touch-starved Yuuri acts, the more Victor worries. He combats Yuuri’s whimper with a pout of his own, and he whines, “You mean I won’t be enough for you?”
It works so very easily. Yuuri instantly melts. He moans, “Victor,” and stretches out both of his arms, inviting Victor to swoop right into them. Victor does, except he bends lower to scoop Yuuri up beneath the knees. Yuuri lets Victor pick him right up. It’s likely that he’s too busy nuzzling into Victor’s cheek to notice.
Pausing there, Victor tells his wilted cat, “Yuuri needs some time alone now, but we’ll come back to you during dinner, okay?”
Chris lets out an exaggerated sigh, but he nods, and the small smile he gives Victor seems to say that he understands. Even though the three of them all eat entirely different things, Victor still intends to share their mealtime—as much as he is playing favourites, he won’t totally neglect either charge.
He gives Chris a grateful smile, and then he carries Yuuri up to the loft, where he tucks his beloved serow into bed and snuggles up to him for hours.