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“Shit.”
He knew what three days of a sick stomach meant, especially when it was three days before he was due, but he still cursed at the sight of blood in his boxers. He cringed as he dabbed toilet paper on the stain, but it had already dried. Great; the one day he'd chosen a light-colored pair.
Yuri groaned as he pulled the underwear back up, kneeling down and scouring Viktor and Yuuri's bathroom cabinet. He always kept a box of pads in the back corner, buried under his other toiletries. Yuri pulled everything from the cabinet, finally finding the box and pulling it out. The box, however, was empty.
“Shit,” he repeated, throwing the box down violently.
He nearly panicked when he felt a gush between his legs, soaking into the fabric of his boxers. He grimaced as he reached down, keeping the fabric pressed against him as he stood and waddled back to the toilet. Sitting down, he pulled his underwear down in one fell swoop, and managed to have them clear before another gush emerged.
Yuri hastily wadded up toilet paper and shoved it in the crotch of the boxers, though they were most likely ruined already. He wiped himself down the best he could, composing himself and pulling up his pants. After flushing the toilet and washing his hands, he crept out into the hall.
“Katsudon?”
He knocked on their bedroom door. But got no answer. He tried again, harder this time.
“Yuuri?”
The door opened after the sound of sleepy stumbling, revealing an equally tired and concerned Japanese man. “Yuri-kun? What's wrong?”
Blushing, Yuri picked at his pajama pants. He hadn't meant to worry Yuuri like that. “Do you have any pads?” He asked quietly.
Yuuri rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. “No, I don't- I use a cup- Are you out?” Yuuri rambled sleepily, interrupting himself.
Yuri nodded, shifting uncomfortably as he felt the toilet tissue getting wet. “Doesn't it feel weird, putting something… inside?”
Yuuri had just recently decided to stop taking his testosterone, and Yuri hadn't thought he had used anything other than pads. Yuuri shook his head, stepping into the hallway and closing the bedroom door behind him as to not wake Viktor.
“It can the first few times, or it can every time. For me, though, it's okay. I don't like the constant moist feeling of pads and tampons make me nervous. The cup is reusable and you have a lower risk of TSS.”
Yuri nodded, allowing Yuuri to place a hand on his upper back and lead him down the hall. He listened carefully as Yuuri continued, curious about the contraption that was always so foreign to him.
“You can keep it in for a really long time, too, and since changing a pad or tampon in a public men's room always made me uncomfortable, that was really good for me.”
Yuuri yawned as they reached the living room, grabbing his keys from the coffee table and his glasses from the end table. “I'll go to the store and get you some pads. With wings or without?”
“Without,” Yuri said quickly, grimacing as the wad of toilet paper grew heavier. “Uhm, are they hard to use? The cups?”
Yuuri paused in the middle of putting on his coat, shaking his head. “It takes some practice to make sure you don't leak, but after one period, you should have it down.”
A silence fell between them, Yuuri still not leaving even after his coat was on. Yuri bit down on his tongue, too embarrassed to ask Yuuri what he truly wanted to. Yuuri's sixth sense for people being uncomfortable must have kicked in, though.
“Do you want me to pick one up for you with the pads? If you're having trouble with it, I could help you, or the pads are there to use instead.”
Yuri nodded quickly, sighing with relief. “Yeah, if… if you could.”
Yuuri nodded, slipping on his shoes. “I'll be back in a few minutes, Yuri-kun.”
Yuri had to change the toilet paper in his boxers twice while Yuuri was gone. When he finally returned, Yuri was curled up on the corner of the couch, hands clutching his lower stomach painfully. Yuuri cast him a sympathetic look, slipping off his shoes and heading into the kitchen. He returned with the bag from the drug store and a glass of water, offering it to Yuri.
“I got you some ibuprofen, too,” he murmured, opening the bottle and pouring two pills into Yuri's waiting hand.
“Thanks,” Yuri mumbled, swallowing the pills with earnest.
“Did you want help? With the cup?”
Yuri shifted uncomfortably, but nodded. He'd never even explored down there, much less tried and put something up there. Yuuri took a box out of the bag, opening it and pulling out a small, silicone cup. It was light blue, and looked much to big for Yuri to imagine it sitting comfortably inside him.
“I know,” Yuuri chuckled, “it looks huge right now. But I promise you can't feel it once it's inside.”
Yuri nodded, watching as Yuuri folded the cup in a “u" shape.
“See? It is smaller when you fold it like this. You hold the open side facing your body, and you kind of have to spread yourself and push it up. You can release the cup and it will open up once it has the room to.”
Yuri made a face, imagining that to be painful. “That must hurt.”
Yuuri shook his head, resting his free hand on Yuri's upper back. “I wouldn't lie to you,” he assured him. But,” he added, “I got you pads, too. You don't have to try the cup now, or ever, okay?”
Yuri nodded, relieved at Yuuri's perpetual understanding. “I… want to try it…” He mumbled, taking the cup from him carefully.
“I'll be out here if you need any help,” Yuuri reminded him.
He stood up gingerly, but it still didn't stop a gush of blood from coming out. He cringed, walking stiffly down the hall and shutting the bathroom door behind him. He took a deep breath as he gathered himself on the toilet, folding the cup into the shape Yuuri had showed him. He moved one hand down, shutting his eyes and spreading himself as Yuuri had advised. But as soon as the rim of the cup touched him, he froze.
“Yuuri?”
The footsteps sounded in an instant, Yuuri asking from outside the door, “are you okay?”
“I'm scared,” Yuri admitted, glad there was a door between them.
“It's alright,” Yuuri soothed. “Take a deep breath, and go slowly. Remember that you can stop at any time.”
Yuri nodded, though Yuuri couldn't see the action. He pressed against himself experimentally, biting down on his lip when the cup pushed into him the slightest bit. It didn't hurt, but it was a foreign feeling. He pushed it in further, releasing his lip from between his teeth.
“You okay?”
Yuuri's voice interrupted Yuri's concentration, and he paused again. “Yeah… it's in a little bit.”
“Good, that's good,” Yuuri encouraged him.
Yuri pressed on, releasing the cup from its shape once his fingers reached his entrance. He used the little stem to adjust the cup inside him, wiggling his hips. “I think it's in,” he announced.
“Pull down on the stem a little bit and see if it stays put. If it does, the seal was formed and it's in right.”
Yuri did as he was told, please when the cup stayed put. “It's in right,” he murmured, breathing a sigh of relief. “I'm gonna clean up and go back to bed.”
“Good idea. I'll head back to bed, too. Don't hesitate to come get me again if you need anything, okay?”
Yuri smiled despite the situation. “Okay… and… thanks, for helping me.”
Yuuri took a bit too long to reply, and Yuri assumed he had already walked away and hadn't heard him. But just as he stood from the toilet, he heard a quiet, “you're welcome. Goodnight, Yuri-kun.”
“Goodnight.”