Work Text:
“Mama,” Yuri whined as he nuzzled against the older skater’s chest.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” Yuuri cooed as he soothed the young blonde in his arms, emitting calming maternal pheromones.
Yuri leaned into his dam’s touch, allowing himself to be comforted by the light scent of jasmine and green tea. It had taken time, of course, to reach this level of comfort. Casual parental affection was still something that Yuri shied away from if they were outside of Yuuri’s nest, even after nearly a year had passed. The teen hadn’t allowed himself to initiate it either, to ask for a hug when he was tired, or a hair ruffle when he had done a good job, but in this moment there was nowhere else he could stand to be except in his dam’s arms. Yuuri was the only thing, the only one who could soothe the pain.
“It hurts,” the teen grumbled, pressing his face closer against the familiar warmth as he inhaled the scent of jasmine and matcha, finally able to find a little bit of relief.
“Shh, I know, it’s okay,” Yuuri murmured, running a protective hand up and down the blonde’s aching arm, the other one wrapped around his torso, keeping his pup pressed close in a protective fashion. The Japanese man’s heart ached at the sight before him, of his adopted son writhing in pain.
Yuri has been growing at seemingly an exponential rate, his limbs growing even faster than his irritability. He was struggling to land his jumps, his body ached all the time, and his presentation loomed over his head. To top it all off, growing just plain hurt. It all had come to a head when at practice that afternoon, Yakov had suggested Yuri take this season off, causing the teen stormed out of the rink near tears, followed by his dam. Viktor had stayed behind to talk with Yakov, he knew that his mate would be capable of calming down their pup. It wasn’t an unreasonable suggestion, many skaters took a season or two off when they hit their growth spurts. Growth spurts not only mean discomfort, but essentially having to relearn every jump, it was like starting all over again from the very beginning.
“Please, just make it stop. I want to skate, I just want to skate” Yuri sniffled. It broke the older man’s heart to see the teen suffering in pain in his arms. He remembered when he too finally hit his growth spurt and how much it had impacted his skating, but he hadn’t grown nearly as quickly as Yuri. The blonde was shooting up like a beanstalk and was nearly as tall as Yuuri himself, just a hair’s breadth from surpassing the Japanese omega in height. Secretly Yuuri thought the pup would end up even taller than Viktor once he finished growing, but the one time he mentioned it to his mate, Viktor had nearly burst into tears. He had gone on and on about how fast their “little pup” was growing up, even though it was inevitable, they had adopted a teenager after all.
“You can still skate, Yu-chan,” Yuuri reassured as Yuri curled up against his dam’s side, his head cradled against the omega’s chest as he released steady waves of calming pheromones.
“Do you really think I’ll have to take a season off?” Yuri asked in a small voice, his question muffled by the soft fabric of his dam’s worn sweatshirt. His voice sounded choked like he may be on the verge of tears. Yuuri paused for a moment and took a deep breath, considering what to say.
“I don’t know, we’ll talk about it when your sire gets home, okay?” Yuuri answered, gently petting the top of his pup’s head. Yuri grumbled at his dam’s response but didn’t argue further and instead relinquished himself to the comforting embrace of the older omega as they lay together on the couch with Makkachin curled up protectively by their feet. Eventually Yuri managed to fall asleep finally, he must have been exhausted. The growing pains had been keeping him up recently, and his inability to land his jumps had made the teen push himself even harder at practice, essentially running himself ragged.
A little while later, the click of a camera phone stirred Yuuri from his own near slumber like state. He blinked slowly and motioned next to him to reach for his glasses that had fallen off his face and was promptly greeted by the sight of his mate smiling wide at the sight before him.
“Vityaaaaa,” Yuuri whined as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying not to jostle their sleeping pup too much.
“Aw moya lyubov, I couldn’t resist, you two just looked so sweet!” Viktor cooed. “See?” The exuberant alpha thrust his phone screen in Yuuri’s face, showing off the photograph he just snapped. The Japanese skater smiled softly at the picture, showing him and their pup curled up together on the couch, Yuuri’s chin resting on Yuri’s head with the blonde’s arms wrapped around his dam like a needy octopus. Makkachin was curled up at the foot of the couch. The picture would probably end up on Instagram. If one came across the Russian alpha’s feed and didn’t know that Viktor Nikiforov was a professional figure skater, they might think he was a family blogger instead.
“Okay, that is pretty cute,” Yuuri whispered, careful not to be too loud so as not to wake the slumbering teen. “Did you talk to Yakov?” He looked up at his mate hopefully.
“It was alright. Yakov is concerned, he doesn’t want Yura hurting himself. I can’t say I’m not worried too. It was hard on me when I hit my growth spurt, but I don’t remember growing nearly this fast. I don’t want him to get hurt either. I don’t know what I’d do,” Viktor explained, looking down at their son in his mate’s arms with a protective gaze. Yuuri sighed and nodded gently, he felt the same way.
“I’ll be right back, I’m going to shower.” Viktor said, planting a quick kiss on Yuuri’s cheek before heading to their bedroom to change out of his workout gear and wash up.
Yuuri nuzzled his nose against the top of his pup’s head and pulled the boy close. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Yuri. They had been a family for a year now, had collectively stood atop last season’s Grand Prix Final podium together. He wanted Yuri to be able to skate as long as he could. For every Katsuki-Nikiforov, their first love had been the ice.
Fifteen minutes later Viktor emerged from the bedroom, freshly showered. The silver-haired alpha made his way to the couch and gave Makkchin a few gentle pats, the old dog stirring slightly at the presence of her beloved owner.
“Is he in pain?” Viktor asked gently as he kneeled in front of Yuuri next to the couch, now dressed in comfortable sweatpants and a loose tank top.
Yuuri nodded, “Mhmm, he’s been growing like a weed. He’s almost as tall as me now.” The Japanese skater ran a gentle hand through their pup’s mop of blonde hair as Yuri shifted in his sleep, inching closer to his dam.
“I definitely didn’t grow this fast,” Viktor added as he climbed onto the couch on the other side of their slumbering pup. Yuri was still tucked closest against his dam’s side and let out a little mewl of contentment as he unconsciously felt the warmth of his sire close by. Over the top of Yuri’s head, Yuuri and Viktor share a pair of beaming smiles, hearts feelings incredibly full.
“Papa?” Yuri groaned as he rolled over, eyes slowly blinking with consciousness as he recognized the scent of pine and raspberry jam.
Viktor let out an overjoyed, yet albeit very loud squeal. “Yuratchka!” Viktor had never heard Yuri address him like that before.
“Ughhh, what do you want, old man? I finally fell asleep!” Yuri bites as he huffs and pushes his hair out of his eyes.
“Aww Yurio, I’m not papa anymore?” The older Russian teased.
“Arg, shut up!” Yuri growled, his cheeks burning bright red as he turned his head away in embarrassment, causing his parents to laugh.
“Are you hungry Yu-chan?” Yuuri asked as he rubbed comforting circles along the blonde’s upper back.
“I’m starving,” Yuri groaned.
“Makes sense, you’re growing faster than a tree!” Viktor chuckled as he reached to ruffle the younger skater’s hair.
“How does stroganoff sound?” The Japanese man suggested with a grin.
Both Yuri and Viktor’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. While Yuuri’s best dishes were still Japanese, he had been keen on learning to cook some Russian dishes as well. Stroganoff had been a huge success. Growing up in an onsen definitely had its perks. Whenever Viktor or Yuri needed a little cheering up, the Russian comfort food was a go-to. That along with Japanese curry, which Yuri had gained a certain affinity for since he had moved in with the couple.
“Haha, okay, I’ll go get started on it. Vitya, come help me?” Yuuri laughed as he untangled himself from his needy pup and headed towards the kitchen.
“Coming!” Viktor called back, bounding after his fiance.
On the couch, Yuri reached for one of the fluffy throw blankets as he grumbled at the loss of the comfort his dam provided. The blonde groaned as he wrapped himself up in the plush blue fabric, feeling his bones ache as he moved. Beside him Makkachin lifted her head in observation and scooted a little closer to the growing teen, resting her head against his hip as he reclined in the corner of the couch.
Only a few minutes later, Potya slinked over, no doubt lured out of Yuri’s room by the scent of cooking food. She meowed softly as she walked along the back of the couch while she made her way towards her owner, eventually settling in his lap as Yuri scrolled through his phone, idlying looking at Instagram and Twitter. At least the comfort of his pets helped the pain, even if just a little bit.
Supper didn’t take too long to prepare and soon the little family was sitting down at the dining room table. The three ate in relative silence, enjoying the creamy sauce and tender noodles in front of them. Makkachin laid contently under the table as Potya weaved between Yuri’s feet. Yuri ate like a man starved, happily wolfing down two bowls before he even seemed to take a breath. The sight caused the older couple to share glances, but both of them were happy that at least now their pup had gained his appetite back, having felt too nauseous to eat at breakfast that morning.
“So I talked with Yakov a bit, after you left the rink,” Viktor started, taking a slow sip of his drink.
“Hrumph,” Yuri grumbled, his mouth full of stroganoff.
“He thinks it might be for the best if you were to sit out this season, or even just part of it, at least until you’re mostly done growing,” Viktor explained with a sigh, looking over at his mate for reassurance. Yuuri just nodded and looked over at their pup, whose face had gone completely pale.
“No.” Yuri disputed, his hands balling into fits on either side of his bowl.
“You’re growing so fast, you might get hurt,” the Japanese skater interjected, trying to rationalize with the teen.
“I’m not taking the season off,” Yuri swallowed audibly, trying his best to hold his ground.
The last few weeks had been exhausting, both mentally and physically. He was tired all the time, he was in pain, he wasn’t skating the way he wanted to anymore, he felt so out of place in his own body. Skating was familiar, it was what he was good at, he couldn’t just let it be taken away.
“It won’t be the end of the world if you take one season off Yuratchka,” Viktor started tentatively. “You can still skate, just not competitively, you need to take it easy and let your body grow. If you compete this season you may be putting yourself in danger.” The silver-haired alpha explained.
“I want to skate!” Yuri defended, casting a glare that was sharp enough to cut. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
“Well, I don’t want you to get hurt,” Viktor said firmly.
“But-“ Yuri began.
“Your sire’s right, Yu-chan,” Yuuri interrupted, trying his best to keep the tone of his voice calm and responsable, his senses having heightened at the distinct sourness clouding his pup’s usual scent of vanilla and ivory soap. “The last thing we want is you getting hurt.”
From across the table Yuri finally pulled his cutting gaze away from his sire and turned to look at his dam, whose big brown eyes and soft smile suddenly had Yuri feeling incredibly small and embarrassed, like a child who was being scolded.
“This season on the ice isn’t worth throwing away the next ten,” Viktor added as he rested his chin in his hands, his elbows propped up on the table.
“He’s right. And you can take this season to get ahead with your school work, spend more time with Potya, maybe visit Otabek?” Yuuri offered, trying to make taking a season off sound less horrific than it initially seems. “Do things other teenagers usually do.”
“I don’t know what to do without skating,” Yuri whispered, so quietly it was almost impossible to hear the very honest confession.
“Yu-chan, you can just be a teenager. That’s perfectly okay,” Yuuri comforted, reaching out a hand to gently push some stray hair behind his pup’s ear.
“I don’t know,” Yuri sniffled, feeling entirely overwhelmed.
“We just want what’s best for you, Yuratchka,” Viktor nodded, offering up a sympathetic look. “I know how much skating means to you, I felt the same way when I was growing. But I don’t want you to cut your time short by being reckless.”
Across the table Yuri nodded, but his eyes were still cast downwards, watching with watery eyes as Potya brushes against his legs, leaving tufts of white fur against his leggings.
“I’ll- I’ll think about it,” Yuri responded meekly.
“Yurio, how about you go take a shower while your dam and I clean up supper?” Viktor suggested.
“Ew, you guys just want to be gross together or something,” Yuri concluded, rolling his eyes as he pushed himself out of his seat and padded towards his bedroom.
In the kitchen the couple giggled softly as Viktor lovingly took his mate in his arms.
“You’re so good with him, I’ll never understand,” Viktor praised as he peppered light kisses along his husband’s face.
“I could say the same to you,” Yuuri laughed, wrapping his arms around his mate. The pair fall into a fit of giggles and sweet kisses as they wait for their son to finish his shower.
“Mama, will you braid my hair please?” Yuri asked softly, pushing his wet hair back behind his ears. He was now dressed in comfortable pajamas, an oversized band t-shirt and a pair of thin purple sweatpants. Tucked beneath his arm was the stuffed tiger Viktor had gotten him when he first moved in with the couple. The sight made Yuuri’s heart swell, he loved his son so much.
“Of course, grab me your comb and a couple elastics?” The Japanese skater smiled.
Yuri grabbed the necessary items and plopped himself down in front of the couch between his dam’s legs.
“Your hair’s getting long,” the older omega sighed contently as he combed Yuri’s hair, it now fell a few inches past his shoulders, reaching just below his collarbones.
“Mhmm,” the teen hummed in response, his eyes fixed on his phone in his hand as he mindlessly scrolled through his Instagram feed.
“It’s so nice, are you trying to grow it out?” Yuuri asked as he began to french braid one side of his pup’s freshly washed hair.
“I don’t know,” Yuri answered nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.
“You’ll look like your papa if you grow it out long,” the dark-haired omega giggled.
Yuri whipped around at the light hearted comment, tearing his hair out of his dam’s gentle grasp.
“He’s not-” Yuri started through gritted teeth but promptly cut himself off when he saw his dam’s eyes go wide and smelt his usually comforting scent sour slightly with worry.
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, I just, Viktor looked so nice with long hair and yours is getting long too. It’s just nice to see, I guess, if that makes sense?” Yuuri blurted out, his words spilling so fast that they jumbled together. He didn’t want to upset his pup, being a parent was still new to him after all and he didn’t want to push his pup too far, especially now with Yuri’s participation in the upcoming season uncertain.
“I just, I want to be my own person. He’s- he’s ‘Russia’s hero’. I hate when reporters call me ‘the next Viktor Nikiforov’.” Yuri admitted quietly, his eyes cast downwards at his hands in his lap, facing away from his dam. His phone now lay forgotten by his side.
Yuuri paused for a moment, considering what to say next. Yuri always acted so tough on the outside but the older skater knew he was really quite sensitive. He desperately wanted to be his own person, like any other teen. Except unlike every other teen, Yuri was growing up in the spotlight and had spent over a decade without a proper sire and dam. Secretly Yuri liked being fanned and fussed over. He liked being hugged and kissed and praised and reassured, he needed it, like any other child would.
“You’ll look far better than I ever did, I’m sure of it,” Viktor interjected from across the room, a small smile on his face. He was leaning up against the door frame to the master bedroom. “Maybe even a better skater one day too.”
“Hey! I already beat one of your records!” Yuri shot back with a snort, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I’ll beat yours too,” he announced, turning towards the older omega seated behind him.
“I know you will,” Yuuri laughed softly as he ran his fingers through his pups hair. “You’re the Ice Tiger of Russia, afterall.”
“You’re damn right I am!” Yuri grinned. His chest felt full at the compliment. ‘Ice Tiger’ had been a self appointed nickname, and it had never stuck like ‘The Russian Fairy’ had, but his dam never called him that.
“I’m going to go take Makka on a walk, how about I make us some hot chocolate when I get back, hmm?” Viktor suggested as he pulled on his coat.
“You better put a crap ton of marshmallows in mine!” Yuri quipped before crawling up onto the couch and snuggling into his dam’s side.
“Of course Yuratchka,” Viktor sighed endearingly, placing a kiss on the crown of Yuri’s head.
“You’re so embarrassing, Papa,” Yuri huffed under his breath as he crossed his arms. His adoptive parents shared a knowing glance, small smiles taking form on both of their faces.