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"This is nice." Yuuri sighed, leaning back into the sofa. The fire was roaring, and the sweaters were comfortable. On one side of him was his husband, head pressed against his. On his other side was his child, leaning his back against Yuuri's side, an arm looped around Yuri's slender waist. He seemed so calm tonight, the older man thought. So thoughtful. He hadn't thrown one tantrum or called anyone a snarky name.
The older man glanced at his son's phone, hiding his smile at who he was texting. Always Beka, he thought. They were adorable together, of course, and he didn't find the relationship harmful. It'd be nice for him to have other friends. Then again, he amended, he had agreed to come on the retreat. Yuuri had expected him to refuse, to demand to go and see his Dedushka instead. But he had shrugged and said whatever was fine.
It was fun. There was sledding and skiing, and ice skating, of course, on the man made pond. Yuri had even built a snowman with JJ, and even though he had found a stick for an arm that maybe looked like it was giving a rude gesture, it was the thought that counted. Phichit had coaxed him into riding one of the rubber tubes down the steep hill. Yuri had screamed and laughed, and seemed so much like a kid, the brunet's heart had frozen in his chest. He'd watched as the kid walked up the hill again and again.
Victor had even gone down with him a few times. His arms were tight around Yurio's waist, and they laughed and shouted, their scarves waving behind them. The kid must have been exhausted by now, Yuuri thought. It had been such a busy day. His cheeks had been pink and chapped a little when he came in, and Yuuri had walked him right to the fire that Chris lit, and rubbed a little Vaseline on his cheeks, just a dab. Yuri had fussed a bit about it, eye rolling, but let him carry on.
The blond yawned and leaned further into him, his body relaxed and loose. He was like a cat, Yuri thought, not for the first time. He suppressed a giggle at the thought of his ward with kitty ears, blond to match his hair of course. Instead he just gave him a little squeeze.
"Why don't you go to bed?" he suggested softly. Mila and Georgi peered at them over the rims of their mugs, watching with interest. Yuri just stood up and hugged first Yuuri and then Victor before trudging off to his room. The room was silent other than the crackling of the wood. Victor blinked at everyone looking at them.
"What?"
"I know I've said this before." Mila shook her head. "But I'm still shocked that you've managed to tame the Ice Tiger."
"He's not tamed." Yuuri scoffed. "He's still his own person."
"Yuuri, before you, Yakov had to scream him into bed." Leo pointed out. Chris nodded. "He'd just as soon bite your face off as answer a question. I know we all joked about it, but he was angry."
"I remember those days well." Victor grabbed the two glasses of wine on the coffee table meant for him and Yuuri. He handed one to his husband and swirled the dark liquid. "He had a lot to be angry about."
"He was scary and mean." Georgi pointed out.
"Well, maybe if you'd all been kind instead of teasing him..." Yuuri began. All eyes were on him, in shock.
"That's how we show love." Mila shrugged.
"But that might not be how he receives love." his ears were going red, and he pushed his glasses higher up on his nose. "It's like talking to someone in a different language. Just because the words are kind doesn't mean they don't sound rough and cold."
"That was well put, Yuuri." Chris mused. "Love languages."
"Oh, I read that." Sara tapped her lip. "But when someone has such high fences, how do you get to their love language?"
"Be patient, I guess." Yuuri shrugged.
"We loved him even when he didn't seem to want it." Victor took a drink. Yuuri stared into his glass, remembering all that Victor had told him about their child's past. The cruelty. The abandonment. The orphanage. The misery. Of course he'd been distrustful and frightened of older people trying to be kind to him, especially if it was in a way he couldn't translate into kindness. The world had shown him that there was no love, and the hand that fed him could also be, and probably was, the hand that hurt him.
"He's a good boy."
"If you say so..." Leo said, uncertain.
"He is!" Yuuri instisted. "You saw at the summit and now. When have you ever seen him interested in something other than skating? He pushes himself to be the best because he thinks that's what's expected of him. He thinks that's the only way he'll ever get anyone to love him. And it's sad, because it's not true. Victor and I would love him anyway."
"You'd keep him even if he quit skating?" there wasn't shock, or a taunt there. Just curiosity from Chris, as he lounged on the floor in front of the fire. Mila abandoned her chair to lay out next to him on the rug, curling under his arm as he drew her into his chest. Chris might have dripped sex, but he was also very good at cuddling.
"Of course." Yuuri blinked. "We didn't fall in love with him just because he skated. That's how we met, and that's why he came to us. But that's not what's at the heart of love."
"What is then?" Phichit had remained mainly silent throughout the exchange.
"A kid who needed us. And I think, we needed him. Having Yura come meant that we cared about someone else, instead of just each other. And sometimes we might struggle with that."
"You guys are so gross together." JJ muttered.
"But Yura..." he trailed off and smiled. "He's amazing. He's loving. He's bright. He's caring. Having to be his parent made me a better man and a better husband, I think. He's taught me so much about loving someone how they are without expecting anything in return. He's taught me about loving someone through pain, even when they're causing you pain."
"And he's doing brilliantly in school!" Victor added, beaming. "We were worried about that math exam, but he did it well! Oh, and he wrote the best essay for his literature class. Yuuri, do you have it?"
"No, dear. I don't tote around our child's schoolwork to show to people." he rolled his eyes.
"But it was so clever. Especially the allegory with the kitten and the poodles."
"They're not interested."
"He's so sweet. He made Yuuri and I supper for our anniversary, it was lovely. He even contacted Yuuri's Mama to get the recipe. He planned and shopped and did it all himself. Best salmon I've ever had." his husband didn't remind him that it had been a little over cooked, and that the cake had been lopsided. Those things didn't matter, and Victor wasn't really referring to the taste. "I love having Yura around."
"Are you sure it wasn't your guilt that inspired you to take him in?" Georgi looked sly. "He was devastated when you went to Japan, after all."
"I took in Yuri because he needed me. He needed us. And we needed him, although I maybe didn't realize it at the time. I'm not pretending every moment has been easy." he thought about the sullen teenager, the glares, the eye rolls, the arguments. "But it has been worth it. He's worth it."
"He's brought a lot into our lives, hasn't he?" Yuuri agreed, looking slightly dreamy.
No one spoke for a few moments, considering what they had heard. They thought about the change in Yuri since staying with the couple. How much calmer he seemed. How much more stable. How he wasn't dripping in anger. How he seemed more focused on doing his best and less focused on pounding others into the dirt with that success.
He was finally becoming confident enough to let his own abilities stand, rather than comparing them to everyone else's.
"I never thought I'd see the day when someone would look at Yuri Plisetsky and think that he was the perfect little angel." Georgi announced.
"First time for everything." Victor just gave that heart shaped smile.
"And it's what he's always deserved."
The conversation shifted then, the fire grew low. Eventually, they began to drift to their rooms. It was a nice cabin, with lots of room. Even then, Victor and Yuuri had to share with their ward. But there were worse things. He was curled up asleep in his bed. They brushed their teeth and curled up to drift off. Victor found asleep quickly, warmed by the fire and the wine.
"Katsudon?" that little voice in the dark. His eyes opened, and he saw his ward standing wrapped in a quilt next to the bed, looking much younger than he was. His face was all big eyes, peering at him intently.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?"
"Did you mean it?"
"Mean what?" he thought he had been awake, but maybe he was talking in his sleep. Yuri shifted his weight.
"What you said downstairs, to the others? About me?"
"You could hear?"
"The vents." he mumbled, pointing. "I could hear everything down in the great room."
"Oh," he paused. "I meant it. So did Victor."
He scooted in before the kid could ask, let him let next to him. He nudged into Victor, who just groaned and moved a bit in his sleep, still somehow hogging most of the best. The laid together in the chill of the cabin, close to each other.
"So you wouldn't change me? Even though I'm difficult?"
"I wouldn't change a thing. You're you, and that's what made us love you so much." he shook his head emphatically. "You don't have to change who you are to get other people to love you, sweetheart. You should never, ever do that. The right people will love you. That doesn't mean you can be toxic or hurtful, of course."
"I know." Yuri's voice was so small then. He seemed so much litle a little boy, and not a champion figure skater. Yuuri let his fingers stroke against his cheek, watched as the kid's eyes shut, enjoying the touch. The real problem, he thought is that for so long so many people had treated Yuri like a child while expecting him to act like an adult. It was enough to make anyone's head spin. No wonder he wasn't sure how to navigate relationships with the other skaters. No wonder it was so hard.
"You're doing your very best, Yura. And that's all anyone can ask of you. I know sometimes it's really hard, and sometimes you just want to scream at everyone. But you're doing well." the boy blushed under the praise. Maybe, he thought, it was a bit like taking a tiger. You put your hand out, didn't look them in the eye, gave them some food. And even if they were calm, you knew the whole time that they might hurt you. They could hurt you if you really wanted. But if they trusted you, they wouldn't.
"I wish you were really my parents." so wistful, so hopeful.
"I see no reason that we're not." he smiled and nuzzled him. "Other than biology. And you know as well as I do, that doesn't create a family. We talked about that. Remember your family tree project? You put Victor and I on there, didn't you? That makes us yours." they were silent for a bit. Yuuri was sure he'd fallen asleep, and was nearly there himself when he felt the thin body in his arms stirring. They had been spooning, the kid's back pressed to his. Now they were facing each other.
Delicate as butterfly wing's, Yuri's lips brushed his cheek.
"Good night, Yuuri. I love you."
There were no words to respond, only arms tighter around Yuri's waist, drawing him in tighter.