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Coming to Hatsetsu in the spring certainly had its disadvantages. Along with the weather being some weird hybrid of cold, windy, and sunny, it was also the prime time of the year for allergies to become something of hell. And when someone said hell, they really meant hell in terms of sneezing, coughing, and being generally stuffed up. However, if you had lived in Hatsetsu since you were born, like Yuuri, or lived there long enough to become slightly immune, like Viktor, you probably wouldn't get sick that year.
Unfortunately for Yuri, who made two week visits every three months, this was not the case. He did not have the same immune system that his hosts did. His first visit during the spring had been spent sleeping, as his allergies had gotten so bad that he only felt relief after taking a massive amount of Bendryl and falling asleep. Since then, he had been careful to wear his mask everywhere he went when he visited, and to never leave Russia without his allergy prescription.
That unfortunately didn’t make him immune to actually coming down with an illness when he was in Hatsetsu. Yuri groaned loudly and dropped his head towards the table as Hiroko began to clear the bowls away from dinner.
“Yurio, did you not like the Katsudon this time?” Hiroko asked as she moved to grab the teenagers bowl, observing the way it had barely been picked at. Yuri was a huge fan of the Katsudon bowls when he made his visits, and he always insisted on eating as many as possible.
“No, it was good,” Yuri mumbled out, trying not to feel guilty about having practically wasted her cooking. “I don’t have an appetite tonight.”
“Oh, dear,” Hiroko said, her eyebrows furrowing in motherly worry, “I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll leave a bowl in the fridge for you to warm up if you get hungry later.”
That was one think Yuri liked about the Katsuki family. They didn’t push Yuri to elaborate on every little detail of what he was feeling, and they knew when to just leave him be. Yuri didn’t verbally thank the woman, simply nodding his head and slowly moving to slip his eyes shut. His head was positively throbbing in pain, and the chattering from Viktor and Yuuri didn’t seem to be doing anything to help that.
“…urio? Yurio, hey-“
Yuri’s eyes snapped back open when he heard Yuuri calling for him from two seats away, his tone mixed with concern and curiosity. Slowly, the teen lifted his head and turned toward the other two men.
Yuuri frowned at the sight of him. “Yurio, are you feeling alright? You look pale.”
If he had had any energy to scowl at the other, he would have. But all he was able to muster out was a weak groan before he thudded his head back against the wood of the table. Yuuri’s eyes widened in concern and he looked to Viktor, who looked quite equally alarmed.
Yuri vaguely protested when Yuuri and Viktor started to press their hands hands all over his face, desperately checking for a temperature. He didn’t want to admit he was sick- He was the Ice Tiger of Russia, and he most certainly didn’t get sick like a child. However, when he actually relished in how cool the touch of the other twos hands, it was hard to deny it.
“He’s burning up!” Yuuri exclaimed, quite annoyingly Yuri observed, “Viktor, pick him up, take him to the bath, and run the cold water. I’ll get my mom.”
“M’fine-“ Yuri mumbled out as he felt Viktor’s arms circle his small form and lift him up. He was positively burning now, and all he wanted was his clothes off. Viktor was quick to carry him out of the room, saying nothing for once as they headed for the bath room. Yuri would have liked to walk by himself and get undressed by himself, but sadly that didn’t seem to be an option, as his consciousness started to fade the minute Viktor set him down.
“Yurio-?” Viktor asked when he saw the way the teen’s eyes started to slip shut. “Oh- Yuuri!”
The next time he woke up, he was naked and shivering. There was a subdued voice in the background that sounded like Viktor, and there was a hand on his head, stroking his wet hair out of his face. The vague thought that he didn’t want to be seen naked surfaced in his head, but he was too weak to actually speak. Slowly but surely did he open his eyes, his green eyes meeting Yuuri’s soft brown ones as he did.
“Oh! Yurio-“ Yuuri seemed overjoyed that he was awake again and pulled his hand away from his head. “It’s okay, you’re in the bath right now. You’re really sick, but we’re taking care of you.”
“…Mm…” Yurio mumbled out, turning his head to the side as Yuuri spoke. He didn’t have the energy to feel embarrassed about the fact that Yuuri was currently helping him bathe naked. Viktor was pacing in the background on the phone, his steps a little frantic as he spoke reassuringly in Russia.
“No, no, he is fine!” Viktor assured to someone on the other line. “It was 104 when we took it the first time, but Yuuri got it down once he was in the bath… Yes, I assure you, we will take him to the hospital if it gets higher again…”
Yuri tuned out of the conversation at that point and turned his gaze back towards Yuuri, feeling his head positively throb at the movement. Yuuri simply smiled sympathetically at the boy and reached behind himself to retrieve a cloth. He dipped it into the cool bath water as Yuri laid there, dazed and completely out of it.
“Viktor is on the phone with your grandpa,” Yuuri mused quietly as he placed the cool cloth on top of the others head. “Everyone’s very worried about you right now, but you’re going to be fine, okay?”
The teenager only managed a weak nod of his head in response and squeezed his eyes shut once again. His headache was practically unbearable, and the pressure in his temples seemed to be growing worse with every moment he spent awake. Yuuri mumbled gently to him that it was okay to fall back asleep, that they’d take care of him no matter what.
With that assurance, Yuri slowly slipped back into unconsciousness.
He wasn’t sure when he got out of the bath, because by the next time he was awake, he was tucked into bed. His wet hair had been pulled up into a small bun, and he was wearing only the absolute bare essentials needed for sleeping. The less clothing the better, in his opinion. Even lying on the soft white sheets seemed to overheat him.
Yuri at first thought he was alone- That was, until he turned his head and found Viktor sitting beside his bed, his phone tucked into his hand as he typed out something one-handedly. Yuri shifting on the bed seemed to catch his attention however, and the silver-haired man looked up immediately.
“Yurio-“ he said, sounding extremely relieved as he scooted his chair closer. “You’re okay, you’re in Yuuri and I’s room.”
Yuri furrowed his brows in frustration at that comment, his eyes darting around to confirm that he was indeed in the room of the two skaters. Skating posters lined the wall- mostly of Viktor and Yuuri and Yurio- and his eyes met the familiar picture of the three of them that was framed on the wall. Why… was he here and not in his own room?
Viktor seemed to notice his dilemma. “We wanted to keep a better eye on you, and since our room is on the ground floor, this was just common sense.”
The teenager tried to scoff, but all that came out was a guttural, dry-cough. Viktor immediately reached for an unopened bottle of water on the side of the bed and screwed open the top. He gently helped Yurio sit up enough to sip from the bottle, watching silently as he sucked down nearly half of it in one go.
“It’s about 2 AM, now. You were in the bath for at least three hours.” Viktor mumbled out, sounding uncharacteristically serious. “Do you want some Ibuprofen?”
Yuri weakly nodded at the offer of pain killers, watching as Viktor grabbed the bottle from the nightstand and dumped out three blue pills. He handed them off to the teen and helped him sip his water to get them down, screwing the cap back on once he was finished. Yuri simply laid himself back down after he’d managed to choke down the pills, feeling his eyes already growing heavy again.
“Why… are you awake…” he managed to mumble out before his eyes stared to slip shut on him.
Viktor chuckles out lightly in amusement. “I’m watching over you, obviously. Just go back to sleep, Yurio.”
There had been no reason for Yuri to protest, so he allowed his eyes to slip shut again and his mind to drift off.
A sneezing fit woke him up the next time. He jolted awake violently as he started sneezing, one after another until he felt blood start to drip from his nose due to the intensity. Yuri was shaking by then, and his eyes had clouded with tears during the whole thing. However, before the tears could even spill out, there was a hand at his face, pressing a tissue to his nose.
“Oh, no. Yurio, it’s okay,” Came Yuuri’s reassuring voice, “It’s just a nosebleed.”
The teenager allowed the adult to clean him up, feeling much like a child as he did. Of course he’s embarrassed, but he’s honestly too sick at that point to really make it known. He idly wondered when Viktor left and was replaced by Yuuri, but he supposed that it’s not that big of a deal. Eventually, all the blood is cleaned up, and Yuuri shoved a clean tissue into the Russian’s hands to press to his nose.
“Your fever is getting a lot better now,” Yuuri hums out, assisting Yuri in lying back down against the pillow. “It’s only about 101 now, which is a big improvement from yesterday.”
Yuri furrowed his brows at the others use of the word ‘yesterday’. Viktor had mentioned earlier about it being 2 AM, but he had no idea how long ago that had been exactly. He weakly held the tissue to his nose, slowly mustering up his strength to ask his question.
“W-What time is it… now?”
Yuuri seemed surprised by the fact he was still awake, making a stuttering sound as he brought his wrist to his face to check. “It’s… five-thirty in the morning.”
Five-thirty in the morning? And Yuuri was still awake, watching over him like this? Yuri stared at the other in shock and slowly pulled the tissue away from his face. He couldn’t believe that the others were doing something like this for him. Sure, they were friends, and Yurio liked them a lot (although he’d deny it if asked), but… He had never expected to be treated like he was a member of their family.
“Me and Viktor have been taking turns watching over you. I slept from eleven to three, and Viktor’s asleep right now.”
Yuuri said it with so much affection that Yuri finally managed out a judgmental scoff. He doesn’t say anything more, though. It’s still too early in the morning, and although his headache isn’t as bad, he certainly wants to catch some more sleep. Yuuri doesn’t protest when the boy drifts off, and he simply stays quiet as he sits beside the boy.
Yuri felt the gentle touch of another hand on his as he drifted off, but he’s too gone by that time to protest it.
The final time he woke up, he noticed that there was a weight on him. Slowly, he opened his emerald eyes and looked around the sunlit room. His headache is gone now, finally, and he actually was able to push himself up in the bed to look around. It’s finally morning- or, at least he was finally awake. He’s not sure how long he slept since he had woken up earlier with Yuuri. Speaking of Yuuri….
Yuri immediately looked to the other side of the bed, only to be met with the sight of Yuuri and Viktor sprawled out asleep on each other. Viktor is tucked awkwardly underneath the Japanese man, his hair and sweats a mess as he drooled. Yuuri is on top of him, face down and looking completely at peace with his sweatshirt pulled all the way up to his chest. It takes all of Yuri’s composure to not start laughing, really.
He looked over to the bedside table to look for his phone, pleasantly met with the sight of his iPhone on the table. He grabbed it and unlocked it, ignoring the flood of text messages from everyone asking how he was, and immediately went to open up his camera app.He just had to get a picture of the two idiots sleeping like that- Squished on top of each other on their own bed, all because Yuri had a fever and they wanted to watch over him.
Once he’s finished, he is quick to upload the images to a variety of different social media apps. Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. It would be a real shame if no one else got to see his two idiot dad-like figures like this.
‘i hate these two sm
but i guess they’re cool for not letting me die last night’
He made sure to tag them as well, smirking to himself as he read over his caption a few times before he posted them. His phone is immediately flooded with notifications from fans, asking what he means by ‘die’ and if he’s okay. Yuri simply powered off his phone, not wishing to deal with the onslaught of messages now. He has more important matters to attend to.
He placed his phone back on the nightstand and turned back towards Viktor and Yuuri, feeling grateful they’re not awake to see him smile. He wiggled himself back down into the sheets and scooted closer, barely managing to tuck himself until Viktor’s arm. It’s a tight squeeze, but he’s happy nonetheless to cuddle with the two other dorks. Although, he’ll deny it was on purpose when the three of them wake up later. He won’t admit it ever, but he’s really grateful he can enjoy the moments such as these.
Slowly, he drifted off in the morning sunlight, cuddled up under Yuuri and next to Viktor, and feeling more loved than ever.