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Yuri tosses and turns, unable to get comfortable. His bed is large, spacious, and soft, but everyone knows that no bed is more comfortable than your parents’. It’s about half past one, and the blonde is still unable to fall asleep despite having gone to bed well over two hours ago. He had done his usual nightly routine, of showering and brushing his teeth, followed by having his hair brushed out and braided by Yuuri before being scented and then cuddled for a little while before being sent off to his own room for the night.
Yuuri and Viktor would always be careful to make sure their pup was happy, clean, and well scented before bed so that he could sleep peacefully through the night. The alpha and omega couple would take turns nuzzling the top of Yuri’s head, as well as his stuffed tiger, so that the blonde could fall asleep lulled by the familiar scents of his sire and dam.
But sometimes the scenting wasn’t enough, and Yuri was unable to find sleep without being actively cuddled by his adoptive parents. At this point in the evening Yuri has already tried every trick in the book. He has gotten himself a glass of warm milk, he has tried counting sheep, switching positions, flipping over his pillow, cuddling a wiggly Potya, shoving his face in his tiger plushie, and yet nothing seems to be working for the young figure skater.
His body feels restless, and it’s almost as if some magnetic force is telling him to hop out of bed, shuffle down the hallway, and climb into bed with Viktor and Yuuri. Yuri huffs to himself in the darkness of his room. He would never outwardly admit how dependent he has become on the couple for comfort, and despite his self-proclaimed independence, Yuri still wants nothing more than to be doted on like a little pup.
There was something so safe and good about being cuddled sandwiched between the two older skaters. Whenever Yuri found himself in such a position, his eyes would droop closed and he would nod off, even if it was the middle of the day. He would just slip in and wriggle his way between them and presto! He would likely be asleep within ten to fifteen minutes tops.
This was a plan that Yuri knew extremely well, as he snuck into his parent’s room far more often than he would ever be willing to confess to. But more often than not, Yuuri and Viktor would both continue sleeping soundly, unconsciously wrapping their limbs around him and huddling together in one big, sleepy pile. On rare occasions, Yuuri would sometimes still be up when Yuri tried to sneak into the master bedroom.
The Japanese omega was known to be a bit of a night owl, and sometimes his anxiety would keep him up at night, or other times he just couldn’t sleep himself. Despite this, he always beckoned Yuri in with open arms. There was never an instance where the omega turned his restless pup away. Instead, Yuuri would settle Yuri carefully under the blankets, tuck him in, and nuzzle and purr and kiss the blonde’s face until he finally fell asleep. Those were some of Yuri’s favourite moments.
As Yuri thinks about his dam’s soft smile and open arms reaching out to him in the darkness, the blonde decides that he absolutely has to get out of bed. His own room is nice, well decorated and cozy, Viktor and Yuuri made sure of that, but Yuri has no regrets of leaving the comfort of his room for the greater comfort of his parent’s room. He pulls the duvet back and slips out from underneath the covers, grabbing his stuffed tiger as he does so. Once standing, he readjusts his pajamas until he is comfortable. Yuri is dressed in a light pair of sweatpants and a tank top that he had cut out of an old t-shirt. He grabs a scrunchie from off of his bedside table and pulls his hair up, getting it out of his face. He knows that if he leaves it down, he will get much too hot.
As quietly as he can, Yuri pads down the hallway towards the master bedroom. The door is left slightly cracked open, as it is every night. Viktor and Yuuri started doing this long ago, when the young skater first started staying with them. It was a sign that Yuri could come in whenever he needed them. The blonde pushed the door open carefully, trying not to make a noise or wake either of his parents. The door hinges creeped though, and someone stirred.
“Yura?” Viktor speaks out into the darkness, his voice low and sleepy. “Tigrenok, is that you?”
Yuri lets out a small whimper in response, communicating that he needs attention. The high trilling noise is a base primal instinct in all pups, one that is meant to reach out to one’s parents to communicate some sort of need.
“Can you not sleep?” Viktor asks softly. He pushes himself up on his elbows and then eventually sits up, shifting to lean back against the headboard. He usually isn’t the one to wake up when Yuri comes in, but he sleeps on the side closest to the door and the creaking noise roused him from his sleep.
“No, not sleepy,” Yuri mumbles as he carefully wades through the darkness, making his way over to Viktor’s side of the bed.
The alpha sighs fondly. He was used to Yuri’s restlessness. Yuri spent more nights in his parents bed than not, it was just that Yuuri was typically the one still awake to usher him in, not Viktor.
“Do you need your dam?” Viktor questions.
Yuri nods his head.
Viktor reached out through the darkness and pats Yuri’s shoulder, “Come here, pup. You can slide in between us, alright? You’ve got to try not to wake your mother though, he’s only just fallen asleep.”
A part of Yuri wants to whine and shake his dam awake anyways, but he knows that the older omega has really been pushing himself at practice lately and probably needs the sleep more than Yuri does. He’ll have to settle for a sleeping Yuuri, but a sleeping Yuuri is much better than no Yuuri at all.
The blonde climbs over Viktor and easily slips into the middle of the large king-size mattress, settling into his chosen spot quickly. He pushes his tiger stuffie under his head as a pillow and shifts until he is comfortable. Yuuri is facing towards him, and the blonde shuffles until he’s pressed up close against his dam. Yuri nuzzles his cheek against his dam’s shoulder and purrs gently. He already feels much more relaxed.
Even though Yuuri is asleep, his body still instinctively reacts to his son’s presence. The omega hums back sleepily and his arms come to cradle the blonde loosely. Yuri twists his fingers into the fabric of Yuuri’s shirt and snuggles closer. The soothing scent of both his parents make Yuri’s eyes droop. Yuuri smells like jasmine and matcha, while Viktor smells like pine and raspberry jam. To Yuri, they smell like home, like safety.
Viktor watches them fondly, his eyes finding their shapes even through the darkness. He can hear the happy purrs vibrating from each of their throats and a happy, calm scent fills the room. The alpha pulls the duvet back up over Yuri and himself and settles back into bed easily.
“Is there anything I can do to help you fall asleep, Yura?” Viktor whispers.
“Mama sings me songs and cuddles me,” Yuri whispers bashfully, tucking his chin into his chest.
“Well, you know I’m not a very good singer,” Viktor jokes, “but I could tell you a story? And maybe rub your back?”
“That works,” Yuri shrugs, still facing his dam.
“Okay Yuratchka,” Viktor hums as he reaches a hand out and squeezes the blonde’s shoulder.
Yuri feels his body start to relax instantly at his sire’s touch. He has known Viktor for the majority of his life, and even though the alpha had only been a rinkmate for most of it, their bond is incredibly strong. Viktor’s chest rumbles gently as he begins to rub circles across the top of his pup’s back. He nuzzles his nose against the crown of Yuri’s head, scenting the smaller skater affectionately. Yuri purrs happily at the comforting touch.
“Many years ago, in a lush and vibrant jungle, lived a little tiger cub. He was small and fuzzy, but had sharp teeth and a nasty bite,” Viktor begins, making the story up on the fly.
“The tiger cub roamed the vast expanse of the jungle every day, searching high and low for food to eat and ponds to play in. The tiger cub kept himself entertained, going for swims and runs and rolling around in the leaves, but he didn’t know where he came from. He knew that the jungle was his home, but he didn’t know how he had gotten there,” the alpha continues.
The story of course, is meant to parallel the blonde pup’s own life, but Yuri is now far too sleepy to realize. Instead he just hums softly, a small encouragement for his sire to continue the story, as he curls against his dam’s soft form.
Viktor smiles, happy that his son finally seemed to be able to relax. And so he continues, “The tiger cub couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. While his days were filled with fun and excitement, not having someone to share those experiences with damped them slightly. The tiger cub wanted a confidante, a friend.”
“One day, when the tiger was paddling around his favourite swimming pool, a dark figure appeared from behind a large tree. This pool was far, far into the middle of the deep jungle and hard to reach. Especially for creatures less agile than tigers. The reason that the tiger cub liked it so much was because it was quiet and very nice. But apparently someone else had had the same idea. From the shadows, a large, round creature appeared. It was a bear.”
“Bears don’t live in jungles, Papa,” Yuri yawns.
Viktor can’t help but giggle. Even when he was tired, Yuri was still a bit of a smart-ass. “Just pretend that bears can live in the jungle,” the alpha whispers with a smile.
“Fineeee,” Yuri mumbles.
“Alright,” Viktor chuckles, “back to the story. As the bear came out from behind the trees, the tiger cub popped his head out from the water. ‘Who are you?’ The tiger cub asked. The bear merely shook his head, and continued to head for the pool. The tiger cub scrunched up his face, eyeing the other animal curiously. The bear padded into the water, large paws disrupting the still surface. ‘This is a very nice spot’ he spoke aloud. The tiger paddled closer to the shore, curious about his visitor. ‘How did you find this place?’ The bear bent down to take a drink before answering, ‘I saw you coming here and I wanted to see where you were going’, the bear admitted. The tiger crouched as he came out of the water, coming just a few inches away from the larger animal’s face, ‘you followed me?’ he asked. The bear simply nodded and took another drink.”
“You’re telling me a story about a stalker bear?” Yuri groans. Again with the attitude, Viktor can’t help but think.
“It’s a story about friendship, Yuratchka, just wait. I’m almost done,” the alpha laughs, squeezing his pup’s shoulder affectionately. Yuri grumbles and squishes his face into his still-sleeping mother’s chest, but doesn’t protest again.
“The tiger cub crouched like that for a few minutes, just watching the bear and studying him closely. Eventually the bear speaks. ‘I followed you here because you looked lonely’, he explained. The tiger nearly jumped back. He couldn’t possibly have been lonely, could he? The cub did not want to think about it. ‘I’ve been lonely too, I don’t have any others of my kind to spend my days with’ the bear continued. ‘I was thinking we could be companions’. The tiger cub thought about the bear’s proposal carefully. The bear was large but seemed peaceful, he had not tried to hurt or scare the tiger cub, and he looked very strong. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to share his favourite spot with the other creature.”
“It’s like me and Beka,” Yuri whispers. Viktor nods, his pup is right. The teen has been paying attention after all, despite his tiredness.
“It is like you and Otabek,” Viktor affirms, petting his pup’s light hair affectionately.
“Tell me the rest of the story,” Yuri asks with a small voice.
Viktor nods, “of course,” he says.
“The tiger cub and the bear spend the rest of the afternoon together, wading in the pool and grazing on whatever berries, bugs, and other foods that they can find. They swim together, round and round they go, until their legs are too tired to continue. By the time this happens though, the sun has already begun to disappear. So they set up camp in a cave nearby and the tiger cub leads the way. The new friends add to the tiger’s already existing nest, pushing leaves and soft moss into a circular pile. It is the first full day of many that the two spend together. Each day that follows they spend side by side, chasing one another, but never in a vicious way, they are always playful. They swim laps back and forth in their favourite pond. They share the food they find. They look at the stars from the mouth of their cave. And the jungle is no longer a lonely place for either of them. The end.”
Yuri lets out a small noise, a happy, sleepy hum. “That was a good story, Papa,” he mumbles.
“I’m glad you liked it, pup,” Viktor smiles. He presses in close and flips an arm over Yuri’s torso so that he can hold both his pup and his mate.
Then, Yuuri finally stirs, awoken by the soft touch of Viktor’s hand on his waist. “Vitya?” The Japanese man mumbles. His eyes flutter open and before he can even make out his son’s silhouette in the dark, Yuuri knows that his pup is there. “Yu-chan,” the omega sighs sleepily.
“Hi Mama,” the blonde responds, pressing himself tightly against his dam.
“Is everything okay baby?” Yuuri asks, rubbing his eyes.
“Mhmm,” Yuri nods. “I just wanted to be close to you guys. I couldn’t sleep, so Papa let me get into bed and he told me a story,” the teen explained.
“I see, was it any good?” Yuuri half giggles, half yawns.
“Other than the fact that bears don’t live in jungles, then yes, it was pretty decent,” Yuri remarks.
“Pandas live in bamboo jungles,” Yuuri offers, stroking Yuri’s hair affectionately.
“Beka’s not a panda,” Yuri murmurs. He is now so sleepy that he barely gets the words out.
“Beka?” Yuuri asks. Yuri is asleep before the name even leaves his dam’s mouth.
“That must have been quite the story if he’s knocked out like this,” Yuuri whispers to his husband.
Viktor chuckles, “I tried my best.”
Yuuri can’t help but smile at how good his mate is with their pup. Viktor never ceases to amaze him. “I love you,” Yuuri whispers through the darkness.
Viktor tightens his grasp on his mate’s waist, “I love you too.”
“We love you, Yura,” Yuuri hums, pressing a kiss to the blonde’s forehead.
“We love you, Yura,” Viktor repeats.
Yuri’s only response is a soft snore. Wrapped up in warm blankets and hemmed in by the two people he loves most in the world, he has finally fallen asleep.