dabsquat:

send me a number and a letter!

8. “I just want to sleep.”  and o. Fever

They had been looking forward to it for a while. Between tiring training sessions and meetings with sponsors, the little time they got to spend together enjoying each other’s company narrowed down to cuddling before sleep. 

Of course, the first weeks after Yuuri had arrived in St. Petersburg were enjoyed to its fullest—sightseeing and dining out like The Guide For Couples Who Are Deeply In Love demanded. The weather, however, hadn’t been the nicest to enjoy the outdoor activities like they wanted to, with the cold winds more than once demanding them to stay at home watching movies. 

It was a pleasure nonetheless, but Yuuri knew how excited Victor was to show him around, take him to the places he used to go to alone and look at them with fresh eyes, holding Yuuri’s hand and taking pictures to eternize those treasured moments. 

Yuuri was excited as well. Spring was coming and with it the promise of pleasant days and a less packed agenda that would allow them to go on short trips and spend time together outdoors. The thought of walking through the woods, enjoying the fresh breeze and setting a picnic at the foot of a tall tree brought a smile to his face. 

But when that day finally came, Yuuri didn’t have the energy to get out of bed. As attractive as the idea was, as excited as he was to see Victor smiling as they drove to the park, Yuuri couldn’t muster the strength to move a muscle.

“Morning, babe,” Victor chirped, drawing the blinds and letting the sunlight bathe the room. Yuuri flinched, hiding his face in the pillow. “Still sleepy?”

Still? Had Yuuri already asked for five minutes? Hadn’t he just woken up?

Not waiting for an answer, Victor bounced on the bed, wrapping Yuuri tightly in his arms. 

“Breakfast is ready and waiting for you,” he continued, trailing a path of kisses up Yuuri’s spine. “I’ve taken Makkachin for a walk and now we’re just waiting for you. If you have anything else to add to our basket just let me know and I’ll put it in. I think I’ve added everything we need…”

“Five minutes,” Yuuri grunted, the shivers running through his body feeling almost painful. 

Victor chuckled, pulling the duvet Yuuri tried to use to cover himself. 

“I gave you twenty minutes already, love. We’re going to be late. I wonder if I should try a more direct approach?” He asked, cold hands skating down Yuuri’s sides making him shiver.

“No,” Yuuri rolled away from Victor’s hands, pulling the duvet up in an attempt to get warm again. 

He felt Victor’s hand on his forehead, cold as if he’d been playing with snow while he waited for Yuuri to get up. A light in his brain lit up, but he was too tired to make sense of it. 

“Yuuri…” There was a tinge of worry in the way Victor called his name.

“I just wanna sleep, Vitya.”

Yuuri’s tone had been grumpy, one that he immediately regretted using. Victor went silence, his fingers brushing Yuuri’s hair away from his forehead tenderly. Before he could apologize he realized how heavy his eyelids, and how Victor’s gentle touches were lulling him to sleep. 

“Get some rest, babe,” he heard Victor mutter, followed by the soft press of lips on his temple and the mattress’s movement as Victor got up. 

In the distance, Yuuri faintly registered the sound of cabinets being closed and Victor shuffling through drawers. He felt tired, incredibly so—his whole body felt like jelly, hurting as if he’d had intense training the day before. Five more minutes wouldn’t get them super late for the picnic, Yuuri reasoned, snuggling the duvet and letting his consciousness drift into sleep. 

The grogginess only abandoned him as Yuuri heard the sound of the front door being shut. Almost immediately his thoughts jumped to “I’ve upset him. I was rude and now Victor is sad”, which he knew it was irrational, but guilt was stronger than logic. 

Yuuri knew how excited Victor was for their first spring picnic in St. Petersburg—he has been planning it for weeks, counting days for their moment of freedom where they could enjoy sunlight together after months of hard work. Telling Victor he preferred to sleep instead of going out with him was incredibly insensitive. 

He dragged his body out of bed to put on some warm clothes—his old sweatpants and Victor’s red sweater—and headed to the bathroom in search of his glasses. The app on his phone lied about the temperature—no way on Earth it was 20ºC. Yuuri’s fingers clutching at the duvet draped over his shoulders felt cold as icicles.

“Vitya?” He called, hoping that the sound of the door being shut had been just his imagination. Instead, his only answer was Makkachin bonding towards him with a wagging tail, asking for scratches. 

On the top of the counter, right next to his glasses, Yuuri found their first-aid pouch—open and searched through, with the item Yuuri didn’t really know he was looking for peeking through. Grabbing the thermometer, he padded to the kitchen where their picnic basket sat with a lilac towel wrapped around it. The sight made Yuuri worry his lower lip.

“Where is papa?” Yuuri asked Makkachin, who in return licked his hand. 

Yuuri served his breakfast as he tried to think of an apology. The way was gorgeous—the sun was shining, there was no wind and just a few clouds peppering the blue skies. It would be a real waste to spend their free day at home. 

He sat on the couch, put the thermometer under his arm and ate his cereal, looking at his phone as he rehearsed what words to say. Victor hadn’t left too long ago, but the fact that he’d left without saying where he was going worried Yuuri a bit. 

I’m sorry I yelled at you, Yuuri sent the message as he curled up on the sofa, patting the spot next to him as to call Makkachin for cuddling. 

Not even a minute later Makkachin perked up, looking at the door and wagging his tail excitedly. Victor opened the door right after, with bags in his hands and a relieved expression as he saw Yuuri on the couch. 

“Hi, love,” he smiled as Yuuri got up.

Without saying a word, Yuuri shortened the distance between them, wrapping Victor in his arms. His jacked felt cool under Yuuri’s chin, and he’d stayed like that all day if it wasn’t for the beeping under his arm. 

“I think I’m brewing a cold,” Yuuri said as the beeping continued. 

“Yeah, I thought so,” Victor kissed his forehead. “You were hot as if you had walked out of a sauna when I went to wake you up. We ran out of medicine so I went out to grab some.”

Gently, Victor guided him back to the sofa, removing the thermometer and checking Yuuri’s temperature. With his coach-like precision, Victor provided his medicine with some warm tea and wrapped him in a hug as they waited for it to take effect.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri sighed, tucking his head under Victor’s chin. “I was rude to you. I blew our picnic plans.”

“Don’t be,” he felt Victor’s cheek move in a smile. “I love taking care of you.” 

“It was supposed to be a fun day,” Yuuri protested. 

“Who says it can’t be? Have you taken a look at what I brought you?”

“No?”

Victor’s lips brushed on his forehead for a minute before he settled on the perfect place for a kiss. 

“I figured that since we can’t go out for our picnic we could make a pillow fortress and have it in the living room. And so I bought a few more blankets. And that video game you were looking forward playing with me.”

Yuuri sat up, a delighted smile curling the corners of his lips. 

“Really?”

Victor nodded.

“Do you want to help me build our pillow fortress?”