Chapter Text
The champagne-like excitement building in the Nikiforov household that week has finally come to a head. Viktor is used to being greeted warmly by his husband, but Yuuri's usually reserved with his affection. Sometimes he feels that their own apartment is a bit too public for outward affection, despite Viktor's instance to the contrary.
Today, however, Yuuri launches himself into Viktor's arms the second they see each other.
"Viktor!" He practically squeals in delight, "It's happening! We have a date set with the orphanage!"
"Really!?" Viktor gapes at his husband, practically tearing the paper Yuuri holds out to him.
"Thursday at eleven, we'll have an interview with the director and then… Honey, we're finally going to be parents!"
Viktor kisses his husband deeply before reading the paper in full. They spend the evening organizing paperwork and fantasizing about the child they'll bring into their home. At some point, they find themselves sitting on the floor of the spare bedroom.
The room has already been built up, for the most part. There are barren shelves and a dresser just waiting to be filled with books and clothes for their newest addition. While an empty space for a bed or crib sits at the far corner of the room. At the beginning of this process Yuuri had been determined to bring home a baby, a sweet little newborn if they could manage it. However, going through the process of adoption has opened his mind and his heart to any child in need of a home.
Viktor had been less particular, probably because of Yuuri's firm determination, but he promised his husband that their child would be loved no matter their age. Now, the pair fantasize about who their little one could be. They trade mental images of little girls and boys with different interests, personalities, and quirks.
When Viktor notices the glint of tears in Yuuri's eyes he merely smiles and kisses his cheeks.
"Soon, my love. We'll fill it up soon." Viktor whispers sweetly.
"I can't wait for them." Yuuri nods.
So it's with anxious jittering hearts that the couple go to bed that night. They share their excitement with their rink mates the next morning, all of whom shower them with congratulations. Even Yakov, with his typical brusque attitude, offers a smile and an offhand comment (that could be mistaken for praise) about them having the courtesy to wait for the off season.
That bright April morning, the couple barely manages to eat breakfast in their excitement. Yuuri is double and triple checking that they have all of their documents in order while Viktor frantically tries to find the perfect outfit. Eventually, they convince themselves that leaving a whole forty-five minutes early is a completely reasonable thing to do.
The drive is only twenty minutes to the orphanage, their hearts lodge in their throats as Viktor parks the car. Inside they are greeted by a stern-faced older woman but she smiles sweetly at them when they ask about their appointment time. She comments on their eagerness before taking them back towards Mr. Wentz's office, she instructs them to sit on the bench outside the room and wait for the orphanage director to greet with them.
As soon as she's gone, Yuuri is once again fiddling with their paperwork.
"Yuuri, it's all in the correct order." Viktor assures him.
"I just want to check again." Yuuri responds, his voice trembles only slightly.
"They haven't magically shifted since we got out of the car." Viktor places a gentle hand over the folder and pushes it back onto Yuuri's lap.
"This is for our child, Viktor, everything has to be perfect." Yuuri reminds him, as if Viktor could forget.
"This is a cursory meeting, we have quite a few coming in the next month or so."
"I know that… but I just want this to go smoothly." Yuuri sighs, "We're foreigners, we're gay, and we're international athletes. We're fighting an uphill battle here and I don't want to give them any reason to deny us."
"This is America, they won't deny us. Americans love us." Viktor reminds him. "Besides, if they were going to deny us, they'd have rejected our application like the others did."
Yuuri swallows the lump in his throat. "I… You're right."
"Everything will be fine, my love."
Yuuri blows out a breath, glancing up at the brightly painted walls which are adorned with artwork and photographs. The children in those photos look so happy, even if they are in a less than ideal situation, Yuuri would give every last one of them a home if he could.
He glances down the hall and catches sight of a little boy clutching a clipboard to his chest. The child stares at the ground as he walks, scuffing the floor with his shoes as he goes. His little blonde head lifts and catches sight of Yuuri and Viktor, his bright green eyes gleam with curiosity.
"Excuse me." He says, "Have you seen Mr. Terry?"
"I'm sorry, we haven't, we're waiting for him though if you'd like to sit with us." Yuuri smiles sweetly at the little boy.
The child approaches and bites his lip before responding. "You're not a stranger, are you? Mr. Terry says we shouldn't talk to strangers."
"No, honey, we're hoping to adopt here." Yuuri bites back a chuckle.
"You want to be somebody's papas?" The little one cocks his head to one side.
"That's right." Viktor responds, "What's your name?"
"My name is Yuri." He smiles shyly.
"My name is Yuuri too."
"Really?!" Little Yuri's eyes widen significantly at the idea.
"Yes, and this is Viktor, my husband." Yuuri gestures behind him.
"It's nice to meet you." Viktor holds out his hand for Yuri to shake. The child complies shifting his weight between his feet when his hand is his own again.
"How old are you, Yuri?" Yuuri asks.
"I'm five." He tells them proudly. Yuuri and Viktor seem to share the same thought with the look they share. The boy looks far too small to be five, even if his language skills would indicate this is the correct answer. Yuuri's heart aches just a little bit more, wondering what on Earth could be the reason this sweet boy needs a home.
"That's a big number, huh?" Viktor asks with a chuckle.
Yuri nods enthusiastically, "It's a whole hand!"
"Very cool." Viktor nods.
"Yura, there you are, Nurse Alba said you were looking for me." Mr. Wentz, the director of the orphanage, wears a gentle smile as he approaches. "Are you being nice to our guests?"
"Yes sir." Yuri nods holding the clip board out to him.
"Good job, Yura." Mr. Wentz takes the offering and looks at the two adults. "I hope I haven't been keeping you long."
"Not long at all." Yuuri responds with an enthusiastic smile.
Mr. Wentz chuckles, signing the paper and returning it to Yuri. "Tell the nurse I'll speak with her after lunch, please."
"Okay." Yuri nods, waving at the couple before darting back down the hall.
"I'm glad the welcoming committee didn't disappoint." Mr. Wentz straightens up and opens the door to his office. "Please come in, would you like something to drink?"
"No thank you." Yuuri shakes his head entering the room. Viktor grabs his husband's hand as they sit down, the room is impeccable if a bit eclectically decorated.
"Alright, Mr. Nikiforov, Mr. Katsuki, we're thrilled to be having this meeting with you." Mr. Wentz pulls out a file and sits across from the pair. "As you know the adoption process can be quite long and difficult so we appreciate your patience. Do you have your-"
Yuuri practically shoves the file into Mr. Wentz's hand. "I have everything right here, we weren't sure if you had a record of our home visit so I brought that as well."
"Perfect, thank you so much." Mr. Wentz smiles fondly at him. "I love to see a couple so ahead of the game."
Viktor squeezes his husband's hand and passes him a proud smile.
"So, here's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'll be frank, we don't have any children with us right now in your preferred age group. I don't know if that changes your position about meeting with any of our kids today, but you should know that going in."
"We would still like to proceed." Viktor says before his husband can interject.
"Excellent." Mr. Wentz nods filling something out in his own files. "The other thing to note, of the four files we sent you to review two of those children have already been adopted. I don't know if you had your hearts set on meeting any of those children or if you'd like to do a more open style meet and greet with the kids. If you'd still like some one-on-one time with the other two children you expressed an interest in that can be done as well."
"Actually," Yuuri speaks before he thinks through his next comment. "That little boy we just met, Yuri. Would it be possible for us to have a meeting with him as well?"
Mr. Wentz looks a bit surprised but nods, "Sure…"
"You seem a bit uncertain of that. Is something wrong?" Viktor asks.
"No, of course not." Mr. Wentz seems torn about how to respond further. "I shouldn't tell you this unless you move forward with the adoption process with him. For his own privacy… but we haven't had Yuri with us for very long."
"Is that a bad thing?" Yuuri asks.
"Well, the thing is… we don't know how he got to us exactly. We typically know the stories of each child and how they came to be in their situation. Yuri has been with us for a little over a week and we don't know his full background. It can make things difficult when matching a child's needs with a family if we don't have the full picture."
"We're charmed by him already and would love to meet with him again." Viktor says resolutely.
"Of course, I'm not trying to dissuade you or anything like that. I know that many families like to be prepared to face the challenges of adoption and part of that is knowing what their children have faced. If you're comfortable not knowing, I am more than happy to let you meet with him."
Viktor and Yuuri nod in sync as Mr. Wentz continues to run through procedural information. He explains security measures, legal documentation, and of course, which children they'd like to have individual meetings with.
Once all of their initial work is done, they're given a brief tour of the facilities. The large playroom/common area, the dorms, the playground, the cafeteria, and finally individual meeting rooms. The meeting rooms remind Yuuri of a children's waiting room at a clinic. They have a small assortment of toys and short tables for them to sit at. Mr. Wentz explains that they'll get the children settled before introducing them properly.
When they're finally taken to meet the first child they had asked to meet with, they find her sitting by the window. She doesn't speak much, hardly offering them her name before shriveling into herself. It breaks Yuuri's heart to see the little girl look so frightened of them. After about ten awkward minutes Mr. Wentz relieves the child of her burden with a sympathetic smile.
He leads the pair to the next meeting room where a little boy plays boredly with some blocks. He looks at Yuuri and Viktor with a confused gaze; then he asks them how they can be married if they're both boys. Yuuri and Viktor do their best to educate the child about same-sex marriage, but he doesn't seem particularly interested.
Mr. Wentz again returns after ten minutes; the child doesn't say goodbye as he walks out of the room.
"Some days are harder than others." Mr. Wentz attempts to encourage them, seeing the looks of uncertainty on Yuuri and Viktor's faces.
"No, of course. We don't want to make them uncomfortable." Yuuri assures him with a twinge of panic in his voice.
"Thank you for your patience." Mr. Wentz nods leading them into the next room. "Yuri, you have visitors."
The little blonde boy looks up from his drawing and smiles at the couple.
"Hi again, Yuri." Viktor waves.
"Hello." Yuri puts down his crayon to wave back.
"What are you drawing hm?" Yuuri asks taking a seat at the short table.
"Sunflowers." Yuri responds pushing the picture towards the older man.
"Wow, it's beautiful." Viktor praises, "Do you like sunflowers?"
"Uhuh." Yuri nods, "They're really pretty and grandpa used to grow them in the garden."
"Your grandpa grew sunflowers?" Yuuri keeps his voice soft as he questions him.
"Yeah." Yuri drops his gaze to his lap, as if he's said too much.
"I like sunflowers too, I think they're very pretty flowers." Yuuri tries to reel the conversation back in his favor. "You know, I grew up in Japan."
"Where's that?" Yuri asks.
"It's all the way across the ocean, it's a part of Asia." Yuri nods as if he understands, Yuuri isn't sure he does but he continues to speak. "In Japan we love sunflowers, my mom even has a little sunflower patch because they're so pretty."
Yuri nods, "Dida said they're good flowers because they grow no matter what."
"Your Dida sounds very smart." Viktor comments with a hint of confusion in his tone. "Yura, are you Russian?"
Yuri shakes his head, "I'm Ukrainian."
"Ah." Viktor nods, "I see, my apologies."
"Do you like to draw, sweetheart?" Yuuri asks diverting the child's attention.
"Uhuh… but we don't keep our pictures because there's not a lot of space here." Yuri tells him.
"Could I keep this then?" Yuuri holds up the picture.
"Sure." Yuri nods.
"Is drawing your favorite thing to do?" Viktor asks. The little boy shakes his head as he rocks in his seat. "What's your favorite thing to do then?"
Yuri bites his lip in thought before answering. "I like ice skating best."
"Really?" Yuuri asks nearly in disbelief.
"Is that bad?" Yuri asks sinking back just a touch.
"No, honey, Viktor and I love ice skating." Yuuri is quick to respond.
"Are you good at it?" Yuri cocks his head to one side.
"I like to think so." Viktor chuckles affectionately. "We would love to take you sometime. Would you like that?"
"Yes." Yuri nods.
The three of them continue their conversation, the adults are careful to ask lighthearted questions and take mental notes of when Yuri seems to resist. By the time Mr. Wentz returns they are completely smitten with little Yuri.
"First meetings are always a little rocky, but I hope you're not disheartened in anyway." Mr. Wentz says as he leads them back to his office. "We love all of the children who come to us but some have a harder time opening up. There's always an inherent sadness that comes with the territory of adoption."
"We completely understand." Yuuri says confidently.
"As far as next steps are concerned; I can pull a few more profiles for you to look over and we can set up another appointment for more meetings."
"Actually, could we have just a moment alone?" Yuuri chances the question.
"Yes, of course. Would you like to set up another appointment time now or will it be quick?"
"I think we'll be brief." Yuuri assures him. Mr. Wentz nods, closing the door to his office to allow them a moment of privacy.
"You're not having doubts, are you love?" Viktor's voice is laced with concern.
"I think that we should adopt Yuri."
"Are you sure? We've only spoken to him once."
"The boy has my name, Viktor. He has my name, he loves skating, he's just the sweetest kid… I think this is it. I think he's ours." Yuuri gives a breathy chuckle. "I love him already, I feel like this is… I don't know, destiny?"
"I wouldn't be opposed to asking for another interview but I don't think we should rush into anything. If not for our sake, for his."
Yuuri nods, even if his mind is already made up on the matter. He's fully convinced that little Yura is their child and nothing is going to change that.
Viktor invites Mr. Wentz back into the office and tells him their intention to have a second interview with Yuri. He hands them the short profile on the little boy and convinces them to look over a few more profiles as well before sending them on their way.
It takes all of Yuuri's resolve not to start filling the spare bedroom with things he feels Yuri would like. Though he does win on the front of getting an actual bed, seeing as they won't be adopting a baby who needs a crib anytime soon. Yuuri also wins when getting the bed a set of sheets in Yuri's favorite color.
There are a rare few times where Viktor has to be the voice of reason in their relationship. Even fewer of those times have been for something outside of Yuuri's health or skating career. But Viktor doesn't want to get either Yuri's hopes up, adoption can be a long difficult process especially in America. That's leaving out the fact that they're gay and foreign.
Still, by the next week when their second meeting comes, the pair of them fall further in love with the little blonde boy. He wears the same bright smile and seems more willing to ask Viktor and Yuuri questions than before. When their meeting is done, Yuuri tells Viktor in no uncertain terms that they've found their child.
Mr. Wentz finally sits with them after their second round of interviews and they tell him that they're ready to proceed with Yuri's adoption.
"We know that you were hesitant for us to make this decision but we're confident this is the right choice for our family." Yuuri tells him without an ounce of doubt.
"I'm glad to hear it." Mr. Wentz nods pulling out Yuri's sparse file. "There are a few points I'd like to go over with you before we get into the nitty gritty details."
"Does this have to do with Yuri's background?" Viktor asks, "Because I'd be very interested in hearing about how he came to be in your care."
Mr. Wentz pauses, seemingly taken aback by the question before answering. "As I've said before, we really don't know much about him. He came to us from a crisis center in the UK that we partner with. He was brought to them by a member of the Red Cross who didn't know where he came from either. Yuri says he's from Ukraine and as far as I can tell that is true.
"He speaks Ukrainian and Russian, so I assume that means he lived somewhere close to Russia. I figure he learned English from his time in the UK but he wasn't there for more than a month and you've seen how fluent he is, so that's also a bit of a mystery.
"He doesn't have a birth certificate but he says his birthday is the first of March. We really have no idea what kind of background he has in terms of his homelife. Frankly, he could still have living relatives for all we know. We have to assume he was brought to the UK for asylum purposes but even that's uncertain. Given that he's so young I'm not sure he even knows what his situation is. It's all very complicated."
Viktor makes a small affirmative sound before speaking again. "And he's been here for three weeks now. Has he spoken at all about his past?"
"Not much, only brief comments about his grandfather and a few things about his home in Ukraine. We haven't been able to glean anything substantial from what he's told us. Has he said anything to you perhaps?"
"Nothing that you haven't mentioned." Yuuri says.
"Well, I know that we've discussed this briefly, but moving forward I would encourage you to seek some kind of therapy for him. Unfortunately, he's been resistant to our psychologists attempts so far, but we feel it will be necessary for his development."
"Understood." Yuuri nods eagerly.
"In addition, and this is really what I had hoped to discuss with you." Mr. Wentz leans forward just a touch further. "Yuri is malnourished. We've tried to address this since he came into our care and it's not that he's picky or won't eat; he just doesn't eat nearly enough. We assume this is some sort of trauma response but it is something you two will have to actively monitor."
"And he has always been like this? Even at the other center?"
"He was much worse off when he got here. He's gained some weight but not as much as he should have by now. You'll need to keep a close eye on his weight and eating habits. You should also be sure his doctors know so they can monitor his progress."
Yuuri's resolve doesn't waver, Viktor would be remiss to say he isn't proud of him. The man beside him now is a far cry from the anxious ball of nerves he'd met nearly four years ago. His confidence becomes stronger by the day, and damn does fatherhood look good on him.
Mr. Wentz walks them through the next steps of the process, when all is said and done they could be welcoming their son home in two weeks' time.
Somehow that seems so far away and oh my god that's absolutely not enough time!
Yuuri keeps his composure until they're back in the car. Then he starts to frantically online shop and Viktor do we need to baby proof the house for a five-year-old?! Viktor assures his husband that they have time to do their research, Yuuri would beg to differ.
That night the pair of them start to allow themselves to envision their very near future. While Yuuri shops for clothes, books, toys, and safety gear, Viktor has called no less than three pediatricians and a nutritionist.
They meet in the middle somewhere around ten o'clock, they sit on Yuri's bed and hold one another. While they don't say anything, their fantasy is the same; their sweet little boy sitting between them. Safe, loved, and most importantly of all, home.