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Chapter Text

“Yuuri, time for dinner!”

Yuuri pokes his head up. He’s comfortable in his curled-up position on the bed, and he would, perhaps, be content to stay where he is, but there’s a certain smell in the air…

“Katsudon!” he meows excitedly, though he really could have said anything; his human family is not very good at deciphering his words, only his tone. Silly humans. But Yuuri’s humans are nice, and more importantly, they’re having katsudon tonight.

Technically, Yuuri is supposed to stick to his own food. But while crunchy pellets and wet meat pouches are alright, they’re nothing compared to the delicious, juicy taste of pork. And neither Hiroko, Toshiya, or Mari Katsuki can resist slipping Yuuri pieces of the tasty treat whenever they have it, so Yuuri gets very, very full on these nights.

So Yuuri runs as fast as his little paws will move. He purrs as he rubs against everyone’s legs. He sits patiently by his dish until everyone is seated. He’s a polite cat, after all, and he can at least wait until everyone’s seated to get what he wants.

“Here, Yuuri!” Mari coos, wiggling her fingers while holding a tiny piece of pork in her hands.

Ah, they know him so well! He didn’t even have to ask!

“Thanks,” he chirps, happily nibbling the offered food.

“Oh, little Katsudon, do you want more?” Hiroko asks sweetly. Yuuri purrs at the familiar nickname and walks over to her, giving her outstretched hand a gentle head-butt.

When dinner is over and Yuuri is happily stuffed with all the pork he could eat, the family settles around the big moving picture box—the “TV” as Yuuri has heard it called.

Inside the box is the image of a blond man who Yuuri knows to be “Yuri Plisetsky, from Russia.” The Katsuki family loves watching him run and jump on sheets of ice. Yuuri is a little impressed by this, too, because ice is very cold and also slippery, and he certainly can’t run or jump on it like this man can. Also, ice gets very wet when it melts, and Yuuri has always admired humans for their ability to get wet without fear.

But as much as Yuuri appreciates blond Russian Yuri Plisetsky’s ice adventures, what he really likes is when the man appears with his cat, Victor.

Victor is a large, fluffy silver tabby, and also the most beautiful cat Yuuri has ever seen in his entire life. He has dreams about this wonderful creature, okay. Oh, what Yuuri would do just to see this cat catch a mouse, his powerful muscles rippling as he gracefully jumps…

Once, Mari had left a magazine on the ground with some pictures of Victor in it, and look, okay, she was done with that magazine, she must have been because she left it, and so Yuuri really shouldn’t be faulted for ripping out those pages with his claws. Look, magazines make great bedding, okay, and yes, sure, maybe he had wanted Victor’s face specifically, but see, he had needed something to spice up the boring cat bed his family had bought for him, and… Victor was pretty, okay?

He’s never going get tired of watching Victor.

“Hey, I just groomed for five hours; focus that camera on my paws, yes?” Victor meows on the TV. Yuuri wishes that somebody would, but no, humans just can’t seem to understand cats, and so nobody zooms in on Victor’s gorgeous paws, which is really unfair.

“Oh my god! Did he just say he’s taking a vacation in Hasetsu?” Mari shrieks, which startles Yuuri so much that he jolts up and off her lap.

Yuuri’s humans start chattering excitedly amongst themselves, which means that they’re not paying attention to Yuuri. This is very disappointing, because Yuuri was not finished with being cuddled. He considers leaving the room to show his displeasure, but Victor is still on screen with Russian Yuri Plisetsky, and Yuuri doesn’t really want to miss this.

“After this, you should film me outside. I can climb a tree in under ten seconds, you know,” Victor meows proudly.

And Yuuri knows that the humans will never, ever listen to what Victor is saying. But for a moment, he allows himself to imagine that they do.

“I want to see you climb a tree, Victor,” Yuuri meows, curling up contentedly next to the TV. He closes his eyes and lets himself imagine the scene. Soon enough, he drifts off to sleep.

Chapter Text

A couple of weeks later, Yuuri’s humans get all excited again. At first, Yuuri is hurt at how easily they’re ready to ignore him. Horror stories of abandoned cats flood his mind, and he starts practicing his cute belly flop just in case he’s going to need it when he’s a poor, helpless stray.

But then Yuuri sees their guests, and things start to make sense.

“I told you I don’t need to relax, Beka! I came here to skate away from everybody, not to drown in a bubble bath. I’m not going to get a sixth gold medal by swimming!”

That’s Russian Yuri Plisetsky, and Yuuri supposes that for humans, it must be a pretty big deal to have a famous ice-jumper come visit, especially because there’s not even any ice here at Yu-topia.

Next to Russian Yuri Plisetsky is a dark-haired man that Yuuri has seen before on TV. He’s an ice-jumper too, but he also sits next to Russian Yuri Plisetsky a lot off the ice, too.

“I thought we could spend some time together,” the dark-haired “Beka” says, and for some reason this makes Russian Yuri Plisetky turn red in the face.

“Well, hot springs are supposed to be good for the body. I guess it’s not a waste of time as long as you’re here.”

But Yuuri doesn’t pay attention to the humans for much longer, because…

“Hi!” a large tabby cat meows, and Yuuri jumps backwards in surprise, his fur rising warily.

Right there is front of him is the cat of his dreams.

“What’s your name? Did you know that you don’t have a tail? What happened, did you freeze it off?” the tabby asks. His voice is tinged with genuine curiosity, and his posture is friendly, so Yuuri feels safe enough to let his fur lie flat again.

“No, of course not,” Yuuri responds dismissively. “ My name’s Yuuri and I was born like this. There are a lot of cats in Japan that look like me.”

“Wow! That’s amazing! I like your name, Yuuri. Mine’s Victor!”

“I-I know,” Yuuri meows, ducking his head in embarrassment when Victor looks confused. “I mean, I’ve seen you on TV, uh…”

Victor’s eyes widen in understanding and he lets out a purr.

“Oh, yes, that’s right. The camera loves me, doesn’t it?” He puffs his chest out proudly.

“Y-Yeah,” Yuuri agrees, still horribly embarrassed.

And now Victor is pressing very close to him, purring so loudly that Yuuri can barely hear his own heart beating out of time.

“You must be so cold with your short fur, Yuuri. You know, I don’t mind if you want to—hey!”

Whatever Victor was about to say is interrupted when Russian Yuri Plisetsky picks him up.

“Victor! I didn’t bring you to Japan so you could harass other cats!” he scolds.

Yuuri, who suddenly feels very sad at the loss of Victor’s soft fur against him, takes a small step forward.

“Wait, come back,” he mews a little desperately, but Russian Yuri Plisetsky isn’t listening.

“I’m sorry about him,” Russian Yuri Plisetsky says to Hiroko. “He follows me everywhere, thinks he’s a dog.”

Hiroko just smiles.

“Oh, don’t worry. I think our little Katsudon likes your Victor,” she says kindly.

Russian Yuri Plisetsky looks down to see Yuuri on his hind legs, stretching a paw upwards even as he rubs his head against the man’s leg.

“Oh,” Russian Yuri Plisetsky says, a little surprised. “Huh. Other cats usually can’t stand Victor. Yours must be pretty agreeable,” he says, setting Victor back on the ground.

“Yuuri! You saved me!” Victor exclaims, once again purring against Yuuri’s side.

“It was nothing,” Yuuri tells him, purring faintly as well. “Your human picked up quick on what I was trying to say.”

“Yeah, Yurio’s good with cats.” Victor’s whiskers twitch in amusement.

“Uh… Yurio?”

Yuuri had been sure the man’s name was “Russian Yuri Plisetsky,” but…

“Yes, that’s what his Beka calls him,” Victor informs him. “Only he says it weird, like ‘Yuri! Oh!’ and then I get kicked out of the room.”

“Huh. Humans are weird sometimes,” Yuuri meows, but he resolves to remember “Yurio,” if that’s what he likes to be called.

“Oh, Yurio’s so weird. One time, I brought him a mouse, and…”

So Victor and Yuuri pass the time talking to each other, and Yuuri thinks he must be the luckiest cat ever.

Chapter Text

Apparently, Yurio and Beka plan to stay quite a while, and that means Victor gets to stay quite a while, and Yuuri is ecstatic.

Even if Victor can be a little… overwhelming.

“Yuuri! Let’s sleep together!”

“No!”

(Victor can’t see the pictures… Yuuri has to hide them under Mari’s bed. Surely there’s no way she’d ever let Victor in her room, right?)

“Yuuri! Let’s groom each other!”

“No!”

(Yuuri has only just gotten used to the idea that Victor is really here and he can see him every day and… he’s just not ready for this kind of intimacy!)

“Yuuri! Let’s eat together!”

Yuuri would have said no to this request, too, but… He can smell katsudon.

His mouth waters.

“Hey, Victor, do you like pork?” he asks excitedly.

“Pork? I don’t know. I usually have seafood,” Victor responds, his whiskers twitching in interest.

“Oh! You have to try it!” Yuuri exclaims.

He can hardly believe that Victor hasn’t had pork before. How lucky he is, then, to be at Yu-topia, where the pork in the katsudon is the absolute best in the world.

“Please give some to Victor, too,” he meows to Hiroko when she gives him a tiny piece of pork. But she doesn’t seem to understand what he wants. He meows again, and she just holds out another piece for him.

His tail twitches in irritation, but clearly he’s going to have to do this himself. He carefully takes the pork in his mouth, and even though it’s so, so hard not to eat it, he chooses instead to place it on the ground in front of Victor.

“Please just hurry and eat it,” he whines, pained at the taste that still lingers on the edge of his mouth.

“You’re the best, Yuuri!” Victor thanks him.

Victor’s eyes shine happily as he swallows the food.

“Delicious!” he exclaims. “I have never lived until the moment!”

Yuuri purrs in agreement.

They’re interrupted by an irritated mutter from Yurio.

“Unbelievable. I leave you alone for two minutes and you start taking other people’s food. Victor, you ungrateful furball, you’re going to get us kicked out of this place.”

“Yurio!” Victor chirps. “You have to try this!”

“Get the katsudon!” Yuuri chirps in agreement. “It’s the best thing you’ll ever eat!”

Hiroka comes in to save the day.

“Oh, Yuuri must have brought his pork to share with Victor. Our little Katsudon is so sweet!”

“Little Katsudon, huh,” Yurio says quietly, bending down to give Yuuri’s ears a scratch. “You eat so much that they call you after the dish, and yet you’re still willing to share with Victor. Are you a moron or something?” he speaks gently as Yuuri purrs at his touch.

“Pet me, too,” Victor insists, pushing his head against Yurio’s other hand.

“Hey, can I get a couple bowls of that stuff over here, the katsudon?” Yurio demands. “And—this sounds crazy, doesn’t it, but god—can I order some meat for the cats?” he asks, the initial harshness in his tone fading a bit.

Hiroko obliges him with a large smile on her face.

“Oh no you don’t, Victor,” Yurio says seriously when Victor turns pleading eyes to him. “These bowls are for me and Beka only. Eat your portion before the piggy cat gets it.”

“You never give me anything I want,” Victor mews in complaint. Yuuri is too busy drooling over the pork to make a response.

“Great. Spoiled and Stupid. You two make a goddamn pair.”

Chapter Text

“Yuuri, are you good at catching prey?” Victor asks him one morning.

“Um… I can catch mice…” Yuuri tells him, slightly embarrassed. He’s not the best at it, and he gets tired if he has to run after them for too long, but he’s proud to say that there’s never been a mouse in Yu-topia since he moved in.

“How about birds?” Victor purrs. “Birds are my favorite.”

“O-Oh…”

Yuuri’s ears droop a little. He definitely can’t catch birds. Once, he had managed to get a feather from one as it flew away, but…

“No, I can’t,” he admits sadly.

“Do you want me to teach you?” Victor stretches and puffs out his chest, and Yuuri gets the feeling that he actually wants to show off more than anything. But still, watching Victor hunt would be amazing, and it would be even more amazing if Yuuri could actually catch a bird to impress him.

“Yeah, alright,” Yuuri agrees. “Do you have to climb trees to do it? You would always talk about climbing trees on TV.”

Victor’s tail twitches uneasily.

“Uh, no…” he meows hesitantly. “Uh, you don’t want to catch birds in trees, anyway! Much too dangerous for a beginner! Come on, Yuuri, I’ll show you how to hide in the bushes and ambush them.”

And Yuuri does learn a lot about staying hidden in one spot for hours. He’s pretty sure they won’t be spotting any birds today, though, because…

“Uh, Victor? Aren’t you supposed to be hiding?”

Victor, who is very much out in the open and rolling in the grass, doesn’t even sound ashamed.

“You’re doing good, Yuuri. You stay like that. I’m just making sure this grass is suitable for the birds to land on,’ he meows, not even bothering to stop rolling around.

Well, if that’s how it is…

Yuuri waits. And he waits. And then he pounces.

Victor lets out a strangled yowl when Yuuri’s paws (claws sheathed, of course—he isn’t that frustrated) hit his chest.

“Like that, Victor?” he asks innocently.

And once Victor realizes what’s happened, he relaxes.

“Yes, just like that,” he purrs. “I never saw it coming.”

Victor is looking at him so intensely that Yuuri has to quickly avert his eyes.

“Ah, well, anyway…” Yuuri meows in embarrassment as he removes his paws from Victor. “I don’t think any birds are going to come out after that.”

“Probably not,” Victor agrees, still purring. He presses himself against Yuuri’s side, and Yuuri can’t stop himself from purring, too.

“Yes, well… Should we go get some food?” Yuuri suggests. “All this hunting has made me hungry.”

“Maybe Yurio is having more katsudon right now,” Victor meows hopefully.

And so they return to the great indoors.

Chapter Text

“Yuuri! It’s water but it’s warm.” Victor meows in amazement as he gingerly presses the pads of his paws into the hot spring that Yurio and Beka are currently occupying.

Yuuri’s whiskers twitch in amusement.

“Victor, are you telling me you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a bath?” he asks incredulously.

“Yuuri, I groom myself 15 times a day; I know what a bath is,” Victor hisses, offended. “This is not a bath! It’s a miracle!”

“Victor! Don’t get in there!” Yuuri screeches in horror. “I know you think it’s warm now, but you’ll freeze when you get out! It’s still water!”

Victor pauses, his paw hovering over the water.

“But Yuuri—”

“Don’t,” Yuuri meows.

“But—“

“Don’t,” Yuuri hisses. “I tried it once and it was the worst day of my entire life! You’ll never see me touch water again, Victor. Never!”

“You were just cold because your fur’s too short,” Victor protests weakly.

“And that’s another thing! You have so much fur that you’re just going to get dragged down!” Yuuri growls. “You’re not drowning on my watch.”

Victor lets out a whine, but then he reluctantly stomps over to Yuuri and curls up next to him. Yuuri purrs, pressing himself a little closer.

“See, it’s plenty warm over here,” Yuuri tells him.

“Yes,” Victor mews grumpily.

They lie there together until they fall asleep, only waking when Yurio’s voice brings them back to consciousness.

“Victor! Katsudon! We’re leaving!”

And because they’re still too drowsy to move around properly, Yurio takes pity.

“You take Victor, Beka. I’ll grab Katsudon.”

Yuuri lets out a sleepy purr and makes no protest.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Yuuri,” Victor meows one day as they’re lounging together on top of the kotatsu. “Can we go outside right now?”

“Mm, yeah, but why would we?” Yuuri asks, snuggling into the blanket.

“Because I keep hearing this sound, like a tiny meow,” Victor explains. “Are there other cats around here?”

“A few live in the area, but they don’t really hang around the onsen,” Yuuri meows lazily.

Then, suddenly, his entire body goes stiff.

“Wait, no,” he meows, jumping off the kotatsu. “He said he’d stop following me.”

“Oh?” Victor mews curiously, following Yuuri outside at a more relaxed pace.

“Yuuri! I knew you’d come out! Didja miss me?” a tiny orange kitten mews, playfully pouncing on Yuuri’s leg.

“Minami,” Yuuri meows stiffly. “Do you remember that conversation we had about kittens going off on their own?”

But Minami isn’t listening, and Victor certainly isn’t helping.

“Wow! So cute!” he exclaims. “Yuuri, can we keep him?”

“Yuuri! Can you keep me?” Minami echoes in his squeaky mew.

“No!” Yuuri screeches, cuffing Victor lightly around the ears. “Minami, you have a home already, and it isn’t here!”

“But Yuu-ri,” Victor purrs. “You’re being so cruel. He came all this way for you.”

Victor brushes against him, and he uses his tail to stroke the entirety of Yuuri’s back. Yuuri can feel his fur growing hot.

Minami vibrates as he watches. Literally. His purring is so strong that he vibrates.

“U-Um,” Yuuri meows distractedly. “Y-Yeah, I’ll do b-better.”

He blinks dazedly until his mind clears enough to think.

“Come on, Minami,” he eventually gets out. “You really shouldn’t go out on your own. I’ll walk you back.”

“Okay!” Minami purrs excitedly. “And then you’ll come back and visit me again, won’t you?”

Yuuri is about to give a firm “no,” but then he thinks about what he just told Victor, and he relents.

“Alright,” he mews. “I’ll come over sometimes. Just don’t go off trying to find me.”

Victor presses against him and purrs.

Chapter Text

Yuuri shudders as another loud clap of thunder booms outside

“Yuuri, there you are. What are you doing under Toshiyo and Hiroko’s bed?” Victor mews worriedly as he crouches to peer beneath it.

Yuuri is too ashamed to look at Victor, so he buries his face in his paws. Surely Victor, the bravest cat around, must think he’s being completely ridiculous. But he can’t help it! Another roar of thunder sends a new shudder through his body.

“Yuuri,” Victor meows softly, squeezing himself under the bed to press close to him. “Are you afraid of storms? You don’t need to be. You won’t get wet inside.”

“I know!” Yuuri growls. “It’s just… so loud…”

A loud cracking sound makes Yuuri press himself harder against the floor.

Victor wraps himself around Yuuri, resting his paws on Yuuri’s side.

“I’ll be louder,” he promises, starting to lick Yuuri’s ears.

And while his purring cannot completely drown out the sounds of the storm, Yuuri finds that, somehow, it helps.

Chapter Text

Victor’s fur is so long that it becomes matted and dirty quickly if he isn’t brushed every day. So Yuuri watches from the edge of Yurio’s bed as Yurio brushes Victor’s fur while behind him, Beka brushes Yurio’s hair.

“Yesss, that’s the spot,” Victor purrs as Yurio strokes him.

“So nice…” Yuuri mews enviously.

“Sorry, Katsudon. I’ve got my hands full and this is going to take a while,” Yurio says, dragging his fingers through a clump of fur. Suddenly, he lets out a yelp as his head gets tugged backwards. “Ouch! Beka, what was that for?” he exclaims angrily.

“Sorry.” Beka presses his lips against the top of Yurio’s head. “I wanted to make sure it was tied back firmly.”

“You make the best braids,” Yurio mutters, returning to brushing Victor. “Otherwise I wouldn’t let you anywhere near my hair. You’re too strong, Beka!”

Beka chuckles and strokes Yurio’s head with one hand.

And that’s when Yuuri realizes that, hey, this guy has two hands and one of them is no longer doing anything.

“Beka!” Yuuri chirps, butting his head against the man’s free hand. “Look at me!”

Without saying a word, Beka pulls him closer, scratching his ears in just the way he likes.

“You already stole my cat, Katsudon. You’d better not think about stealing my boyfriend.” Yurio mutters.

Victor and Yuuri purr in unison.

Chapter Text

Yuuri can feel Victor’s eyes on him. Victor’s eyes are always on him lately. He doesn’t even bother to avert his gaze when Yuuri looks back.

He’s starting to wonder if he should confront him about this…

But then one day when Yuuri is just about to go take a nap, Victor ambushes him, tackling him to the ground and purring.

“Yuuri! I love you!” he purrs, and Yuuri is so shocked at this turn of events, but…

“I-I love you, too, Victor,” Yuuri purrs.

“I’ll never love another cat! So can I call you my mate, Yuuri?” Victor asks hopefully.

“O-Only if I can call you mine.”

And they’re very happy cuddling together for the next two hours until Yuuri realizes something terrible.

“Victor…” he meows miserably. “How can we be mates when you’re going to leave?”

Victor is silent for a few minutes, but Yuuri can tell by his breathing that he isn’t asleep.

Finally, he responds.

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” Victor meows seriously. “I don’t care if I have to hide under the kotatsu forever. I’m not leaving your side, Yuuri.”

“But what about Yurio?” Yuuri counters, even though Victor’s words are making him feel warm inside.

“Maybe Yurio and Beka will stay, too,” Victor responds. “Then we can all eat katsudon and warm ourselves by the hot springs for the rest of our lives.”

It’s a nice thought, and Yuuri lets himself imagine it as he drifts off to sleep.

Chapter Text

“Um, Victor?” Yuuri mews, his whiskers twitching in amusement.

“Yes, my love?” Victor mumbles around the object currently in his mouth.

“Is that Yurio’s blanket?”

“Yes,” Victor responds with difficulty.

“The one he brought from Russia, not the one the inn provides?”

“Yes,” Victor responds, again with difficulty.

“So why are you bringing it out here?” Yuuri asks, purring at the hilarious sight of his mate dragging a huge blanket through a rather small crack in the door.

“Your bed won’t hold both of us, Yuuri!” Victor whines, finally dropping the corner of the blanket. “We have to sleep somewhere!”

Yuuri would be fine sharing this blanket (it’s very soft!), but unfortunately, somebody else objects.

“The fuck, Victor?” Yurio shouts when he steps out the door. His hair is still dripping wet and it looks like he threw on whatever clothes happened to be closest to him.

“It’s for Yuuri,” Victor tries to explain, but humans just never understand.

“Can’t you two just sleep on the bed like normal cats?” Yurio asks exasperatedly. He scoops up Victor, Yuuri, and the blanket into his arms, then deposits them onto his bed.

“Is he offering to let me sleep here?” Yuuri meows excitedly.

“I think so!” Victor purrs, equally excited.

Yuuri brushes himself against Yurio’s arms in gratitude, then plops himself down at the foot of the bed.

“You’re such a good cat, Katsudon,” Yurio says, petting him gently. “You don’t go straight for the pillows, unlike, somebody,” Yurio says accusatorily, though he pets Victor gently too.

At this point, Beka walks out of the bathroom, wearing the clothes Yuuri assumes he sleeps in.

“Are you ready for bed?” he asks quietly.

“Ugh, yes. Just let me change.” Yurio says, glaring at Victor.

Victor, for his part, just curls himself around Yuuri and purrs softly.

Chapter Text

It’s a warm day outside, so Yuuri and Victor decide they should take advantage of the good weather and hunt.

“Victor, can you show me how to catch birds in trees?” Yuuri meows hopefully. “I know I’m still a beginner. I promise I won’t try it myself. I just really want to see you climb a tree!”

“You… do…?” Victor meows hesitantly.

“I mean… I’ve kind of always wanted to… I used to dream about it,” Yuuri admits. He ducks his head in embarrassment. “That sounds stupid, doesn’t it? Uh, just forget I mentioned that!”

“No!” Victor exclaims quickly. “I’m the best climber, Yuuri! Just watch me!”

So Victor stretches a bit (he pretends he isn’t showing off his body, and Yuuri pretends he isn’t appreciating it), then picks what he decides is a suitable tree.

“Whoa! It’s so big!” Yuuri meows in awe.

“I can get up a tree like that in five seconds,” Victor brags, springing into action.

And he can.

“Did you like that, Yuuri?” Victor calls down.

“That was amazing! You’re so graceful, Victor!” Yuuri responds.

Victor preens from his position in the branches.

And they both purr, but…

The moment lasts too long.

“Victor? Are you going to come down?” Yuuri asks in confusion.

“Uh…” Victor meows nervously. “No! I really like the view up here! I might stay here a while. Just go eat without me!”

“Victor!” Yuuri yowls in complaint. “How can you say something like that? I’m not going anywhere without you!”

“Oh! Yuuri, I love you!” Victor exclaims.

“Then come down!” Yuuri insists.

“Uh….” Victor’s tail is swishing nervously. “What would you say if I couldn’t?”

“Why couldn’t… Oh.” Yuuri narrows his eyes. “Victor, why would you say you could climb trees if you can’t?” he yowls.

“But I can!” Victor protests. “You saw me climb this thing, Yuuri! I just can’t… exactly… get down… on my own…”

“Victor!”

“Don’t worry! Yurio will find me eventually!” Victor tries to placate him.

“Yurio! Yes, I’m going to go get him!” Yuuri decides.

“Nooo,” Victor whines. “Yuuri, come back! It’s better if he finds me on his own! Yuuri!”

(As if Yuuri is going to listen to that.)

So Yuuri manages to convince Yurio to follow him to where Victor is, and after several minutes of cursing, Yurio goes to get Beka.

“Just lift me like you do when we pair skate,” Yurio mutters, his face red.

And Beka lifts him up just high enough that he can reach Victor, and the day is saved.

When Victor is safely on the ground, Yuuri swats his head.

“Don’t do things like that,” he hisses, but then he gives Victor’s fur a couple of licks. “I was worried.”

“I’ll stick to hunting on the ground,” Victor promises.

Chapter Text

“Victor, what happened to hunting on the ground?” Yuuri meows worriedly as his mate hops from the kitchen counter onto a high shelf.

“But Yuuri, this isn’t hunting,” Victor purrs, sniffing the air. “It’s… scavenging.”

“Then I wish you’d scavenge on the ground,” Yuuri meows, his tail flicking agitatedly. “You know Toshiya and Hiroko will hand us the food themselves if we’re patient.”

“But why wait?” Victor meows, knocking down several spicy-scented packages to the floor. Yuuri recoils at the loud thump, and Victor quickly jumps to the floor.

“Sorry, love,” Victor mews, pressing close to Yuuri and licking his ear.

“Victor,” Yuuri tries to meow disapprovingly, but the effect is lessened by the fact that he’s purring.

Victor rumbles a purr as well, but when he inches forward to sniff the packages, he sneezes.

“Where do they keep the meat in here, anyway?” Victor meows, and Yuuri has to pounce on him in order to keep him from jumping back on the counter.

“The cold box. I’ve told you before,” Yuuri growls, pinning Victor beneath him. The larger cat could easily throw him off, but Yuuri has a feeling that Victor doesn’t want to.

“But Yuuri, I can’t get inside the cold box,” Victor whines. But then Yuuri nuzzles into Victor’s neck, and suddenly Victor melts into a puddle of purring, thoughts of food forgotten.

“Hey, who let you two in here?” Mari asks as she enters through the doorway. Her gaze sweeps past the cuddling felines to the mess on the floor. “Did you do this? Bad cats.”

“U-Um, it wasn’t really on purpose,” Yuuri meows apologetically, but as usual, the human doesn’t understand.

“Out, out,” Mari insists, nudging the two cats with the edge of her foot. “I have to clean this up! Go take a nap or something.”

“Hmm, a nap sounds good,” Victor meows, ignoring the glare Yuuri sends him. “You think Yurio is done with the bed? I want a pillow!”

“This is your fault,” Yuuri meows accusatorily. “I used to be a good cat.”

“You’re always a good cat to me, Yuuri,” Victor purrs, and Yuuri can feel his pelt heat up.

“You’re a good cat to me, too,” Yuuri mews. Victor wraps his tail around him, and together they go to find the softest of Yurio’s pillows to curl up on.

Chapter Text

“Katsudon, no. You can’t sleep in my suitcase,” Yurio says firmly as he picks Yuuri up out of his luggage for the fifth time.

“But I want to go with you,” Yuuri meows insistently.

“We have to take him with us,” Victor chimes in. “Or I’ll abandon you and live with Yuuri forever.”

“Calm down,” Yurio says, quickly zipping up his suitcase while it’s completely cat-free. “I can’t have you suffocating in a bag, okay?”

He shifts a little, making space on the bed.

“Hey, Beka, can you help me out?”

Beka places Victor’s purple cat carrier on the bed. But then, next to it, he places another one, a blue one.

“Yurio!” Victor trills. “You have two!”

Yurio scratches behind Victor’s ears, but he looks at Yuuri.

“Okay, Katsudon,” he mutters. “I don’t know what your family’s thinking, asking me to take a sweet cat like you, but…”

“I want to go with you!” Yuuri meows excitedly. “Victor, I’m going to go with you!”

He squeezes inside the comfortably padded carrier and purrs loudly.

“Yeah,” Yurio says with a chuckle, “I thought you’d say that.”

Beka picks up the carrier and gently tilts it, coaxing Yuuri out.

“We’re leaving in the morning,” Yurio says, picking up Victor’s carrier. He and Beka place the two carriers next to the door.

“Oh!” Yuuri meows, racing towards the open door. “I have to say goodbye to everyone! Victor, come with me!”

And so the two cats run out while Yurio and Otabek laugh behind them.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Minami, are you out here?” Yuuri yowls.

“Minami!” Victor yowls in unison.

“Oh, Yuuri! Yuuri, you’re out late! And Victor, too! Hi!” Minami meows. “Did you come to play? I’m a great pouncer now! You want to see me pounce on you? You want to see me pounce on Victor? You want to—“

“No, no,” Yuuri purrs with amusement. “I actually came… to tell you that I won’t be able to come around anymore.”

“What?” Minami mewls sadly. “Why not? Did I do something wrong?”

“Oh! Minami, no,” Yuuri meows, giving the kitten a few quick licks on the head. “It’s just that Victor is going back to his home, and… I’m going with him.”

Minami’s eyes go wide, and he glances between Yuuri and Victor.

“I… guess I get it…” he mews, still sounding dejected. “Someday I want to have a mate too, and I want us to love each other as much as you two do…”

Yuuri and Victor share a look, and they press closer to each other with a purr.

“I’m sure you will when you’re older, Minami,” Victor meows encouragingly.

“And in the meantime, I was hoping you could do something for me,” Yuuri meows.

“F-For you, Yuuri? Yes, I’ll do anything!” Minami meows, his expression turning eager.

“Since I’m leaving the onsen, there won’t be any cats around. I don’t want my family to be lonely. Do you think you could keep them company, Minami?” Yuuri mews.

“Really?” Minami meows excitedly. “But you always tell me that I’m too little to play around the onsen!”

“Well, you’ve grown a lot, Minami,” Yuuri says with a purr. “I’m very proud of you.”

Minami purrs so loudly that Yuuri can see his whiskers vibrate.

“Oh, Yuuri, I’m going to miss you so much!” Minami meows. “But I promise I’ll keep your family safe for you! I always wanted to be an onsen cat!”

“Thank you, Minami,” Yuuri purrs, rubbing his cheek against the kitten’s flank. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

It isn’t until they’re halfway back to the onsen that Yuuri’s wars droop, and he presses against Victor for comfort.

“I never realized how much Minami has grown on me,” Yuuri mews. “I think I’m actually going to miss him biting my tail and clawing at me.”

“I can do that for you, Yuuri,” Victor meows cheerfully.

“That’s okay, Victor. You can keep your claws to yourself,” Yuuri meows drily.

Chapter Text

“Yuuuuuuriiiiiii!” Victor yowls miserably.

“Victor, shut up! I know you can’t see Katsudon! It’s the way the carriers were made, okay? Give me a second!” Yurio snaps.

“Victor, it’s okay…” Yuuri meows, even though it’s absolutely horrible to be in the cat carrier when he can’t touch or even look at Victor…

Suddenly, Yuuri feels the carrier shifting around him, and in the next second, he’s face to face with Victor, though the mesh on the door of both of the carriers obscure his vision a bit. He sticks his paw as far as he can through the spaces of the mesh, but it just isn’t far enough to reach Victor. He whimpers.

“Yuuri…” Victor meows miserably. “Why are they separating us like this? We’re just going to get back together when we get home.”

(Home. They’re going back to Victor’s home. Soon to be Yuuri’s home. Their home.)

“Now, I don’t want any yowling when we get on the plane,” Yurio says sternly. “You’re literally right next to each other. Be reasonable about this.”

“Okay, Yurio,” Yuuri mews, lying down and curling his paws up beneath him.

He watches as Victor settles down across from him. It’s hard to be in the carrier alone, but it’s just the price he has to pay to stay with Victor. Soon, he’ll be with Victor in their home.

In their home.

“Victor,” he mews quietly. “Tell me about Saint Petersburg.”

Chapter Text

“So, we can’t help but notice that Victor has a new friend here,” a reporter says. The woman behind the camera leans down, bringing the camera to cat eye-level.

Yuuri had forgotten, in the time he had come to know Victor, that he had first seen the beautiful cat on TV. And now, it seems, the cameras have an eye for him, too.

“This is Yuuri! He’s the love of my life!” Victor chirps.

“Hi,” Yuuri meows to the camera. “Uh… Hiroko, Toshiya, Mari… if you’re watching this… I miss you. And Minami, I hope they’re feeding you lots of pork… Uh…”

“Yeah, that’s Katsudon,” Yurio says, chuckling. “My husband and I ran into him when we were staying in Japan. He belonged to the Katsuki family, the ones who run the resort. He and Victor got very attached to each other, and everyone agreed that we couldn’t separate them. So he came back with me.”

“How sweet!” the reporter exclaims. "Katsudon, do you have anything to tell us about this big change in your life?”

Yuuri assumes that the camera is zooming in on his face.

“Uh…” He glances nervously at Victor, who blinks reassuringly at him. “Actually, I do!”

Yuuri gets to his paws, looking directly at the camera.

“It’s not like my life was bad before I met Victor. I lived with a good family and I got to eat and play as much as I wanted. But it was missing something that I didn’t even realize. Victor is the first person that I’ve ever wanted to hold onto. And I don’t care if he’s so fluffy that I get hairballs when I wash him, and I don’t care that he can climb up trees but not down them. I just like him for who he is. That’s what I call love.”

Victor’s eyes widen in surprise and a purr rises in his throat.

“Yuuri!” he trills. “Yuuri, I love you so much!”

Victor curls himself around Yuuri’s body, and the two cats dissolve into purrs.

“Well, you heard it here, everyone,” the reporter says with a friendly smile. “It looks like Katsudon is very happy to be here in Saint Peterburg.”

Yuuri knows that the reporters didn’t comprehend a word, but that’s okay. He’s sure that his overall message is understood. Even humans know the meaning of the word “love.”