"Aiko, please keep and eye on your brother for me? I would really appreciate it." Yuuri said, stirring a pot of soup on the stove.
"Okay Dad." She said, looking up from the book in her hands. She set it down on the table and stretched a bit. Yuuri looked over at his eldest for just a moment. She was becoming such a beautiful young woman.
Aiko Viktorovna Katsuki-Nikiforova was 13 now. Her deep silver hair, courtesy of Viktor's genes, had grown down her to her lower back now. She was pretty tall for her age as well, almost being as tall as Yuuri. She even asked a few days ago if she could wear eyeliner and lip gloss to school.
Seemed like just yesterday she was a baby in his arms, her shiny hazel eyes lighting up his life. Although her looks reflected more of Viktor than Yuuri, she had taken on Yuuri's quiet and shy personality. She preferred to sit and read in her room rather than go out with her friends. She was Yuuri's little helper, always doing everything he asked with almost no objections. But that didn't change the fact that at home, she was feisty, taking that from Viktor himself. She was sassy without a doubt.
"I swear you look more like Victor everyday Aiko." Yuuri said, looking over at his eldest.
"Not even! I'm telling you when Toshi gets older, he's going to look just like Papa. He even has his eyes."
"If you say so. You forget I've been looking at your Papa a lot longer than you have." Yuuri joked.
Aiko scoffed and walked out the room to go find her little brother. She headed into the living room, finding the boy playing with a couple of toys on the floor.
They never thought they would be the type to have children. Victor was always partial to the idea of having a mini him running around but that was only an idea that floated around for a few years. It wasn't until their beautiful surprise, Aiko, had come into their lives that they quickly changed their minds. At first, they weren't ready. Neither of them had any experience with children before that. It wasn't until a few months in that they started getting the hang of the whole parenting thing. They still learn new things every day even with their second child, Toshiro.
Toshiro Viktorovich Katsuki-Nikiforov was the baby. At almost 2 years old now, he has been a very happy, bouncy child. He loves hugs and kisses. He is always laughing. He almost constantly has a smile on his face. He took a bit after Victor and a bit after Yuuri. His personality wasn't clear cut like it was with Aiko. He was definitely a mystery and they learned more and more about their little boy every day.
Aiko sat next to Toshiro on the floor, watching him play with the blocks on the floor. Toshiro crawled over to her and held his arms up.
"Vverkh. Up!" Toshiro spoke mixing up the many words he had floating in his head, his hands reaching to grab his sister's shirt. She chuckled and reached over to pick him up, setting him in her lap. Aiko grabbed a couple blocks for him and set them down in her lap as well so he could play while still being in her lap.
"You are spoiled Toshi. Ty znayesh' chto." Aiko joked. As Toshiro continued to play, she ran her fingers though the toddler's wavy nearly blond hair. The boy cooed underneath her, snuggling into his older sister's lap.
Viktor's sliver hair was something both children inherited but both had different degrees of the iconic silver locks. Aiko has always had the darker gray tone, borderline black, even when she was a baby.
Toshiro on the other hand, was born a bright blond, the sliver barely noticeable until he started getting older. Yuuri predicted it would get as dark as Aiko's, or even darker than that. Viktor secretly wished it was stay that color forever. He always dreamed that he would have a blond child.
Keys were heard jingling in the door, making Toshiro jump out of his sister's lap. "Papa! Papa!" he yelled, running shakily to the door. Viktor opened the door, noting the small child standing in front of him. He smiled and quickly scooped him into his arms, giving him a hug.
"Hello you too Toshi. I heard you were giving Daddy a load of trouble today." he asked the small boy, running his hand though the boy's hair, ruffling it softly.
Yuuri walked out the kitchen, ready to greet his husband.
"Welcome home." He said, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips. Toshiro covered his eyes and let a few small giggle out. Yuuri smiled gently and kissed the small boys head as well. Viktor gently put down his son, patting his head as a gesture to run off and play. The boy obliged, running to his room in the back of the house.
Viktor pulled Yuuri close, giving him a slower deeper kiss than Yuuri gave him. Yuuri melted in his arms, wrapping one arm around his neck.
Aiko cleared her throat and stood up. "Did you guys forget you still had another kid in the room? At least give me some warning before you guys make out in the living room."
Viktor pulled away and let a small chuckle escape from his lips. He kept his arm around Yuuri, turning to face to meet his eldest. "What? I'm just showing your dad how much I love him. I'm sure you know how that is since all I have been seeing you read lately is romance novels and shojo manga sweetie."
Aiko turned a bright red, turning her face away from Viktor. "Y-yeah. I do. But that doesn't mean I want to see my dad and papa sucking face in front of me."
"Sweetie, did you forget how you got here?"
Yuuri hit Viktor's arm a few times, turning a bright red in the process. "She doesn't want to hear that! Quite honestly, I don't want to hear it."
"Hey! Hey! It's true! Why do I need to lie to her? She's 13 now. She knows how babies are made."
"It doesn't matter. That's still your child Viktor."
"This is getting weird. I'm leaving. Call me when dinner is ready!" She said with her ears covered, walking to her room. Viktor smiled, turning back to his husband.
"So, how was your day?"
Yuuri scoffed and turned his head away, upset that he was trying to change the subject so easily so that he wouldn't get in trouble.
"It was fine. Like I told you earlier, Toshiro had such an attitude today. He wouldn't listen to me at all. He was yelling and crying for you all day. Aiko managed to calm him down a little by playing with him but he was still upset."
"That's no good. He hasn't taken my going back to coaching very well. Its hard to go from having both parents around all the time to having both of them in and out throughout the week."
"Its also probably because you spoil him so much. He only cried for you when I told him no or stopped him from doing something. He knows he gets away with stuff when you are around. You did the same thing with Aiko. You are making me look like the bad guy."
"That's not true!"
Yuuri gave him a stern look. Viktor nervously chuckled and ran a hand though his hair.
"Okay...maybe I do spoil my babies a little much but I can't help it!"
"You're just lucky Aiko turned out to be a sweet girl. Toshiro on the other hand...he's going to be a handful. A true mini you."
Viktor frowned and crossed his arms around his chest. "So you are saying I'm a handful?"
Yuuri chuckled and walked towards the kitchen to check on the food. "Sometimes. You've gotten better over the years, I will admit."
"So mean!" Viktor said, following Yuuri into the kitchen to see what was for dinner. He walked up behind him, grabbing the smaller mans waist. He leaned over his shoulder to look in the pot.
"Its sauce for the pasta." He said, relaxing in his husband's hands.
"Looks good dorogoy. I'm starved."
"How was practice today? Did Sanjou finally get his step sequence together?"
"Its still rough but better than what I was before. I'm sure he is upset at me because I was so hard on him but its for a good reason. But alas, he is a teenage boy and teenage boys are hard headed. He will come around. Ryo was looking good today too. Its obvious he's been practicing at home. I wish his work ethic could rub off on Sanjou." He rambled with a deep sigh.
"Also, Yuuko told me another parent was asking about me coaching their kid. I told her to tell them I can't. I barely get time to go over things with Aiko. Her program is a little lacking right now."
Yuuri turned his head to meet Viktor eyes. He let out a soft sigh.
"Viktor, I thought you were going to lay off at bit. That was the reason we got her a different coach. We have been though this."
Viktor rolled his eyes and walked away from Yuuri, opening the fridge to grab a cold beer out the back.
"You are still upset about this I see."
Viktor popped open the top, taking a huge gulp. He let out a soft sigh before sitting down in a nearby chair.
"Of course I am still upset. We have been coaching her since she could walk without a problem. Then she just ups and asks for a different coach out the blue? What? We're we not good enough for her?" he rants, taking another large gulp.
"You know as well as I do that that is not true." Yuuri said sadly, turning off the stove
Viktor let his shoulders fall, taking a sad sip. He set the beverage on the table and set his head in his hand.
"I know that. Its just…"
"She is a teenager. She's going to go though the 'I'm too cool for my parents' phase. It happens with every kid." Yuuri said, pulling out some plates from the cabinet above his head. "Plus, I think its better that she has a woman coach. She could probably teach her more than we could and she can probably connect more with her."
"So you are saying we weren't good coaches because we are men?"
"Can you stop putting words in my mouth Viktor? I did not say that at all."
"Well it sure sounded like it to me. Sounds like you are saying I can't coach a girl."
"I didn't say that."
"Oh, so I don't 'understand' women at all so there is no way I can coach one? Are you saying I can't connect with my own damn daughter because I am a man?
"Viktor!" Yuuri snapped. Viktor sat back in his chair and looked up at Yuuri's face. His face was red and his eyes fierce and it made his chest tense up. "This isn't about you! This is about Aiko and what she wants. You are putting your own feelings before hers and its not fair to her."
"I am just trying to make sure she gets proper coaching!"
"And Yuna is a proper coach Viktor! You didn't even give the girl a chance before you started tearing her to sheds."
"I just don't think she can offer enough for Aiko to get to the next level."
"She has won a lot of competitions as well Viktor. She's just as qualified as you are."
"She is giving her some low level routine. I saw it. If she as so 'qualified', she would know Aiko can do better than that!"
"This is exactly why Aiko wanted a different coach Viktor! This right here!" Yuuri yelled. He realized what he had said, covering his mouth with his hand. He blushed a bright red and looked down. He had broken his promise.
Viktor froze for a moment, his breath hitched his throat. "Wha..what?"
Yuuri looked down at his feet, trying to calm himself down for a moment before speaking again. He didn't want Toshiro to get upset by hearing them yell at each other.
"She wanted a different coach because….because you were wanting her to be like you. You started to project yourself onto her. Viktor…you pushed her so hard that she wanted to quit."
"H-How…do you know this? Did she tell you?" Viktor said, putting his face into his hand.
Yuuri nodded gently. "One day after practice, I found her crying in her room. She has thrown all her skating stuff in a trash bag. She screamed about how you were just grooming her to be like you. That you never let her be herself. She said you wanted too much of her and she would never be able to be the skater you wanted her to be. She said she wanted to make you happy but it seemed every time she skated, it wasn't enough. She was so afraid she was disappointing you" Yuuri said, taking a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes.
"I told her that wasn't the case; that you were being hard on her because you knew she could do better. She told me skating stopped being fun. She didn't want a sour memory of her skating days so she told me she wanted to quit before she began to hate it. She was sobbing. I didn't know what to do. She was holding in so much and I didn't even know where to start. I just held her for a while. Telling her that it was okay and that you were so proud of her. That we were so proud of her."
The words felt like a knife to the gut. Viktor could feel the tears welling up behind his eyes. Had he really done this to her? Was he the reason why he stopped seeing the spark in her eyes? Was this why she had been so distant with him lately. It all was making sense now
"I…had no idea…I thought…" Viktor said, choking back the tears that were threatening to fall. "I didn't realize…I just wanted her to be successful. She's such a beautiful skater." He said, his voice starting to crack. "All I could think about was when she was little and saw one of my routines for the first time. Her face lit up. It was face I would never forget... she said 'Papa. I want to skate there just like you did'. Ever since then, I have been pushing her because I know she can make it. I know she can be a champion. I never though I would hurt her like that."
Yuuri walked over to Viktor and gently ran his fingers though his hair. Viktor gentle sobs started to fill the room. Yuuri sat in the chair next to him and held him softly. "Its okay. Now you know." He whispered in his ear. "On the bright side, I haven't seen Aiko this happy to skate in a while."
Viktor looked up at Yuuri, tears filling his eyes. He smiled softly and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. "Really?"
"Yeah. I went into her room earlier to get her to help me with something and she was practicing her choreography. Of course as soon as she saw me, she stopped but I haven't seen that determined face in a while. "
The echo of small footsteps filled the room.
"Toshiro. Daddy and Papa are talking. Please go to the living room or your room and go play with your toys." Viktor said, not even looking over at the child. Instead of the footsteps leaving, he heard quiet sniffling.
"Papa…" the voice cracked a bit.
Viktor looked up to see Aiko standing in the doorway. Her eyes were red, still filled with tears. She wiped her sleeve over her eyes and took a deep breath. "I heard you guys fighting about me…"
Yuuri looked at Viktor with worried eyes. He had figured she had heard everything. They weren't exactly quiet about it.
"Aiko, we-"
"Papa…" she said, starting to cry once more. She looked down at the floor, clinching her hands into fists.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to get upset. I love you Papa. I loved you as a coach too but you wanted too much of me. I wanted to skate for me but I ended up skating just to please you. It wasn't fun anymore."
She took a deep breath and looked up at her father.
"The girls at the rink said with I was only getting high scores because of you. They said the judges don't want to upset you, so they always pad my scores, making sure I place. It's not fair. No matter how hard I worked to get those scores, everyone just sees your name and assumes everything about me. I just couldn't handle the pressure of trying to live up to you anymore. It was tearing me apart." She continued, the tears constantly streaming down her face.
"Aik-" Viktor was quickly cut off.
"I don't want be known as Viktor Nikiforov's daughter! I want to be known by my own name. Aiko Katsuki-Nikiforov. I want to pave my own path! I want to be out your shadow Papa!" she yelled, letting go of all of her emotion, now sobbing.
Viktor breath hitched in his throat. He didn't know what to do. This was all his fault. It made his heart ache.
"It wasn't because you a bad coach Papa. You are a great coach. You were great for Dad. You are great for Sanjou and Ryo. But for me…I'm sorry... I should have told you sooner." She said though her tears. "I'm sorry! Gomen Papa. Prosti!" she sobbed, unable to keep her languages straight in her head at the moment.
Viktor stood up, quickly getting up to run to his crying daughter, hugging her tightly running his fingers though her hair. "It's okay. Vse normal'no. Papa zdes'. Papa ponimayet. YA dolzhen byt' odin, govorya zhal'." He whispered into her hair, slipping into his native tongue as well. Aiko wrapped her arms around him tightly, crying into his chest. Yuuri stood off to the side, wiping his stray tears as he watched the tender moment between father and daughter. They hugged for quite a while before Toshiro came running in the kitchen.
"Daddyyyyy. Papaaaaaa. Hungy!" he babbled, unable to fully pronounce the word. Yuuri quickly picked up the small child, making a motion for him to stay quiet for a minute.
Viktor and Aiko pulled apart. Viktor smiled, wiping the tears from Aiko's eyes. "Don't cry anymore milaya. I am truly sorry. I should have just let you be yourself. I promise I will let you be your own person. I am just a parent. I will stay that way if that's what you want." He said softly, kissing her forehead softly. Aiko let a small smile grace her lips before giving him one more hug.
"Thank you for understanding." She said, muffled into his chest. She looked up and gave him a sweet smile; one that reminded him of that very day when she was a child. "I love you Papa."
"I love you too Aiko." He said, kissing the top of her head. He wiped the remaining moisture from his eyes before standing tall. "Now, get cleaned up for dinner. Your Dad made dinner a while ago and we let it get cold."
Aiko nodded and headed out to the bathroom to wash her hands for dinner. Toshiro wiggled out of Yuuri's arms to go follow his sister, leaving the pair in the kitchen. Yuuri walked over to Viktor and put his hand on his shoulder, kissing his cheek.
"You did a good job. I think Aiko can finally be happy on the ice again. It will great to see how this changes her performance."
Viktor nodded, lifting his hand to lace his fingers for Yuuri's. "Yeah. I think I am going to enjoy it. Ya know, being a spectator this time."
Yuuri chuckled and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips before walking over to the stove to prepare everyone's plates for dinner. Both kids came running into the room, laughing loudly as Aiko lifted Toshiro into his booster seat. She sat down as well, looking over at Viktor and smiling again.
Yuuri set down plates of pasta in front of Viktor and Aiko and a small bowl in front of Toshiro. Aiko twisted up a big forkful of pasta before taking a huge bite. Yuuri sat down next Viktor, opening up a beer of his own. Soon everyone was digging in.
"Coach changed the chorography of the step sequence again. She said she wants me to tone it down so that the judges can see my technique instead of putting a lot of complicated elements together just because I can do it." She said, her mouth still full of pasta.
"That makes a lot of sense." He admitted, taking a small bit of pasta.
"I told her I wanted to do a routine where I can show off some of my ballet skills. So she put together a routine that shows off all my technique. I really like it. I think you will too Papa, even though it's a little slow for me."
"That's going to be different for you. You have always had fast-paced and exciting routines." Yuuri pointed out, taking a bite of his dinner.
"That's why I like it so much. Its like a challenge! I am having a hard time now but I know once I finally get it down, it will be awesome!" Aiko said, getting uncharacteristically excited for a moment. She took yet another bite of pasta. Viktor gently smiled.
"We can wait to see it."
The silence in the room began to grow, only the sounds of sliver ware hitting the plates and Toshiro's quiet babbling echoing though the room. Aiko looked up, clearing her throat.
"Daddy? Papa?"
Both men look up at her with questioning eyes.
"Well…I was wondering if…you know since you guys are going to be spectators now that ummm…you could come to the rink to come watch me practice, like all the other kids parents." She asked, the blush creeping up her face. "You don't have to if you and daddy are busy. I don't want to take you guys away from anything."
"We will be there." Viktor said right away, taking another bite off his plate.
"But you have to promise me something Papa."
"And what is that milaya?"
"No suggestions. No asking Coach Yuna to change an element or routine. No sideline coaching. Just watch me, okay?"
Yuuri immediately busted out in a hearty laughter, gently hitting Viktor's shoulder. Viktor felt the tinge of blush cover his cheeks. Was he really that bad?
"Promise me!"
"Okay. Okay I promise. I will just be a spectator." Viktor agreed, taking a sip of his beer.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Aiko said excitedly. Viktor and Yuuri couldn't help but smile. Yuuri reached under the table and laced their fingers together. Viktor leaned in and gave his a quick but sweet kiss.
Toshiro giggled again, clapping his hands at the interaction between his parents. Aiko shook her head and covered her eyes.
"Really? At the dinner table!?" she yelled, shoveling the food in her mouth she could leave the table as soon as she could. "You guys are so embarrassing sometimes!"
Viktor and Yuuri chuckled, returning to eating their dinner.