I'm back with this series! I love these two uwu

Prompt: Yuuri meets three very important members of Phichit's family

January 3, 2011

Without even being asked, Phichit helped carry Yuuri's luggage to his room.

"It's not much," Phichit said. "Just a bed, a desk with a chair, and a bookshelf. But there's a big window over the bed that looks out to the common area. And the closet is huge."

"That's fine," Yuuri murmured. "I'm sure it's more than enough."

Opening the door, Yuuri went in first and Phichit followed. Pausing in the center of the room, Yuuri took a glance around. The bare walls were painted an eggshell white, yet the plush carpet beneath their feet was a rich, dark green. Phichit was right when he that the furnishings didn't extend past the absolute necessities, but Yuuri didn't mind. It made the room feel more spacious, rather than be cramped with nonessentials.

"Where would you like me to put this?" Phichit asked, holding Yuuri's carry-on bag.

"Oh, um, I'll take it. Thank you, Phichit-kun."

Passing it over, Phichit clasped his hands together at his waist and smiled. "Of course. I'll let you get unpacked, but when you're done, just let me know. I'd like to show you something."

"I will," Yuuri promised. "I don't have a lot of things anyway, so I won't be too long."

"No problem. Take your time," Phichit said. He then excused himself, leaving the door open a crack behind him.

True to his word, Yuuri had brought minimal stuff. It made the trip easier, and Yuuri figured that if there were something he needed, he could always find it at a local store downtown.

With his clothes already folded in his suitcase, Yuuri simply transferred them to the dresser. It was mostly athletic wear - track pants, tees, sweatshirts - along with pajamas, a couple pairs of slacks, three dress shirts, and a suit, something his mother had insisted on.

After the clothes were put away, Yuuri tucked his sneakers and skates into the closet, along with the now-empty luggage.

From his carry-on, he took his toiletries and organized them in one of the unused drawers in the bathroom.

Lastly, Yuuri made his bed, smoothing out the creases in the royal blue comforter and fluffing up his pillow.

With a relieved sigh, Yuuri laid down. He had a few more odds and ends that had to be taken care of, but it could wait. The exhaustion from both the lengthy plane ride and the bundle of nerves he felt the entire way was catching up to him. Staring up at the ceiling, Yuuri exhaled softly through his nose. It was still sinking in that he was actually here. He thought about calling home, but when he checked his watch, he realized it was the middle of the night. He'd wait until dinner time. In just a few hours, it would be morning in Japan and his family would be up, preparing for another busy day at the onsen.

Until then, however, Yuuri decided to go visit with Phichit. He was excited to get to know his roommate and learn all about how he got his start in figure skating.

Going across the hall, Yuuri knocked on Phichit's door and was greeted by the young man's bright smile when he beckoned Yuuri in.

In terms of size, along with the cream-colored walls and green carpet, Phichit's room was identical to Yuuri's. Though, Yuuri couldn't help but notice how much warmer his room was.

Phichit's bedspread was a deep crimson with small flowers stitched along the sides with fine gold thread. There were several framed photographs of himself with others on his desk, their expressions caught in a moment of joy and flashing peace signs. A small bronze statue of the Buddha was on his night table, beside a trio of votive candles and a vase of silk lotuses. Books with Thai writing on the spines sat neatly on the shelf, with a tiny ceramic elephant nestled in between two of them. Opposite the bookshelf, a navy blue bean bag chair was pushed into the corner, underneath the window. The last thing Yuuri noticed was a large movie poster that hung over Phichit's headboard. He couldn't understand the text, but the image showed a man with curly red hair standing on a frozen pond. His arm was raised in the air, and in his hand was what appeared to be some sort of playing card that was radiating a blinding blue light. Off to the side stood a tall Asian man, dressed in silk robes. He was flanked by two young girls wearing similar garments and ornamental tiaras, and all three were gazing at the man before them with rapt attention.

"That's The King and the Skater," Phichit said when he noticed Yuuri looking. "It's my favorite movie of all time. Have you ever seen it, Yuuri?"

Yuuri shook his head, glancing back at Phichit. "I haven't."

Phichit gasped. "Well, then we definitely have to watch it soon. I brought the DVD with me. It's so good."

Yuuri smiled. "Sounds like a plan. So I remember you said before that you wanted to show me something? What was it?"

Phichit's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah. Come on." He tugged on Yuuri's hand and led him over to the closet. "They're in here."

"They?"

Sliding open the mirrored closet door, Phichit lifted a rectangular container from the floor that was covered with a fluffy white towel.

Placing it on the desk, Phichit pulled the towel off and Yuuri's jaw dropped.

It was a wire cage, and inside were three of the tiniest hamsters that Yuuri had ever seen.

Yuuri opened his mouth to speak but then closed it. That was certainly not what he was expecting.

Phichit undid the latch on the cage and took one of the hamsters out. Its fur was the color of sand, and it had long whiskers and a pink nose that twitched as it took in its new environment.

"This apartment allows pets," Phichit said. "Can you believe it? Ciao Ciao told me two weeks before I came. I was so happy. I didn't want to leave my babies behind, you know?"

"Ciao Ciao?"

"Oh." Phichit giggled. "Celestino. He's always saying, 'Ciao! Ciao!' so that's what I call him. But, isn't she cute? Her name's Peanut."

Phichit gently stroked her back with his fingertip as she curled up into a ball in the palm of his hand. "They're all girls, actually. That one is Ginger." He pointed to the hamster that had reddish-brown fur and was taking a drink of water from the bottle that was attached to the side of the cage. "And that one... is Pepper."

Partially obscured by the wood shavings that lined the bottom of the cage, Yuuri could just make out a small lump of grayish fur underneath.

"She's shy," Phichit said. "But they're all super friendly once they get to know you. Promise. They love sitting on your shoulder and nuzzling your cheek. And this cage is just temporary until I can make a better setup for them. They like having lots of room to run around and places to play."

"I guess hamsters are your favorite animal?" Yuuri asked. He held his index finger up to Peanut's nose so she could learn his scent.

"Totally. I got my first one when I was just six and I've been in love with them since. They're the best. It's how I got the nickname that my family uses."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll show you. Close your eyes," Phichit said, a grin forming. "Oh, and don't move."

"Um... O-okay..." Yuuri followed Phichit's instructions and a second later, he felt a slight pressure at the crown of his head, as well as four little claws scratching at his scalp.

"Phichit-kun... is there a hamster on my head?"

"Yuuri Katsuki..." Phichit's voice had lowered to assume an air of mock importance. Yuuri then opened his eyes, and Phichit gave him a quick bow. "I hereby bestow upon you the title of Hamster Prince."

When he saw his reflection in the mirror, and how Peanut was sniffing his hair, Yuuri laughed, genuinely amused and oddly touched by the made-up honor.

"Thank you. So, if I'm Prince, does that mean that you're..."

Phichit took Ginger from the cage and carefully placed her atop his own head. He smiled.

"Yep. Phichit Chulanont, the Hamster King."

I exceeded my 1000 words per story rule, but oh whale.

I am open to prompt suggestions! After you leave a comment, feel free to leave a prompt that can be filled in 500-1000 words. Something like, "Yuuri and Phichit..." The only condition I have is to keep it T-rated or below. I look forward to hearing your ideas!

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