Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"A field trip?" Yuuri took the flyer that Yuri was waving as he skipped out of the classroom. The boy nodded, bouncing on his toes as he guardian scanned the paper. It was printed with those chubby drawing of happy children, with the lines for the hair and no fingers hands or feet. Those images had always disturbed Yuuri, on some level.
"Oh, the apple orchard! Well, that does sound exciting, doesn't it?"

"We're gonna pick our own apples. Isn't that so cool?" he was nearly bursting. "But you don't even know the best part, Yuuri."

"I don't?" he took the boy's hand and began to walk him towards home. He picked up Yuri two days a week, and they had arranged for him to stay at the school's aftercare program one day a week. The other two, he carpooled to dance class with the Altin siblings. Mrs. Altin said she didn't mind at all, and Yuri was always a joy. On those nights, Victor picked up the lot of them and dropped the Altin kids off before bringing Yuri back home.

Yuuri liked this arrangement. It gave him time to paint in the studio at school. He got to consult with Celestino more often on his work, and he got to help out some of the younger students. Theses were all things that brought Yuuri peace, and made him feel more grounded. He didn't feel like he was squeezed anymore, didn't feel like he was stretched so thin he was at risk of tearing in the slightest breeze. Victor had also hired a maid to come in twice a week, which lifted a big burden off their shoulders. He was still able to get dinner cooked, only he didn't usually have to do it with a cranky, hungry little boy around his knees.

"We're going with the first graders!" Yuri cried with joy. It was the kind of happiness, unbridled from a child, so pure and clean, it gave Yuuri a tingling sensation somewhere that he hoped was his soul.

"Oh! So you get to go with Otabek. Well, that is pretty neat." he smiled at the little boy. He put the flyer on the fridge, keeping it there with a magnet. Yuri washed and put on play clothes, going to his Lego. Potya sat near him, watching with some interest. Once in awhile, a paw would reach out to bat at a brick. She looked contrite when Yuri would scold her, but that didn't keep her from smacking at the brick again. Yuuri wondered if she really wanted to play with them, or if it was simply a way to make sure that Yuri was paying attention to her.

"Picking at the orchard!" Victor said when he found out about it that night. "Well, that sounds like a wonderful time. I'm jealous that I can't go. I would love to go and enjoy." he looked dreamy for a second. Yuuri knew that he was picturing thick sweaters, and crisp fall air. He was likely imaging Yuuri being there with him, and picking out the best apples from the top of the tree. Bending down on the ladder and giving a tart, crunchy bite to his dark haired lover.

It was really the perfect idea of an afternoon. Maybe he should try and arrange it, he thought. Of course it would be fun to go with Phichit and Chris, but it would be even better if they would watch Yuri for the weekend. And that way, he could have his lover all to himself. Maybe they could drive far from the city, to a small town. Pick their apples, go to dinner, and spend a weekend at a delightful little in.. The plan was formulating in his mind even as he took another bite of his dinner.

"You could go." Yuri piped up. Victor smiled, although it was creepy sometimes, the way he felt like the child could read his mind.

"Oh?"

"Yes! We need parent macaronis to come."

"Ah, macaronis?" Yuuri looked confused. He rose from the table to grab the flyer, embarrassed to admit that he hadn't actually read the whole thing before he put it back up on the fridge.

"You know, when parents come and help and are group leaders?"

"Chaperones!" Victor said loudly, having been trying to puzzle it out in his head. "Chaperones. Did you think it sounded like chaperonis?" the boy could only shrug and go back to his food.

"Well," Yuuri said thoughtfully. "It is during one of the days I don't have classes. I could go, Yuri, if you want me to." he smiled at the boy, enjoying the way he squealed happily.

"I could go, too." Victor announced. "I have vacation time. I don't mind using it. We're in a slow phase right now. There's nothing that Chris can't handle. There are no fires that will be ignited that only I can put out. I think it would be nice for the three of us."

"But it wouldn't just be the three of us." Yuri corrected him. "Ms. Sarah has to divide up the kids whose parents can't come. So we'll have other kids in our group."

"Oh! Well," Victor shrugged. "That should be fine. Aren't all your classmates usually pretty well behaved?" the boy nodded enthusiastically. Yuuri couldn't be so sure. After all, he was five. They were all five. And going on a field trip when you were five was exciting, and almost begged for a little misbehavior.

When the boy was carefully tucked into bed, having been read his story by Victor, kissed good night, and the cat was in bed with him, the older brother was finally able to leave. He made sure the nightlight was flicked on. He closed the door all but the merest crack, which the cat would be able to paw open as she saw fit. Interestingly enough, she seemed to prefer to stay with Yuri once it was bedtime. She seemed to know her place, had had decided her throne was his bed, tucked just behind his knees.

"Victor, have you ever been on a field trip with Yuri?" Yuuri asked carefully. He already knew the answer, but he wanted confirmation. The platinum haired man just smiled and shook his head in that carefree way that only he seemed to possess. Usually it could leave Yuuri feeling a little bit breathless, and hopelessly in love. Right now it only reminded him how little his boyfriend understood about things.

"But I'm sure that Sarah will tell them to all be on their best behavior. And Yuri had so few complaints about the kids in his class, now that Carrie is separated from him. I don't think there's really anything to worry about other than tying shoes and making sure that no one forgets their lunch." he shrugged off the idea of concern. Yuuri wished that he could have his confidence in the whole thing.

"Why do you think that Sarah would need to tell the children to behave? Being on a field trip is exciting, and when kids get excited, some of them misbehave. I don't think any of Yuri's friends are intentionally naughty, but I do remember when Otabek spent the night."

"Everything went fine!" Victor claimed, tossing his head. He, Chris, Yuri, and Otabek had agreed never to tell Yuuri everything that had gone on that day. He hadn't wanted his boyfriend to think that he was incompetent, and honestly, there were a lot of moments there that he never wanted to live through again. After all, if everyone had survived none the worse for the wear, did he really have to know? It would only worry Yuuri, and make him think that he couldn't leave Yuri with Victor. And he deserved breaks!

"Chris has a loose tongue when he drinks." Yuuri said bluntly. "I already knew. Poor Potya, no wonder she freaks out when she smells paint on my skin." he shook his head sadly. "It sounds like you struggled a lot with that, and that was only the two kids, Victor."

"Okay, so maybe everything didn't go swimmingly then." he allowed. "But that was my first time being alone with more than one kid. I know better now. Besides, I won't be alone. You'll be with me! And we'll be with whatever other adults that come, and Sarah. So it should be fine."

"I'm not sure about this, Victor." he trailed off. It did sound like a nice idea, and he did really want to go. He loved the idea of going to the orchard, of helping Yuri pick apples. He did want to be with the other children. He was hoping that seeing Yuri in a new environment might help him with inspiration for another one of his fairy boy paintings. But bringing Victor along? That was another thing all together. He would have to spend part of the time making sure Victor behaved! He could see Victor being just as much of an issue, darting here and there. If the kids didn't drive Victor nuts, he would be
the one encouraging them to misbehave. Someone could get stuck in a tree, or eat an apple with a worm in it, or something equally upsetting.

"If you don't want me to go, you only need to say it." Victor said gently. "If you want to spend the time alone with Yuri, or if you think it's a bad idea for me to go. I'll be sad, certainly, but I will understand. The last thing I want to do is to put you in a place where you feel like you can't do well." Victor even gave him one of his winning smiles.

Victor would have to pull out that card, wouldn't he, Yuuri thought. Of course it wasn't that he didn't want Victor to go. It was just that he wasn't sure how it was going. Then again, no one could tell the future. He might be worried about all of this, and Victor turned out to be some sort of mix between Ronald McDonald's and Father Christmas. A pied piper of the apple orchard, leading the children in for a wonderful day of apple picking and delight. A large part of Yuuri knew that was wishful thinking, but still. It was a nice idea, wasn't it?

"That's not it at all. Of course you should come. Of course I want you to go. I just want you to understand that it might not be the fairy tale day you're spinning in your head. That's all." he waved away all the concerns. Victor smiled and leaned across the couch to kiss him. Well, Yuuri reasoned, likely it wouldn't be that bad. There might be a few bumps and falls, there might be a few tears. But everything was likely to be fine, truly. They'd go and have a splendid day, and everyone was going to be happy. A perfect, happy day. That was all he could ask for, and that was all he really wanted.

In the morning, he took the flyer off the fridge again, fetch a pen, and began to fill it out. He put down his name, and after a moment of hesitation, he put down Victor's name, too. He sent in the required five dollars each, made sure to document that he was going to need to bring their lunches that day. He jotted it down on the calendar, smiling when Yuri wrapped himself around his legs, pleased that both of them would be coming along with him to the apple orchard.

"I've never been." he said as they walked along to school, backpack bouncing against his back as they went. "What do they do there?"

"They grow the apples on the trees. They have people that pick them. Some orchards press the apples into cider, and some of them just sell the apples. I think some places might make applesauce, or have fruit stands. I'm really not sure though." he shrugged. "I guess we'll find out when we get there, won't we?"

Chapter Text

“You're wearing that on a field trip?” Yuuri asked, shocked. Victor had strolled into the kitchen wearing a white cashmere sweater, pressed khaki slacks, and a pair of sneakers that had likely never seen a drop of mud. In contrast, Yuuri was wearing jeans with a hole in the knee, a black t shirt, and a hoodie that was already smudged with paint.

“Well, yes,” Victor frowned. “You don't think that the kids will like it? Are they going to make fun of me? Is it the white after Labor Day thing?”

“I promise you, the kindergarteners and first graders are not going to care about the fact that you're wearing white after Labor Day. In fact, they are going to be heedless of the fact that you're wearing white at all.” he snorted and slipped Yuri's peanut butter and jelly sandwich into the paper sack.
“That is going to get destroyed.”

“Destroyed? Well, we're just picking apples. We're not going to be building sandcastles or digging mud pits. Are we?”

“Victor, we are with kids between the ages of five and seven. Everything they do is messy. It's how they learn!” Yuuri laughed. “But far be it from me to destroy your fashion choices. You wear whatever you want. What did you want me to bring for lunch for you?”

“Ham and cheese?” he asked hopefully. Yuuri just pulled out the bread that he preferred, a bread with seeds cracked along the top, as opposed to the squishy, spongy white bread that he and Yuri preferred. He pulled out the fancy aioli, the arugula, the ham and the smelly cheese he liked and began to construct Victor's sandwich.
“You really are too good to me.” the platinum haired man sighed happily.

Yuuri finished packing the lunch, tucking in water bottles, frozen tubes of yogurt, and mini muffins. He figured that would hold them over until he could get everyone home and serve them a good dinner. The chili was started in the crock pot, and promised me to be delicious when they arrived home.

Yuri was working on a bowl of oatmeal, happy that there had been bananas sliced in it this morning. He barely flinched when Yuuri came behind him to tie his hair back in a pony tail. He finished his breakfast and stepped into his rain boots, as Yuuri said he probably should, and accepted the jacket.

“Guess what?” he asked Victor, bouncing on his toes as his brother filled a thermos with coffee to bring along with him.

“What?” he smiled, happy to indulge his little brother.

“Mrs. Altin is coming too, so this way we can be in a combined group with Otabek! So there are three other kids that we're in charge of, and Otabek and three others. Isn't that nice? We get to hang out with some of the big kids!”

“Oh, the big kids,” It was amusing to Victor that Yuri thought of kids one grade ahead of him as big kids. He wondered if he found high schoolers ancient, an age that he might never reach. He wondered if he thought he and Yuuri were elderly, nearly withered away to dust. Rode a dinosaur to school and all that. He knew that was the way that he had thought of it when he was a child.

“Let's hit the road!” Yuuri called, jingling keys that he tossed towards Victor. Victor caught them easily and walked them all down to the car. Yuuri was carrying their lunch in a canvas tote, which also seemed to be stuffed with other things.

“What are you bringing?” he asked, interested.

“Extra water, bandaids, latex free, of course, disinfectant spray, a few cooling packs that only activate when we snap them. And a few ACE bandages.” he peeked into the bag. “I also grabbed a few extra snacks in case a kid forgot their lunch or something.”

“Well, that is very kind of you.” Victor smiled as he carefully moved the car into the morning traffic. “But I don't really think we're going to need all of that. Do you?” he was curious. Was this a symptom
of anxiety? Did it make Yuuri feel better if he could be prepared for any situation that might come up?

“I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Kids slip and fall all the time. If we can at least get them cleaned up, maybe they'll feel a little bit better.”

“Would you expect any chaperone that wasn't us to have a whole kit this way? Like, does the school require it or anything?” he was careful not to look at his boyfriend, not wanting to make him feel like he was being accused of anything.

“I guess maybe I'd feel better if they had something like this.” Yuuri frowned. “But it wouldn't be a requirement or anything. The school doesn't demand that we have it, and I know there's a first aid kit on the bus. I just like knowing that we have what we need. That's all, Victor.”

They were quiet the rest of the way to school. Victor parked and they headed in, Yuri waving and calling to various friends of his. A few of the parents even called to Yuuri. Victor was impressed with how many people the pair of them seemed to know. They had a whole life that Victor wasn't part of. Yuri had a whole day, whole interactions with people that had nothing to do with Victor.

It was all very normal and healthy, of course, he mused. It was something that happened to every kid, really. You wanted that for your kid, you wanted them to make relationships without your meddling. Still, though, it made him feel ever so slightly left out. Made him feel like he wasn't needed. He shook his head, banishing those thoughts.

They made it to the room, hovered in the corner with a few other parents who had volunteered. Ms. Sarah lead them in the welcome song and told them about the day.

“Where are we going?” she asked the class.

“The apple orchard!” they all chorused.

“And what are we going to do?” she cupped her hand around her ear, all the better to hear their tiny voices.

“Pick apples!”

“That's right!” she clapped once. “Good job. I'm so glad that you all understand. And I'm going to take this time to talk to you about it now. When we're at the orchard, we need to be on our very best Ms. Sarah's class behavior. Do you know why?” she looked around, pointing to a girl raising her hand.

“Because when we're on a field trip, we're representing ourselves, you and the whole school.” it could have been read from a script. All of the kids were nodding along thoughtfully, so clearly it was something they all knew.

“That's right! And if we behave correctly somewhere, then we might be invited back. But if you misbehave, they might decide they don't want field trips there anymore. So don't ruin it for other kids, right?” everyone nodded again.
“So we're all going to use polite words, polite bodies, and do what our volunteers ask of us.” she glanced at the clock and then clapped three times.

The kids then split into predetermined groups. Yuuri and Victor were responsible for Yuri and three other kids, a set of fraternal twins and another little boy. It wasn't a terrible group, really. They all seemed to be kids Yuri liked and knew. Victor smiled smugly. He had been right all along, this was going to be a cake walk. They'd go to the orchard, pick some apples, learn about how apples are grown, and then be home free.

“Hi everyone,” Yuuri wriggled his fingers. “I'm Yuuri, and I'm here with Yuri. This is Victor, and he's Yuri's big brother. We're the adults hanging out with you guys, today. Okay?” the kids all nodded. Yuuri then helped them all put on the laminated half sheet that had their name, teacher's name, and school on it. These hung around their necks.

“Doesn't that increase the risk of a kid being kidnapped?” one mother said, nervously fussing with her daughter's tag.
“I mean, anyone could call her name and say they knew her and she'd walk over and--.”

“I think stranger danger is something that you're going to have to have to talk to her about!” Ms. Sarah cut in sweetly. “But these tags are mandated by the school, in case anyone gets lost. But no one is going to get lost today, because I have so many great listeners in the class!” she enthused.

The kids all lined up, and they were very shorted marched out to one of the buses waiting for them. The first grade glass climbed on too, and Yuri and Otabek quickly sat together. Victor smiled and sat in one of the seats in front of them.

“Oh, Yuuri, can you sit with Riley? She's sad her Mommy couldn't come.” Sarah said before Yuuri could sit with his partner. He nodded and sat with the sniffling girl, reaching into his pocket for a tissue. Well, Victor reasoned, sometimes that's the way it goes.

“Hello,” he said to the small boy who climbed into the seat next to him. The boy looked at him and then looked away. Oh well, some kids were shy. They had just begun to drive away when Victor felt something touching him.
“What's up?”

The boy had one finger deep inside his nose. Victor gasped, and the boy leaned over and casually wiped it on his white sweater. Victor managed to hold back his gag.

“Oh, please don't do that.” as soon as he said the words, he regretted them. The boy's lower lip wobbled and he burst into tears.
“I'm sorry!” Victor said frantically. “I didn't mean to make you cry!”

“Oh, Georgie, what's wrong?” Ms. Sarah hurried over, making her way by holding onto the backs of the seats.

“He yelllled at me!” he sobbed pointing at Victor. The teacher looked at the lump of snot on his sweater and the boy.

“What happened that Mr. Victor said something to you?” she prompted. The boy stopped crying and sniffled a few times. She caught Victor's eye, rolled her own slightly.
“I think you'd better come sit with me. Mr. Victor can sit with Judy.” the kids were switched around. Victor wondered just how much the dry cleaning was going to cost.

“Hi!” Judy said as she sat down. Victor gave her a faint smile. “I'm Judy, and Ms. Sarah said I'm really good at talking. She said that's one of my special skills. She said that I am super friendly, and that I can make anyone feel comfortable. That's probably why she had me sit next to you!”

“Ah, maybe,” Victor blinked a few times.

“I have a dog named Cece. He's really fat and old. I try and talk him for walks, but he just flops over on his side and doesn't like to walk. He really needs the exercise, though. I didn't even know dogs could be too fat. No one ever gets upset when a cat is too fat. Maybe I should get a cat instead. I think Cece might be fat because I keep giving him food off my plate. My Mommy said not to do that, but he seems so hungry! I don't want him to be hungry. I think I'd be a much worse pet owner if I let him be hungry.” she nodded seriously.

Victor wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer her. Was this a stream of consciousness? Was she making conversation? Did he have anything to say about the obesity epidemic when it came to pets? He really did think that Potya was a good weight. Phichit would likely have more to say about the topic than he did.
“Isn't it funny that we're pet owners? I don't really think that we own pets. That's really weird. We're like special family members. But family members who never take out the trash or do any chores. So they're like really old people. My Grampy is really old, super old, he has to sit in a wheel chair all day. Someday soon you're going to be that old! Are you scared?”

“No?” Victor squeaked. He felt a buzzing in his head, and was afraid that his ears would start bleeding in a few moments. Judy talked so fast, and she was able to buzz from one topic to the next quicker than he was able to think. Was this a gift that existed solely in female children? He wanted to whimper a bit.

“I would be scared if I was as old as you. Sometimes it must be scary to be old. Sometimes it is scary to be small! Because everyone is so big and everyone knows so much more than you do, and you have to do what you're told. Even when you really don't want to.” she peered around him out the window. Victor inhaled, thankful for a moment to try and consider all the things that she had just said. It was enough to leave him dizzy.

“We're here!” Ms. Sarah called. “Single file and find your groups.”

Chapter Text

Victor and Yuuri had an easy enough time gathering their little pack. Mrs. Altin waved and hurried over with Otabek and a few other students. Yuuri felt slightly relieved, knowing there's be another adult involved. It wasn't that Victor wasn't an adult. It wasn't that Victor wasn't helpful. It was just that he wasn't well versed in taking care of small children, and he certainly didn't know much about field trips. Yuuri had to admit that he wasn't perfect at it, but he did know a little bit from teaching summer camp at the university.

Either way, another adult was generally a good idea. She spotted Yuuri's canvas bag and smiled. She patted her own. Victor looked at the exchange and finally seemed to understand. Ms. Sarah and the big kid teacher were holding up their hands, calling for silence. The children squirmed and wriggled in place, but they all did fall silent.

"Okay, everyone!" Ms. Sarah called. "We're going to split into our groups and pick apples. The places you're allowed to go in the orchard are marked with yellow stakes. The places you shouldn't go are marked with red stakes in the ground. These apples are either already sold, not ripe, or not good for you to eat off the tree. They're for cider."

Victor wondered if they also made hard cider. And if they did, was there a little gift shop where he'd be able to buy a bottle of two. Of course, he reasoned, such a thing probably wasn't permitted on a field trip. But did the school really have to know? If he, say, slipped the bottles into Yuuri's canvas bag, did they really need to know? It wasn't like anyone was going to be shaking down the children to see if they had any hard cider, was it? Maybe if he could be very slick about it, he could work this all out.

"All right, everyone." Yuuri was addressing the small herd of children they had acquired. If they stood a little closer to him, Victor would have been knee deep in kids. He wasn't entirely sure if he liked it or not.
"What way should we go first?"

"That way!" all the kids cried, pointing in different directions. The adults all exchanged looks, varying in between shocked and amused. Victor began to get the impression that Mrs. Altin thought the way he was acting was adorable. He wasn't sure if he really liked that or not, but decided for now it was best to ignore it.

"We could split up?" he offered.

"Sure," Yuuri shrugged. "If you want to go this way," he pointed. "Come with me! That direction is Mrs. Altin, and that direction is Victor."

Suddenly, Victor had had three kids, the twins of Yuri's class and a girl from the older class. It wasn't Judy, at he wasn't sure if he should be thankful for that or not. At least she knew how to carry on a conversation. The twins were fairly quiet as they trailed behind after him. The older girl. Mariah, was leading them, skipping happily towards some trees marked with the yellow stakes.

They were gorgeous apples, some Granny Smith's that made Victor's mouth water to look at them. He immediately thought how delicious they might be in a pie. He didn't know how to make an apple pie, but how hard could it be? Weren't there instructions on the Internet? After all, everything was supposed to be on the Internet now. He was sure he could type into YouTube and get several hundred videos all about it. And if he didn't do, Phichit likely knew how. He did make amazing French toast, after all.

Satisfied, Victor reached up to pluck one of the apples, dangling tantalizingly close to him, whispering of all the deliciousness that it could bring to him. It was, at least, a very nice day. It was the perfect type of crisp fall weather everyone loved. The sun was shining, but it wasn't hot at all. A sweater kept them warm, and the mosquitoes weren't there to torment them. Even if Victor had misgivings getting off the bus, they were rapidly leaving. He glanced over, realizing the children were examining apples, trying to find the best ones to pick. Each person was only allowed to pick five. He wasn't even sure if five apples was enough for a pie, but they could always come back and get more.

He placed the apple in his plastic bag and turned to look at the kids. A sharp cry had him running in an instant. The boy twin was hovering around his sister, whispering to her. He looked relieve when Victor rushed over. The girl was clutching her hand, tears streaming down her face. She was shaking, unable to form words.

"What's wrong?" Victor gasped, dropping to his knees, heedless of the grass stains that would appear on his pants. He examined the girls hand, relieved when he didn't see any blood or missing fingers.

"She got stung by a bee." the boy supplied. "She didn't see it sitting on the apple."

"Oh, dear, dear." Victor clucked his tongue then froze. "She isn't allergic, is she?"

"No," the boy shook his head. "We're allergic to a lot of pollen, but not bees."

"You're a very smart young man." he was relieved that the boy knew stuff. The girl was still crying, unable to say anything. He examined her hand, seeing the stinger in her finger.
"All right everyone, we're off to see Yuuri."

"But I'm not done!" Mariah protested. She held up her bag, only holding two perfect apples. "I wanted more green ones."

"We'll come back," he said. "But right now, our friend is hurt and we have to help her!" He swept the girl up bridal style and hurried down the rows of trees, knowing that muddy shoe prints were making their way against his sweater, towards the direction where Yuuri had gone. He was there, choosing out some yellow apples with the children. He looked up when he saw Victor running with the girl.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"She got stung by a bee. I don't know what to do."

"Oh, that has to hurt." he cooed to the girl. "Steven? Please go and get Ms. Sarah so we can let her know. No no, don't cry, dear, we'll get you all sorted out. Everything is okay. I know it hurts, it doesn't feel nice, but it won't hurt forever." the older boy was racing off, heading for where Ms. Sarah was waiting near the bus. It only took a few minutes, but it felt endless.

The teacher was there immediately, kneeling down to comfort the girl.

"We'd better than that stinger out." she murmured. Yuuri produced a piece of plastic in the shape of a credit card, which he wiped down with rubbing alcohol before handing over.
"What's this for?"

"You're not meant to take it out with tweezers. That squeezes more of the venom in." he shrugged. "You're supposed to scrape it out. I have a little ice pack for after."

"I didn't know that! Makes sense though." she looked impressed. Victor was simultaneously impressed with Yuuri and proud of him. Of course he'd know that, of course he'd be up to date. It only served to remind him that he had indeed chosen the perfect boyfriend. Not only that, but he was the perfect adult to coparent his baby brother with him.

The stinger was scraped out, a dot of antibacterial put on the finger, which was then carefully wrapped in a band aid. Ms. Sarah took the girl to the bus. Her brother promised to pick apples for the both of them. Victor checked his watch, realizing they probably didn't have enough time to make their way all the back to the green apples.

"How about some red ones to go with out green ones?" he proposed. "Like Christmas!" the boy nodded, while Mariah just scowled a bit. Well, Victor though, it was okay to be disappointed. They often told that to Yuri. He just gave her a sympathetic smile and marched over to the lovely red apples. He wasn't sure what they were, but they weren't red delicious, which were only red and not quite delicious. He suspected Fuji, but really Victor hadn't come to research apple breeds or species or whatever they were known as. Apple families? That didn't sound quite right either.

They picked their apples, with Victor helping the boy pick some for his sister. Mariah seemed to want to be alone, and Victor wasn't sure that he could blame her. They made sure only to pick the juiciest, ripest looking ones for her. The boy was certain that an apple would help her feel better. He was hoping they could wash it for her and she could eat it on the bus. Finally, their bags were full, and it was time to head back towards the bus.

"All right, Mariah, did you--?" he paused and realized that he could not see the girl. He spun in a slow circle, a sinking feeling taking over him. "Mariah?" he called. "Darling, it's time to head back for the bus, so can you come here please?" there was no answer. There was only the deafening silence and the awareness that there was another child right next to him.

Mariah did not respond. Nowhere to be found. He glanced at the boy, who was looking up at him questioningly. There was no sense asking if the boy knew where she went. They had both been so wrapped up in apple picking that neither had noticed. A cold sweat trickled down Victor's back. This was certainly now how he felt his first field trip was going to go. First the snot incident, someone got stung by a bee, and now he had lost a whole kid. He was beginning to believe they were not likely to ask him to chaperone again. And for good reason, too, he thought glumly. Losing a whole child was kind of a big issue, a little worse than forgetting the lunches or something.

There was really nothing else to do for it. He would simply have to go back to the bus, let the kid eat his lunch, and then confess to Ms. Sarah that he had lost Mariah. Hopefully before they climbed onto the bus to go home. That would make it worse, if he didn't seem to realize until they were pulling away. And he was sure the teacher had to count the kids as they got on the bus. Not that he was really considering that as an option. After all, this was someone's child, and her parents were probably expecting her to be home in the evening. He knew he'd be pretty upset if Yuri didn't come home from a field trip.

He dragged them back to the bus, where the boy rushed to his sister, happily waving the sack of apples. She was elated, hugging her brother, before their lunches were handed to them, and they promptly fell to eating. It was nice to see siblings acting that way, Victor thought. He wondered if he would have done the same for Yuri, if they were closer in age. He wondered if Yuri was missing out because there wasn't a younger sibling for him. And if there ever would be, it would be several years from now. There would be a big gap again.

Now was not the time to think about it. Yuri and Yuuri came over to him, all smiles. But Yuuri's smile dropped when he saw the look on his boyfriend's face. He caught the subtle shake of the head and steered the little boy to sit and eat lunch with Otabek.

"Ms. Sarah?" he said timidly, feeling slightly like a kindergartener himself. The teacher looked up, smiling, then paused. She searched Victor's face, then peered behind him.

"Who are we missing?"

'How did you--?"

"This isn't my first field trip." she patted his arm.

"Mariah," he confessed. Sarah beckoned over the other teacher for the first grade, and he repeated what had happened. She had been quietly picking apples, and when he turned around, she was gone. He wasn't sure what had happened, or where she had gone. The teacher grimly nodded, then got one of the workers from the orchard who had been walking around, helping the children and adults here and then. The young man looked concerned when he heard there was a child missing, and spoke into his walkie-talkie.

"All right, we're looking." the first grade teacher declared. They quickly decided that Sarah would stay to help look over all the children. A few of the other adults went off to help look for the girl.

"Please let me help," Victor begged. "I know that it doesn't seem like I'm a very good adult, but I promise I want to find her. It really was all my fault."

"Don't beat yourself up." the teacher soothed. "Of course you can help look."

Victor first jogged over towards where they had been picking the green apples. The trees were looking the same, and he couldn't tell if it had been the exact same row or not. It wasn't like he could ask the bees if one of their comrades had recently stung a small girl, either. Still, he walked slowly, through, careful to look in all directions.

There, a few rows over, staked out in red, he saw a small lump. Squinting, he could see through the grasses and trees that there was a scrap of sky blue, just the color that she had been wearing. He darted through trees, heedless of branches and apples shaking loose and falling on him. Quickly, he was there. Mariah was curled into a ball.

"Mariah! Are you all right?" he demanded. The girl sat up, looking pale.

"I--I fell. I was climbing a tree, and I fell and I landed on my ankle, and now it hurts. I can't stand up." she admitted. Victor glanced at her ankle, but it was covered in her jeans and he was afraid to jostle her around too much. What if it was broken and he made it worse? He carefully scooped her up, wincing when she cried out.

"Let's get you back to the bus, okay?" he murmured, walking as carefully as he could. As he approached the group, the children broke out into cheers and applause. Sarah looked relieved and grabbed yet another orchard employee. He spoke into a radio so the other adults could be gathered up. Victor put her carefully on one of the benches around the picnic tables where the kids had been eating their lunch. Sarah descended, speaking to her and reaching for her phone to call parents.

Victor collapsed on the bench next to Yuuri, looking worse for the wear. Yuuri handed him his sandwich, but he could barely bring himself to take a bite. It had all happened so fast, and in slow motion. He supposed he should be grateful that the girl hadn't smashed her head open on a rock or something. Still, the whole thing was terrifying.

He just watched, feeling a million miles away when a car came rapidly, a girl looking like Mariah came, and helped her into the car, apparently to take her the doctor of some kind. It wasn't long after that all the children were counted and put back onto the bus. He leaned against the window, not caring what child came and sat next to him.

To his surprise, Yuuri himself sat next to him. He casually reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.

"What do you think of your first field trip, babe?"

"Teachers are not paid enough. Whatever it is, it should be doubled. Tripled, maybe." he groaned. "I don't think they'll ask me to do this again."

"Oh, none of it was really your fault." Yuuri soothed. "But... maybe next time we'll let some of the other parents do it."

Victor was inclined to agree.