Written for a request on my sneezehq tumblr. You can view Otabek and Yuri's relationship as romantic or just friendship, whatever makes you happiest. Content warning for vomit. Enjoy!
Otabek glances fondly over at Yuri, who is sound asleep in the passenger seat, before he gently shakes him awake. "We're here," he announces.
Yuri blinks awake, groggy and disoriented, and slowly unbuckles his seat belt, moving to get out of the car. He'd woken up with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, but had hoped that a little more sleep would fix the problem. But there's still nausea lingering in his belly as he and Otabek walk to the entrance of the amusement park.
They buy their tickets, and Yuri braces himself. He's not about to let a little stomachache ruin this. He rarely gets to see his friend outside of skating competitions, so he's determined to make the most of this outing. Otabek loves theme parks; he's been talking excitedly about this trip for weeks.
Trying to give his stomach a chance to settle down, Yuri suggests that they wander around and get an idea of the layout of the park before going on any rides. Otabek agrees cheerfully, and they start to walk, occasionally getting sidetracked by one of the game booths or souvenir shops.
The pain in Yuri's abdomen only continues to worsen as the day progresses. At one point it cramps so hard that he's tempted to double over right there on the sidewalk; instead, he grits his teeth and forces himself to breathe evenly.
If Otabek has noticed that Yuri is unusually quiet this morning, he doesn't mention it. He's actually pretty talkative today, which spares Yuri the effort of trying to make conversation. He just nods along to what his friend is saying.
By mid morning, Yuri is barely holding it together. He's swallowing convulsively now, and shivering, and sweating. Still, he insists on pressing on. But when Otabek comes to a sudden stop, staring at what is easily the largest roller coaster in the park, Yuri knows that he's doomed.
He gets on line with Otabek anyway. By the time they reach the front, Yuri is having to muffle wet burps into his hand every few minutes. As he gets into one of the cars near the front (at Otabek's insistence), he swallows hard. He's the Ice Tiger of Russia. He won the Grand Prix Final in his senior debut, and he's perfectly capable of riding a roller coaster without puking.
The ride starts up, and Yuri squeezes his eyes shut, focusing only on breathing and keeping his stomach in place. Each drop is jarring, every twist making him even more dizzy; he keeps himself from vomiting by sheer willpower alone. By the time they finish, Yuri can taste acid in his mouth. He knows that he's going to lose it, but he refuses to throw up until they're off the ride.
As soon as the safety belts are off, Yuri is up and stumbling out the exit. Otabek is trailing worriedly after him, but Yuri is too preoccupied to answer any of the questions his friend is asking. He searches desperately for the nearest trash can, but his stomach has other plans. They just make it past the start of line before Yuri's stomach gives one final, ominous twist and he gags violently, spewing all over the ground.
He continues to heave for what feels like an eternity, until his stomach is well past empty. When he's finally reduced to nothing but dry heaves, he notices that Otabek is crouched beside him, rubbing his back soothingly.
"Relax, Yura," his friend urges. His dark eyes are full of worry.
Yuri spits one last time to get the taste out of his mouth, and runs a shaky hand across his lips to wipe away any residual vomit. Otabek takes this as a cue to help his friend carefully to his feet. "Sorry," Yuri mumbles when he gets his breath back. Tears sting at his eyes from the embarrassment, and he determinedly blinks them away.
"I should be the one apologizing. I didn't realize that you got motion sick. I never should have dragged you on that ride." Otabek continues to ramble nervously before Yuri cuts him off.
"I don't get motion sick," he corrects Otabek, before sighing and deciding to own up to what's been obvious all morning. "I wasn't feeling well before we got on the ride."
"Do you think that you're sick?" Otabek asks, scrutinizing his younger friend carefully.
"Probably," Yuri admits reluctantly, staring at his feet. "Sorry for ruining this for you."
"Yuri." Otabek lifts his chin so that their eyes meet. "Did you really think that I'd enjoy myself while you're feeling miserable? Let's get you home. You look terrible."
"I'm sorry," Yuri says again, feeling overwhelmingly guilty.
"Don't be. It's not your fault that you're sick," Otabek replies. Yuri shoots him a weak smile and follows him to the exit. He's lucky to have such a great friend.
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