Disclaimer: I don't own Yuri on Ice or any of these characters.
A/N: This fic is not meant to glorify or romanticize eating disorders in any way. If you are struggling with your relationship with food, please reach out to someone and get help.
A note on how this was written: I had an mild eating disorder when I was fourteen; after several months of restricting my food intake, eventually I started eating more food again when all my suppressed hunger came back with a vengeance, and I recovered with a LOT of help from my friends. I was never hospitalized and I never did cognitive-behavioral therapy. One of my cousins recently spent multiple months in inpatient care due to anorexia, and I know a little bit about what that was like via the family grapevine. I only did a small amount of formal research for this fic, though. I'm sorry for any misrepresentations I may make.
When Victor checked his phone upon stepping out of the shower, he saw he had six missed calls from Yakov. He was confused for a few moments, and then his stomach sank. Yurio. Maybe he'd fallen? Or—the kid had looked thinner than ever at Rostelecom last month. Was he ill? Victor tried to mentally run through a list of conditions that caused weight loss, but nothing came to mind. He hadn't gone to college, after all. Even secondary school had been a bit of a joke. Everything had been skating for as long as he could remember. His medical knowledge came from his interactions with sports doctors and physical therapists over the years, not from biology class.
Without bothering to get dressed first, Victor unlocked his phone, hit the redial button with shaking fingers, and held the phone up to his ear. He could feel eyes on him, and he turned to see Yuuri toweling off. Ordinarily he would have found the sight distracting, but right now he was too unnerved for that.
"Vitya," said Yakov's voice after the first ring.
"What's going on?" Victor asked, sitting down on the bed.
"Yurochka is . . . not well."
"What kind of 'not well'? Does he have cancer? Is he dying?" Yuuri had put on clothes and now joined Victor on the bed, putting his arm around Victor's naked back.
"We're pretty sure he has an eating disorder. He collapsed at practice. He's in the hospital."
If Victor's stomach had sunk before, now it plummeted, as if off of several cliffs. But, just like falling in competition, he had to get back up. That's what he was good at, what he'd trained at more than anything else. So he steeled himself and said, "I'll be on the next flight."
"Vitya, that's not why I—"
"Please, I've got lots of practice being there for my Yuuri. I need to at least try to help. I'll be there soon."
"Thank you," said Yakov. Victor had heard those words come out of Yakov's mouth before, on rare occasions, but never in his direction. If he hadn't been so concerned, he might have blushed.
"Of course," said Victor before hanging up.
"Where are you headed?" Yuuri asked, laying his head on Victor's shoulder. "Is someone dying?"
"It's Yurio," Victor replied. "They think he has an eating disorder. He's been hospitalized. I'm going to Russia."
Yuuri stiffened. "Skate America is in two weeks, Vitya. You can't abandon me right before a competition. Not again."
Victor stared at Yuuri. He hadn't had the news about Yurio long enough to anticipate any sort of reaction from Yuuri, true, but he certainly wouldn't have counted on that amount of ice in his fiance's tone. "Come to Russia, then. You can train with my old rinkmates."
"What, you want Yakov to coach me again? Because that worked so well last time. Will he even be at the rink, or will he be at the hospital with his star skater?"
"I'll keep coaching you," Victor promised. "I just need to be in Russia right now, okay? Yurio is like a little brother to me. I can't let him suffer alone."
"He's not alone, and he's not your responsibility; that's what Yakov's for. Besides, you're my coach and my fiance. Aren't you supposed to be concerned about me?"
Victor brought Yuuri's hand to his mouth and kissed it. "I am, love. That's why I need to be there for Yurio. After everything you and I have been through, I'm going to have a better idea of what to say than anyone."
"Vitya . . ."
"Please, Yuuri. He's practically family."
Yuuri softened then, relaxing into Victor's side, and sighed. "And if you didn't love as widely and generously as you do, I probably wouldn't be marrying you."
Victor turned his head to kiss Yuuri's temple. "Thank you."
Yuuri stood, still holding Victor's hand. "So, I suppose we need to pack?"
Victor stood, too, and dropped Yuuri's hand in favor of grabbing a towel and his phone. "Right. I'll book the flight and get dressed, and then we can get suitcases together."
A/N: The fic title is from the hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" by Thomas Chisholm and William M. Runyan, because I'm one of those rare fangirls who goes to church every Sunday and names fics after hymns. Chapter titles are from "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North.