A/N: For some reason when I wrote this I was in the mood to write something angsty but this didn't entirely turn out how I wanted it to...
For as long as he lived, Otabek would never forget the sound of Yuri hitting the ice, the sound of him attempting to muffle a scream of pain. Everyone at the rink had spun towards him, Yakov sprinting out on to the ice. Viktor skating over as fast as he could, Mila and Georgi not far behind. Otabek had been standing rink side with Yuuri, not having taken to the ice for practice yet. They'd barely finished lacing their skates, when Yuri's attempt at a quad flip went horribly wrong.
Otabek had come for a training visit to see Yuri, Yakov was his coach for the week with Viktor chipping in here and there and driving Yakov up the wall by doing it.
"Thinks he's a real coach now" the older man could be heard grumbling darkly.
Otabek had watched Yuri training, after his successful debut he'd been pushing himself harder and harder, one might even say he'd been over training. He was feeling the pressure to live up to his achievements of the previous season, to be bigger and better, but Yuri being Yuri…he wasn't about to admit that to anyone, or show it. Otabek just happened to be more observant when it came to the small, blonde skater. Yuri had good stamina, but with all the over practice, Otabek had noticed him getting more and more tired despite that. Otabek suspected he was practicing at the rink when no-one was there in the morning or evening. He wasn't staying with Yuri, he was staying at a hotel so he couldn't know for sure. But the blonde skaters tiredness mixed with the over exertion of his muscles, that were badly in need of a rest, combined and Yuri couldn't pull off the move. Which wouldn't have been a problem if he hadn't hit the ice at a bad angle. His knee hitting the ice with a terrible amount of force and a horrible cracking sound, his head following shortly after.
Otabek pushed past Yuuri and lunged on to the ice, skating as fast as he could towards his fallen friend. He came to a hard stop, careful not to spray Yuri with ice, and knelt down next to Yuri's head.
"Yuri….Yuri can you hear me?" Otabek asked, worry etching lines across his face.
"Ota…bek?" the other teenager mumbled, he started to lift his hand and Otabek grabbed it. Clutching it tight. Otabek stayed like that, his eyes never leaving Yuri's face as Viktor attempted to keep him talking while they waited for the paramedics. They all knew something was wrong when the blonde wouldn't even rise to Viktors teasing.
"Honestly Yurio, you're so clumsy." Viktor teased, but Otabek could see the worry in the silver haired skater's eyes. Ordinarily Viktor would receive a stream of insults back. Yuri barely made a sound.
It didn't take long for the paramedics to arrive, and Yuri was loaded on to a stretcher and in to the back of an ambulance. Yakov at his side. Otabek and the rest of the skaters were left at the rink with strict orders to continue practice…something that nobody did. For the first hour or so, they listlessly skated around. Checking phones every few minutes for word from Yakov. Otabek had called Yuri's grandpa and he was on his way. No doubt driving as fast as he could to get to his beloved Yurochka. It wasn't long before all pretence of skating was dropped and everyone resorted to sitting around glued to their phones. Eventually the news reached them. Yuri had a concussion, and a bad knee sprain. He wouldn't be able to skate for at least a month. Otabek knew it would be devastating to Yuri.
After the news broke, no-one felt much like skating and they slowly left the rink and drifted home. All except for Otabek. He made his way to the hospital, locating Yuri's room was easy enough and he found it empty except for the teenager himself. Yuri was sitting propped up against a pile of pillows, his scowl back in place and more alert than he had been eariler. Otabek stifled the urge to sigh in relief.
"Yuri." Otabek said from the doorway. Yuri looked up at him and his scowl melted in to a smile.
"Otabek!" the teenager cried, gesturing him in to the room. Otabek complied, and made his way to Yuri's bedside, sinking down in to the chair next to the bed. He carefully avoided looking at the boys leg, he didn't want to lose Yuri's smile so fast after gaining it.
"How are you?" Otabek said, then immediately berated himself for asking such a stupid question. How do you think he's doing idiot?!
"Okay I guess. It doesn't hurt right now. They've given me pills for that. But I have to stay here for observation..although I guess it'll be nice to spend some time with grandpa." Yuri said, not looking at him.
"That's good." Otabek said awkwardly. This was Yuri. His best friend….and yet he found he'd suddenly lost the ability to talk to him. Otabek shifted on his seat.
"I won't be able to skate for at least a month…." Yuri said quietly. Otabek looked up at Yuri's quiet tone and felt his eyes widen. Yuri's big green eyes where slowly filling with…tears. He'd never seen the teenager cry. Ever. It made Otabek ache inside. Without thinking he threw himself at the blonde teenager, wrapping one arm around his body and bringing the other up to dig in to his hair. He pulled Yuri's face in to his neck. He could feel the warm, wetness of Yuri's tears and he clutched the teen tighter.
"One month is nothing. Not to you. You'll be back on the ice like you've never been away. It's okay Yuri" he said. The teenager didn't respond. He brought his hands up and Otabek thought he was about to be pushed away, but Yuri just clutched on to his arm and cried harder. Otabek wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but eventually Yuri cried himself to sleep in his arms.
Two weeks later.
Otabek had been supposed to go home a week ago. But Yuri needed him and so he'd stayed. He trained at the rink with Yakov continuing as his temporary coach, and he visited Yuri at his apartment when he was finished. On his days off he'd spend his entire day with Yuri, talking. Watching movies. It felt horrible to admit…but he enjoyed spending the time with Yuri. Just the two of them. Otabek had been aware of his feelings for the Russian for a while now, but even he couldn't tell if Yuri felt the same. Otabek cherished his relationship with Yuri and so kept his feelings to himself….but the past two weeks had been painful for him. Seeing Yuri so down, so…depressed. It hurt his heart. Because there was nothing he could do. No matter what he said or did, it didn't cheer him up. It didn't make him feel any better. He felt useless. He wanted to take away the teenagers pain, but he didn't know how.
He should have known it was only a matter of time until Yuri tried something. He should have been more vigilant. But he'd woken up late after spending the night mostly unable to sleep worrying over Yuri. By the time he'd made it to Yuri's apartment, the boy in question wasn't there.
"Yuri? He went out. Said he needed some fresh air and it's good for him to stretch his leg" Yakov growled out. Otabek stared at him, mouth open, eyes wide and blinking.
"You do know Yuri, yes?" he said dumbly. He's an adult. He's a coach. A skating coach. He knows Yuri…he knows what he's like…..he can't be that…that…..stupid! Yakov just looked at him and then it dawned.
"He wouldn't dare" Yakov growled.
"It's Yuri." Otabek replied. "I will deal with it" Otabek said, waving the coach off when he went to reach for his coat. "It might be better if it's just me" he said, before rushing away from Yuri's apartment. He ran the entire way to the rink. He made it just in time to see the teen skate out on to the ice.
"Yuri what are you doing?!" Otabek shouted from the side of the rink. He didn't have his skates with him, why would he? The teenager sailed past, ignoring him. "You know you can't skate yet, you might make it worse!"
"I need to skate. It feels fine. It doesn't hurt. Don't worry so much" the teenager replied.
"Stop it Yuri" Otabek called. The teenager turned to face him, skating backwards to do so and levelled him with The Look. Damn those soldier eyes.
"No. I want to skate. I need to skate. Every minute not skating is one more minute the pork cutlet bowl or Viktor have over me. I can't lose to them. I won't" Yuri's voice rose steadily. Otabek clenched his fists. He couldn't get the image of Yuri hitting the ice out of his head…of the sound he made when he hit it…of Yuri crying in his arms out of his head. It all kept replaying on a loop. "You worry too much" Yuri was saying. Otabek could see him building up speed, he knew what he was going to do and it was so, monumentally stupid he couldn't contain himself. His worry for the teenager exploded out of him.
"I'm serious Yuri, stop right now!" Otabek shouted at full volume, startling himself momentarily. Yuri narrowed his eyes.
"NO. I can do this! I'll show you!" Yuri shouted back.
"NO YURI, DON'T!" Otabek screamed back but it was too late, Yuri was digging his toe pick in to the ice. Otabek stood, frozen. For a minute he thought Yuri was going to make it. He nearly did. But his injured leg could't hold his weight and he crumpled to the ice, letting out a gasp of pain. Otabek vaulted the side of the rink and sprinted across the ice towards the fallen teenager.
"Yuri! Yuri are you okay? Does it hurt?" he asked worriedly, helping the teenager to sit up, stretching his leg out.
"No…..I don't think I made it worse but….my leg really hurts." the teenager winced as he spoke. Gingerly prodding his leg.
"Two more weeks….you had to wait two more weeks. Then you would be allowed on the ice again. Why couldn't you wait two more weeks" Otabek said, his voice raising against his will. Yuri turned to look at him.
"What's the matter with you? It's fine…see…." Yuri said, starting to get up.
"IT'S NOT FINE!" Otabek shouted, causing the teenager to freeze. "You could have hurt yourself even more…you could have….you..you…." Otabek couldn't find the words he wanted. Yuri just stared at him, a slight frown marring his delicate face.
"Why do you care so much?"
"Because…because I'm your friend!"
"Viktors my friend and we all know he'd do the exact same thing! In fact, he'd probably have helped!" Yuri paused briefly. "I should have asked him actually, then I wouldn't have had to pay for a cab" the teenager grumbled. Otabek just stared at him.
"You are…you….you…you're so stupid!" Otabek burst out.
"What?!" Yuri snarled.
"I care because…because….whenever I close my eyes I see you hitting the ice. The sound….it broke me Yuri! You're my friend yes but….but I….I love you and when you're hurt…in pain, it hurts me too. It's been hurting me all this time to see you like this. Hurting….in pain, unable to help you. It's been hurting me so much" Otabek rushed out. He was astonished to feel something wet sliding down his cheeks….tears? I'm crying? He immediately brought his arm up and started to swipe them away, when Yuri's hand stopped him. He looked up and found himself staring in to a pair of big green eyes, that were a lot closer than they were before. "What?" Otabek mumbled. He watched as a slow brush of pink started to sweep across Yuri's cheeks.
"I….I love you too okay?" Otabek blinked at him. "Now stop crying. I don't like it" Yuri finished vehemently. Otabek could only stare. Yuri let out an irritated sound. "Fine. I'll make you" he said, then brought his hands up to Otabek's face. Yuri gently started to wipe away the tears with the pads of his fingers. Otabek didn't move. When he was finished Yuri sat back with a satisfied look on his face.
"Much better. Don't do it again….I….it makes me…" instead of finishing his sentence, Yuri buried his face in to Otabek's chest and wrapped his arms around him tightly. "I'm sorry" he heard Yuri mumble against his chest. "I didn't mean to upset you…to hurt you..I just….I…" Otabek brought his arms up and around the Russian.
"I know Yuri…I know" Otabek sighed.
"Can I….can I stay with you tonight?" Yuri asked hesitantly. Otabek felt his heart soar and he smiled.
"You wouldn't be trying to hide from Yakov, would you?" he asked.
"N-no. Not really…I'm not scared of Yakov!" Yuri said, his attitude firmly fixed back in to place. "I just thought it would be nice to spend time together…"
"What do you think we've been doing?" Otabek said, eyebrows raised. Yuri mumbled something, but Otabek didn't catch it. He brought his head down towards Yuri's.
"What was that?"
"I said….I've had trouble sleeping and you might help" Otabek was fairly sure the teenagers face was bright red and he allowed himself a small smile. But before he could respond Yuri's head shot up. "Don't laugh at me!"
"I wasn't!" he said, standing up and stretching.
"I could feel you smirking" Yuri glowered at him. Otabek laughed and held out his hand towards Yuri, helping him to his feet.
"You have to call Yakov though" Otabek said as they where making their way off the ice. He thought Yuri would argue with him, but he just held his hand out, and Otabek gave him his phone. Otabek could hear Yakov shouting….people in China could probably hear Yakov shouting. He tried very hard to remain completely impassive as he unlaced Yuri's skates for him, and carefully slipped them off. He rubbed Yuri's calf comfortingly and Yuri grace him with one of his beautiful smiles. This wasn't how I thought this would turn out….but I can't say I mind that.
Once Yakov's tirade had finished, and they'd made it back to Otabek's hotel room. Yuri had changed in to an old t-shirt of Otabeks, and a pair of his sweat pants…they were too big for him but Yuri didn't seem to mind. The pair settled themselves in the bed, some Russian soap opera Otabek couldn't follow playing on the TV. He didn't notice it at first…it took him a couple of minutes to in fact. But once he realised Yuri was inching closer every couple of minutes he had to smile.
"If you want to snuggle, you could just say" Otabek said casually. Causing Yuri to flush.
"Shut up" he shot back, before sliding the rest of the way towards him, eliminating any gap. Otabek slipped his arm around Yuri and pulled him towards his chest. Yuri went without any complaints, and Otabek found himself being used as a giant teddy bear by the teen. Yuri's arms were wrapped around him, and his head was snuggled in to his chest. The teenager was asleep in minutes. Otabek smiled and stroked his soft, blonde hair for a few moments before following himself to follow him in to sleep.