There is just not a lot of Hurt Victor fics out there... Unless you recommend some ;)
A figure skating coach once said that a quad is one of the hardest figure stating moves to nail, requiring precision and timing even for the slightest movements. "The minute your left arm is behind you, or your three-turn is too fast, if your hips don't turn in time, if your foot isn't in the right place, anything will throw you off."
It doesn't seem to bother Victor that much though. Yuri thought to himself as he watched Victor mechanically go through a new step sequence and end it with his signature quadruple flip. The Russian had started to prepare choreography for next year, where he planned to make a comeback and Yuri could see that he was deep in thought, probably finding another way to surprise the audience.
He drank some water from the jug and walked to the fountain to refill it, making sure to take his time. Victor had given him that 10 minute break to recover. Only a few minutes ago, Yuuri had decided to reskate both his short and free program with one major change, all his single jumps were quads except for his triple axel. Victor had also convinced Yuri to scrap his token quadruple toe loop and replace it with the quadruple salchow he had just mastered and the quadruple flip Victor had taught him.
He was exhausted but it was only 11am and he was sure, Victor had a lot more to teach him. As soon as he got back with a full jug of water, he saw that Victor had finished the step sequence and the program he was running through the choreography of and looked like he was warming up for another quad jump. He just landed a single lutz before going back to the serpentine step, circling once around the rink before doing the the double lutz, circling around the rink once more before doing the triple lutz and eventually the quadruple lutz.
"It's high time we added something else to your arsenal." Victor said as soon as he landed the lutz.
A part of Yuuri was actually nervous at the idea of having to attempt a quadruple lutz. When he had mimicked Victor's Stay Close to Me program, he had replaced the quadruple lutz with its triple counterpart. "Wait. You want me to attempt it now?"
"You landed the flip and the salchow cleanly already. This should be doable. Besides, you have much more stamina than I do."
"Doesn't mean I have the power for it."
Over the course of that season, Yuuri had gained much confidence in himself but even with that, he still felt his stomach knot up when Victor suggested he attempt the quadruple lutz.
"Let me tell you something," Victor closed in on Yuri and put one arm around him. "Back when I first started doing the lutz, I always used to tell myself that a lutz is basically just a flip, just on the wrong edge."
"Wait what."
"A lutz is basically a flip on the wrong edge." Victor repeated matter-of- factly.
"Yes because calculus is just algebra with moving numbers. Shogi is just checkers with more rules." At the moment, Yuuri realized how talent can actually make people bad at teaching. In simpler words, Victor was shit at pep talking and although yes, a lutz is actually a flip on the wrong edge. That 'wrong edge' is an added hip rotation which to Yuri always feels like he's doing an extra 1/2 rotation.
"Just relax. Do you need a harness?" Victor asked. The tone could have been mocking or it could have been genuine, Yuri was too busy playing back his own triple lutz and wondering where he was going to get the power for the extra rotation.
He sighed in defeat and started on the serpentine step, going through the fundamentals of his lutz before he took off. He had managed all four rotations in the air before he realized something was wrong.
He landed cleanly, looking to Victor who mouthed a word both men being figure skaters understood too well.
Flutz
An elementary error for serious skaters. A Lutz and a Flip are two jumps with the same take off, the only difference being that a flip takes off with the more natural inside edge while the lutz takes off with the outside edge. At the last minute, Yuri had switched to his inside edge before taking off, technically doing a quadruple flip instead of the intended lutz. It is considered by most serious skaters an embarrassment and by judges in tournaments, a serious violation.
"Again." was all Victor said after.
It was his first time attempting the jump but Yuuri still couldn't help but feel the knot in his stomach only get heavier. Victor wasn't supposed to be disappointed in him. He snuck a glance at Victor as he prepared for the jump. The latter kept his face serious and stoic, a farcry from the loving face he would get after his performance, or when he would crack a joke or ask something random about Yuuri's childhood. During training, Victor meant business. The Japan Championships were in two weeks and if he wanted to qualify for the World Championships, he had to be, according to Victor, 'amazing'.
Victor was already amazing and if his own skill was already ordinary to him, Yuuri couldn't even imagine what Victor's idea of amazing was. So he decided to just follow VIctor during their trainings and hope that eventually he does reach VIctor's standard of amazing.
The past thirty minutes haven't been encouraging though. He had attempted the quadruple lutz four times already and they have all ended up as flutzes. Yuuri was starting to get impatient, more importantly, he was burning out. They had been training since early that morning and he had just attempted four quads in a row.
"Yuuri, you don't want to tire yourself out, let's work on your sequence instead. We can work on your quadruple lutz later. "
"No!" Yuuri snapped as he started on the serpentine sequence, which was to be the momentum of his next attempt. Yuuri was getting impatient, he was losing focus and for figure skaters, that was a very dangerous mindset, especially if they were attempting high impact quads.
The minute your left arm is behind you, or your three-turn is too fast, if your hips don't turn in time, if your foot isn't in the right place, anything will throw you off.
What threw Yuri off wasn't a wrong three turn, a wrong arm movement or a mistiming of a hip turn though. Yuuri was exhausted and impatient and voluntarily or involuntarily (too fast to tell), he had dropped his left foot, his legs uncrossing mid air.
"Yuuri!"
The extra movement and Victor's voice were more than enough to destroy his momentum.
Everything after that happened in slow motion. In those few seconds in the air, Yuri had already pictured the fall.
The quad is a high impact jump, and his left foot, in an awkward position, would be the only thing to catch him as he falls. He'd be lucky to walk out with just a badly sprained ankle.
Yuuri closed his eyes. I'm sorry Victor. Even with your efforts, I only made it till the Grand Prix.
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