Originally wrote this when I was supposed to be writing other things. This is set when Yuri is training with Lilia, before the Grand Prix Series starts. Enjoy!
Yuri Plisetsky doesn't get sick. He doesn't have time to get sick. His life revolves around figure skating, and he can't afford to miss any training time.
So when he wakes up one morning with a stuffy nose and a sore throat, he groans, tells himself to suck it up, and gets ready for the day. He's skated on sprained ankles and with the stomach flu, so he's not about to miss practice because of a little head cold.
Practice with Lilia is always difficult, and it's definitely not any easier when he can't breathe through his nose and keeps having to muffle coughs into his elbow. Lilia seems concerned at first, but apparently he meets her questions with sufficient venom because she backs off and leaves him alone.
By the end of the day, Yuri is exhausted beyond belief. He's barely able to persuade himself to shower and eat a little dinner before collapsing into bed. Hopefully he'll feel better in the morning. Sleep is supposed to help, right?
Wrong. Yuri wakes up feeling even worse than before. His voice is almost gone, and he's sore and achy, despite training not being any more difficult than usual yesterday. He's still not quite willing to admit defeat, though.
Lilia shows no mercy, and by the time they reach their first water break, Yuri's legs are shaking and his head is pounding. The walls of the ballet studio seem to be moving, and why is it so cold in here today? Yuri is freezing. His head feels foggy and his thoughts seem slower and muddled, like there's a sticky haze in his mind preventing him from thinking clearly.
After the break, Lilia announces that they're going to work on his spins. This sounds like a bad plan with the way the room seems to be swirling around him, but he doesn't say anything, just sets his jaw stubbornly and braces himself. He's the new top skater in Russia. He can handle this.
He's halfway through the drills when suddenly, his head starts throbbing worse than before and he feels dizzy and disoriented. His stomach is churning alarmingly, and black spots seem to dance in front of his eyes. Yuri feels himself sway slightly, but he's not in control of his body anymore. The last thing he hears is Lilia shouting his name urgently, voice full of concern, before he's left in blissful darkness.
"Yuri? Yuri!" He wakes slowly, opening his eyes to see Lilia's face about five inches away from his. He jerks back, and the movement jars his head, exacerbating his headache.
"Ow," he rasps. "What happened?" His vision clears a bit, and he's suddenly aware that he's lying on the floor of the ballet studio, his head cushioned on Lilia's lap.
"You fainted and hit your head on the bar," Lilia says, voice sharp with worry. It's the same tone Yakov uses on him when he pushes himself too hard.
"What?" Yuri squawks. "I didn't faint!"
"Fine, you passed out because of the 39 degree fever you were running. Is that better?" Lilia doesn't wait for his response. "I don't think you have a concussion, but you are done practicing for today. You're taking the next week off to recover, and I don't want to hear any arguments."
"Whatever," Yuuri grumbles, but he doesn't protest when she helps him up and ushers him to his room. When he gets changed into his pajamas she helps him into bed and makes him drink some water.
"I'll make you some soup," she announces when she's satisfied that he's hydrated enough. "In the meantime, get some sleep." Maybe it's the fever, but Yuri doesn't even offer up a token protest as she tucks him into bed and kisses his forehead. The last thing he feels before unconsciousness claims him once more is something wet and cool being placed on his forehead. It's soothing against his burning skin.
Yuri had forgotten what it felt like to be taken care of like this. It's nice.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!