A/N: I wrote a thing for Camp NaNoWriMo in July. This is the thing.

ffnet also decided to fuck up the format again, I'm sorry.

"Yura", Otabek screamed desperately, but his cries weren't answered. He'd lost the blonde a few blocks back already, but he'd hoped so badly that they'd still make it together somehow. He had no clue how the Chinese had actually managed to find them, but they had and he'd been unable to protect Yuri from them.

He stopped running, for it didn't matter now if the Chinese caught up to him as well. A world without Yuri was a world he didn't want to have to be in much longer. He'd been alone for far too long and they'd sworn each other that none of them ever would.

"Otabek!" His name rang out like a shot. The voice carried all good things on earth with it, and unsure if he'd only imagined it or not, it still made him carry on.

"Follow me, Yura", he called out while he ran like a mad man. He'd killed before, that wasn't the issue, but he wanted to avoid having Yuri witness him actually murdering someone. Again. The horror in his eyes when he'd had to do it the last time in order to keep his blonde safe was enough for a lifetime. He wasn't prone to seeing that desperate look on Yuri's face ever again. Plus, killing a member of the Chinese mafia would only get them into more trouble than they already found themselves in. Conflicts like these were normally settled between higher ranking members of both sides. He was still unsure what had made the Chinese attack them in the first place. As far as he was concerned they'd done nothing to upset them in quite a while, but in the end, with criminals one could never be certain if a deal was still a deal. There was no such thing as security when making business with other criminals. Technically, they were delinquents themselves, so who was he to talk?

It wasn't a life he'd have chosen, but since mafia is family business, you don't get a vote in whether you carry it on or not. Drugs have to be sold, neighborhoods have to be kept clean, it was a certain order that'd be disrupted if an heir decided to just drop out of business completely.

His lungs felt like they were about to explode when he decided it was safe enough to rest in a dark alley. He wasn't even sure if he was still being followed.

He barely got to catch his breath before he saw a certain blonde running down the street. With a trained grip, he caught the boy who'd almost run past him and pressed a firm hand to his mouth while shoving him against the wall and pressing their bodies against each other in order to prevent Yuri from kicking and hitting him.

"Shhhh, Yura, it's me", he told him and then let go off his mouth, but still remained pressed against the younger.

"Beka", the blonde barely managed. He was just as out of breath as the Kazakh himself and Otabek could tell he was on the brink of crying, only that Yuri never cried anymore. He had the eyes of a soldier; stubborn and weary from having seen too much shit for a lifetime. Otabek hated that it was at least partly his fault. Only after starting to live with him, Yuri had met thugs, hookers and at just 16, he'd seen Otabek shoot that fucking Korean guy. That night was the last time the Kazakh had ever seen him cry. After that night the blonde's eyes had finally turned into those of a soldier. Yuri Plisetsky wasn't weak and with the way he appeared now, one would deem it impossible to hurt the guy. To whomever they met, Yuri would seem detached and impossible to get close to. Only Otabek knew differently.

"Are you okay?", he finally asked when the adrenaline started to wear off and he took in the sight in front of him completely. Yuri's eyes were pressed into thin lines and his whole face looked tense.

"Are you in pain?" Panic began pooling up in him.

Yuri gasped for air before he answered. "Guess they got me", he panted and only now Otabek noticed how pale the boy was. Yuri was a light skin type anyway, but right now he was plain pale.

"Fuck", he cursed through gritted teeth. "Where?"

"Dunno. I just… hurt so much", the boy whimpered. The adrenaline seemed to have worn off for him as well as the Kazakh noticed he suddenly had to hold up more weight than before, because Yuri's legs had stopped supporting the boy's body.

Damn, he wouldn't have kept on running had he known Yuri was hurt. Slowly, he let him slide down the wall, ignoring the painful whimpers for his own sanity's sake. He needed to get them back home, there was no use in him losing his shit right then and there, he had to stay strong for Yuri.

He wanted to say something soothing, but he knew he wouldn't be able to still keep in control of his temper if he even tried saying anything to Yuri now, so he remained silent while he tried his best to drown out the panting coming from beneath him. He'd run such random routes he needed to check where the hell they even were, before he could decide what to do next. He had two options; call Yakov to pick them up and drive them home or carry Yuri home himself and call Yakov to tell him to meet them there, but his choice would obviously depend on where the fuck they were. Judging by how his lungs still stung they'd run far, but the names on the street signs didn't ring a bell at all. He wasn't used to walking around his neighborhood at night, he hardly knew street names and at night, everything pretty much looked the same to him. Fuck.

He decided to call Yakov as long as he was still remotely in control of himself.

"Yakov? Yuri's shot, you have to come get us. We're somewhere on third street."

It was all he managed before hanging up and biting down on his lip. He took a deep breath before he rushed back to where Yuri leant against the wall.

"Shit, you look awful", he said almost harshly, trying to cover up his concern.

Yuri only inhaled sharply in reply. He was clearly in too much pain to even talk anymore. It hurt so much to see him like this, and he had yet to find out where they'd even hit Yuri. Now it was clear to Otabek why the blonde had fallen behind at some point. He could only imagine his Yuri going down after being shot and then being forced to get back up because he had to catch up again and the Chinese were still chasing him. Fuck, the thought alone sent chills down his spine. He really had let him down.

Since they'd run away he figured they must've hit him in the back, so he proceeded to lay a careful arm around the blonde and cautiously pull him towards his own body for him to lean against.

"I'm so sorry", he whispered, while he placed his chin on the weak shoulder to get a look at Yuri's back. A dark alley really wasn't the place for this though, so he decided to use his hand as well. Carefully he felt along the boy's back, until his hand stopped at a particularly warm and wet spot. The blonde tensed up and whimpered beneath his touch.

"Yura, I'm so fucking sorry."

From what he could feel he estimated there wasn't much of a bleeding, but that didn't have to mean everything was alright. They didn't know yet whether the bullet had damaged any vital organs or not, but from the way the blonde got weaker by the minute it was apparent there had to be some sort of internal bleeding. It was only a matter of time until the body went into shock and Otabek knew that there was barely any hope left if that happened. They needed time.

He'd almost missed the sounds of the approaching car, but then managed to remind his body that he had to abandon Yuri one last time or Yakov wouldn't find them. He placed the boy who was by now slipping in and out of consciousness against the wall again and ran out on the open street, so he could direct attention to them. If it was the Chinese now, they were fucked, but then again, they were probably fucked anyhow. At this point Otabek really couldn't care less. It was Yuri or death; there was no more world without Yuri for him. At least none he was still willing to be a part of; his world was dying in this dark alley.

Luckily, the car indeed belonged to Yakov, who got out in order to help Otabek, but he refused to let him touch his Yuri. If these were supposed to be their last moments he wanted to have them to themselves at least.

"The Doctor's already waiting for us", Yakov told him, as he speeded down the street. Otabek knew he was being selfish, Yakov had his bond with the boy as well, but he couldn't help it.

Yakov had basically picked Yuri off the streets when his parents had kicked him out for good. Such a beautiful boy wouldn't have lasted long alone out there, even though Yuri always claimed he was a tiger and a tiger was strong enough to live on his own. Curled up in Otabek's arms he was more of a small kitty if the Kazakh was perfectly honest.

Yakov didn't drive them to their house. Instead, they pulled up in the driveway of a small veterinary clinic. It seemed way too low for their standards, but Otabek knew how capable the Doctor was. He'd been a renowned doctor back in Kazakhstan, but they hadn't accepted his approbation in Russia. Therefore he'd opened up this small veterinary clinic and started working with the Bratva to make his living. Otabek knew how well they paid him for his services. He'd pay him even better if he saved his Yuri.

When they got out of the car, Yuri was already unconscious and Otabek hadn't managed to wake him back up. His breathing was slow and uneven. Otabek was sure he wouldn't get to talk to him ever again, so he pressed him close and whispered words of love into his hair on the whole way to the operation room. Whatever words were exchanged by Yakov and the Doctor were lost to him. They didn't matter now anyway. All that mattered was his Yuri.

"Place him on the table, won't you?", the Doctor told him. Having been prepared by Yakov for what he was most likely dealing with, he'd prepared everything beforehand, his assistant already waiting in the operation room. Although Otabek was an Avtorityet, a high ranking member of the Russian mafia, he was glad he had Yakov at his side in moments like these. He wouldn't have been able to organize things half as well and they'd have lost even more time.

"Leave now."

"I don't-", Otabek wanted to protest, but Yakov cut him off by grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards the door with him.

"Thank you, Doctor", the older man said and left with Otabek, who didn't dare to rebel against him.

"Let's get you something to eat and drink. You barely look any better than poor Yuri."

Right, he'd probably just used up all of his strength over the course of the past hour as well. He'd almost forgotten about himself while he had to worry about his Yuri; his poor Yuri. If he survived this, Otabek would really have to come up with something to make up for it all. Although he knew Yuri wouldn't request anything; he never really did. He could seem like an unappreciative child at times, but deep down he was still thankful for Yakov and Otabek for taking him in. Deep down the boy knew himself that he wouldn't have made it a week on the streets. He was so painstakingly beautiful; they'd have eaten him alive.

"Yakov, what do I do if he dies?"

"He won't. He's got the eyes of a soldier, don't you forget about that, Otabek. Plus, do you really think he's already done being an ungrateful brat towards us? I highly doubt that", the older man told him.

"There's so much I still want to tell him. I'll tell him everything once I have him back in my arms."

Gangsters don't cry, so he didn't. It was something he'd had to learn in his early childhood already. Never show any weakness. You can't be anyone's boss if they've seen you weak; at least not in their business.

Yakov gave him a knowing look and then turned away respectfully. "It's okay, Otabek. I haven't seen anything."

His knees hit the floor with a loud thud and he curled up as if there was any solace to be found in a simple change of positions. He pinched the bridge of his nose as the tears started flowing silently.

"Men don't cry", his father had told him. So in order to avoid being caught he'd learned not to make a sound. Yet, he could still perfectly recall the way his father's belt had felt on his skin when he was punished for being a little girl. It was why he could understand Yuri so well. He knew exactly what it felt like to have your childhood taken from you. They both never were allowed to have one under their parent's regime. The only difference really was that Otabek's father had always thought he'd acted in his son's favor when he prepared him for his future life, and in some messed up way it was true. Otabek would never have made it a day in his position if his father hadn't erased the concept of innocence from his mind early on.

Yuri's parents on the other hand had been plain monsters. His mother for never interfering and his father for… whatever he'd done to the boy. They didn't talk about that, but Otabek had heard Yuri scream in his sleep often enough to know at least some of it.

It was a question of honor that he had the boy's father punished for his sins. Yuri would never know about Otabek tracking his father down and having him confess at least some of his sins. He'd personally made him pay for every single one he knew about. The rest he'd had his henchmen handle; the perks of being in his position.

He took a deep breath, wiped his eyes clean on his sleeve and got up again like nothing had happened.

"Thanks, Yakov."

"Although you look more like Vodka and Cigarettes, I would suggest coffee and Blini."

"Sounds good to me", he lied. It tore at his heart to leave Yuri behind, but he knew the boy was taken good care of and he couldn't do anything else despite waiting around anyway.

Otabek didn't even know there were shops still open at this hour, but Yakov knew all the places, so he got into one, not even bothering to ask Otabek to come with him and just returned with a coffee and Blini as he'd promised.

"So, can you tell me anything about why the Chinese were onto you tonight?", he asked as they sat there eating.

"Not a clue. We haven't broken a deal or anything. In fact, we've mostly avoided each other for the past few months", Otabek frowned.

"Do you think they're trying to gain our territory? Maybe it is just the fact that you were keeping so silent over the course of the last months. Your father used to threaten them from time to time, you know, just to keep a good, stable friendship."

"I know, Yakov. But I'm not my father. We've discussed this, I won't use the same methods he did. There has to be another way." He let out a deep sigh.

"I think it would be a good idea to go after the guys from tonight and give them the same treatment you gave Yuri's father. That was sending a message, Otabek. It needs to be done from time to time", Yakov suggested.

Otabek hated the fact that the older man was basically playing him. It was manipulation to use his emotions for Yuri in order to convince him to take actions he morally rejected. He hated hurting people, because he'd been hurt enough in his life. There was no use in all the pain and making other people suffer was certainly not something he enjoyed, contrary to his father, though. There was nothing violent about Otabek, except when it came to Yuri, who was the only one to really get to him. No one was to touch his Yuri or he'd make them pay, and Yakov was technically right, the opportunity was perfect for this.

"Alright. I'll set things into motion by tomorrow. I'll decide our course of action depending on whether Yuri lives or dies. If he lives, we take the guys from tonight in and they'll receive my special treatment before we send them back. If he dies", he exhaled, "we're going to wreak havoc. There will be none of those bastards left after we're finished with them."

Usually Yakov would have protested and told him that move would be far too emotional, but tonight he didn't. Otabek really appreciated the man at his side sometimes, ignoring the fact that he was basically officially spying on him for their boss. He was experienced, he'd worked with his father before, but he'd never lost his humanity along the way which was rare in their business. Most of his men were soulless warriors by now, not that he minded it. It was convenient to have people who gladly did the donkeywork, so he'd never have to get his own hands dirty if he didn't want to. But anyone who dared lay hands on Yuri, he'd grant a personal audience.

"I'll break every single bone in their bodies that doesn't kill them", he mumbled.

"That sounds reasonable", Yakov assured him and then drove them back to the clinic. Bless the man.

Otabek barely got any of the food done, but the coffee was gone by the time they arrived there.

"Any word already?"

Yakov shook his head. "But we both know that's a good sign. Yuri is a fighter, do you hear me? He's strong as a tiger if the odds require it."

"I know. I just don't think this is much of his responsibility. I mean, even the strongest tiger of them all can receive a lethal blow."

"Otabek, lighten up, would you?", Yakov warned him.

The Kazakh snorted. "Easier said than done. You know he means everything to me. Can you imagine a world without him?"

"No. I never tried to, because we will not lose him."

"I wish I could have a share of your optimism. He was so weak, Yakov. He was almost dead in my arms before we even got here", Otabek mumbled.

"Let's hope this wasn't a strategic blow from the start. Because if it was, they've found your weak spot. While you're busy worrying about our little blonde, I'm concerned for the business your father passed on to you. We should take action right after we get news from Yuri."

It was annoying how right Yakov was. Otabek was indeed weak when it came to Yuri and it was only a question of time before their enemies would use it against them. The worst thing about it was that Yuri had to suffer because of him. They were trying to get to him, Yuri just happened to have been in the wrong spot at the wrong time.

"Shall we go inside", Yakov suggested more than asked.

"I'm afraid of what awaits me."

"Well, aren't we all? You're a man of high rank, behave like one for once", he scolded him. He meant well, but he was also assertive, because that was what Otabek needed; he needed Yakov to tell him to straighten his back from time to time. Although he was technically born into the job, he wasn't born for it. He'd rather have become a figure skater than a mafia member. When he was younger, his mother had taken him to the rink whenever there was time for it. He hadn't even been bad at it, but then his father had forbidden him to go back to the rink. He understood why his father had done it, but it didn't make it better. Of course, he'd never have been able to take on his father's position if their enemies had seen him figure skating on TV before. Members of the Bratva don't figure skate.

He'd definitely take Yuri to the rink once this was over. There was so much more to life than just work after all. Otabek had to remind himself of that fact from time to time as well.

"Okay", he finally answered and got out of the car first.

They waited inside the clinic for at least two more hours – not that he still had any feeling for how much time had passed – until the Doctor finally stepped out of the operation room, looking exhausted as hell.

Otabek had to fight back the urge to jump up and bombard the man with questions. He knew he'd tell them everything in a few seconds.

The Doctor took a deep breath, pulled down his mask and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand that wasn't gloved anymore already.
"He'll be fine", he told the two waiting people.

"Thank god", Otabek let out before the Doctor could continue.

"As you know I don't have the capacity to keep patients here, but with a gunshot wound you can't take him to a hospital either, so we'll have to create an atmosphere that is as abacterial as possible, because his immune system is in really bad shape. This basically means he'll be overly sensitive to diseases the next few weeks, if not months. We want to avoid pneumonia and the like, for such things could kill him while his immune system is still weak. He'd lost a lot of blood due to a ruptured artery that bled into his body, so I had to supply him with blood transfusions, but I could fix that. With his immune system like that, his body will also have a pretty hard time taking care of the wound, which means it will heal much slower than wounds usually do, so we'll have to check on it frequently. I advise you to give him the bedroom, I'll help you set it all up and I strongly recommend you sleep in a different bed, so the IV stays where it is and his wound can't get irritated."

It did make sense, but it was a lot to swallow. Still, the bottom line was that Yuri was going to be fine, which was the only thing that counted really.

"Yura", Otabek murmured. "Can I finally see him?"

"Yes, you can. He's still in the operation room, because I have nowhere else to put him right now, so please don't be irritated by any mess", the Doctor told them.

As good as he was in his field, since he only had one assistant he trusted enough to do his work for the mafia, he was a little messy. Operation rooms were cleaned in no time after every operation in normal hospitals, but since there was no room for patients here and the only assistant had to supervise the patient's vital signs, there was also no time to clean up before letting Otabek in, which would provide him with a sight of blood in way too many places, bloody tools, bloody tissues and basically too much blood in general for a normal person not to lose their nerves. Being a gangster did not make Otabek immune to human emotions after all, so he was preparing himself for what awaited him as best as he could, though he knew he'd still be completely shocked by the sight. He had to help them carry Yuri out of there after all, so there was no way to avoid having to go in there anyway.

When he finally dared to step in, he really had to stop himself from getting sick right in the spot. It was even worse than he'd imagined it, although his imagination had already been rather bad.

"Yura", he whispered as if talking in his usual volume would disrupt Yuri's pain killer induced sleep.

He looked so fragile lying there. So broken and vulnerable. Thankfully, the assistant had already removed the incise drape, so he didn't have to see that bloody mess on Yuri's body.

"Mister Altin", the assistant greeted him respectfully.

"Thank you for your work tonight", he acknowledged and then turned back to the blonde. He stepped closer but did nothing else but look at Yuri, not daring to touch him in his state.

"He won't feel a thing", the Doctor told him, clearly having picked up on his insecurity. "You will have to carry him to the car and into your house anyway, since we don't have an ambulance."

"Remind me to buy you one."

He was mad at himself for not having done this any sooner. They really could have used an ambulance now, so they wouldn't have to risk hurting Yuri during the transport to Otabek's house. Not that it was really his decision to make, but he didn't mind.

"How do I… pick him up best?"

He still didn't dare to touch Yuri, but the Doctor explained to him in great detail where he could safely touch him and how he was supposed to carry him. The thought was still unsettling but it was no use. Thankfully Yuri always had a hard time gaining weight and was therefore light as a feather.

He took a mental note though to make sure he'd eat better in the future. The boy was much too skinny for it to still be healthy. But he'd been a bad eater from the start.

"I'll take better care of you, I promise", he whispered at the sleeping form in his arms as he carried him to the car.

"Here, just hold this up as best as possible. I'll be behind in my car with the other medical supplies and we'll meet again at your house, Mister Altin."

"Yes, thank you."

The ride was hell on earth. Every small bump seemed to irritate Yuri and despite the Doctor telling Otabek that he wasn't in pain, he couldn't help but think he was whenever he winced in his sleep.

It still seemed unreal how they'd gotten into this situation, but now they had to deal with the consequences of their, no, of his life. Once again, it became painfully clear to Otabek that Yuri was only hurt because he'd dragged him into his life and he'd been caught in the middle. He wasn't born into this business and he had done nothing to get pulled into it but to make Otabek fall in love with him.

"Yuratchka", he whispered again when they were almost there. "I promise those guys will get what's coming to them. No one will ever hurt you again."

"Don't promise things you can't keep, Otabek. I know you don't want to hear it, but this right here is your life. You know that. You know how your parents died as well. It is a burden you were born with and you will carry it to your grave. The only question is if you'll carry him there with you as well."

Yakov's honesty wasn't what Otabek needed at all.