Assumptions
Chapter 2:
"Can't wait to have Yurio's katusudon piroshki's!" Yuuri exclaimed as Victor was locking up the rink. The temperature had dropped even more and they bundled up closing their jackets and pulling on their gloves.
"Vukusno!" Victor exclaimed as he turned around and the three of them had started walking.
"The back way?" Yuuri asked turning to Victor.
"If we want to make it back before Yurio has a fit it's probably best," Victor replied.
Otabek remained quiet as he usually did, not questioning the empty path they were taking.
"So, Otabek," Victor started the conversation, "Have you talked to our little Yura about your feelings for him?"
"Victor….." Yuuri warned.
Otabek stopped walking and looked shocked at them, mouth open and agape. "I don't…..I mean…..how?...what?"
Victor chuckled, but Yuuri stepped in, "Don't worry, we see how you look at him, how careful you are with him and we see the way he wants to always spend time with you."
"I don't think Yura feels that way, I don't think…he is that way."
"Oh you never know. Yurio is different around you, he smiles, he laughs, he's nice."
"He's human," Victor chimed in.
"Has Yura said something to you?" Otabek questioned.
Yuuri snorted, "In case you haven't noticed, Yurio doesn't really talk about his feelings, so no, we don't know anything for sure, just…observations…assumptions."
"Guess it's good that our guest bedroom you guys are sharing has two separate beds," Victor said.
Otabek stopped walking a second time, "I would never-"
"We know," Yuuri said as he hit Victor's arm, and they started walking again, "He is just being…Victor," Yuuri shot Victor a warning glare and continued, "We just wanted to let you know, that we know."
"Well, I am just happy to be spending time with him, even just as friends, I wouldn't want anything to jeopardize that," Otabek said, not looking at Yuuri or Victor and the other two men realized that both the younger two were completely oblivious to the others feelings and thought perhaps they would never be aware, especially since Yurio hasn't said anything or mentioned that he has feelings for the same sex in general.
Victor suddenly got serious, "Being gay in Russia is hard though. If Yura is…I mean I can't imagine being that young dealing with it as well as just starting out as a senior skater and trying to make a name for himself as a champion. To have to think about love and your sexuality that young, especially when you have an entire country telling you it's wrong. I spent so long neglecting love, but I never regret having it now," Victor said looking to Yuuri, smiling and taking his hand, "But that pressure that mother Russia puts down, it can try to turn you into something you just aren't. I should know."
Yuuri and Otabek just hummed at Victor's words. Yuuri knew all too well what Victor meant having seen the occasional social media death threat against Victor when his only sin was falling in love with another man…with him.
The three men continued walking changing the subject talking about skating and plans while Otabek was in town, though Otabek stuck to his typical one and two word answers when suddenly Otabek stopped walking, squinting into the distance.
"What is that?" Otabek pointed to what he was seeing looking like white pants peeking out from behind a large planter. The he saw it, the shoes, those damn red cheetah print shoes that there was no mistake who they belonged to. "Yura?" and the three men took off at breakneck speed toward what they saw, adrenaline taking over their bodies.
The three men slid down to the fallen Russian. Yurio was laying more stretched out on his left side. As Otabek started to turn Yurio onto his back via his shoulders Victor quickly grabbed Yurio's head.
"Easy! Easy!" Victor commanded making them go slower, Yuuri at Yurio's legs.
"Oh god," they all three seemed to say at seeing Yurio's blood covered and swollen face. They were frozen, shocked, only their eyes moving, taking in Yurio's battered appearance. Otabek saw Yurio's goosebumped and bruised arms, instantly springing into action. He whipped off his jacket and covered Yurio as best he could with it.
"Where is his jacket? It's freezing out ! He left with it!" Otabek yelled.
"I don't know but I need to call an ambulance, hold his head still," Victor asked Otabek remembering basic first aid from bad falls at the rink. When Victor pulled his hands away his gray gloves were red. "He's bleeding from the back of his head," Victor let Otabek know. Otabek came to Yurio's head holding it steady. Victor stood up tearing off his scarf and handing it to Otabek for the back of the blonds head before making the emergency call.
Otabek started looking around for Yurio's belongings, he saw his bag a ways away but couldn't see his Russian team jacket, but spotted his scarf hanging on a branch in the planter. Otabek looked over to Yuuri, still by Yurio's legs, realizing how quiet he had been, and saw him taking deep breaths obviously trying to quell his rising anxiety. Otabek decided to put him into action.
"Yuuri! Hey Yuuri! Grab his scarf for me please!" Otabek yelled at him and was grateful when Yuuri finally made eye contact with him and followed his request, then returned to Yurio's legs. Otabek used the scarf to try to wipe away the blood from Yurio's face, some of it having already dried. Otabek resorted to begging the young Russian to wake up. "Yura, Yura come on please open your eyes. Yura! Please can you hear me?!"
In the background Victor could be heard on the phone relaying Yurio's obvious injuries and was now kneeling by Yurio's side trying to see the of the blonds' physical state. Peeling back the jacket that laid on top of him he spoke on the phone of the poor condition of the young skater.
"His arms, they don't' appear to be broken, but they are bruised, the bruises, they look like hands…or fingers…..oh God…..ok…ok" Victor peeled up Yurio's shirt seeming to be following instructions from over the phone as the other two men also tried to look on. "His sides and stomach are heavily bruised….no I can't see his back. I don't want to try to move him…ok…..uh yes, he appears to be breathing ok…no, no rattling sounds…ok….Yuuri, how are his legs?"
Yuuri sprang into action once more. "Uh it's hard to tell, he has leggings on underneath," Yuuri slowly started to lat at Yurio's legs, "His left knee feels pretty swollen."
Victor finished his call and put away his phone and saw that Yuuri had his brow furrowed at something. "What is it?"
"His legs are wet…with…streaks of yellow…and it smells," Yuuri answered.
"He was probably scared, maybe he had an accident."
"No it's just on his legs. Victor, whatever happened to him, whoever did this, I think they…urinated on him," Yuuri said slowly trying to find the right words with disgust.
Otabek shook his head. His hands held Yurio's head still while using his fingers at the sides of his head to lightly card through what blood stained hair he could, hoping his words and ministrations were calming the unconscious boy. "It's ok Yura we're here. Wake up now, you're safe, everything is okay, everything is going to be alright."
Victor reached under the jacket to hold Yurio's hand. Yuuri stayed silent by his feet, shocked at what had befallen one of them and still tried to keep calm in the anxious situation.
Soon the sound of sirens filled the air and the ambulance was there, paramedics jumping out and instantly taking over as the three men reluctantly stepped back.
The paramedics worked on Yurio as Victor told the their findings. As they got the neck collar on Yurio and got him on the stretcher one of the paramedics spoke up.
"Who will be going with him? We can only take one."
Victor looked at Yuuri obviously nervous to be leaving him, so Yuuri spoke for him.
"Victor, go, you are his guardian right now. Look," Yuuri pointed to two police cars that came racing up, "The police are here, we will talk to them and meet you at the hospital."
Otabek nodded as well. As much as he wanted to be with Yurio, to see those green eyes of a soldier open , he knew Victor had to go. Victor was the one responsible for Yurio right now and was the one with all of Yurio's medical and contact information in the case of such an emergency. None of them ever thought they would have to use their emergency information. Victor handed Otabek his jacket back as Yurio had been covered with some blankets. Otabek watched them haul his Yura away and he looked a mess. The neck collar seemed to dwarf the smaller skater and the oxygen mask did nothing to hide the blood on his face. Wires seemed to take up any spot on the stretcher not occupied by Yurio.
Yuuri turned to Otabek and put a hand on his shoulder. "He'll be okay, he'll be alright."
Otabek reciprocated the physical gesture. "yes, yes, of course, he is a soldier."
Neither one was sure who they were trying to convince. The siren sounded once more as the ambulance took off and Yuuri and Otabek looked towards the police officers approaching them. The red and blue lights from their cars lit up the blood stained street.