"Well, someone's in a good mood." Viktor strolls into the room across from Yuuri. It's smaller than the space back at the hospital in Russia, but it's big enough to fit at least six people. On Yuuri's face is a bright smile, unlike most that he's seen on the other, which is why Viktor questions it.
"I have good news." He's sitting cross-legged on the hospital bed, beaming at Viktor.
"I figured it was good since you're still smiling." Viktor cracks one of his own and stands close to the window. He's hoping the news is something he's going to love.
"I'm going back to Russia."
Viktor's smile cracks just a little. Sure, it's good news. More exciting than good, but it's not what he would've liked to hear. "What brought the change on?" They've said he doesn't have much time left, so what would make him move away from his family and friends in the town he grew up and lived in?
Yuuri's smile breaks too when he sees that Viktor doesn't share his enthusiasm. "I thought you'd be happy."
"I am!" Viktor tries to amend the moment by wearing the smile he shared when he walked in. "I just want to know why you decided to move back."
"Well..." the crimson on Yuuri's cheeks would be just as easy to see in the dark, "because I'd get to see you more often..." Yuuri scratches the back of his neck and laughs nervously. "I thought you would like to be home. You can't stay here forever, and you probably want to leave already. I figured if I moved back then you could go home, and I would get to stay with you."
Viktor covers his mouth with his hand, tears threatening to fall. Yuuri put Viktor over himself again. "Yuuri..."
"I'm sorry! I know I should've consulted you before I made that decision but I assumed it would be okay and I really shouldn't have and now-"
Viktor laughs over Yuuri's rambling, a tear slipping down his cheek. "Yuuri, you're ridiculous."
Yuuri stops and looks over at Viktor with confusion. "Huh?"
"You're ridiculous, and I love you. Why would you put my needs over your own?" Viktor's smiling like crazy, wanting nothing more than to be in the same space as Yuuri.
"You're not mad?"
"Why would I be mad at you, Yuuri?" Viktor shakes his head, his smile still present.
"I don't know... I didn't really ask you about but thought that's what you would want..." Yuuri's eyes are wide with amazement. Clearly he was expecting a different answer from Viktor.
"Of course I wish you would've said something to me sooner before you made the decision. Are you sure you want to go back to Russia? Everyone you know is here, and you don't speak the language."
"Then I'll have to get to know your friends better, and you'll have to teach me everything you know."
"I'd be happy to. I can't wait for you to meet Mila and talk with her this time! You'll like her, I promise. Georgi can be a bit much, but it's all in good spirits. Trust me. Be careful around Sala and Michele. Sala is very nice, but Michele is overprotective of her, so it's difficult to talk to her without getting a glare in response."
"They sound like fun."
Viktor goes on and on about the people he talks to at work when Yuuri notices his hands for the first time that day. "Viktor, why are you wearing gloves?"
Viktor looks down at his own hands and laughs awkwardly, placing one hand on his hip while the other goes in a pocket. He's not wearing anything fancy, so he can't use that as an excuse. "It's get a little chilly, so I decided to wear gloves so my hands wouldn't chap. After all, I am the top model in the business right now." He throws in a wink so as to dissipate any worry Yuuri has. In truth, Chris made him wear them and refuses to let him take them off ever as part of a precaution.
Yuuri rolls his eyes at him, clearly buying his excuse. "I thought you'd be used to the winter weather since you live in Russia."
"I may like the season, but I hate the cold it brings. I prefer summer heat when I get to sit in the sun as long as I'd like. You should see the beach during the summer. It's very pretty during that time of the year."
"You'll have to show me."
"Yes, I will."
Viktor knows that when Yuuri leaves him, he'll never be the same.
.
. . .
.
"How's he doing?"
Viktor unwraps the scarf from around his neck and hangs his coat up, staring at the gloves on his hands before sighing and walking towards the sound of his friend. "Yuuri is certainly the happiest he's ever been."
"Really?" Chris leans back on his hands on the futon he's seated on, watching Viktor move to sit at the other side of the table.
"Yeah. He..." Viktor rakes a hand through the fringe in front of his left eye, "he's decided to move back to Russia, so I can go back home."
Chris whistles and pushes up on his hands to rest his elbows on the table. "He's head over heels for you. Did he know you before you met him?"
Viktor places a hand on his chin and scrunches his eyebrows in wonder. He vaguely remembers something his sister said when they first met, but he can't remember. If he can't remember it, then surely it wasn't anything. "I don't think so. He only seemed surprised to be seeing someone visit him other than his family when I first saw him. He didn't say anything about my career and didn't ask any questions of the sort."
A snort comes from the center of the room. Yuuri's sister, Mari, is carrying drinks out to a few customers sitting down and enjoying their food. She locks eyes with Viktor and smirks just a little. "Yeah, right." She retreats back into the kitchen without an explanation.
Chris looks amused when Viktor looks back at him. "Now that's interesting. You should ask."
"Why would I bother?" Although now it's a very real thought. What if Yuuri knew him? Did that have any affect on them becoming who they are now? Yuuri didn't really want to talk to him when they first met, though. Viktor remembers. He was all silence before he finally opened up to Viktor in the most adorable way. If Yuuri knew who he was, wouldn't their introduction have been different? Viktor feels like it might have, but what does he know?
"Why not I suppose." Chris shrugs and then notices how zoned out his friend is. "Viktor? What's wrong?"
"Everything would be different." Viktor still has a vacant look on his face, still too focused on his thoughts than what he's actually saying out loud.
"Do you really believe that? I was only joking, Viktor. Don't take it too seriously. Besides, you're a little too deep in now to be questioning anything. This isn't even anything to be worried over."
"But Chris," Viktor tunes back in to what his friend is saying, "what if he started dating me because of who I am?"
Chris sits silently across from his friend, too stunned that Viktor even thought that to begin saying anything to counter it. "Did you really just ask that?"
Viktor's not sure if he agrees with what he said himself, but it's still a real thought. All the what ifs spinning in his head are starting to give him a headache. Yuuri doesn't seem like the type of person to do something like that, but he said it himself. What does he really know? They've only been dating for a few months. That's hardly any time at all. What if the Yuuri he knows is only the Yuuri on the surface? It seems ridiculous, truly, but there's no way of knowing. Unless...
"I'm going to ask him tomorrow."
"Please tell me you're joking."
"I'm not."
"I should've known. You haven't done that in awhile either. Viktor, lighten up. I met the boy twice, and he doesn't seem like he would do that. I'm upset that he was selfish enough not to tell you to back off, but that's about all I think he's capable of." Chris whispers the later part so as not to alert anyone else. Everyone in this town knows Yuuri and his condition. Everyone. If word got out about what idiocy Viktor committed, he'd be hunted down.
"I don't think so either. There's no harm in asking, though, right?" Viktor plays with a strand of hair that's parted from the rest of his fringe.
"Theoretically, no. Then again I can't predict anything you two do." Chris shrugs.
It hurts him when he realizes just how quick he was to judge Yuuri. He pulls on his fringe and drops his forehead to the table with a frustrated sigh. "What's wrong with me, Chris? Why am I questioning something as ridiculous as that?" It was dumb. He honestly doesn't deserve someone as amazing as Yuuri to begin with, and now he's sitting here thinking Yuuri is just using him. He really doesn't deserve him anymore. "I'm pathetic."
"I think it's reasonable to ask something like that. You've had trouble in the past because of your career. Your paranoia is justified."
"Chris, how do you stand being around me?" Viktor refuses to lift his head off the table. "I'm a mess."
"A hot mess who practically gave me my career. Unfortunately, I feel like I owe you a lot." Chris laughs, which would usually lift Viktor's spirits but it's not working right now.
"So you hang around me because you feel like you owe me."
"Viktor, you and I both know that's not what I meant. I know you love your dramatic flair, but you might want to dial it down."
He can hear how cross Chris is starting to get with him all over again.
"What happened to the old man?"
Viktor barely lifts his head up to see Yurio waltzing into the dining space with Otabek right on his heels. Those two were always really close, especially when they were on a long and exhausting shoot together.
"Dramatic over nothing as usual."
Yurio scoffs at Chris's words and sits down at the table next to them, but not at it even though there's enough space for the two of them and some. "What else is new?" Yurio rolls his eyes. "How's Katsuki doing?" Viktor notes how caring he actually sounds for once. It's almost impressive.
"Since when did you care?" Viktor didn't mean to give him attitude, but he's not in the best of spirits anymore. He doesn't want to deal with Yurio right now. After discovering that he was the reason Yuuri left in the first place, they haven't really seen eye-to-eye.
"Since I made him leave the fucking country by accident. Did I mention that I didn't mean to already?"
Viktor almost smiles when he sees Otabek elbow Yurio.
"I don't forgive and forget easily, Yuri."
"You sure do forget everything, though." The words are barely mumbled, which earns him another elbow to his arm. "Ow, what the hell, Otabek?"
Otabek shakes his head in response. "You know what you did."
Yurio rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest. "Yeah, whatever."
"I wasn't joking." Viktor sits up straight, looking Yurio dead on. "I don't have any plans on forgiving you right now. You hurt Yuuri, and that's inexcusable. You made him feel insignificant. The only insignificant one here is you." He narrows his eyes at Yurio, who looks ready to kill him.
"What'd you just say?"
There's a fire in Yurio's eyes that he doesn't mind crushing. "Don't get too cocky. You are very easily replaceable. I've warned you about this before, haven't I? You can be dropped so easily that no one will ever know you existed to begin with."
Yurio pushes to stand up, but Otabek grabs his arm and pulls him back down into a sitting position. "Yuri, don't start anything."
"Oh, watch me. Why do you think I'm even down here? Huh? I came down here because I was sick of you moping around and not coming to work. We have to deal with everything you fail to do! No one wanted to deal with it anymore, but I was the only one who decided to do anything to fix that! You should be thanking me."
"Thank you? Hah!" Viktor laughs amusedly as he stares Yurio down. "Why should I thank you for crushing the hope of someone who has maybe two months left to live? You're lucky I haven't knocked you down off the pedestal you hold yourself on. I've been wanting to since I figured out it was you." He's glaring at the other now, gaining one in return.
Chris is left speechless once again at the turn in Viktor's mood. Sure, he's seen Viktor mad before, but never this furious.
"Well, go ahead. Will that make you feel better?" Yurio is seething, and Otabek can clearly see that. Otabek pulls him to his feet and drags him away before a fight breaks out.
"It might." Viktor only watches them leave, before sharply turning his head away. He can hear Yurio fighting against Otabek but doesn't make any move to show that he acknowledges it.
"Are you ever going to forgive him?" It's a genuine question from Chris, but it still leaves a sour taste in Viktor's mouth.
"As of right now, no. Yuuri needs to forgive him first before I do. I want to be last, and I want to see Yuuri happy after it's resolved." Viktor crosses his arms in defiance.
"It already sounds like Yuuri's moved on, seeing how he wants to move back to St. Petersburg. What did you tell him after he said that?"
A happier subject. Good. "I asked him if he was sure that he wanted to do that, and he said yes. He cares about me more than he should. I'm happy that's what he chose, but I can't tell if that'll make him happy in the long run."
Chris hums in agreement, pondering over the decision. "Maybe he's done listening to people talk to him like he's a charity case. I would be too if I was in his position."
"That makes sense, but I don't want him to make a decision like this over me. I want him to be happy. I don't care if that means moving here, so he can stay that way."
"Maybe St. Petersburg is where happiness is for him. He did meet you there after all. I'm a sucker for a love story."
Viktor joins him in a little laugh before turning that thought over in his head. "If it's what Yuuri really wants, then I'll support him. I want him to live the best he can for as long as he can. I just want him to see that."
"There's no way he doesn't see that. He'd have to be more oblivious than you are, which isn't possible."
They indulge in laughter and cheap jokes as Mari brings around food for them to enjoy. Viktor lets himself relax for the first time in awhile that night.
.
. . .
.
Because things were going all too well, of course something terrible has to happen. Yuuri's fallen ill again, according to the snippets he got out of Yuuri's family at the inn. It's early, around three in the morning when he hears the chaos going on down the hallway. He rubs his tired eyes awake and walks down the hallway to figure out what's going on. It's Yuuri's mother, Hiroko, that comes up to him first. There's an exhausted look in her eyes that tells him right away something's wrong.
"Oh, Viktor, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to wake you up."
Viktor shakes his head, assessing the tension in the room and how both Mari and Toshiya, Yuuri's father, are on phones speaking rapid Japanese to whoever is on the other end. "It's alright. What's going on?"
"Yuuri's not feeling well. They say he's going to be fine, but we haven't heard any news for an hour. Mari started getting worried and made a few phone calls, but no one is telling her anything. I'm really sorry, Viktor. You can go back to sleep. We'll tell you when we hear anything. I promise."
Viktor can tell she's been crying but doesn't say anything, instead opting for a nod. He understands how they must feel. He's gotten the early morning call saying Yuuri's not doing well. It's stressful and takes a hard toll on everyone. He would stay in the room and wait, but he can see that Yuuri's family is already panicking enough. If he says, they'll try too hard to keep it together just because he's in the room. He needs to give them space, like he had when this happened before.
He pads back to his room, but sleep doesn't come. He finds himself on his phone and opening the text box under Yuuri's name. Viktor knows Yuuri will never see the text until he's stable, but it's the least he can do considering what's going on. It may not be a hand hold, but it's enough for now. Sending a quick text filled with love, he turns to Instagram to maybe calm his mind down and give him a few more hours of sleep before he visits Yuuri again. Because he will. He'll get to see Yuuri again.
Yuuri is a fighter, and he wouldn't stop now after trying for so long.
That's a fact no one can change.
.
. . .
.
He's used to being in pain. He gave up counting the years.
Yuuri's struggling to breathe on his hospital bed, dozens of doctors and nurses are flitting around him. This is different than every other time, though. Now he has Viktor. He can hold on to the thought that Viktor will be around as long as he is himself, which means he has to stay alive. He wants to see Viktor again. Today isn't the day yet.
Yes, he knows it's bound to happen. His status has only been declining as the days went on, but that doesn't mean it's going to get cut short today. Absolutely not.
It's a while - he's not sure how long exactly - before he can breathe clearly again. It's exhausting to have so many questions thrown at him. His head is still spinning from the lack of oxygen and bright lights, so answering them as quickly as they want him to isn't easy at all. They aren't as pushy as the doctors in Russia because they've been handling him for a longer time, so they understand him better. It's a good feeling. One he's going to miss if he goes back. Viktor didn't like the doctors in Russia either. Yuuri remembers how he was constantly complaining about them. It's nice to be dealing with familiar faces here.
Once they all clear out, he's finally able to sit back and relax, taking steady breaths like one of the nurses told him to do on her way out. It's calming, and he finds himself dozing off when he hears a few voices break through the silence.
His family, Yuuri thinks. It has to be them. It would make sense for them to be here considering all that's happened.
Sure enough, when he opens his eyes, his family is there to greet him. He can't help but notice that one face is missing. Viktor isn't here. Not that he needs to be with Yuuri all the time, but you know... maybe now would be nice? He wants to see Viktor, but that'll have to wait. His family is worried right now, and he has to somehow assure them that he's okay. He's not sure that he really is, but he's good at pretending that he is.
Words are difficult right now, so he settles with a smile towards them. His parents are crying, but they're smiling back at him. Definitely worried. Oops. Now look at what he's done. All because he couldn't really breathe. Great job, Yuuri.
They all kind of just sit there in silence. No one says anything, but somehow all of their expressions say more than enough. Finally, his parents leave after a bit, but Mari stays behind. Yuuri expected that from her.
"Jeez, bro, you gave us a heart attack. I'm glad to see you're feeling better, though." She cracks a little smile for him. It's easy to see that she's been crying, too. Why does he keep doing this to them? "You probably wanted to see Viktor. We told him you were fine but kept him back at the inn. We wanted to see you on our way. Can you blame us? Viktor's always with you now." Mari laughs. "You two are inseparable. He practically fought us to go, but he gave in. He's going to see you later in the day. I should probably let you get some rest, so you'll be awake for his visit."
Yuuri smiles wider at his sister. She's always cared so much about it, even though she doesn't vocalize it too much.
"Alright, well I'm leaving. Good chat. I want you to respond in our next one, though. Got it?"
Of course he does.
"See ya, bro. Be good." Mari leaves with a wave of her hand.
Yuuri's left alone, but this time he's okay with it. He'll wake up later, and Viktor will be here.
It takes him forever to finally sleep, but once he does, it's peaceful and uninterrupted this time.
.
. . .
.
Is it ridiculous that Viktor set three alarms for later that day? Probably. Does he care about everyone else's opinions of him when he runs out the door to get to Yuuri? Not really. He hardly slept at all with all of the stress Yuuri's condition brought on. The Katsuki's told him that he was okay, but that's not the same as seeing him for himself. He supposes that's why they wanted to see him themselves. Viktor doesn't blame them. In fact, he feels guilty for trying to persuade them to let him join them on their visit to the hospital.
Traffic is agonizingly slower than usual by the time he gets on the road in the rental car he had Chris pick up the other day. It's better than getting a taxi because that would've been a nightmare, but this isn't feeling any better right now.
As nervous as Yuuri made him all day, the excessive calls from Yakov haven't been helping. He almost forgot that he has a job. Being with Yuuri silences everything meaningless in his life. His job used to be important to him, but Yuuri has overcome that.
Only he still has that job, and it's only a job if you show up. On top of him not being at the agency, he also forgot that Yurio and Otabek are here. Yes, Chris is still here too, but he doesn't work under Yakov. Viktor doesn't have to worry about Yakov losing another model as well as the three currently out of his disposal. Still, three is too many to be gone at once, especially since those three include himself. Bragging rights. He's kind of amazing in the modeling world.
Stuck at a redlight, his phone lights up again for about the thirtieth time in that same hour. All from the same place. Sick of seeing the notification and tired of worrying about it, he picks up the call and puts it on speaker. He regrets putting it on speaker immediately.
"Where the hell are you?! You have jobs listed for this entire week, and you've already missed two! I'm tired of making excuses for you, Viktor! Are you done with this, and do you still care about making a living?!"
"Good morning to you, too."
"This isn't funny, Viktor! I need answers, and I need you here now!"
"You'll be glad to hear that me and Chris found Yurio and Otabek." The light turns green, and Viktor fights through the traffic. He really wants to see Yuuri badly. Why is the world against him with this terrible traffic?
"I already knew! You've been spotted by paparazzi dozens of times! Get on the next flight to Russia immediately!
"Can we talk about that later? I'm kind of busy-"
"You're supposed to be busy here! Not in Japan!"
Viktor flinches at the screeching through his phone. "I promise I'll come back. Just give me-"
"You are not getting any more time there! Come back now!"
The call drops dead from the other line, and Viktor groans in frustration. He can't let this affect his day. Not when he's about to visit Yuuri. He'll have to make plans with everyone tonight, though, as to what they're going to do. He may not want to admit it out loud, but Yakov is right. They've spent one too may days here in Japan. Their work is in Russia. How much longer did they plan to stay anyway? Yuuri wants to leave for Russia as well, so it won't be like they'll be separated for too long.
The thought of Yuuri travelling again is stressful, though. Can he even handle another long flight? Yuuri doesn't like flying, and he's gotten weaker. As much as Viktor would like to push that thought away, that's the reality. Yuuri is only getting weaker. Would a flight wear him out too much? Maybe he should tell Yuuri to stay. Viktor could try to find a job in Japan. That would be a good solution. Or maybe he could buy a house here, and handle jobs on his own without going through an agency like Yakov? Maybe he could have Yakov give him jobs from Russia. That could work, too. It's not unreasonable either. It might be a pain, though, and there's no way Yakov will agree to it. What is he going to do?
Once out of the grueling traffic and finally at the hospital, he rushes in through the front doors and talks to the person running the front desk. THey're more understanding here, the doctors and nurses. They've pieced together who Viktor is already and lets him by without too much hassle. Japan would be so much better for Yuuri. It's clear that he likes it better here, too.
"Yuuri!" He bursts through the doors to his room, searching for the familiar tufts of raven hair.
The other is wide awake, sitting up in his bed, which has to be a good sign. It's such a good sign that he finds himself almost crying at the sight. "Yuuri, you're alright. Thank goodness. I was so worried. By far, your parents have me beat, but I was still frantic. How do you feel?"
Yuuri smiles gently at him, which almost makes him cry again. He would do anything to keep Yuuri smiling like that at him. Anything.
"I've been better, but I've been worse." His voice sounds rough, but Viktor doesn't comment. He remembers the last time Yuuri sounded like that. He's seen him at his worse. "You know that, though." Yuuri glances down at his hands and follows the IV in his arm up to the rest of the machinery he's connected to.
"I'm so glad, Yuuri. I really am." He enjoys the silence between them for a moment, enjoying Yuuri's presence in general. "Is there anything I can do for you."
Yuuri turns his attention back to Viktor and bites into his bottom lip, worrying it just a little. "You could tell me why you don't take off your gloves."
Well, that's... not what he was expecting. He's only seen Yuuri one other time with the gloves on besides now. How does he know he doesn't take them off? Who said something? Only Chris knows. Unless he said something... "Did Chris tell you that?"
"Actually... you just did." Yuuri looks more concerned than he should over something that should be trivial. Why doesn't he ever care about his own condition?
"Oh..."
"So... why don't you take them off?"
Viktor laughs awkwardly. This wasn't exactly the conversation he wanted to have today. Not when he could be leaving tonight or tomorrow. "Cat's out of the bag now." He lets his laughing subside. "Chris is making me wear them as a precaution. Don't worry. I'm just as strong and healthy as the first day I met you. He's worried for no reason."
"I thought that was why. You don't have to lie to me, Viktor." Why does Yuuri look determined now? What's there to be so worked up over?
"Yuuri, I'm not lying to you. I never would. I feel perfectly fine. I haven't had any symptoms of anything. Maybe what you have isn't as contagious as they said."
"Or maybe it hasn't been long enough for anything to happen?" It almost sounds like Yuuri wants something to happen, but Viktor knows that isn't it. He knows that Yuuri still feels guilty. If Viktor picked up anything from their kiss, then that would give Yuuri an excuse to stop feeling guilty and outright hate himself instead.
"Can we please not discuss my wellbeing. I'm here for you right now, Yuuri."
"OKay. I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. I love you. If there's ever something wrong, you'll be the first person I go to. I said that before. Remember?"
Yuuri nods and his teeth find his bottom lip again.
"Trust me."
Yuuri lurches forward on the bed, staring at Viktor with wide eyes. "I do trust you!"
Viktor can see him swaying from the action and puts his hands up for Yuuri to calm down. "I know you do. We've been through a lot, and you've dealt with me for this long." Viktor laughs as Yuuri seems to visibly relax, settling back into his bed. "There. Now that that's settled, what can I do for you, Yuuri?" He needs to tell Yuuri about the plan of him going home with the other three, but it can wait until before he leaves. His main focus is Yuuri's health for the time being.
"How long can you stay?"
Viktor smiled, knowing where Yuuri was going with that. "As long as you need me."
"Until visiting hours are over?"
"Deal."
Yuuri grins back at him and laughs brightly. "Thank you, Viktor. Really."
"Like I told you before, I'd do anything for you."
.
. . .
.
Viktor curses his terrible memory. How can he be so stupid?
He was supposed to tell Yuuri that he was leaving today, but instead he got distracted with stories of Yuuri's skating life before he quit yesterday. Now he's the jerk who's about to walk in and tell Yuuri that he's leaving for Russia in an hour. Yuuri's going to hate him.
Taking a deep breath, he walks into Yuuri's room with a fake smile plastered on his face. He can't find it in himself to smile genuinely.
Yuuri seems to know that something's wrong immediately. "Viktor?"
"Hi, Yuuri! How do you feel?"
"I'm fine, but Viktor? Is something wrong?" Yuuri catches on too easily.
Viktor sighs and sits down in a seat across from Yuuri. "Is it that obvious?"
The corners of Yuuri's lip turn upwards, but he can tell Yuuri is still worried. "Other than noticing how nicely dressed you are? You look like you're in as much pain as me." Concern colors Yuuri's voice.
Viktor cringes at the comparison. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Yuuri tries to comfort Viktor in whatever is going on. Viktor thinks that Yuuri is too good for him.
"I guess I should get straight to the point then."
Yuuri waits for Viktor to continue, giving him a nod in encouragement.
"Well," Viktor runs a gloved hand through his hair, "I'm leaving for Russia after this."
Yuuri's face falls in disappointment before it's suddenly gone. "I knew you'd have to go back soon."
"I'm really sorry, Yuuri! I want to stay longer. I really do, but Yakov called me yesterday on the way here and said I didn't have a choice." Viktor leans forward, desperately wanting nothing more than to hold Yuuri in his arms and tell him he'll be back, that they'll be together again soon. But he can't.
"It's okay, Viktor. I understand. You have a job you need to get back to. I'll be following right behind you." Yuuri smiles sadly. A smile Viktor should never see him wear again.
Viktor gets up from the seat and leans against the glass, resting his forehead there. "Yuuri, I'm really sorry."
"What time is your flight at?"
"1:35."
"You should hurry. I don't want you to be late for your flight. Yakov might yell at you again." Yuuri laughs, but it's one coated with the sound of tears that are threatening to fall.
Viktor's heart breaks again. "Yuuri, I don't want to go. I can stay here. I-I can work something out with Yakov, and then-"
"Vitya," Yuuri stands up and carefully makes his way over to the glass, resting his forehead against where Viktor's is on the other side, "I will be fine. I'll see you again shortly. I'll text you everyday to make sure you know I'm okay. It'll be fine. I'll be there in a week. We've already made plans for the move. They're going to be more careful this time, since everyone is afraid of me breaking. I told them I've never been stronger, though. I made them smile for once. All of them. That's a gift you gave me, Vitya. Trust me, that I'll be okay."
"We tell each other to trust the other a lot." Viktor laughs. He's on the verge of tears, and he doesn't know why. "Of course I trust you, Yuuri. I always will. I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Okay."
Viktor kisses the glass, and when he pulls away, he's surprised to see that Yuuri did the same. They lock eyes and laugh, tears ready to fall.
"I'll see you soon, Yuuri."
"See you soon, Vitya."
Reluctantly, Viktor pulls away from the glass. He steals longing glances as he leaves the room, settling himself against the door for a moment before pushing away and heading for the exit.
Yuuri will be okay, Yuuri will be okay, Yuuri will be okay...
He hops into the passenger seat of the rental car and stares at the hospital from the window. Chris, Yurio, and Otabek say nothing as Chris puts the car in drive and in the direction of the airport.
Yuuri will be okay.
.
. . .
.
It's funny, the difference between being at the same airport that drove him up a wall when he hadn't known anything about Yuuri's safety. Those few days felt like a lifetime ago. And now he's back at the airport, only this time he's the one leaving Yuuri. Not indefinitely, yes, but enough to make him suffer.
"How'd he take the news?" Chris comes back from his coffee run and hands Viktor a cup.
Viktor takes it wordlessly, not in the mood to discuss anything related to Yuuri.
"I'll take that as not too well."
"You could say that," Viktor hums into his coffee as he takes a sip.
"You know," Chris sits down next to him in the metal seat in their terminal, "he'll be in Russia soon enough. It won't be long before he's transported back to that same hospital. You'll see him again soon."
"I know."
"Give up. He's not gonna talk to us. I bet he doesn't even hear us." Yurio plops down in the seat across from them, plugging his phone into one of the outlets against the wall. Otabek stands up against the wall.
Chris sighs and pulls out his phone to find something that will keep him busy.
Viktor turns towards the windows that show the runway and all the planes entering into the appropriate terminal. He wonders what it would be like to travel the world with Yuuri. To see his face light up everytime he sees something he's never seen before. He would love to travel the world with Yuuri and writes it down mentally as something he wants to do.
Time flies for Viktor. All he does is stare out the window of the plane once they get on it, not tuning in to any of his surroundings. He does know that Chris ordered for him when he was asked if he wanted any of the inflight food because now there's a small tray of sushi in front of him.
Chris is busy FaceTiming his boyfriend in the seat next to him when Vitkor looks over. Chris winks and then goes back to the call he's on. Viktor sighs and attempts to eat, soon losing his appetite. He catches Yurio staring at him before he turns away and starts up a conversation with Otabek. The rest of the flight is uneventful.
When they land, Yakov is there waiting for them, waiting until they all pile into the vehicle he brought. Chris takes a different car with his own manager, happy to get away from the situation his friends are in.
"Why the hell were all of you in Japan?! Yuri, I want to here your answer first!"
Yurio sighs and rolls his eyes. "I got sick of listening to Viktor complain all the time, so I went to get his boyfriend back."
Viktor could see that a vein was threatened to pop out from Yakov's forehead. He really wishes he hopped into the back with Yurio and Otabek.
"What's your excuse, Viktor?"
"I went to bring Yuri back and fix what needed to be fixed." That could've been worded better.
Yakov explodes at them for what they did, and tells them over and over again that what they did was wrong and immature. Viktor apologizes, while Yurio barely gets out a whatever, clearly terrified of the outcome just not wanting to show it.
The rest of the car ride passes in silence, Yakov clearly steaming in anger in the front seat. Yurio and Otabek are dropped off at Yurio's, where his grandfather takes care of him. When Yakov gets to Viktor's flat, he parks the car but doesn't unlock the doors.
Viktor waits for the explosion again. The "you're older than Yuri so you should've known better" talk. Instead he gets-
"What do you want now?"
Viktor whips his head over to look at Yakov, getting a much softer look than the one he expected. "Huh?"
Yakov pinches the bridge of his nose. "Don't make me repeat myself, Vitya? What do you want to do now?"
"I uh... hadn't thought about it..."
"Give me a break. I'm not stupid. What is it you want? To quit?"
Viktor folds his hands together and thinks about what it is exactly he wants. It doesn't take him long to figure out an answer.
"I want to be with him."
"I know. I meant besides that."
"That's it. That's all I want."
Yakov mutters something under his breath that Viktor doesn't quite catch. "We'll talk more about this later. Be at work early tomorrow. You have a lot to make up for." Yakov unlocks the doors and waits for Viktor to climb out before starting up the car and driving away.
Viktor watches him go for a moment, wondering what answer he was expecting to hear, before giving up and going inside.
His flat feels cold and uninviting when he enters, throwing down the bag he brought with him to Japan on the couch and paces towards his bedroom. He opens his bedroom door and flops down on the bed, letting his mind wander.
He's away from Yuuri. While the time won't be long, it'll still feel like forever to Viktor because he's finally realized where the part of his heart that was once lost lies.
It's with Yuuri. It always will be.
