Once Worlds ended, the skaters finally had some time off. Assignments for the 2017 Grand Prix would be announced soon enough, but before that there were no other major competitions. It was time off to relax a bit, but most of it was spent investing countless more hours to perfect programs and elevate and polish skills when necessary. For Yuri, this was the time to add more quads. So far, Yuri could only land a Quad Salchow and Quad Toe-Loop. He needed to do more if he was going to beat out the competition. At Worlds, Viktor had defeated him by a full 3 points; that was too wide of a margin for Yuri's liking. It was an even larger margin than from when Viktor defeated him in Nationals. Unacceptable in Yuri's book; he was going to hand the old man his ass on a shiny golden platter. That was the only gold Viktor was ever going to get from now on if Yuri had it his way. Though his body was changing, it had yet to become too bothersome. Yuri was gaining height; he was becoming leaner, more muscular, but Yuri continued to rely on his combination spins and his flexibility. He would accommodate the changes when they came, but now was not the time. Though his skating was nearly flawless, it still was not good enough to beat Viktor. So the day after he returned to St. Petersburg, he found himself in the rink, demanding that Lilia increase the difficulty of his free program. Though she initially said no, resisting the angry cursing and threats, she gave in after about a week, seeing how determined Yuri was. So it began; Yuri knew what he had to do first. First, he was going to master Viktor's signature move: the quadruple flip.

It was much easier said than done.

If Yuri had injured himself somehow during the night he could not tell. He was so sore, but he had yet to land a quadruple flip. He almost expected it, seeing how he only recently started incorporating quads into this programs after his 2015 Junior Grand Prix win. Even in the junior competitions leading up to his senior debut did not include quads. The Quadruple Salchow he landed at age 12 was a one-time thing; Yakov had given him hell for it after, banning him from ever attempting quads again else Yakov quit as his coach. Besides, he had to prove to Viktor that he could indeed win a competition without quads, which he did. But now, after winning gold in his senior debut plus Viktor's return plus Katsuki Yuuri plus so many other factors, it was time to perfect those quads. He was on his own a lot of the time. During the day he did whatever Yakov wanted his to do, which did not include many quads. As much as his coach wanted the best for him, Yuri always felt that Yakov underestimated him. They all did; or maybe Yuri's arrogance and overconfidence was really getting out of hand. Landing a Triple Axel, Triple Toe-Loop combination Yuri gained speed to attempt the Quadruple Salchow, Triple Toe-Loop Combination from Agape. Clean landing. He then tried a Triple Toe-Loop, Half Loop, Triple Salchow. Slightly under-rotated but Yuri kept going. Quadruple Lutz. Hand on ice. More frustration. Yuuri could land it, so why couldn't he? Yuri kept going, a Biellmann spin here, a sit spin there, a Quadruple Salchow with a clean landing. Yuri knew he was best at his spins, and had yet to prove himself a jumper; still, sticking to his strengths would only get him so far. And that time was coming to a close. Feeding off his anger, Yuri sped up and wound himself up to attempt a Quadruple Flip. He flubbed, missing the landing and crashing onto the ice, skidding a little bit.

Yuri could feel the ice biting into his arms, sort of. He had been on the ice for hours, the cold numbing him out long ago. His eyes resembled the haze that covered his thoughts. The only light was his drive to do better. Little else mattered; it was unhealthy but one would be hard-pressed to find a single skater that ever had entirely healthy habits. What time was it anyways. Practice had ended at 7 that evening, and the moon was up high in the sky now. Yuri just rolled over and lay on the ice, staring at the dimmed fluorescent lights of the rink's ceiling, letting his thin black t-shirt and sports pants soak up the ice as it melted. His hair sprawled in many directions as his ponytail had fallen out quite some time ago. Yuri could feel the tears begin to form as the exhaustion and soreness finally began to set in. He was breathing heavily and his head throbbed; really how many hours have passed since Yakov left? Yuri had not even taken a break to eat dinner yet, which was scaring in that Yuri was already on the leaner side, even for a figure skater. He raised one arm to cover his eyes, no longer wanting to stare at the lights above. He could feel the warm tears down his cheeks as he tried to steady his breathing. The frustration was really getting to him. He had to be the best; he had tied his entire self-worth into figure skating. He had basically nothing without it, or so he thought. There were few other factors, or really only two. Grandpa, and most recently, Otabek. And his cat. But that was it really. He could vaguely hear the sound of skates approaching through the noise of his internal thoughts, but Yuri paid little attention to it. He assumed it to be Viktor, as it had been the last few days. Since Worlds two weeks ago Viktor and Yuuri had been around to practice with the rest of the Russian team. Viktor had made it his habit to check on Yuri, always being the one to eventually usher the younger off the ice. Twice he then followed Viktor to his apartment where Yuuri made him miso soup and the three would then watch some unrealistic anime late into the night. But all other times Yuri just went back to Lilia's flat and passed out on his bed, alone. "Ten more minutes Viktor," Yuri stated simply. The skates next to him did not move, nor did he hear a response. "Viktor I'm fine," Yuri stated, a bit more firmly. "Just get off the ice and I'll leave with you." Yuri hated sharing the ice with other people; it felt like he was sharing his own world to the unwelcome public. Yuri moved his arm and looked up. Viktor was there, with the same stern expression he maintained the last few days. But off behind Viktor at rink side leaning against the barrier was Otabek Atlin.

The last time Yuri met with Otabek prior to Worlds had been at Four Continents when Yuuri collapsed backstage. Otabek returned to Kazakhstan straight from Gangneung back to Almaty. There he stayed through the rest of February, all the way through March until reuniting at Worlds. It was tough, being apart but neither was willing to risk distractions when there was so much at stake. But that also meant Otabek was not there when Yuri turned 16. At it happened, Otabek ended up having some local charity event he needed to skate in that day and was unable to Skype with Yuri until late into the evening. Yuri spent his birthday practicing, as it should have been. He was pretty alone in his junior days, and his birthday was never that big of a deal. Mila and Viktor always told him happy birthday and smushed him in a hug. He got small gifts as well: a tiger-print phone case, cheetah print skate guards, cat-print hoodies, and accessories for his cat, and sometimes gift cards or food; when he was still with Nikolai he made Pirozhkis for Yuri. Yuri fortunately was able to make the trip to Moscow for his 15th birthday. But for his 16th, he was alone. There was Mila, but Yuri could only take so many doses of her madness. She offered to take him out to lunch, which Yuri declined. Politely. Georgi wished Yuri a happy birthday and gave the younger a gift card to Yuri's favorite online store, and he too offered to take Yuri out for a meal, but again Yuri declined. Viktor was in Japan, with Yuuri. Even Yakov was not there, as he was away for some junior tournament in Moscow for some of his younger skaters. Lilia was gone too, having to be at a ballet performance for some of her dancers; she would most likely not be returning to the apartment until well into the early hours of the next day. So Yuri spent his 16th birthday alone. Even though Yuuri and Viktor and some other skaters messaged him well wishes and all, Yuri was alone. So he skated, as if it were no different from any other day. Really skating was all he had. He skated until Mila and Georgi dragged him off with them at around 7 in the evening, on Yakov's orders. He returned to Lilia's flat. He took a shower, dressed in his favorite cheetah print onesie, and binge watched his favorite sports anime. He got his call from Otabek around 10 at night, when he was already dosing off on the couch. Otabek was still sweating and slightly red-faced as he had just finished his routine and was leaving the arena. He apologized for not being there with Yuri and wished him a happy 16th. Yuri replied that he understood. Skaters did not exactly have the most predictable convenient schedules. Otabek's performance had gone off without a hitch and he now had a few more sponsors. He really was the country's hero in many ways. The talked for hours on end it seemed. Yuri woke up the next morning still on the couch with a blanket over him. He did not remember saying good-bye to Otabek, so Yuri assumed he must have fallen asleep while they were still talking. Lilia must have found him like that, bent over his laptop. The laptop now sat closed on the coffee table. He got dressed, ate a banana, chugged down a cup of coffee, grabbed his bag, and headed to the rink.

When they finally met up at Worlds, Otabek handed Yuri a small box wrapped in cheetah print wrapping paper with a giant yellow bow on top. Opening it, Yuri glanced upon a small, expensive looking gold bracelet with several charms upon it. Lifting the bracelet carefully out of its case, Yuri looked more closely at the individual charms. The band itself was inscribed with "Юрий Плисецкий". One of the charms was a silver skate with a golden blade, one was of a golden cat with accented silver fur and whiskers, one was a miniature replica of his GPF gold medal, and one was a silver teddy bear. It was beautiful and Yuri had stuttered a thank you to Otabek, saying that the elder did not have to. The bracelet looked really expensive. Otabek replied that he wanted to, and again apologized for not being able to give it to him earlier. Unfortunately it was a bit too bulky to be worn with his skating costumes, but otherwise Yuri wore it everywhere. It was a symbol of his relationship with Otabek; Yuri treasured it and wore it proudly and showed it off often. Viktor had presented Yuri with custom leopard print Gucci sunglasses accented an elegant gold design along the wooden temple of the frame. The case that the pair came in seemed expensive enough alone, so Yuri did not even want to know how much it cost Viktor. But then again, Viktor was loaded. Viktor also bought him a protective phone case, just in case Yuri's current one gave out, as Yuri still had a habit of throwing his phone when angry. The case itself had painting of a tiger in neon colors on a black background. Yuuri gifted a large bag of Yuri's favorite Japan-exclusive junk food snacks. He and Viktor also presented a card, which they both had signed. It was overdue, but it was a good birthday. Well, it was until Yuri ended up in the hospital but still, Yuri felt loved. He missed the feeling.

But after Worlds, Otabek left him again, and Yuri returned to Russia with Viktor and Yuuri. So when he looked up and saw Otabek at rink side, to say he was shocked was an understatement.

And to say he was tired was an extreme understatement.

Viktor looked concerned, more so than usual. As Yuri fazed back into reality, and his senses returned he started to realize why. The stinging on his arms was more than from the ice; he had small scrapes up and down, some of them bleeding, as evidenced by some red splotches on the ice around him. He also felt wetness from his face, and upon touching the wet spot and pulling away, there was red water as well. And his ankle throbbed; it was not dislocated or broken. He knew that kind of pain from when he twisted his ankle back when he was 8, and this was not that level. Still, Yuri could hear his own heavy breaths and the warm tears leaking from his eyes. He realized what a mess he must seem like at that moment. Yuri tried to get up but could not, either because he was just that exhausted or because of the sharp pain in his ankle or something else entirely. Viktor must have heard the wince because he sighed and lifted Yuri straight off the ice without a protest. He skated off the ice and set Yuri on his feet again on the ground, supported by Otabek. Otabek led him to the bench and wordlessly removed Yuri's skates. It seemed he was done practicing for the night. After Otabek had finished taking off the skates, he slipped on Yuri's boots and packed everything up. "Can you walk?" the Kazakh asked. "Yeah. I think." Yuri replied as he tried to stand. But once pressure was put on the ankle he winced and Otabek immediately had a hand around Yuri's midsection to prevent him from falling forward. He eased Yuri back onto the bench. "No. You don't. You're injured. It's okay to admit that," Otabek said. Yuri shook his head and made a move to get up again. "No I'm f-"

"YURI PLISETSKY." Viktor all but yelled. Yuri looked up, eyes blown open. Viktor almost NEVER yelled. It only happened when he was really, really, REALLY upset. "Yuri do you want to hurt yourself so badly as to never skate again?" Viktor asked, stern and looking at Yuri with piercing frosty blue eyes. Yuri shook his head. "Yuuri almost hurt himself because he would not admit to his body's damage; are you about to insult him by putting yourself through the same mistake?" Again Yuri shook his head no. It was hard…not being perfect. Viktor's face softened then. He made his way to Yuri and crouched at eye-level with the younger Russian. "Yuri I just don't want to see you get hurt; I'm only angry because I'm watching you hurt yourself. You're a mortal athlete; people and especially athletes can get hurt. And it's okay. So please, just take a rest and wait for your body to heal. It is better to be safe than sorry, okay Yurochka?" Viktor said, blue eyes pleading. Yuri nodded. He did not apply verbally. Viktor nodded in return and indicated with his head to Otabek before standing back up and grabbing Yuri's bag and walking toward the exit. Yuri was about to ask what was going on when Otabek swopped in and lifted the younger up easily. Instinctively Yuri wrapped his arms around Otabek's neck to keep from falling and rested his head on Otabek's shoulder. Otabek followed Viktor to the parking lot where Viktor was loading Yuri's bag into the trunk of his BMW i8*. Viktor opened the backseat door and Otabek ducked in with Yuri still in his arms. Viktor moved to the driver's seat and drove away. It was dead silent save for Yuuri's J-pop playing from the radio. From the dashboard Yuri saw that it was already almost midnight. And he still had no idea how and why Otabek was in St. Petersburg without telling Yuri first. But those were questions for the next day. Yuri knew he was going to be confined to the couch the next few days at least. At least Otabek was there to keep him company for however long he stayed. Viktor parked in the lot of Lilia's apartment complex. He again moved to Otabek's side and opened the door for the two. Adjusting his grip on Yuri, who clung to him on his lap the entire ride, he exited and walked toward the building, Viktor not far behind with Otabek's luggage and Yuri's skate bag. This late at night there was no one in the lobby so they rode the elevator to the proper floor. Viktor knocked on the door. A few seconds later Lilia opened the door, raising an eyebrow at the sight. She tsk'd, deducting quickly what must have happened and ushers them all in. Viktor stays for a short amount of time chatting with Lilia about Yuuri but leaves soon after, Yuri murmuring a thanks and Viktor nodding in understanding. Lilia soon left for her own room, leaving just Otabek and Yuri snuggled together on the coach.

"You need to get cleaned up." Otabek pointed out.
"…oh." Yuri had forgotten about the wounds for a time. Otabek moved them to the restroom adjacent to Yuri's room. In the mirror, Yuri could finally see the damage. His hair was mushed and tangled, sticking to his neck and fraying off in all directions. He had bags under his puffy red eyes. There were a few small smidges of blood from an abrasion on his left cheek. His arms had similar abrasions. There were a lot of bruises too, and Yuri could feel more on his legs and his feet. Otabek first grabbed a towel and wet it under warm water and wiped away any traces of blood. Otabek pulled the first aid kit from under the sink and set about disinfecting all the cuts. He wrapped them up with bandages. He then moved to pull down Yuri's pants, leaving the younger sitting on the counter top in just his black boxers. His legs were littered in bruises of varying damage. Otabek also peeled away Yuri's socks, and the black and blue bruised ankle looked horrible. Yuri was sure he was going to be banned from the ice for at least a week now. But fortunately there was no damaged skin or open wounds there. As Otabek checked the bruises and wiped them down as well, Yuri ran a hand through his now shoulder length hair, trying to detangle the mess a bit. He did not make much progress. Satisfied that Yuri was cared for sufficiently Otabek stood back up and pressed a kiss to Yuri's temple. Yuri's eyes fluttered shut from the gesture. Moving them back into the bedroom Otabek handed Yuri a clean pair of boxers, sweats, and a t-shirt from his cabinet. He then returned to the living room and grabbed his own luggage, dragging it back to Yuri's room. He changed as well; they had seen each other naked enough times in the locker rooms of competitions to not even blink. He slid in next to Yuri in bed as the blonde set himself on Otabek's broad chest.
"Night Beka."
"Night Yura."
They were both out within minutes. Questions could wait until the sun rose again.

Viktor returned to the apartment and ran a hand over his face. Yuri was overworking himself past the point of injury. Viktor was very worried. Especially now, right after his Yuuri suffered from a body malfunction, he was worried Yuri was really going to go too far and end his skating career prematurely. Viktor himself had shattered his ankle at 18; he got lucky. Yuri might not be so lucky if he were to undergo the same mistakes. He messaged Otabek a few days before, asking if Yuri had spoken to him about any injuries. Yuri had not. Viktor could tell something was off from watching Yuri practice, but he kept his mouth shut so that Yuri might come to him first. He did not. And he knew Yuri would not listen to him. But Yuri would listen to Otabek; desperate times called for desperate measures. He updated Otabek on his suspicions and the man booked a flight over that same night. It was up to Otabek now to talk more sense into Yuri. Viktor had faith, now that Yuri had many more people to care for him in the absence of Nikolai in Yuri's everyday life. With all that Yuri was currently struggling with, the more help, the better.

Viktor slipped off his coat and made his way to the bedroom. Makkachin was already sprawled across the floor in the corner on his back, fast asleep. Yuuri was in bed asleep already, the reading light still on. It seemed the younger had fallen asleep while waiting for Viktor to return. Viktor quietly pulled out his phone and snapped a photo; Yuuri looked absolutely adorable, even with messy hair and a small trail of drool leaking out the corner of his mouth. Viktor then moved to take of Yuuri's glasses and pried the book out of his hand, setting both on the nightstand. Viktor then changed into sweatpants and a long sleeved night shirt. Turning off the light Viktor slipped into bed and pulled Yuuri to him, who subconsciously complied and snuggled against Viktor with a few nonsense sleepy murmurs. All was not right within the world, and there was much work to be done still. He would need to check with Yuri in the morning, but for now, Viktor was content to be lulled to sleep next to his beloved fiancé.

*So apparently after major victories the Russian government gives its athletes cars for "completing their assigned task" or something like that. Viktor very well fits that category, thus the luxury car.

A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for reading! As always, comments and suggestions are always welcome