More of everyone frantically running around St Petersburg in this chapter... Enjoy!

Part 3: Spiral

Chapter 2: All that hunts you down

JJ has never known Otabek to chance quite so many red lights as in that short trip across the city to Viktor's office. He clings to Otabek's waist the whole way, holding back cries of surprise whenever they go over bumps in the road and the bike jolts underneath them, his heart racing and making him feel dizzy. A sharp turn at a junction makes his head spin sickeningly and he screws his eyes shut under the helmet to avoid watching the streets whirling around him.

Behind his eyelids, all he can feel is panic, an overwhelming sensation of falling with no safety net. With Otabek seeming to have turned to anger, JJ isn't sure what to do beyond following him wherever he might go: he has no real idea what to do himself and he won't even consider splitting up to search for Yuri. Knowing that men from Kazakhstan have managed to track them down here does nothing for his nerves – if he were to not even have Otabek beside him he thinks he would probably fall apart, especially if either of them ran into their unexpected visitors.

In the black void of questions, JJ is in free fall. He can hardly stand to comprehend the idea of Yuri being hurt and so he pushes it away, trying desperately to hold it off from wrapping itself around his heart and taking root. They've evaded it all so far – what's to stop them continuing to do so? The only part missing is Yuri and that is what creeps into JJ, crawling under his skin and tugging at his bones. If Yuri took off like that, does he not trust him and Otabek to be able to get him through this? Has he lost his faith in them? The note said love (it's one of the Russian words JJ is most certain of and familiar with) but was it just a placating thing? What would be the point?

JJ bites his lip inside the helmet and shakes his head as they swing around another corner to loud honks from other vehicles. Yuri must have meant it when he said he loved them, but JJ's not stupid enough to think that precludes Yuri not being able to believe in them anymore. As hard as JJ tries, he can't shake the feeling, the question of whether Yuri genuinely wanted to leave them, and the sour aftertaste it brings into his throat. Even if Yuri has lost faith in them, he doesn't want to lose faith in him.

But, as he's quickly learning, what he wants isn't always what he gets.

When they get to Viktor's office building, Otabek practically throws himself from the bike, whipping off his helmet and storming inside while JJ follows him. He doesn't bother knocking at the office itself, instead pushing open the heavy wooden door and striding inside. At his desk, Viktor looks up as they enter.

"Please do come in, no need to knock; it's not like anyone does anymore."

His eyebrows are pulled low over his blue eyes – JJ isn't sure what the expression says but thankfully he does see the way Otabek's shoulders are flexing and jumps between them to block the punch before Otabek can land it, pushing him back and away from the desk.

"What the hell?!" Otabek glares up at JJ. "Fuck are you doing?"

"Do not punch him," says JJ firmly, keeping his hands on Otabek's shoulders. "Things are already a mess without you picking a fight."

"You're very lucky Yuuri isn't here," says Viktor. They both turn to look at him (JJ keeping his grip on Otabek) to see him still sitting at his desk. JJ would think him relaxed but he can see the set of Viktor's jaw that belies stress. "He wouldn't have stopped at holding you back."

Otabek glares at him and tries to push JJ away, succeeding only in making JJ grip his shoulders harder; there won't be a fight if JJ can help it. Thankfully after only a short struggle, Otabek stops, holding up his hands in surrender, and JJ finally lets go. Had it been Yuri, he would have only loosened his grip, but he knows Otabek won't try anything more at this point.

"I'm assuming this is about Yuri?" asks Viktor.

"So you do know something about it?" Otabek bristles but fortunately doesn't make another move to swing at Viktor.

"What do you know?" asks JJ.

"Probably as much as you," frowns Viktor. "Which I assume isn't much."

JJ shakes his head. "We woke up and he was gone – he left this."

Stepping forward, he drops the note on Viktor's desk and for several long moments they wait in silence while Viktor reads it. Eventually, he sighs.

"Please sit down," he says.

They comply silently, both sitting on the edges of their seats. With one last glance over the paper, Viktor leans back in his seat with another frown.

"And this is all you know?" he asks.

They nod and Viktor sighs again.

"I'm sorry I can't offer any further explanation," he says. "All I did was tell him that the men were here when I heard."

"So you didn't suggest that he do this?" asks Otabek.

JJ gapes at him; does Otabek really think Viktor would do something like that? The time he spent with Viktor – was it really only yesterday? – made him feel like he was a genuinely good person, but can Otabek see that? JJ swallows, unsure what to say, and Viktor raises an eyebrow.

"Yuri is perfectly capable of making selfish decisions on his own," he says. "Like I say, all I did was tell him that the people were here. After that, it's all on him."

"So what do we do now?" asks JJ.

"We try to find him," replies Viktor. "Yuuri is out doing what he can to track him down and said he'd get back to me."

"We're just waiting then?" asks Otabek.

"Afraid so," replies Viktor, sitting back in his chair. "I assume you're done trying to pick a fight?"

Otabek drops his gaze to his knees, brows furrowing and face flushing in embarrassment as he mutters, "Sorry."

Viktor arches one eyebrow. "Apology accepted."

As the three of them settle into silence – Viktor typing on his laptop and Otabek fiddling distractedly with his phone while JJ wonders at how different Viktor can seem to be in all the different contexts in which they've spent time together. When JJ got here with Yuri and Otabek, Viktor seemed distant, which became a businesslike attitude, and JJ thought he had figured him out at that point, but then they spent time together yesterday and Viktor seemed much kinder. Despite coming home to a plate nearly hitting him in the face, JJ spent a lot of time yesterday smiling to himself at having been able to speak French to someone and not have it be business. Now... well, JJ can understand part of why Yuri left Saint Petersburg.

Thankfully, it isn't too long before they all hear a knock at the door and Yuuri enters. Viktor gets to his feet, JJ and Otabek following suit.

"What have you found out?" Viktor asks, stepping around the desk and going to his husband, hands coming to rest on Yuuri's shoulders. His brow creases in worry and JJ gives up on trying to understand the changeability of Viktor's personality. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," assures Yuuri, a comforting hand on Viktor's chest. He steps back and turns to the others, saying, "We have a time and location."

"Where and when?" asks Otabek.

"Seems they picked a place in the Krasnogvardeysky district," says Yuuri. "Probably to try and make a quick getaway afterwards. Should be tonight."

"So we go and intercept?" asks JJ. He's not sure where the district is but every moment they spend apart from Yuri physically hurts and JJ needs to know they have a way to fix it.

"We need to get backup," says Yuuri. "I'll call Mila and Georgi and ask them to prepare."

"And what can we do?" asks Otabek.

"Get whatever stuff together you need to," says Viktor. "Meet back here in" – he checks his watch – "two hours?"

Otabek nods and JJ says, "We'll see you then."

The two of them leave; as he closes the door behind himself, JJ briefly sees a look pass between Viktor and Yuuri. With Otabek striding ahead of him down the staircase already, he doesn't get much time to reflect on it, but when he's holding onto Otabek as they speed across town on the bike back to theirs, he realises that the best word he can find to describe it is knowing.

Fire and Ice - Within Temptation