"Unhhhh…" Yuuri groaned and pulled himself up off the ice after falling once again on his quad salchow. His body responded a bit slower than he would've liked as his lower back protested the movement with a dull throb.
"Okay, that's enough jump practice for today," Victor said as he reached him and helped him up the rest of the way. "Let's focus on the choreography and just mark your jumps."
"I can do this!" Yuuri scowled stubbornly as he brushed himself off.
"I know you can and you will, but if you can't teach class or practice tomorrow because you injure yourself again then you'll be set back considerably," Victor replied, gaze stern as he met Yuuri's.
"Fine…" Yuuri reluctantly agreed as he made his way back to the center of the rink and Victor went to set up the music. The Omega moved into starting position and waited for the first strains of Defying Gravity to begin.
Over the last couple of weeks, he had made tremendous progress on his short program and felt confident in the key elements…except for the jumps that is. His quad toe loop was steady, as was his triple axel, but the salchow was his biggest struggle. He knew there was still room for refinement on the program aside from jumps, so he resigned himself to focusing on that for the rest of the evening.
He concentrated on making each movement fluid, on telling his story with each twist, turn and glide of his body across the ice. Yuuri grit his teeth and pushed through as his sore and bruised body demanded that he stop.
I want to become stronger.
I will become stronger.
xxx
"Stop watching me pig. You're creeping me out," Yuri hissed at the Omega as he grabbed his skate guards from the barrier and put them on. The younger man glared as he stomped past him toward the locker room. Yuuri blinked in surprise, an embarrassed blush on his face at being caught out. He couldn't help watching the blond skater closely when he practiced his quad salchow.
He's just so good at it. Yuuri sighed wistfully, eyes meeting Victor's from across the rink, a knowing look in the Alpha's gaze as he smiled sympathetically before turning back to Yakov. Yuuri glanced over his shoulder as the sound of the locker room door slamming resonated from down the hallway. He looked at the busy rink again briefly before heading to find the younger man.
If I'm going to improve enough to be truly competitive I have to utilize all of the resources available to me. He swallowed hard as he grasped the door and hoped the blond skater wouldn't 'kick him with his knife shoes' as he'd threatened to do only last week.
I can do this! Yuuri clenched his fists determinedly and strode inside in search of him. The locker room was quiet aside from the sound of Yuri rifling through his locker.
"Fuck!" Yuri growled out as he tossed several items out onto the floor.
Okay, maybe now isn't a good time. Yuuri decided, eyes wide as he took in the scene before him.
"Where are they, dammit," Yuri turned back to his practice bag where it sat on the bench behind him, stiffening as he saw the Omega standing a few feet away. "What the fuck do you want!?" He leapt over the bench and got right up in Yuuri's face, a wild look in his eyes. "Get out of here!"
"I-I'm sorry…" Yuuri mumbled apologetically as he took a step back.
"Yeah, you are pretty fucking sorry piggy," Yuri sneered, turning back to his locker and continuing to pull things out. "Now fuck off!"
Yuuri froze as his eyes landed upon a circular pill container tucked beneath the bench. He closed the distance and picked it up to confirm his suspicions. There was only one medication he knew of that came like that. The sound of the pills rattled softly in the foil packet's individual slots within. Yuri whipped around with a gasp as Yuuri read the label.
"Give that to me!" Yuri snatched it out of his grasp, terror filling his sea-green eyes.
"Yuri…are you an Om-" The skater cut off his words as he roughly grabbed the collar of Yuuri's jacket and yanked him forward.
"You can't say anything! They'll take e-everything away from me," the blond's voice cracked, laying waste to the confident façade he typically wore.
"I would never! I promise." Yuuri reached up to take hold of the shaking hand on his jacket and squeeze it reassuringly.
"I couldn't do that to you," Yuuri muttered, releasing the other Omega's hand. "Does anyone else know?"
"No," Yuri shook his head as he popped a suppressant pill out of the case and stuffed it back inside his bag before picking up his water to take it.
"Where are you getting those then?" Yuuri gestured toward the pills in the bag, concern in his eyes. "They're illegal without a prescription in Russia."
"No shit," the blond responded sarcastically as he closed his water bottle. "I know a guy-"
"Yuri, no! Black market suppressants can be dangerous and unreliable. You can't just-"
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" Yuri replied angrily, not meeting the raven-haired male's eyes as he shoved his bag into the locker and closed it. "It's not your problem."
"Yuri…"
"Just keep your stupid mouth shut," the young skater mumbled as he shoved past the other Omega and headed for the rink. Yuuri could only watch with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he left.
What am I going to do?
xxx
"Victor? I need your help," Yuuri set his fork down and took a deep breath before turning to look at his mate.
"Don't worry, you'll get that quad sal-"
"No, it's not about my jumps…although that is something I need to work on, but anyways…that isn't what I need to talk about," the Omega replied, gnawing nervously on his lower lip. Victor set his fork down and turned to face him with concern in his gaze. "If I tell you, do you promise to keep it a secret?"
"Of course," Victor murmured reassuringly as he took Yuuri's hand and brought it to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of it. "You can tell me anything."
"I found out that one of the other skaters is an Omega as well," Victor's eyes widened in surprise. "They're taking illegal suppressants to hide it and I'm worried…" Yuuri's eyes glossed over, throat choked with emotion as he continued.
"This person…they're so talented and their future is so bright," the younger man blinked and sniffled as he took off his glasses to wipe away the tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Yuuri…" Victor replied softly as he pulled his mate into his arms and held him close as he continued to speak.
"They haven't asked for help, but they're going to need it. You can't fight this battle alone and I c-can't let them be forced off the ice j-just because they're….they're…" Yuuri buried his face in Victor's neck and took a several calming breaths as his Alpha rubbed his back.
"How can I help?" Victor asked quietly, leaning back to brush the tears off his husband's face. "How can we help?"
"Would you be willing to get me a prescription for suppressants?" Yuuri asked hopefully. "At least then I could give them to him so he wouldn't have to go to some shady dealer."
"Him?" Victor had thought it was one of the junior skaters Yuuri worked with, but at the moment, they were largely a mix of youths that consisted of unpresented females, a few Betas of both genders, and one Alpha who had presented about six months earlier. His mind raced through all the possible candidates at the rink. The sudden realization of whom it might be was a weight on his heart.
"It's Yuri, isn't it?" Victor asked with a heavy sigh. Yuuri pursed his lips but eventually nodded. Given the young blond's bold attitude and brash behavior, it was typically assumed that it wouldn't be long before he presented as an Alpha, or perhaps a Beta.
Poor Yuri. This would destroy him if it got out. His life. His career. It would all be over before it began. Victor had seen it happen time and again over the last decade, but it had never hit him quite as hard as this revelation.
There would be an instance or two a year where a skater suddenly stopped showing up at practice. The hushed whispers of the parents and coaches did little to prevent gossip when someone presented as an Omega. They were often whisked away to a temple like Yutopia or a luxurious safe house on a sprawling, but incredibly well-guarded estate somewhere. The Omegas were kept there for 'training and preparation' until their parents or guardians found them a match.
I can't imagine Yuri in one of those places. He thought as he glanced at his mate. Victor was incredibly thankful that Yuuri had at least had his family and some sort of purpose beyond being groomed as an Alpha's mate during his time at Yutopia. But in Yuri's case, he would have no one...
Yuuri was right. They had to do something, but…
"I'll do it, but will he even accept them if we offer?" Victor asked skeptically.
"I have to at least try," Yuuri murmured with a wry smile. "If he won't…then I'll just have to be there for him if things go wrong."
"We both will," Victor assured him with a squeeze of his hand.
xxx
"Yuri?"
"Yeah, what?" The blond snapped, otherwise ignoring Yuuri as he sat down beside the younger man on the bench where he was unlacing his skates after morning practice. The raven-haired Omega scanned their immediate surroundings to make sure they wouldn't be overheard as he set down his bag next to Yuri's and started to get his skates out.
"I just wanted to tell you that I have a packet of suppressants to give you. It would be helpful if you told me when no one is looking so I can put them in your bag," Yuuri murmured softly. The younger Omega froze briefly before continuing to unlace his skates.
"Why would you…" Yuri gave him a side-long glance, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you want in return?"
"Nothing. I just want to help you," Yuuri assured him. "You're an amazing skater, Yuri. I don't think the world should be deprived of that because of your dynamic." The blond stared at him in disbelief before looking out at the ice where Victor was finishing practice.
"He knows, doesn't he?" Yuri grumbled, an air of resignation about him as he continued to gaze ahead at the rink. "Why are you two going out of your way for me? I've been horrible..."
"Great question," Yuuri shrugged, a small smirk forming on his face. "I think I'd miss having you around if someone found out. After all, your threats to stab me with your skates have become the highlight of my day."
"Tch, idiot…" Yuri huffed, trying to hide the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. The younger man surveyed the rink around him, expression serious as he checked to see if anyone was looking their way. Yuuri leaned forward and reached in his bag, waiting.
"Now," Yuri mumbled quietly. Yuuri didn't even look up as he calmly pulled out the pills and slid them into the bag next to his own. Yuri was quiet as he continued to put on his sneakers. When he was finished, he stood and grabbed his gear as Yuuri continued to lace his skates. The blond took two steps forward and stopped.
"Thank you," he whispered before walking away.
Yuuri smiled to himself and looked up to meet his husband's gaze as he stepped off the ice. He gave the Alpha a brief nod in confirmation that he'd been able to complete his task. Victor hurried over quickly, pulling him into a hug as he stood to meet him.
"Do you want to practice now? The ice is open." Victor asked, kissing his cheek and leaning back to brush a strand of hair from his face. Yuuri nodded happily.
"I'd love to."
xxx
"Dammit…" Yuuri cursed as he touched down on his jump. He stopped and skated over to the rink barrier to grab his water, hoping a momentary break would provide some fresh insight on why he couldn't consistently land a clean quad salchow. It was quiet in the rink, aside from the sound of Victor's movements on the ice.
He watched as his mate slid gracefully across the ice, eyes narrowing at the footwork he was practicing.
That's…new. Is he working on another program for me?
"Hey, piggy."
Yuuri startled and almost dropped his water, turning around quickly at the sound of Yuri's voice. The blond met Victor's gaze with a nod of acknowledgment and the silver-haired male skated over to join them.
"What are you doing here?" Yuuri murmured.
"I'm here to practice, idiot," Yuri replied with a roll of his eyes. "Victor mentioned you both come here in the evening and said I could use the ice too."
The raven glanced at his husband nervously, silently asking if he had told Yuri why they were there…exactly WHAT he was practicing. Victor gave a small shake of his head and a reassuring smile to confirm his secret was safe.
"Maybe I can help you with your salchow while I'm here," Yuri muttered, not meeting their eyes as he turned to go put his skates on. Yuuri beamed.
"Thank you, Yuri!" He called after him.
"Whatever…" the blond mumbled dismissively as he sat down on a nearby bench. "I…just can't stand to watch you butcher that jump, that's all."
Yuuri and Victor shared a smile before they both returned to their own practice. The Omega felt a swell of hope inside. Not just because he was going to receive help on his jump, but because maybe, just maybe he'd made a friend.
Endnotes:
Wow...I've been waiting to let THAT angry cat out of the bag for a loooooooooooong time :) lol
The saying that 'we dislike in others what we recognize/see in ourselves' was constantly in mind as I introduced Yuri when we arrived in Russia. I hope you enjoyed the reveal.
I'm on Tumblr: Animefanimefic
Stop by and say hi :)
