This is one of those moments that Viktor wishes he wasn't so dumb or empty-headed. Yurio would agree in a heartbeat if he said those words out loud.
"I've been saying that since I've met you. Took you long enough to figure out, though. What are you? Deaf?"
Oops. Viktor grins sheepishly whereas Yurio rolls his eyes and walks away towards the set. Usually they don't ever work on a shoot together, but the magazine's offer they accepted asked for both of them. Which brings them to where they are right now. Viktor's tugging on the sleeve of his dress shirt as he absent-mindedly thinks about the promise he made to Yuuri and how he's tremendously messed up. Yesterday, he agreed to meet the Japanese man again today, only... there's a problem. Apparently it was decided at the meeting yesterday that the shoot was going to take place today of all days. God, he really has to start paying attention more. Yurio was right.
"I'm always right. Now get over here!"
He should probably work on keeping things in his head as well. Viktor finally moves his legs to go stand next to Yurio, awaiting for instructions from the photographer and his design crew. Yurio nudges him as a few girls from the makeup department onsight fret over their hairstyles. Viktor glances down at him and is met with a general look of concern, and why is Yurio of all people concerned? And why now?
"If you mess this shoot up because you were thinking of the diseased patient you're obsessed with, then so help me I will end your life faster than his."
Viktor's jaw drops and of course he was expecting something cruel, but that... He's seeing red as he internally debates whether or not to cause a scene. Yurio may be a model just like him, but he's smaller, less mature, and newer to all of this compared to Viktor. He could easily take the tiny Russian down. Instead, he turns away and offers a smile to no one in particular. "If you mention Yuuri in that way ever again, then you'll be done for before I am." The words come out as ice, and he doesn't continue until the ladies leave their sides. Leaning down to whisper, Viktor draws his words out as crude as he can make them. "I have a higher status than you do. Keep that in mind the next time you threaten me. I can ruin your life with just a few, quick words to the press. That's all it'll take." He stands up to his full height, strutting across the set to talk with the photographer and director.
Yurio says nothing as he goes, which is smart. Viktor is seeing red with the anger he's feeling right now, and it'd be best if Yurio shut up and listened to him for once. He tries to make himself sound friendlier as he discusses with the others what the plan is for the shoot and what he needs to do. It isn't long before photos are taken and discarded. Everyone shuffles in and out throughout the day, changing the way their outfits look or something as simple as hand placement for the pictures. Yurio avoids talking to him for as long as the shoot takes. It isn't until the end that Yurio approaches him again.
"Did you say his fucking name is the same as mine?" There's an apparent scowl on the blond's lips, but Viktor finds humor in it rather than the fear most would feel.
"Of course not. I said his name was Yuuri, which is more adorable and fits him so much better. Besides, your name is Yurio. There's a difference." Viktor throws the suit jacket around his shoulders and his arms in the sleeves, eyes never leaving Yurio's the entire time.
"I told you to stop being gross, and my name isn't Yurio, dumbass. You literally just said his name the same way my name is. There's no difference whatsoever." He crosses his arms and taps one of his dress shoes on the tile below them.
"Correction, my sweet Yurio. The 'u' in his name is more exaggerated, so there is a difference. You're just too simple-minded to notice the difference." He beams down at the smaller Russian with a gaze that must gross him out more.
"At least I was able to remember the shoot we had today and showed up on time." Yurio huffs as Yakov calls him over to examine his work so far. Viktor is grateful that Yurio is distracted, but he can't shake his annoyance at himself. On top of breaking his deal with Yuuri, he has no way of letting the Japanese patient where he is. He forgot to get his phone number or even an Instagram page. Really, how could he have forgotten? Sure, it wasn't originally a plan of his, but it should've been. No sooner than a minute later, a pat on his back drives his attention away from his self-loathing. He turns around to notice that it's Sara, who's wearing a dress meant for dancing. It's a red spaghetti strapped dress that's cut asymmetrically along the right side and covered in sparkles while the bottom has feathers decorating the ends of every layer. her hair is twirled up into a side bun while a matching headpiece adorns her head. He forgot she's working on the shoot with them as well today.
"You okay? Mila mentioned you might be out of it, but I didn't think it would be this bad."
Of course Mila talked to Sara about Yuuri. She and Sara sat on good terms and have been pretty good friends for a while. He almost thinks that maybe he should've expected that. "Mm, I'm fine. Thank you, though. I may have screwed up, but that's my problem to handle."
"Care to talk about it?" Even though they work for the same agency, Viktor doesn't talk to Sara too much. Michele, her twin brother, usually drives most of the guys in the agency away from her. Viktor never really wanted to mess with him just because it would start a problem, so he stayed away.
"No, it's alright. I do need to find a way to sneak out early, though." That was going to be tough, considering Yakov has his eye on him twenty-four seven today. He wonders what put his agency's CEO in a bad mood and on high alert. He wonders if Yurio is responsible for that.
"I can help if you want."
"Really?!" Viktor's looking at her like she just brought down all the stars in the sky.
"You won't be able to leave for long, though. Got it? If Yakov catches on, then I'm throwing you under the bus for this." She wags a finger at him and grins mischievously. Viktor's too excited to even care that he'll get in trouble. When doesn't he get in trouble anyway?
"Understand!" He salutes her and watches as she walks over to the director behind the shoot. They offer words back and forth, while Sara adds a few gestures that are definitely overdramatized. She's friends with Mila alright. She passes him briefly, giving him a wide smile of victory. It isn't until the director talks over the din of the room that he understands what she did.
"We'll be taking a thirty minute break! Everyone, get set up for the next shot!"
He owes her big time. Sprinting faster than he has in a while, he makes a beeline for the back exit, knowing he'll be caught if he just walks out the front entrance. That would be a terrible idea. And then he remembers that he's still wearing the clothes for the photo-shoot. Oh well. He mostly gets all the clothes from every shoot he's in anyway. A few people give him a number of odd looks as he races down the street to where his car is parked. The hospital is about a five minute maybe ten minute drive, but it's faster if he books it and the streets are clear. It's the afternoon, so traffic isn't as heavy as it was earlier, but it's still unbearably slow. Well, at least to Viktor it feels that way. When he pulls up to the hospital, he can finally hear the ringing of his cellphone, opting to just turn it off. Nothing's going to ruin this now that he's gotten all the way there. Viktor makes sure he takes the blue visitor's pass from the dashboard of his car and hurries into the building. Out of breath, he hands the person behind the check-in desk the small card and tries to catch his breath.
It's a guy this time he notes as he raises an eyebrow at Viktor's sudden presence. "Who will you be visiting today?"
"Yuuri... Katsuki..." Viktor pants the words out as he stands himself upright and shrugs out of the stuffy suit jacket he's wearing. Time to pray it isn't ruined, but that's a thought for later. Right now, his attention is only meant to be for Yuuri.
"Ah, yes. Mr. Katsuki did inform us of a possible visitor. You can go right ahead, Mr. Nikiforov."
"Thank you." He sighs in relief and takes the blue card back, shoving it into his pant's pockets. As he walks down the hallway towards Yuuri's room, Viktor tries to make himself look presentable. There's no way he looks photo-ready after all the running he's done. The doors are pushed open harder than he intended to do, but oh well. Might as well make it clear now that he's arrived after making Yuuri wait.
Yuuri must not have heard him because there's no sound at all, even in the room containing the protective suits and gear. Usually there's a speaker in that room, so everyone can hear Yuuri in case something happens. He's distressed for a moment. The male nurse would've mentioned that Yuuri's room got changed. The faint beeping of the machines reassure him that everything's alright, though. The other reassurance is when he breaks through into the room with the glass window, he can see Yuuri peacefully napping in his bed. Or as peacefully as he can. Yuuri doesn't look like he's dreaming of anything too happy, and the small whimpers he hears coming from the other confirm that. Viktor sits down in a chair that was placed in the corner of the room and decides to either wait for Yuuri to wake up on his own or until visiting time is over. He doesn't want to wake Yuuri up unless he really has to. Yuuri looked exhausted yesterday and was without a doubt kept up all night either. Viktor doesn't know what kinds of procedures he's going through are, but he can't imagine any of them being fun.
It's not long before Yuuri becomes even more audible, which scares Viktor. He doesn't know what to do in situations like this, and maybe calling a doctor or nurse would be a good idea? Or at least it seems it would be, but at the same time, he just wants to spend time with Yuuri, even if that means just watching him sleep. Yuuri's hair is splayed out over his pillow, while his limbs cover every surface of the bed. It's cute the way the covers are rolled up on one side all the way to his hip and one arm is falling off the mattress. It's cute until Yuuri starts looking like he's going to fall off the bed. Uh oh. He's very close to the edge, and whatever dream he's having doesn't help either because it only nudges him further away from the center of the bed.
"Yuuri?" The male whose name Viktor's called out shifts a little, and oh boy, he's really going to fall off now. "Yuuri!" With a jolt, Yuuri sits upright in his bed and whirls around to search for where the voice came from. He rubs at his eyes and assesses the room around him. Viktor stays silent as he watches the male try to shake off his grogginess. Unfortunately - fortunately? - Yuuri doesn't notice him and scratches at his head before pulling at the t-shirt he's wearing. Viktor feels like he's invading now because Yuuri still hasn't noticed him and is... oh. Oh no.
Yuuri's pulled a few wires from his right arm and from around his face before stretching his arms out in front of him. That's not what has Viktor sitting on the edge of his seat. It's what Yuuri does next that has him unable to take his eyes off of the patient. Yuuri stands up and pulls his t-shirt up and over his head. Viktor knows he shouldn't, but his eyes trace every line of muscle on Yuuri's back. Wow. Okay. considering his condition, Yuuri is well-built. He's lean, which means he does or did some sort of physical activity before everything happened to him. It's apparent. Very apparent. He doesn't even realize that Yuuri's now staring at him until he squeaks and jumps in surprise.
"V-Viktor?!"
"H-Hi, Yuuri." Weakly, he smiles and waves, but honestly he's still staring at a shirtless-Yuuri. It's disappointing when Yuuri yelps again and tries his best to cover his exposed chest with the shirt he's still holding. Very disappointing because... wow. That was something he didn't know he needed to see until now.
"W-When did you... how long have y-you...?!"
Viktor is pretty sure Yuuri doesn't want to hear the answers to either of those questions. Not the whole truth. "I just got here." He's staring again, trying to catch a glimpse of what he did see moments ago, only Yuuri is heavily guarded now. "So... how are you?" He really wants to smack himself. Yuuri is probably traumatized, and by the way Yuuri hasn't moved an inch to do anything, he's guessing that that wasn't the right thing to say right now.
"I... you're... g-give me a second!"
Yuuri continues to stand there, and it takes Viktor longer than it should to process what Yuuri's asking of him. "Sure! Yes! Of course!" Quickly, he turns around in the chair, keeping his back facing the window. The rustle of fabric is obvious to his ears, and he so wants to turn around. Nope. He's not going to do it. Instead, he goes through the Russian alphabet in his head, tries focusing on that while he waits for Yuuri to give him the okay to turn around again. Or yell at him to leave. That would be appropriate, too. More reasonable.
"O-Okay. You can turn around now."
Viktor tries not to let the disappoint appear on his face, but it's hard. Well, not so hard now that he's staring at Yuuri again. Yuuri's now wearing a loose-fitted short-sleeved blue shirt with black joggers that have a white stripe going down the sides of each pant leg. It's definitely not like before, but it still leaves Viktor with an exposed collarbone. That's more than he should be granted anyway. Yuuri's attached wires to himself again, the wires that Viktor noticed he took off beforehand, and sits down on the edge of the bed.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to surprise you like that." Oh, but he's glad he did. "I just didn't want to wake you up, but then you were going to fall and..."
"I'm sorry I fell asleep after I'm the one who made you promise to visit me." Yuuri ducks his head down and fidgets with a loose strand at the bottom of his shirt.
"You have nothing to apologize for. Besides, I got here late anyway. I can't stay for long either." Viktor offers him a sadder smile.
Yuuri lifts his head and studies Viktor for a moment. Viktor finds Yuuri's eyes trailing downwards, and he's starting to feel a little more excited than he should and... Thank god Yuuri meets his eyes again.
"Why are you dressed up so nice?"
So that's why Yuuri was staring. That made sense. "So you think I look nice?" Where did that come from? Going along with what he said, he playfully winks at Yuuri, who nearly has a heart attack.
"I... uh... You l-look very professional... I just meant... to ask why..."
Yep, Yuuri is red. Mission accomplished. Sometimes he's glad he doesn't think before he spoke. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had a moment like this. He laughs heartily before leaning forward in the chair. "Truth be told, I may or may not have snuck out of a session."
Yuuri's jaw practically drops to the floor. "You did... what?"
"So I was in the middle of a photo-shoot when I realized that it was never going to end. It was exhausting to sit there and smile when I didn't even feel like doing so! On top of that, Yurio was being-"
"Yurio?" Yuuri tilts his head - adorably - to the side in confusion at the sudden name.
"Yuri Plisetsky. He's a younger model, who works at the same agency as me. I don't know when I started calling him that, but it stuck ever since. Everyone calls him Yurio now." Viktor watches as Yuuri thinks for a moment, and then suddenly his eyes widen.
"He was on the cover of On Love, wasn't he? I remember him now! Mari likes him because he reminds her of the leader singer from a band she likes." Yuuri giggles at the memory and shakes his head.
Viktor is now entranced as he watches Yuuri. It's not like he wasn't before. He just feels it a lot more now than he did a minute ago. But what Yuuri said has him thinking. If Yuuri knows about Yurio's debut cover photo-shoot for On Love, then there's no way he hasn't heard of Viktor. He did say his sister was the one who liked him, not him. That could mean he knows just because Mari gushes about Yurio. Wouldn't that mean that Mari knows about Viktor? She did seem to know him when they met just yesterday. If she knew that, then there's no way she didn't tell Yuuri. That means Yuuri has to know who he is, rather than the Yuuri who had no idea when they first met. Unless he's just overanalyzing the whole thing, and Yuuri truly doesn't know anything about Viktor.
"That's him alright. Has your sister ever mentioned me?" This is pushing it. Too late now. Viktor leans forward in the chair he's sitting in, waiting for Yuuri's response eagerly.
Yuuri seems to stiffen, and if he wasn't really awake already then he is now. "I-I can't remember... She might've... um... mentioned you once or twice... A-Anyway! You were telling me a story!"
Hmm... he'll push for more later. "Oh, right! So anyway, Sara, she's someone who works for the same agency as I do, told me that she'd help me leave. I don't know what she did or said, but I bolted as soon as the director called for a thirty minute break. Now here we are!" Viktor beams with pride at his accomplishment.
"How long has it been since that happened?" Yuuri raises an eyebrow at Viktor, who's scrambling to check his watch.
Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no oh no. He's going to be late. Playing it cool, Viktor laughs and gazes up at Yuuri calmly. "I still have time."
As if seeing right through him, Yuuri crosses his arms and eyes him suspiciously. "Do you now? So you wouldn't mind if we spent the next thirty minutes talking?" There's a knowing smile on his face. Well, that's how Viktor takes it anyway.
Viktor presses his lips into a hard smile, and it really looks forced. He knows the truth is probably written all over his face. "Maybe not a full thirty minutes... Does five work instead?"
Yuuri does his cute giggle again, and Viktor laughs nervously with him. "I knew it. You should probably head back, Viktor. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble because of me." Yuuri's smile makes his heart do a flip because how can someone be this kind-hearted?
"I promise I'll make it up to you!" Viktor stands and is ready to run out before he remembers something. "Oh, Yuuri!" The patient keeps his eyes on Viktor. "Can I have your phone number?" Smooth, Viktor. Smooth as gravel.
"My phone number?" Yuuri looks shocked, but he's turning red. He's a good kind of shocked then. Perfect.
"So we can figure out when I can come again. I don't want what happened today to happen again." It takes Yuuri a moment to finally react, nodding slowly with wide eyes as he reaches for his phone on the table next to the bed.
Viktor rushes up to the glass and pulls out his own phone. He's finally getting Yuuri's phone number! Even more perfect. He watches as Yuuri frowns at the wires that hold him back to the bed before starting to take them off like he had a few minutes ago. Is he allowed to do that? Viktor will have to ask the next time he visits. Yuuri walks up to the glass and smiles holding up his phone. Much to Viktor's excitement, they exchange numbers before he realizes that he's bound to get yelled at for being so late. Issuing quick goodbyes, Viktor parts ways with Yuuri and promises once more to make it up to him.
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. . .
.
"You're smiling, so it must've went well." Sara's out of the dress she was in earlier and now dorns jeans and a black long-sleeve shirt styled with a red scarf wrapped around her neck. Her dark hair is hanging loosely down her back. She's sitting to Viktor's right, flipping through her phone with a scowl before shoving it in her pocket. No doubt that her twin, Michele, left a decent amount of messages for her.
"I can't thank you enough. I'm upset about how early I had to leave, but it's fine now." Happily, Viktor hums as he sends a quick hello text to Yuuri. The promise of visiting again and having his number is all the encouragement he needs. It's weird to think of how different his life has become already with Yuuri in it. He now looks forward to every day with a bright smile, one that had faded over time into a mask. How had he deluded himself into thinking that everything was fine that way?
"Remember that you owe me. I may have to use an excuse sometime soon to get Mickey off my back for awhile. I never get any space with Mila whenever he's around. I'm glad I got to help you, though. This beats you being gloomy twenty-four seven." She smiles before standing up to leave. "Goodbye, Viktor! See you tomorrow!"
Viktor waves goodbye as she sprints towards the exit where Mila is most likely waiting for her. It doesn't take much longer for Yurio to find him and hurries them out the door of the studio.
"Where the hell did you go? I was going to yell at you for half-assing the shoot, but Sara said you left." Much to Viktor's distaste, Yurio hops into his car, quite literally, over the door. He watches as Viktor opens the driver's side door and sits down, starting the car up. Yurio buckles his seatbelt before leaning back into the seat while staring at the road ahead with a bored look.
"I didn't know I had to tell you where I was going. I have seniority over you. I don't have to tell you anything if I don't want to." Viktor starts humming as he pushes the car ahead and cruises along the street. He realizes he's humming the song Yuuri said was his favorite currently. It was their meeting yesterday when Viktor begged Yuuri to tell him. It was a piano melody that a friend made for Yuuri when he was first hospitalized that Yuuri had shared with Viktor. He would have to ask Yuuri for the download link later.
"It was him again, wasn't it?" For a reason unknown to Viktor, Yurio seems to hate Yuuri. "I don't get why you're hanging around him."
"I already said why yesterday. Why do you hate him? You've never even met him?"
"And I don't want to either. Unlike you, I like being healthy, and I want to keep it that way." Yurio murmurs something else under his breath, but Viktor misses it entirely, too lost in his humming to hear it.
"I've visited him three times now, and I'm perfectly healthy. You don't go into his room to see him anyway. You have to-"
"I don't care!"
Abruptly, Viktor turns his gaze away from the road for a split second to see Yurio leaning against the door, the back of his head facing the older male.
"I told you I don't want to visit him, so don't start spitting out useless information to me."
The rest of the car ride is silent, save for the humming Viktor starts doing again. If it makes the other mad like before, Yurio doesn't voice his anger then. Viktor parks the car along the street, and Yurio jumps out as Viktor starts to roll the top up and then the windows soon after. He gets out of the car as well, following Yurio up to his flat on the top floor. Yurio leads the way to Viktor's flat on the top floor of the building, opening the door and letting himself in. Viktor gave him a spare key awhile back since the teen often crashed at his place, finding it easier than having Yurio yell at him through the door to open up. Much easier. When Viktor gets in, Yurio has already thrown himself across the pale blue sofa sitting in the middle of the open space while flipping through the many channels available on Viktor's television.
"Want to tell me why you're so angry with me?" Nothing is clicking into place, and Yurio's attitude is confusing him more.
"You're so stupid." Yurio doesn't even bother to look up from the TV.
"Thank you for insulting me in my own home." Viktor kicks off his shoes and heads for the couch, leaning his arms along the back of it.
"You deserve it." Yurio grumbles back at him.
Viktor watches the channels change before pulling his phone out, excited to see a new text from Yuuri.
"Weren't you just with him? How do you have anything to even talk about?" Yurio leaves the remote in his hand on his lap, now facing Viktor.
Doesn't it make sense that they would still be talking? They've only just met a week ago. They have everything to talk about. What Yuuri likes and dislikes, funny stories, so on and so forth. If Viktor could, he would talk to Yuuri day in and day out. He realizes how great that would be, and a pillow thrown at his face reminds him that he was left swirling in his thoughts.
"Seriously, this is gross. I won't have to deal with this every day from now on, will I? Yakov might kill you though, so maybe it will be worth it to stick around." He grins smugly before turning back to the t.v. The channel he's landed on is some Russian drama that Viktor's seen every episode for. It's not a particularly good one. Yurio knows that, too. They would sometimes watch it together just to laugh at it, which is even more fun when people from the agency, like Georgi and Mila, tag along. There was one night where Viktor and Georgi re-enacted lines from it as dramatically as possible. Maybe he should get the video from Mila to show Yuuri. He would enjoy that.
"Oi, old man. Order me pizza. I'm starving and since you're not doing anything useful, you can go do it. Feel free to pay for it, too." Yurio waves the remote in front of his face, his eyes focusing on the drama in front of him before pulling his own phone out and flicking through a few notifications.
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. . .
.
Impatient doesn't even begin to describe Viktor. He's been holed up in a conference room for the past two hours and is on the brink of losing it. Yes, there are still a few hours until visiting hours are closed, but he wants those hours to be with Yuuri. Since he's so far away from his family, he thinks it would be nice for Yuuri to talk to someone besides a doctor or a nurse. If he's going to be honest with himself, he also just really wants to see Yuuri, not be stuck in a meeting for hours and hours on end. No, this is not his idea of fun at all. Watching Yuuri Katsuki laugh, smile, and quite frankly breathe would be fun. Exciting. Amazing. This, once again, isn't. God, how much longer is this going to take? As if his prayers are heard, Yakov turns to Viktor for any closing remarks. He abruptly stands and tries to contain his excitement as he tells everyone what a great job they did on the magazine cover and interviews. He doesn't leave out the tiny details in the many photos that were taken as he finishes up, praising those who were behind the entire production. Not before long, he's dismissing everyone and thanking those who decide to talk to him afterward. Yakov seems to notice how on edge he is, yet doesn't say anything regardless.
He's out the doors in record time, whizzing past Mila and Sara, who whistle in response to him. He huffs a laugh as he continues to make his way to his car. Only he stupidly decided earlier today not to take it. Muttering a curse in his native tongue under his breath, he calls for a company car. Viktor doesn't like using them so much, since in the end Yakov gets the bill for them as well as the record of where the car was told to go. He may or may not have been caught sneaking out of work a few times.
It doesn't take long for the vehicle to show up, and for Viktor to be on his way to the hospital, a route he has memorized at this point. He's drumming his fingers impatiently as the driver stops at a stoplight. It feels like hours before they finally make it there, Viktor all but throwing himself out of the car as they do. He strides through the doors, the smile from earlier making an appearance once more.
"Hello! I'm Viktor Nikiforov, and I'm here to see Yuuri Katsuki." He leans against the front desk as he starts humming the song he was humming the other day in his car that annoyed Yurio. Yuuri's song. He doesn't realize there's something wrong until the the man running the desk says his name to gather his attention. "Yes?"
"Mr. Katsuki... isn't accepting visitors at this time." Usually that would mean tests are being run on him, and Viktor would just leave. Only the nurse's voice is unsettling to him, and he doesn't know why.
"May I ask why?" Viktor is leaning in closer, eyebrows knit in worry. Something's wrong. Very wrong.
"I am not allowed to disclose that information to anyone who isn't immediate family or his doctors and nurses." Definitely not good.
"I want to see him." Viktor stands straight stiffly, all humor gone. The desire to see Yuuri grows stronger the longer he's told to stay away. He's been told Yuuri's condition by his doctors as well as Yuuri himself. Isn't that enough permission to know what's going on?
"I'm sorry, sir. You aren't allowed-You can't go back there!"
His voice turns into background noise as Viktor bolts down the wing he knows Yuuri is in. He flits past doctors and nurses alike, all running around in different directions most likely because of Yuuri. The panic growing in the pit of his stomach is growing larger every step he takes. He breaks through the doors and down the hallway that leads to the viewing room for Yuuri. What he's greeted with isn't something he wants to see at all.
There are doctors of different ages and sizes running around the room. Some are writing down notes on clipboards while the rest are checking machines of all kinds. It isn't until a group of doctors move away from the bed before he finally sees Yuuri. It's the worst he's ever seen him. Yuuri is paler than the day Viktor first visited him. There's more blood than there should be on him, and it makes Viktor's head swim. His raven locks are thrown everywhere, and he's drenched in sweat. His clothes are clinging to him like a second skin, showing Viktor just how thin he really has become.
Viktor feels paralyzed as he hears Yuuri's gasps of breaths from behind the glass, the sound excruciating to him. "No..." Viktor slowly moves towards the glass, pressing his right hand against it. "No, no, no, no, no..." His forehead thumps against the glass, eyes blown wide from what he's seeing. It feels like a terrible nightmare, and all he wants to do is wake up and make it disappear. Why can't it just disappear?
Viktor could feel his blood run cold as Yuuri starts coughing violently. A nurse who is helping out sees him and tries to pry him away from where he stands in front of the glass. Viktor lets himself get dragged away, the nurse's words never reaching his ears.
His gaze is still fixated on where Yuuri lays, even though the younger male has left his sight. He's pulled to the waiting area at the entrance of the hospital and then is pushed down into one of the plastic chairs lining the wall. The nurse is kneeling in front of him, trying to bring his attention to her instead of dazing off like he is right now. It doesn't take long for her to give up, Viktor not moving an inch since she found him.
It's when he's left alone, save for the male nurse at the front desk, when the tears start to overflow. He almost regrets neglecting the warning to not see Yuuri but finds himself grateful instead. Before he had seen what he did, he never truly realized how awful Yuuri's condition was. Sure he knew to an extent on what it was like due to various medical personnel explaining it to him but seeing it for himself opened his eyes. The day when Yuuri explained how long he's been hospitalized is brought to the front of his mind again. How alone Yuuri must've been this entire time stings more now. Maybe Yuuri didn't want anyone to see what he has. Maybe that's why when Viktor asked if he had any friends, Yuuri only answered that he had one and that he counts his family as friends, too.
Viktor is left with his head hanging, tears streaking down his cheeks harder than before. The thought that Yuuri doesn't want to trouble anyone with his presence is something Viktor knows he would do, and it hurts. Everything hurts. Yuuri's kind "sacrifice" makes Viktor realize for sure just how hard he's fallen for the Japanese man. The pain and love he feels constricts his chest tightly, and he doesn't know what to do for the first time in his life.
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. . .
.
When he fell asleep, Viktor doesn't know, but he does know that he did. The same nurse from earlier slowly comes into view as his bleary eyes try to pull everything back into focus. Viktor snaps himself upright from where he slouched against the seat next to him, remembering what happened before his nap. It doesn't take long for the string of questions to be thrown in the air.
"How's Yuuri? Can I see him? What happened? Will he be alright?" The last question is a lost cause, but he can't help asking.
"Mr. ... Nikiforov, was it? Please calm down. I can only inform you about what I know."
Viktor is holding his breath, waiting for answers on Yuuri's current condition. He wants to see Yuuri for himself to believe anything she's about to tell him, but he knows that probably won't happen.
"We've managed to bring him down to stable condition after an hour. He lost a lot of blood too quickly, but he held out. For your safety, we ask that he doesn't have any visitors until we proclaim it to be safe. If you would like, we can contact you when we reopen visiting hours for him."
Viktor takes a slow breath and nods. Just as he thought, he can't visit. He is glad that Yuuri is okay for the most part, though. "Yes, please. I would like that." The nurse smiles and leaves Viktor with the promise of soon. He'd be lying if he said that everything was fine now, a gut feeling stopping him from feeling reassured like he should. He can't do much about it now, instead focusing on getting a ride back and settling on calling Mila. She arrives sooner than he expected without asking anything herself. She keeps side-glancing at him from behind the steering wheel, clearly concerned for her disaster-looking friend, but Viktor finds no resolve in talking right now. Mila can tell when he's like this. After all, she has spent most of her life hanging around him and his various mood swings.
The car ride continues like this until they hit a red light. Viktor is just staring out the window, thinking too hard about all that's happened. He knows Mila just as well, so he's been trying to come up with a good way to explain all of it.
"Viktor-"
"He wasn't feeling well today." His voice is shaky, and it's very obvious. He takes an equally shaky breath before piecing together enough of an explanation that the point gets across. "I was told that I would be able to visit him when he's okay again."
Mila inhales deeply, understanding what that means. He knows what she wants to say and prepares himself for it. Instead is met with a simple "Okay."
The car is silent again when the light changes to green. That is, until Mila starts up a conversation again. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it right now, but are you sure you're ready to handle this day in and day out?" He can hear her sigh. "It's only going to get more difficult. You know that, right?"
"So you're taking Yurio's side now."
"This isn't about taking sides, Viktor. This is about your well-being. His condition-"
"Don't talk to me about my own well-being." The words come out more malicious than he meant, but he's getting frustrated with everyone telling him what to do and what not to do. "You don't even know what his condition is! You only know what I tell you, so don't act like you've ever talked to him or to the people who work there with him." He's turned towards Mila now, the frustration clear on his face.
She grips the wheel tighter and nods. "You're right, and I'm sorry. I just want you-"
"To what? Stop visiting him? Pretend he doesn't exist? Cut him from my life?"
"Viktor, that's not what I-"
"Yes it is, and you know it. If you're asking me for something like that, then you don't know the first thing about me. I thought you of all people would understand, but I guess I was wrong."
Mila pulls the car over immediately, facing Viktor fully. "Listen. I understand what he's like to you. That's why I'm trying to protect you before something happens. You said it yourself that they've only just started working on a cure for him. It takes years and years worth of research to come up with anything, and I don't think Yuuri has that much time. I don't want to lose you because of this." Her voice softens towards the end, awaiting for his response.
He gazes out the window again, a single tear visibly falling down from his left eye. "I don't need you to tell me that." Before Mila can say anything else to him, Viktor opens the passenger down to the car and slams it shut as he gets out into the rain. He can't remember when the rain started but doesn't car enough to get back in the car even when Mila has the window open and is yelling for him. He finds himself running down the street, the lights from the street and cars passing by reflected on the street and sidewalk. Viktor doesn't stop until he knows he's a good distance away, his hands resting on his knees as he's hunched forward trying to slow his breathing down. It doesn't take long for him to resume walking, shoving his hands into his pockets as he continues down the sidewalk. His mind is kept silent as he goes, wanting nothing more than the pain in his chest to go away.
.
. . .
.
Viktor hasn't gone to the studio in a few days. Instead, he's been curled up on his couch with a blanket staring blankly at the empty TV before him. His phone is also tossed to his right on the couch, hardly touched in the last three days. Every time the device lights up, his attention is drawn to it, hoping that the call he's waiting for is what brings the black screen to life and left disappointed when it's not. Viktor groans in annoyance when another text is sent his way, but when he picks up the device he's surprised to see one of his closest friend's name there. Curiously, he thumbs the home button before unlocking his phone and fully reading it. He hesitantly then does what the text says and calls him. It takes all but one ring before the familiar voice comes through the device.
"Alright, what's up?"
Viktor huffs before answering him. "Mila told you, didn't she, Chris?" Christophe Giacometti, a Swiss model that Viktor met on set of a shoot a long time ago. Chris convinced the Russian to go to a party afterwards and brought a little color into his dull life at the time. Now he can't imagine not having him as a friend.
"Ahh, I even told her I wouldn't say her name. If you get me in trouble, don't think I won't come over there and punish you for it." Viktor just knows Chris is winking and holding back laughter. "But in all honestly, how are you? I heard about your little episode from her, but I'd prefer to hear from you yourself."
Chris may be difficult sometimes, but moments like this make Viktor treasure their friendship. "I don't like that everyone thinks they know what's best for me. I'm twenty-eight, Chris. Not five. I shouldn't have to consult everyone before I do something." Viktor lies down on the couch with a hand running through his platinum locks.
"Vitya, I think you should listen to them. They're trying to help you, not make you suffer."
Viktor groans into the phone. "Not you too, Chris."
"I know you'd prefer me to say that I hope you two get to have some fun someday, but this is a difficult situation, Vitya. Sorry. You also shouldn't push everyone away again like you did the last time. Have you thought about what could happen if..."
"Of course I have. There isn't a day I don't think about it. I watched him suffer just a few days ago, Chris. He was in so much pain, and I couldn't do anything about it. I haven't heard from the hospital yet either." Viktor turns to lie down on his left side, his tone colored in exasperation. "What should I do?"
Chris is audibly silent for a moment. "You can only wait, Viktor. The next time you see him because we both know you will go visit him, make him forget about what happened. And if you plan on staying with him for as long as he's... you know... then make sure you send him off with good memories. As long as you're set on this, then I'll support you two."
"Thank you, Chris. Really. I mean it."
"If you're going to thank me, then do so with a nice dinner and drinks."
Viktor laughs and sits back up, now in a better mood than he's been in. "I won't let you down."
"You better not. I have to go, but I will see you soon to retrieve my reward. À bientôt, Vitya."
"Uvidimsya, Chris."
When Chris hangs up, Viktor checks the time on his phone before setting it down. He still has time if he wants to go to work today. Deciding to make that his plan for the day, he runs to grab a decent outfit for the day and hurries into the shower. Within mere minutes, which has to be a record time for him, he's out the door of his flat with his car keys and phone in hand. Viktor dials Yakov's number, awaiting for the scolding he knows he's going to get as he make his way down the elevator to the garage level where his Cadillac is waiting for him. When Yakov is doing screaming at him over everything, Viktor drives off to the agency's headquarters.
.
. . .
.
Viktor hands his coat off to one of the many staff members who work at the agency before heading up the stairs. As he reaches the top, he walks straight down a long corridor and then takes a right towards the end that leads to another shorter corridor. Once he reaches the end, he opens the silver door to his left and notices Mila and Yurio sitting around the table with Yakov at the head.
"Dammit, Mila. You were right." Yurio throws a few bills at the redhead, who pockets the cash smugly.
"He's the only one who can pop a vein on Yakov's forehead." Mila turns around to look at Viktor with the same gentle expression she wore the night she picked him up from the hospital. "Glad to see you, Viktor. You look better."
He nods in acknowledgement before sitting down two seats away from her. Yurio glances between them, noticing how different they're acting, but ignores it for the most part. Viktor knows he's not going to ask. At least not right now anyway. Viktor adjusts himself in the office chair before directing his gaze on Yakov. The CEO has both arms wrapped across his chest with a stern glance, obviously meant for Viktor.
"It's good to see you still want to work here. Maybe I won't fire you after all." Yakov always threatens him with the loss of his job but has yet to act on it, so Viktor shrugs it off. "You're not involved in this project anymore, but you might as well hear what it is."
The gathering is rather short compared to most, and Viktor tunes most of it out. As much as he's determined to stay positive, he can't help the thoughts that appear in his mind. All the what-ifs scare him in one way or another, but he doesn't dwell on them. Not here at least.
The three of them are leaving to head down to the cafeteria on the lower level of the building when Yurio speaks. "I don't have to deal with you two ignoring each other now, do I? Because that might piss me off more than Viktor talking about the imposter Yuuri all the time."
"Imposter?" Viktor quirks an eyebrow at him. "He's older than you, so technically you-"
While they get into an argument for no reason, Viktor can see that Mila won't stop staring at him with that expression again. In fact, she hasn't stopped looking at him like that since he first walked in. Viktor pauses in his steps. "Yurio, we'll meet up with you. Go on ahead." Yurio shrugs and does what Viktor says without another glance back, leaving Mila and Viktor alone in the hallway. "Mila, can we talk?"
She bites her lip and sits down on one of the metal benches lining the pristine white walls. Without another word, Viktor sits down next her save for the small space between them.
"Viktor, I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
They say the words in sync, which catches them both off-guard.
"Viktor, let me speak first. I didn't mean to make you upset. I was trying to-"
"I understand, Mila." Viktor leans back against the wall, platinum bangs falling back as he lifts his head up to stare at the ceiling. "Thank you for caring so much." Mila is surprised again. He doesn't have to look over to see that. "I didn't mean to behave the way I did. I just... was in my own head and couldn't think clearly. I thought that everyone was ignoring how I really felt without giving it any thought at all, and it made me upset. I didn't even think that you were looking out for me like you were. I've been at a loss myself as to what I should do. Seeing Yuuri like that... it hurt so much knowing I couldn't do anything to help him feel better. I felt useless. Since then, I've spent the last few days thinking. Hear me out." He gazes back at her. "I've decided that no matter what happens... good or bad... I want to be there for Yuuri. If he's suffering, then I want to help him forget. If he's happy, then I want to continue to see him smile. I want to help push him past his own fears, and be the sunshine in his day should he need it. I've chosen this because I love him. Regardless of whether or not he returns the feelings, I'll be there for him."
Mila is awestruck at his words but smiles nonetheless. "If that's how you feel, then I won't stop you. I'll always be here for help if you ever need it."
"Thank you, Mila." Viktor is beyond relieved to hear her say that and restrains himself from hugging her.
"Anytime. Now," She stands up and sticks a hand on her hip, "let's go join the kitten before he yells at us for showing up so late."
He stands to his full height and smiles back. "Good idea. I'd prefer if he didn't start yelling at me again."
They both laugh as they head down to meet up with Yurio.
Viktor feels like a weight has been lifted off his chest. Along with that feeling comes the stress of how the future will turn out. With his closest friends backing him up, he can only hope for the best, but with still no call from the hospital, he can only be worried. The worst has yet to come, Viktor reminds himself. Whatever happens from here on out is his decision, and it's the path he's chosen. He can't find it in himself to regret the choice he has just made and knows that he never will.