Chapter 2: In the Light of Day

(Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing! I sure appreciate all of the support as I try something new. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. I am really enjoying the writing!)

Yuuri groaned as he woke to the throbs of a pounding headache. He crawled out of the hotel bed and stumbled to the bathroom, where he paused, teetering and holding onto the edge of the counter, before dropping to his knees and unceremoniously emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

That just about sums everything up, doesn't it? My first and maybe only chance to meet Victor and show him how much his skating has influenced me, and all I showed him was that I know how to fall repeatedly. That I am self-sabotaging. That I'm as much of a loser as Yuri Plisetsky said I was.

He groaned and held his stomach as another bout of nausea gripped him.

"Ugh!"

He ended up having to throw up two mor times before the nausea let up and he felt good enough to get to his feet. He staggered to the shower and turned the water on, then collapsed on the shower floor, letting it rain down on him.

God, I feel horrible. I just want this feeling to go away! How do I even go back and face everyone after this humiliation? What do I say? Everyone knows what happened. I let my anxiety get the best of me and I threw away any chance I had of showing Victor how much I love his skating and respect him as an artist.

Well, at least I can put off going back to Japan for a little longer since I have to finish my last term at the college.

He laid on the floor of the shower with the water droplets pelting his back, buttocks and thighs. His head turned sideways, he tried to remember the banquet the night before, but all he could remember was drinking and drinking until he was too numb to recall anything else.

I don't even know how I got upstairs. I guess Celestino helped me.

But strangely, when he tried to remember, the voice that came back to him was softer and had a Russian accent.

Victor's voice.

His voice is so smooth and as beautiful as he is. I know I was too shy to even talk to him, but I must be remembering hearing his voice at the banquet. The coward that I am, I'm sure I stood near where he was, but couldn't bring myself to even talk to him. I wonder if I'll ever get to talk to him now.

He suffered a momentary flash image of Victor's lovely slender wrists, tied to the head of the hotel bed and his pretty torso bathed in sweat and very, very naked.

What?

He shook his head and instantly regretted it.

"Ow…"

He felt his stomach pitch and scrambled out of the shower to throw up in the toilet again, then he returned to the shower and held himself on his feet just long enough to wash up. He turned off the water and dried himself slowly.

What now?

I guess I just should focus on finishing college and try not to think about the rest of it. I'll just make myself miserable if I keep remembering, so I'll just let it all go. What's to remember anyway?

He walked naked out into the bedroom and started to dress. But as he did, he kept catching little bits of a familiar scent.

Victor's scent.

It's as beautiful as he is. So perfect. I can't believe I was so close to him. I wonder if I ever will be again.

He sat down on the bed and sighed.

I have to stop thinking about this. It's over. I came here and I choked and came in last. I embarrassed myself in front of my idol and ensured that I can never show my face in front of him again. The worst if over, so things can only get better now, right?

He tried, but couldn't quite convince himself that was true. A knock on the door rescued him from having to continue.

"Yuuri, are you ready to go? We have an early flight, remember?" Celestino's voice called through the door.

"Yeah, just a minute!"

Luckily, he hadn't had much to pack, so he'd done what little he needed to the night before. He threw the last couple of things into his suitcase and went to the door, dragging the suitcase along. He opened the door and found Celestino still waiting.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I overslept a little."

"It's okay. I'm sure you were tired after the competition and the banquet. Did you have fun at the party?"

"Oh…yeah, sure."

"Well, we'd better get going. We need to check in soon."

"Right."

Yuuri sighed and closed the door to his room, then he followed Celestino, only half-listening to his coach, who was used to having to hold up their conversations mostly on his own.

"The weather is good to today, yes?" he said conversationally, "There won't be too much turbulence probably. I know you got bounced around a bit on the way here. It should be better going back to Detroit."

"Right, that's good."

"Are you sure you have everything? Check one more time. Where is your passport? Ah, that's good."

Yuuri let Celestino ramble on as they climbed into a car and rode to the airport, where his coach checked them in, then they proceeded to the waiting area.

I can't get out of here fast enough. I just want to pretend none of this ever happened. Except for getting to see Victor in person, even if I didn't get to talk to him, this whole thing has been a disaster.

He consoled himself by putting on his headphones and listening to music as he waited to board the plane, and when it finally took off, he settled back in his seat and closed his eyes.

I'm glad it's over.

Back in the hotel room, a maid entered the room he has stayed in, to clean it. She walked to the bed and pulled back the bedding shaking her head as she spotted a small amount of blood on the sheets and pulled them off to be washed.

"I wonder what happened in here…"

XXXXXXXXXX

Victor laid silently on the second bed in Yakov's hotel room with a thick white towel covering him from chest to thigh. Yakov sat watching sullenly while the Russian figure skating team's doctor examined the champion skater.

"Before you start," the old coach said in a low, gruff voice, "I want to remind you of the special terms we agreed upon for when you care for Vitya."

"I understand," the medic answered softly, keeping his eyes lowered and not meeting Victor's, "I will examine Victor and care for any injuries he has suffered, but I will not divulge any information about him to anyone outside this room."

"Yes. Go ahead, but be gentle. He was very upset when he arrived here. I've only just gotten him to calm down and agree to the examination."

"Of course."

The medic met Victor's tortured eyes for a moment.

I will need to remove the towel for a moment."

Victor gave him a silent nod and did his best to hold still as the material was lifted away and his naked body was exposed.

I've been trained so that it usually doesn't bother me to have people see me naked. Yakov practiced with me, telling me to think that what they see is just a flesh shell. They are not getting anywhere inside. They are only looking at the exterior we keep in pristine condition for them to see. I eat carefully and the hard work of being a competitive skater sculpts my body into the work of art that people want to see naked. That is my outer layer, and it's all right for everyone to see. We keep it clean and unblemished…except for now.

He felt heat on his cheeks as the medic's eyes scanned his pale flesh, and his gloved hand touched his arm to turn it for closer viewing, then sought the other. The man's covered fingers slid down his chest and over his soft belly, sending an unbidden shiver through him. He stiffened when the man's hand touched his thigh, then hesitantly parted his legs, looking out the window at the pale morning sky.

"Can you explain to me what happened, Victor?" the medic asked as he spread the skater's thighs and moved in closer.

Victor shivered harder and his teeth clenched for a moment. The medic's gaze softened.

"I'm sorry. I know this is very unpleasant for you. I just want to be sure of what I'm seeing here. You told Yakov your heat came early?"

"Yes," Victor answered shakily, "It was supposed to start in a few days. I…I thought I took a pill anyway. I do that when I'm going to be in public places near the time of my heat."

"I see. But you may have forgotten this time?"

"I may have," Victor admitted, "I got distracted."

"Okay, and what happened when you went into the banquet hall?"

Victor took a steadying breath.

"I was with f-friends and there was talking going on. I saw Yuuri Katsuki come in with his coach."

"Yuuri Katsuki is the one who did this to you?" Yakov growled, his eyes narrowing.

"It's not his fault, Yakov," Victor insisted, "When we were dancing, I realized that he must be an alpha, although I hadn't suspected. And while we were dancing, I went into heat. At the end of our dancing, Yuuri collapsed from drinking too much, so I carried him up to his room and laid him on his side and propped him, so he would be okay even if he threw up in his sleep. I was turning to leave when he woke, and it was clear that he was responding to my heat. He held me down and…I couldn't move."

"I understand," the medic said, nodding, "The heat makes your body respond to the will of the alpha."

"And the alpha responds only on a primal level," Victor added, meeting Yakov's eyes meaningfully, "I knew that Yuuri would not be able to stop himself, so I agreed to let him have sex with me and asked him to use a condom and not to hurt me."

"Did he answer you?"

"No, but he was not violent, and he did…he…"

"He prepared you before?" the medic supplied.

"Yes."

"Mmhmm, thank you, Victor. I can cover you a little now."

He laid the towel over Victor's chest, but left the Russian skater's nether region exposed.

"I am going to touch you with my gloved fingers," the medic warned him, "You may feel a little pressure."

"Okay."

"There is a little blood, but it is very minor. I see no signs of violence, although there is some bruising on your thighs."

"Yes," Victor answered in a softer, humiliated tone, "We were not able to be careful."

"I know," the medic assured him, "I wanted to reassure Coach Yakov that you were penetrated, but the person was not violent."

"No, he was as gentle as one can be when controlled by the alpha response to an omega's heat."

"He did not use a condom."

Victor froze and Yakov let out a deep snarl.

"What?"

"I asked him to," Victor insisted, "but there was…"

"There was nothing you could do to make sure," the medic finished.

"Yes."

"Can you tell if there is…a child?" Yakov asked.

"Hmm, no. That will take several weeks, maybe a month or so to know for sure," the medic informed them, "There are hormonal and other changes that have to take place, and I'll remind you that there is a raised risk of miscarriage for male omegas as opposed to pregnant women. There is also an increased risk of death."

"Can you give him something?" Yakov asked.

The medic glanced at him quietly for a moment.

"Of course. If that is what Victor wants."

Victor swallowed hard as his coach's eyes met his.

"You know what a pregnancy now would do to your career, Vitya," Yakov said regretfully, "If it was discovered, and it most probably would be, then everyone would learn you are an omega. And although you never publicly claimed to be alpha, we represented you that way. It's going to be clear that there was deception to protect you. Some people might understand, but not everyone will."

"You don't have to tell me," Victor whispered dejectedly, "I know. I know you want what's best for me. Just…can we do this later?"

The medic gave him a sad smile and handed him a sealed packet containing a single pill.

"That medication can be used within the first week following conception. If you have conceived and you take it within the seven days, any pregnancy will be aborted."

"I'm not saying I won't take it," Victor assured his frowning coach, "I just…hurt too much all over right now."

"It's fine to wait a few days until you are feeling better," the medic said reassuringly, "In fact, it's recommended if you are not feeling well or if you have pain or injuries, it's advisable to wait."

"Just don't forget to take it," Yakov snapped softly.

"I won't," Victor promised, "I…I'm not ready for that. I just…I can't."

"If you want, I can set up and appointment in Saint Petersburg, and you can see someone to talk with you about anything that's bothering you. The support would be a good thing for you right now."

"I think you should do as he says," Yakov advised his reluctant student.

"Okay, give me the contact number," Victor agreed, "but I just…right now, I need everything to stop for a minute. I need to…to sleep for awhile. I need to think about everything."

"Of course. That is a very natural response. Give yourself some time to process before acting," the medic agreed.

"Thank you," Yakov said in a calmer voice, "Vitya and I appreciate your help…and your discretion."

The medic nodded and took his leave of the two. When he was gone, Victor slid off the bed and accepted a thick, comfortable robe from Yakov, which he wrapped around his slender body.

"Go on and shower now," the older man directed him.

Victor complied silently, leaving Yakov alone out in the room, looking out over the other buildings in the area. He heard the shower begin to run in the bathroom and sighed.

I am so sorry, Vitya. I've never wanted anything else to trouble you. When I found you, I knew that you were special, but if you were left to fight your way alone, you would not thrive in a world that would try to hold you down. I knew that you could shine, if only given the chance, and you have exceeded my expectations. You are…a beautiful soul.

I wonder what will happen to you now.

He frowned and walked out of the room, then headed down one floor to the room where Celestino had been staying. He knocked on the door, but there was not answer. He knocked again, but again no one answered. Shaking his head resignedly, he returned to his room, where he found Victor already curled up in the bed, looking out the window.

"He wasn't there?" Victor asked.

"No. They must have left on an early flight," Yakov speculated, "Let us hope this means that Yuuri Katsuki is going to leave you alone now."

Victor sniffed softly and sighed.

"I don't know what to hope for anymore."