"Hello again." That voice. That horrible, horrible voice. It sent chills down Yuuri's spine that made him tremble to the ends of his fingernails. He felt the hands. They ran from his shoulders to his wrists, then up the front of his torso, snagging the hem of his shirt and pulling it up to the bottom of his rib cage. He couldn't move, he couldn't blink. He couldn't scream.

"You really are pathetic, aren't you?" he chuckled. The hot breath on his neck made him want to squirm, but he felt like he was encased in cement. Nothing would even twitch. Maniacal laughter, hands on every inch of his skin, shame. It was happening again. He didn't fight, he didn't scream, he hoped someone could hear his internal pleas for help. But of course they couldn't. Viktor wasn't telepathic.

Oh god. Viktor.

What would Viktor think of him? He didn't even struggle. He just let it happen. He didn't yell, he didn't fight. He just gave in. And now he was broken. Afraid of touch. Afraid of being alone. Unable to speak. He really was pathetic. A six year old probably would have done more for themselves than he had. He couldn't muster up the courage to call out. The neighbours might have heard, called the police. But he stayed silent. Even if his screams had gone unanswered, he could still say he'd tried. Even if he'd only landed one good punch, he could still say he'd fought. Even if they'd killed him for fighting back, Viktor would probably see him in a better light than he did now.

Yuuri suddenly jolted awake, ghosts of the hands lingering on his skin. The emotions stayed. His skin was slick with cold sweat. He was shaking harder than he could recall ever shaking before. Tears streamed down his face, mingling with sweat as they dripped onto the sheets. His head spun and pounded like someone was trying to break out of his skull with a jackhammer. His chest ached with every hyperventilated breath he managed to suck in.

"Yuuri?" Viktor drawled groggily from a few inches away. Yuuri immediately rolled over, not caring how much it hurt, and curled into Viktor's side, trying to calm himself down. Viktor already thought he was pathetic, so what was the harm in looking like a child in front of him?

"Did you have a nightmare?" Viktor pulled Yuuri close, fighting tears of his own. He wished he could make all of it go away. Yuuri didn't deserve to feel this way. He didn't deserve to be in constant fear. He didn't deserve to have what little confidence he possessed shattered and stomped on. He didn't deserve anything but love and happiness, which Viktor wanted to give him more than anything. But Viktor could tell what was going through Yuuri's head, and he hated it. Those bastards had taken something so beautiful and squashed it into the depths of hell. They'd managed to convince Yuuri that he was worthless and pathetic, rendering him mute and unable to accept Viktor's love. Before, the only time he hadn't been able to find words was when something serious was running through his head, but his eyes didn't hold the sparkle they had when he was trying to work something out. They were dull and lifeless, unless filled with fear. They had managed to turn a beautiful man into a pile of nerves and self-destructing feelings. And Viktor hated that.

"It's okay, you're safe." Viktor stroked Yuuri's hair, what used to be a sure-fire way to calm him down, but only succeeded in making his fiancé whimper and cringe away from the gentle touch. That was when Viktor noticed a small bald spot on the back of Yuuri's head. Those disgusting excuses for human beings had ruined Viktor's favourite methods of showing his affection. He was going to find out who they were. And he was going to kill them. Slowly. Painfully. A plastic spoon would do nicely.

Viktor just held Yuuri, letting him cry until he was finished. He couldn't think of anything to say. For a while, he felt how he thought Yuuri must be feeling. He wanted to speak, but his tongue refused to move.

"Yuuri, I promise you they will never hurt you again." Viktor murmured once his fiancé had cried himself out. "Nobody will. I'll make sure of it."

They fell asleep like that, tied in a knot of vulnerable limbs. Viktor's dreams were of Yuuri's pain, just as Yuuri's were. Waking was no more fun than sleeping.

When Viktor was jostled awake, he first noticed the distinct lack of bed beneath him. Then, he noticed the forceful smack of the floor meeting his back. He lost his breath for a moment, dazed and confused. Had he fallen out of bed? No, he had felt something push him. Yuuri. Where was he?! Viktor began to panic, something a lack of breath didn't help. But his panic was short lived when he turned his head to see Yuuri cowering under the bed. Viktor found his breath and rolled over to join his fiancé.

"Why are we under here?" Viktor asked, quietly. Yuuri was shaking, eyes wide, holding a finger to his lips. Viktor shut up, listened. He heard voices floating up from downstairs and felt a flicker of panic again before realising who they belonged to. "It's okay." He moved to get out from under the bed, brushing the dust out of his hair. "It's just Yurio, Phichit, and Otabek. You can come out."

Yuuri also made his way out from the dusty space, looking confused as Viktor helped him back onto the bed.

"They came to help." Viktor explained, earning a panicked look from Yuuri in return. "Don't worry, only Yurio knows. The other two were only told that you were hurt."

Yuuri's cheeks flushed pink and he dropped his gaze from Viktor's eyes. Yurio knew? Why? Why did Viktor think it would be a good idea to tell him? Didn't he know the angry Russian boy would take that information and run with it?

"What's wrong?" Viktor raised Yuuri's chin gently to look into his glossy eyes. He knew the look in Yuuri's eyes, and hated it. His anger rolled over, feeling fresh. "Do you think he's going to judge you?"

Yuuri pulled his chin away, unable to look Viktor in the eyes. Of course Yurio would judge him. Viktor did, so how could Yurio not?

"Do you think… I judge you?" Viktor found it impossible to hold back his tears when Yuuri didn't look up, confirming that that was exactly what he thought. "Yuuri… How could you think that?"

Yuuri shrugged, tears splattering onto his track pants. How could Viktor not judge him?

"Yuuri, listen to me." Viktor wiped away his last tear in defiance. He would not cry. "I will never judge you. Never. Even if you left me for JJ I would never judge you. All I want to do is take your pain away, not add to it. The same goes for Yurio. And Phichit, and Otabek, and anyone else who will ever know about this." Viktor experimentally reached out, and Yuuri leaned into him, tears falling silently. "I love you more than you could ever know." Viktor murmured into the top of Yuuri's head. "My beautiful Katsudon."