A/N: Here is chapter 2, hope you like it. If there are any mistakes (grammar/spelling), let me know. Please read and review.
Thanks to Angel From Above Is Here for proofreading.
They had been practicing for months and now they were here: the Rostelecom Cup, also known as the Cup of Russia. This was the first event Yuri would skate in this season. His second event was the NHK Trophy in Japan and after that, if he managed to qualify himself, he would go to the Grand Prix Final, which would be held in the Netherlands at the Hague.
In this event he would be skating against Michele Crispino, Georgi Popovich, Leo de la Iglesia, Otabek Altin and Emil Nekola. Yuri had competed against them in previous competitions, so he knew what they were capable of.
It was the second day, the day they had to do their free program. The order in which they would skate today, was determined by the score of their short program the previous day. The higher their marks, the later they had to skate.
First up was Emil. As had become a signature move for him, he had put a lot of jumps in his program. You could say that he almost had as much stamina as Yuri had. And despite the fact that he didn't always land his jumps, as was the case today, you couldn't help but be entertained.
Second up was Leo. His performance was very lively and in comparison to Emil, you could almost say that he didn't have any jumps in his program. Though, the jumps he did had were perfectly executed. The strong point in his performance was, as always, his step sequence.
Third up was Georgi. His performance told a story. The story could differ for everyone watching it but no one could deny that, since his changed demeanour four years ago at the Cup of China, his performances always had that something special that would entrance anybody who looked at him. He performed with love and people were enchanted by it. You could be so wrapped up in looking at him that before you knew it his performance was over, just as this was the case today.
Fourth up, and the last person to skate before it was Yuri's turn, was Otabek. When he was about to take his place onto the ice, he could clearly hear Yurio yelling "Davai!". As always he answered with a thumps up. Since the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona four years ago, the two of them had grown quite close. And while Yurio didn't participate in this event he came to root for Otabek, and though he would never admit it, also to support Yuri.
Otabek's performance was phenomenal. A few years ago, Otabek didn't stand out. He was just one of the many skaters. However, the last few years his performances were something that could be described as surprising. One moment, he could skate with a gentleness that you wouldn't expect from, the next, he could be so fierce that you would think that you had imagined that gentle side of his. It was the same with his performance today and it was the reason why people couldn't look away.
When Otabek finished his short program, it was Yuri's turn. And despite being one of the older skaters, Yuri still had difficulty with controlling his nerves.
"Yuri, you got this. We practised for months, it's going to be fine. Now go and make me proud." Victor said with a reassuring smile as he grabbed hold of Yuri's hand. After having said this, he kissed the ring on his finger as had become a habit whenever one of them had to go take their place on the ice.
Yuri, still nervous, also kissed his ring. Giving Victor a small smile, Yuri went to take his place on the ice.
When Yuri had taken his place on the ice, his nerves were still there. The nerves telling him that this would be his last season so he needed to give his best performance yet.
When the music started, Yuri began his program just as they had practised for the last few months. His jumps were perfect, his transitions amazing and his step sequence had everyone captivated. But somehow you could still see his nerves.
He was about to start the second half of his program, which started with the quadruple salchow, a jump which he still had some problems with. Focusing so hard on the jump and thinking about that his performance needed to be as perfect as he could make it, he started into the jump with too much speed. He over-rotated and with the speed he was going, he was too late to realize it and put his arms out to break his fall. Instead he landed with his head on the ice.
It was normal that a skater fell at times and when that happened, the normal thing to do was to get back up and keep on skating like nothing happened until your program was finished.
In the past Yuri had fallen a fair amount of times, everyone had seen it, but he would always get back up immediately. Today, however, he just kept lying there.
"Yuri, get up! Keep going!" Victor yelled, encouraging Yuri to go on.
However, Yuri didn't show any sign of getting up.
"Oi, Katsudon, what do you think you're doing?! Get up and get skating!" Yurio yelled from the stands.
But Yuri still didn't get up.
This wasn't like him. Beginning to panic, Victor started to yell, "Yuri, get up! Yuri!". His yelling became more and more frantic as he didn't get an answer and saw that Yuri still didn't give a sign of getting onto his feet.
By this time, everyone at the ice rink, the staff, the skaters and the fans, were starting to panic. The music was stopped and two paramedics came onto the ice. Everyone was silent. When they reached Yuri, they laid him onto a stretcher. When they picked him up and made their way of the ice, there was a small trail of blood that could be seen on the ice. Seeing this, Victor panicked completely.
The two paramedics left the ice and Victor was immediately by their side.
"What's going to happen? Is he going to be okay?" Victor asked them hurriedly while grabbing one of Yuri's hands, trying to think straight. Though, it was difficult to try and stay calm, seeing his husband unconscious with blood on his head.
"We need to take him to the hospital. Only then will we know what the problem is." One of the paramedics replied.
They placed Yuri in the back of an ambulance, Victor got in with them. All the way to the hospital, he never let go of Yuri's hand. And though he tried to remain calm until they had reached the hospital, the tears in his eyes threatened to fall.