Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. None of these characters belong to me, sadly. I am just using them to relay a story that I love. All characters and parts of the plot from Yuri! On Ice belong to Mitsurō Kubo, Sayo Yamamoto, Tadashi Hiramatsu and TV Asahi.
Title: The Bronze
Written by: SadieAnnabethMellark ( porkcutletbowltrash)
Summary: Yuuri Katsuki placed third and took home a bronze medal in his first Grand Prix final. It had been an amazing performance and an amazing feeling. The only problem was that he couldn't really remember what happened on the ice thanks to some really strong cough medicine. Now, skating with Viktor alone on the rink, he lets down his walls. An AU where Yuuri didn't suck in his first GP. By request of Shiranai Atsune.
Dedicated to: Shiranai Atsune. Thank you for the idea in your request!
Chapter Three
"It's just a cold. I'm fine." Yuuri was trying to convince the Russian man who was pulling him down a snowy street in Sochi, "I promise."
"Yurka," Viktor said in a warning tone. Yuuri huffed and continued to let his idol pull him through the snow. He didn't know where they were going; nothing looked familiar to Yuuri, but then again this was his first time in Russia. He could tell Viktor didn't believe a single thing he was saying.
Why he didn't was the mystery to Yuuri. He really was being truthful. It was just a cold and he was tired. But he was getting better over the past few days and soon he'd be back to his normal self once it stopped feeling like someone was taking a jack hammer to Yuuri's head.
They came to a stop at a traffic light where a few locals were standing waiting to cross and it was the first time Viktor let go of Yuuri's hand. Yuuri folded his arms across himself to keep his now empty hand warm. As thankful as he was to finally get his hand back, he was now without the heat from Viktor's hand to keep his fingers feeling like they were going to freeze off. He had wished he'd brought some gloves with him more than ever now.
"There's a place we can get warm and get something in you to help you feel better up ahead," Viktor mumbled to him.
"Huh?" Yuuri asked, but it flew into the wind as a soft breeze blew through the street and the light signal changed, letting them cross.
Viktor's normally long legs were carrying him faster than Yuuri could walk, especially with his paranoia of falling over on the slick pavement. The last thing he wanted was to fall into the rapidly forming snow drift on the Russian sidewalk. While skating on the ice was one thing, once you put black ice and Yuuri together, things didn't always go quite as they should. Still Yuuri couldn't help but notice how gracefully Viktor moved across the slick street, how he could still dance in between people walking in the opposite direction and how he managed to keep his stunning stride.
Viktor peaked over his shoulder as Yuuri tried to keep pace with him. He smiled softly and slowed his pace to match Yuuri's.
"Sorry. It should be just up ahead and to the right. Ah, yes. Here we are." Viktor pulled him into a tiny little shop that's sign was entirely in Russian.
"Where are we?" Yuuri shivered but felt a little better as warmth found his cheeks and nose in the small shop.
"A local drug store. They have some things that you won't find in the more touristy parts." He said as he strode over into the isles, pulling his hood down from his silky silver locks.
"Viktor, I have medicine back at the hotel—"
"Not the stuff that works quite like this. It's a little trick Yakov has for when one of us is sick." He crouched down by the shelves and looking at a few boxes and bottles of medicines, "Headache, fever, dizziness. Are you coughing?" As if in response, Yuuri gave a rough cough into his elbow.
Viktor gave him a soft worried smile, "I'll take that as a yes. Nauseous? Stomach cramps?"
"Viktor—" Yuuri started but was cut off by a glare from the Russian skater, "Yes and no."
Viktor nodded and grabbed a box of something off the shelf and looked at the smaller print closely, "Yurka, why don't you go pick out some throat lozenges." He pointed to the other end of the isle, before going back to reading labels.
"Viktor, really, I'm fine."
"Please Yuuri. Just get some. Your throat's sore. I can tell." Viktor didn't even look up at the Japanese man, but just kept looking at the bottle in his hands.
Yuuri blinked at him, but shuffled over to the bags at the other end and did his best to try to decipher the Russian letters. He picked up a bag of red lozenges and tried to make out the flavor of them, but with no success he held onto the bag. Whether they were cherry, strawberry or cinnamon flavored he didn't know.
He turned back to walk towards Viktor, when a flash of purple caught his eye. Turning back, he saw the one thing that had been the cause of stress and the reason for sweet relief for him for the past few days. He picked up the bottle of the cough syrup that was sitting on the shelf and held it in his hand; he was getting rather low on the bottle back at the hotel and if he planned on getting through the next few days in Sochi of press conferences and the plane ride back to Detroit, he knew he'd be needing more of it.
With his two items in hand, he made his way back to Viktor at the end of the isle. The Russian was now comparing two medicines to each other. Apparently, he decided they'd both be good since he kept hold of both as he stood and turned to Yuuri.
"Come on." He nodded his head towards a counter where a teenage girl was sitting and reading a Russian magazine. When Viktor set the objects down and then pulled Yuuri's lozenges and the other bottle out of his hands ("Viktor, I have money." "I've got it, Yurka. You pay me back later."), he started talking with the girl at the counter in rapid and fluent Russian. Yuuri could just watch in silent wonder at Viktor quick soothing voice speaking his 1st language. Yuuri had heard many other people speak Russian in the past week, but nobody could make it sound's foreign dictation quite as smooth and soft as Viktor. Even when speaking quickly, Viktor made the words dance as they rolled off his tongue.
"Тебе тоже нужны?*" the girl asked Viktor as she scanned the medicines Viktor had set down.
"Да. У вас есть суп или бульон?*"
"Это на острове 3.*" The girl said boredly. Yuuri could feel Viktor smile at her anyways before dashing away down another isle for a second and coming back moments later with a few cans of something.
"Soup." Viktor smiled at him before putting them on the counter as well. He pushed the lozenges and Yuuri's other medicine towards the clerk as he reached for his wallet. He pulled out a few bills and tossed them on the counter with a quick, "Сдачи не надо.*", before grabbing the bag and pulling Yuuri towards a small table by the window.
"I'm going to get us a cab really quick to take us back to the hotel."
"But, it's not that far, we can just walk," Yuuri mumbled.
Viktor put a hand on top of his head, "We're further than you think. It's not that far from the rink, but its far away from the hotel. And with that fever of yours, I don't think you should be walking out in the snow anymore." He ran his hand down over Yuuri's forehead and grimaced softly, before sitting Yuuri in a chair and dashing out into the snow to get a cab.
With a sigh, Yuuri sat. He was too tired to fight Viktor anymore, especially now that he knew he wouldn't necessarily win the argument. His head was pounding and he wanted to lie down and sleep, but he had to get back to the hotel first. He could stuff some Yen in Viktor's pocket in the cab as a thank you for all that he had done for him tonight. Hopefully, Viktor would somehow be able to exchange it for Russian currency somehow. He laid his head across his arms and watched out into the busy street where Viktor was trying to hail a taxi, the cool radiating from the glass and then heat from his body both feeling nice on his pale cheeks.
o.O.o
"Yurka," He felt someone run a hand through his hair softly as a soft voice drifted into his ear, "Yurka, I got us a cab. Come on." Yuuri wasn't really sure what was happening. He could recognize that familiar voice as he sleepily pushed himself to his feet. He didn't want to move from his comfortable position from where he had been dozing, but every time he had felt like he was going to fall back into the comfortability of the warmth of his arms, he was being pulled up from it.
He whined softly, " 'm tired."
"You can go back to sleep when we get back to the hotel, Yurka." That voice whispered soothingly to him once more as he was continually pushed forwards.
That was when the cold hit him like a brick and he shivered heavily, his eyes snapping open. Yuuri let out another quiet moan as he felt Viktor pushing him towards the cab that had it's door open, waiting for them.
"Here Yuuri." He felt something slide over his head and soon his face was covered in thick wool. It brought warmth once more, taking the bite of the chilly air for his cheeks as he was pushed into the back seat of the vehicle. He felt Viktor slide in next to him and heard the door slam shut as the wool started to warm his face.
"Хаятт Ридженси Сочи, пожалуйста. Как можно быстрее.*" Yuuri caught some of the Russian exchanged between Viktor and the driver, before he started drifting off again; he was starting to feel warm again and the soft earthy smells of designer cologne were seeping into his nose. Cabs in Russia, Yuuri thought, must smell amazing. Unlike the public transport at home in Japan or in Detroit. And then he started falling in and out once more.
o.O.o.
Viktor didn't quite know what to do with the bronze medalist sitting next to him. Yuuri Katsuki seemed to be getting sicker and sicker every time he looked at him. He was currently dozing on Viktor's shoulder as the cab was stalled at a red light, but he couldn't tell if Yuuri was conscious or not. He was sure Yuuri hadn't hit his head and he had seemed fine a few hours ago when they were at the banquet and then at the rink, but now he could see Yuuri's pale features and feel his gentle shivers. He pulled the soft knit hat from his head and slid it over Yuuri's ears, hoping that it would retain a little more of Yuuri's body heat until they could get into the warmth of the hotel.
Pulling up his hood to try to keep himself warm, Viktor let his mind wander as he looked around the streets of Sochi as they drove. If he had only thought to get a cab from the rink to the hotel and then run to grab medicine for Yuuri after he was settled, maybe he wouldn't be getting worse. He had been nervous about hailing a taxi from the giant ice rink. If someone spotted them though – the press would've had a field day and as much as Viktor didn't know Yuuri really well, he was sure the Japanese man wouldn't appreciate his picture all over the internet looking like he was going to keel over. Oh, Yura. He mumbled to himself, I just met you and already I've hurt you.
Viktor tried not to dwell on it too much, not wanting to think about his past really, at this point or ever. He tried doing what his counselor had told him; he'd moved on, there was nothing he could do, he just needed to press forward and think on the now. His focus was on Yuuri. He needed to help Yuuri. A warm feeling flowed through his chest; similar to the feeling alcohol gave after a couple shots. Yuuri Katsuki. He'd seen him before in passing, he'd remembered, when he was warming up for a senior competition, he'd see the boy perched in a corner somewhere, eyes bulging out of his head in anxiety before he was pushed out for his program for the Junior division. He hadn't known him back then, hadn't known that Yuuri was light hearted when not about to compete. He hadn't known how incredibly talented Yuuri was on the ice and that it was simply the anxiety of the moment that made him look like a simpering mouse – albeit a cute mouse. In fact, he had never even heard a single word come from Yuuri's mouth until tonight.
He wasn't sure what those feelings had been at the time for the brunette, but he had always wanted to know more about the boy with the dark hair and the cute glasses.
Viktor smiled softly when he saw the hotel come into view. The Hyatt Regency Sochi had been one of the top five star hotels in the area and Viktor had been ecstatic when he found out how good the hotel security was; hopefully he'd be able to enjoy his time in Sochi with minimal mobbing of fangirls and press alike. He loved his fans, he truly did, but at times it had been hard to go sight-seeing or go to the rink when he, along with the other members of the Russian team, were being cornered and chased by reporters. It was a bonus when he found out most of the skaters for the Grand Prix would also be staying there. He had been hoping to run into the boy who had taken two silvers at his qualifying competitions, making him just barely steal the opening for the Grand Prix. He had watched The Patin de Victoire Cup in Paris and The Cup of Seoul Cup late at night in his apartment after training. He had seen the boy who he had been curious about dance across the ice, nerves hindering some of his fluidity. He was truly hoping to be able to meet the Japanese skater in Sochi; see what he was like…end the fascination with him.
"здесь мы сэр." The cab driver's gruff Russian spoke from the front of the cab as he pulled to a stop in front of the Hayatt.
"Spasibo." Viktor tossed a few bills into the front seat and started trying to rouse Yuuri enough to move him inside. Yuuri whined soft and curled up to Viktor closer, but after a few more nudges, he was able to pull Yuuri from the cab and into the warmth of the hotel. He pulled his hood lower over himself and tried to walk as quick as he could towards the elevator before any of the reporters noticed something was amiss. Luck seemed to be on his side and thankfully was able to steer Yuuri back to the elevator without being stopped by the press, fans, hotel staff or possibly any coaches or skaters milling around. The banquet isn't over yet, though, he reminded himself.
"Yurka…" He shook the skater softly, "What floor are you on?"
"Nani?" Yuuri mumbled sleepily, "私は床で眠りたくない...暖かいことがない限り..."
"Yuuri, I don't speak Japanese. What floor are you—"
"Yuuri?" Viktor jumped as another voice drifted into the elevator. He looked up to see a small boy, probably about 15 or 16 sliding into the elevator beside them, "Is that Yuuri Katsuki?"
"Uh—" Viktor wasn't sure if he should say yes or no.
"James? Hey buddy…" Yuuri peeked and eye open to look at the red-headed boy before mumbling sleepily to himself in Japanese.
"Uhm, you don't look so good Yuuri. Are you—" James looked up to meet Viktor's eyes, "Y-You're Viktor—"
"Yes. I am. Do you know what floor he's on? I want to get him to his room so he can rest." Viktor mumbled and shut the elevator doors before anyone else could get on.
"Well, Celestino all has us booked on the 8th floor. He's in room 815, I think." The American boy spoke.
"Spasibo, uh—"
"Oh, I'm James Noble. I'm in the Junior division." The boy blushed and smiled at the older skater.
"Oh, that's good to here. I hope you do well when you make your senior debut." Viktor hummed and bounced softly in place as he help Yuuri up, "Yurka, I know your tired, but we just need to get to your room and then you can take some medicine to feel better and sleep."
Yuuri coughed roughly, "I need to take more of that cough medicine."
"I'll get you some of that too." To Viktor the trip to the 8th floor was painful. It was taking forever! But when the door binged and opened, Viktor hauled Yuuri out as gently and quickly.
"His room is at the end of the hall, I can help you get there," James called after him.
"We'll be alright. Thank you James!" He waved back at the younger teenager and drug the Japanese skater who was seemingly a little more conscious as he was being pulled along.
o.O.o
Yuuri was vaguely aware of being pushed down into a sitting position on a soft cushy surface as his eyes fluttered open. Something warm and heavy was covering his neck and cheeks; smelling faintly of designer perfume and soap. The smell was very nice, but he was feeling warm, too warm. Through his sleep-laden eyes, he could see a flash of silver hair as a tall man knelt in front of him.
"Viktor?" Yuuri mumbled in surprise. He had almost forgotten that the Russian skater was with him; he must've brought him back to the hotel.
The other man stopped where he was pulling bottles from a bag and came to crouch in front of Yuuri, "Hey, Yuuri. How're you feeling?"
He hummed softly and pulled at the scarf that had been wrapped around his face, "Hot."
He could see a soft smile linger on the other skater's lips as he reached up and helped Yuuri unravel the scarf before he brushed a hand across his warm face. Viktor's hands were soft and cool and Yuuri couldn't help by lean into their gentle touch as they caressed his cheek.
"Your fever seems to be getting worse. Hopefully the medicine I picked up will help bring it down some." Viktor hummed and grabbed a small bottle of pills that was lying on the table and pouring two blue tablets from the bottle, "Here, Yura. These should help with the fever and the aches." Yuuri hummed and took the two pills in his hand, popping them back before chasing them down with some water that Viktor had held out for him.
"And this should help with nausea and stomach cramps if you have any," Viktor held out another small pill for Yuuri, who popped it into his mouth and swallowed it down with some water.
Yuuri swayed slightly in place as he watched Viktor measure a thick purple liquid from another medicine bottle into a small measuring cap. He was very tired and he was hot – he just wanted to lay down with the covers off and a bunch of fans on.
"Last one, Yuuri. This should help with the coughing," Viktor touched his cheek to get his attention as he held out the cap filled with the thick liquid. Yuuri scrunched his nose softly in disgust, but took the cap of liquid and quickly tossed it back, gagging at the taste momentarily before swallowing heavily and downing a few gulps of water.
"Easy, Yura. You don't want to upset your stomach," Viktor almost cooed, "I noticed you picked up a sleeping aid. Do you want that to help you sleep?"
Yuuri frowned softly, "Uhm…"
Viktor raised an eyebrow softly and held out the very familiar bottle to the Japanese skater. Yuuri took the green bottle in his hands and felt his cheeks darken.
"Oh…"
He could hear the smile in Viktor's voice before the Russian skater chuckled softly, "What did you think that was Yura?"
Yuuri looked up at the silver-haired skater with a dark pink cheeks, "Cough medicine…"
Viktor's slender cool hands caressed his face once more and he leant into the soothing touch, "Oh Yura," He chuckled softly, "It doesn't help with coughing at all. It's got a lot of booze in it to help knock you out."
Yuuri blushed and ducked his head. So that's why he wasn't fully better and why he had lost his inhibitions while on the ice. He truly was drunk. It was amazing that he hadn't passed out mid-routine from exertion and from the effect of the drugs in his system. He wanted to bang his head against a wall out of the embarrassment of the situation and his own stupidity. I should've just put up with the coughing and not run to a store in Russia by myself where limited English was spoken.
Viktor's soft touch stayed on his cheek, his voice suddenly soft like he was speaking to a small child who was upset, "Yuuri? I'm sorry for laughing. It was just funny to me is all. Why don't you eat some soup and then you can get some rest? How's that sound? I can leave you alone if you want…"
"No!" Yuuri was surprised by the plea that left his lips as his eyes lifted to meet Viktor's sky blue ones, "C-Can you–?"
Viktor smiled, "Don't worry about it. You can change out of your training clothes while I heat up some soup." And with a brush through Yuuri's soft hair, Viktor pushed himself to his feet and slid over towards the small cooking area the hotel room was equipped with.
o.O.o
Viktor smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed and watched Yuuri slowly sip at the bowl of chicken noodle soup in front of him. It had been cliché, but between the small chicken bits, veggies and noodles the nutrition would help Yuuri recover faster, even if the sodium and carb levels were a little too high for the nutritional regimens that they were both on. Yuuri had changed out of the sweat pants and hoodie he had been wearing and had settled in with a pair of basketball shorts and a light t-shirt while Viktor had been supervising the microwave.
"How is it?" Viktor hummed, "You don't have to eat it all, but it's better that you don't take those meds on an empty stomach.
Yuuri hummed sleepily and watched him with those wide brown eyes that had captivated Viktor for years from a far, "It's very good Viktor. Thank you." He smiled as he watched the brunette take a few more spoonfuls of soup before setting the bowl down on the side table.
"You should rest, Yuuri." Viktor hummed and put his hand on Yuuri's knee softly, "I'm on the 9th floor, so I'll leave my number if you need anything, alright. Don't hesitate to text or call, okay?"
Something swam to the surface in the chocolate eyes that Viktor couldn't quite understand; sadness, longing, hurt? He wasn't sure but the look made him uneasy.
"Oh…okay…thank you, Viktor for your help." Viktor smiled and caressed Yuuri's cheek once more before standing up and stretching.
As he reluctantly turned to walk away, he heard a soft whimper and a small sniffle. He glanced in the dressing tables mirror as he paused on his way to the door. Yuuri had his head bowed softly and was wiping at his face with his face roughly from where he was laid.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I worried you and wasted your time and took you away from the banquet." Yuuri told him with grief dripping into his voice, "And now you're taking care of me. I'm sure you already have so much more you could be doing."
Viktor let off a sweet smiled and turned to face the boy in the bed, "I'm glad. I'm glad that I ran into you, I'm glad that you met me to skate, I'm glad you showed me how to fool around, I'm glad that you let me help you."
Yuuri blushed covered his face with one of his hands, "B-But–"
Viktor turned and settled once more on the bed next to Yuuri, "Not buts. Thank you for becoming my friend, Yura." He leaned over the boy and placed a small soft kiss to Yuuri's messy hair and smiled down at him.
Yuuri was blushing from the beginning of his roots to his neck as he pulled away. His eyes were even wider than they had been all night and Viktor was suddenly reminded of the small mouse that he had seen in passing over the past few years. He brushed his fingers across Yuuri's warm cheek once more; he seemed to really enjoy feeling Viktor's fingers gliding across his skin. Maybe the touch would help ease the anxiety that was rising in Yuuri, after all he didn't want the skater to get even more stressed and make his cold worse.
"Text me alright. Even if you don't need anything, Yura. Alright?" Viktor hummed. In content when the boy nodded softly, still speechless as he looked up at him.
Viktor stood to leave once more, but the slender fingers that wrapped around his wrist softly made him stop. He turned to face the sick boy with a gentle look.
"S-stay? Please?" Yuuri's eyes were looking moist, like he was on the verge of tears and the dam would break at any moment. Yuuri's blush reappeared on his cheeks and he let go of Viktor's sleeve and didn't meet the Russians eyes, "J-just forget that I said anything. I hope you sleep well tonight and that your coach isn't to upset with you and all –"
Viktor purred softly and pulled his hoodie off and slid off his shoes, before he climbed onto the bed to lay next to Yuuri, "This okay?"
"Uhm…" Yuuri mumbled with a blush and simply nodded, "Yes."
"Here." Viktor held out his hand for Yuuri who looked at it in question for a moment, "You seem to like me touching you, so you can play with my fingers if you want."
At first, Yuuri's blush was predominant, but eventually, he grabbed Viktor's hand in his own and held Viktor's fingers to his warm cheek, "Thank you Viktor. For everything."
A/N: (Okay, okay, I know I said I would post sooner but work has been crazy and so has home life. My dad's epilepsy symptoms are getting increasingly worse, so we are trying to figure out who can be at home to watch him all the time. Other than that, I was struck with a bad bout of writers block and couldn't figure out if this chapter was any good or not. So, this may be good or it may be crap. So lets hope it's the former. One last chapter in this story, and it's gonna be an epilougue! Yay! There might possibly be a series stemming from this, but I'm not positive that it will make it far. As always, please Read and review for me : ) I love reading your comments. Love you all my lovelies! –S.A.M.)
