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My name is Yuuri Katsuki, and a little more than a year ago, I was a dime a dozen Japanese skater with dreams of becoming a Grand Prix gold medalist. I had nearly given up on that goal, when the man who inspired me to become a skater, left skating, himself, to become my coach.

Victor Nikiforov…without you, I would never have come to love ice skating. Without you, I would not be wearing a Grand Prix silver medal around my neck.

Thank you so much, Victor…for showing me your love by helping me to grow, and by teaching me to show you my love through skating. I promise you that next year, I will be the Grand Prix gold medalist, even though I will have to beat you to do it.
"Yuuri," Victor's voice called from the bathroom, "the water is hot."Yuuri's wide brown eyes that had been focused out the hotel window at the night sky, blinked, and his head turned to look in the direction of the bathroom.
He's waiting for me. And I can feel that things are going to change a bit now. Before, when I had no confidence in myself, Victor held back to let me grow stronger. I could feel in the kisses he gave me at the Grand Prix banquet, that he feels I am ready now to show my love for him in ways besides skating.
A little nervous sweat broke out on Yuuri's forehead, and his face warmed in reaction.
I'm a little bit scared. While I know that Victor will continue to let me grow slowly, I have never been loved physically. It is all new to me. So, I will be shaky and sometimes scared, like I was about skating when I was younger and had such a long way to go. But Victor knows me so well, and what he doesn't know, he reads carefully and measures. I feel so deeply that it will be all right.

I just need to take those few steps to join him.
"Yuuri?"The younger man's breath caught in surprise.
When did he come to join me?
Yuuri's eyes took in the look of concern on Victor's handsome face and the other man's warm scent drifted across his senses.
I want very much to go to him.
"Are you all right?" Victor asked, taking up a position in front of him, "You look like there's something on your mind. Will you tell me, Yuuri?"
How do I put these feelings into words?
He slipped into Victor's arms and rested his head gently on his partner's strong shoulder, nuzzling his cheek.
I love you, Victor.

You felt my longing and you came to me and fulfilled my every dream. Now, I want to come to you and fulfill all of yours. I guess part of me is just afraid that my inexperience in physical love will not let me do that. I want to hold on to you. I want to satisfy you. But some little part of me wonders if I can be enough.
"Say something, Yuuri."Yuuri's head turned slightly and he pressed his lips to the tender flesh of Victor's soft neck. He closed his eyes.
I love you.

I love you, Victor.

I love you so much that being with you like this leaves me speechless.
He felt Victor's fingertips under his chin and met his partner's blue-green eyes hopefully.
You understand, don't you?
"Yuuri, please say what you are thinking so loudly. I'm being as patient as I can, but…""I love you, Victor!"
There, I said it!
Yuuri froze, shivering under Victor's warm hands. He sought Victor's eyes tentatively."You actually said it to me!" Victor mused in a surprised voice, "My Yuuri said out loud that he loves me!"Yuuri let out a nervous laugh as Victor's eyes reflected intense joy and his lips sought Yuuri's enthusiastically.So, Yuuri thought, sinking into their deeper, more passionate kisses, this is how it begins. This gripping emotion that we call love…what happens when the feeling is so strong that it becomes physical."I love you too," Victor said between kisses, cupping Yuuri's flushed cheek, "We will go slowly.Yuuri's blush darkened.
He means, because I am inexperienced, he will hold back.

I'm glad.

I very much want to welcome Victor's physical love. I know that my desire to have him coach me, and the slow training have seduced his heart. We didn't take that last step to make our love physical, because he didn't want to distract me while I was training and learning to express my love to him through my skating. He already has my heart, and I will gladly give Victor my body too.

I just…
"Come, Yuuri. Trust me."Victor's arm curled around him, and Yuuri let himself be guided to the bathroom. They passed through the doorway and paused by the oversized tub that was filled with steaming water, and already bubbling. Victor's hands slipped down to untie the belt of Yuuri's soft robe, and he peeled it back to reveal the younger man's lovely, muscular body."Beautiful," Victor said appreciatively.
Victor's body is far more attractive.
But he made his very slightly shaking hands take hold of the belt of Victor's dressing robe. He pulled it free and folded the ends of the robe back, baring his partner's tall, perfect form. Yuuri moved forward with painful slowness, pressing his own naked body to Victor's and he kissed the taller man gently."Are you…?""I'm fine," Yuuri said with more confidence, "just a little anxious now."Victor smiled and nodded, slipping a hand into his and guiding Yuuri, step by step into the bubbly water. He sank in, up to his shoulders, sitting down on the bench seat, beneath the water's surface. Yuuri sat down next to him, then made a sound of deep relief as the water impacted against his sore muscles."Ah!" he sighed, closing his eyes and leaning against Victor's shoulder.Victor's arms embraced Yuuri, and his hands slowly found each uncomfortable place and massaged away the pain."That's right," Victor's voice rumbled in his ear, "You're pretty sore after showing me your love on the ice, Yuuri. Don't worry. We'll take our time here, as well. You didn't nail your program in a day, and physical love between us will grow slowly.""Victor!" Yuuri exclaimed, his eyes widening as they looked up into his handsome partner's, "Victor, you don't have to hold back. I'll be…"Victor's damp fingers touched Yuuri's parted lips, stopping him. Yuuri gave him a puzzled look."You don't have to say anything, you know," Victor chided him gently, "Just like when you skate to seduce me, your body will tell me when you are ready to receive this kind of love. Besides, just some touching can bring us relief, eh?"The blush on Yuuri's face and throat crept downward until he was flushed all over. He relaxed against Victor's shoulder, watching as his partner's hand slid down to explore him more intimately."Ah, Victor!" Yuuri exclaimed, burying his face in the elder man's shoulder and breast."You can touch me too," Victor purred in his ear.
I've never done this.

It's like taking the ice for the very first time. I can barely keep my feet and I know I'm shivering and my hands are shaking. But, moving step by step, we'll get past the awkwardness.
He felt Victor's hand guiding his, then the little shudder that went through the elder man's body at just the slightest touch.Just this? Yuuri pondered, Just this little bit of touching brings you such pleasure, Victor? But, how long have you been patient and waited for me already.Yuuri found his breaths shortening as Victor's touches excited happy twinges through his abdomen and loins. He noted the motion of Victor's caressing hand and matched it in the touches he gave his partner.
I should feel bad, making you wait for me, but…all I can feel right now…
Yuuri quivered at the rising tension inside him.
All I can feel is how your touch gives me a feeling too big and too beautiful to be held inside. It grows until I can't hold it back.

Victor!
He couldn't have stopped it if he had wanted to, but gave in easily to the heavy, gripping shudders of his first release. He would have felt embarrassed at the deep gasp he gave in surrender, but the sound Victor made, and the elder man's delighted tremors distracted him from anything but watching closely how much pleasure Yuuri's touches had given him. They sank down deeper into the water, kissing slowly as their heartbeats gradually slowed and the initial euphoria gave way to a sated, contented feeling."It feels good?" Victor sighed.Yuuri's blush returned instantly and he burrowed into Victor's shoulder again."Mmhmm," he mumbled, hiding his face as Victor's fingers played in his tousled hair."For me too," Victor confessed happily, smirking as he added, "Better than a pork cutlet bowl."Yuuri couldn't hold back the little laugh that escaped him. The two relaxed in the bubbling water, letting the excitement of the long day seep out of them. They emerged from the water and dried off slowly, then tumbled into the bed, still bare, and their skin soft and warm from their bathing. Yuuri curled easily into Victor's embrace and the two drifted off and slept peacefully until morning.
When I open up, he meets me where I am.

That is what I need.

That is love.

XXXXXXXXXX
Yuuri woke, hours later, to find that the sun was already up and he was alone in the bed he and Victor had shared. He shifted and spread out, stretching his still aching muscles.
His side of the bed is still warm. Victor slept later than usual.
He turned his head slightly and spotted a note on the nightstand. His hand found his glasses, and he placed them on his face, then picked up the note and read.
Go ahead and sleep as long as you like. We can get a pork cutlet bowl when I get back. Love, Victor
Yuuri let out another long, languid sigh, turning onto his back and placing his hands behind his head as he daydreamed.
All along, I worried that when our love became physical, I would be awkward. I may have been a little awkward, but Victor is so patient. It's like he knows exactly what I need, and he gives me only what I can handle.
He lifted his hand to admire the gold ring on his finger.
It's so funny. I didn't at all mean for these rings to be a proposal. But, so easily, Victor accepted my gift and he read what my heart couldn't yet tell him. Even though I was immature and needed time to come to it, I do want to marry Victor. I want to receive both emotional and physical love. I am getting there.
Yuuri breathed slowly, gazing up at the ceiling, but seeing again the rapturous repeat of the Grand Prix Finals and the noisy banquet after.
I was able to mingle with the other skaters this time. I feel closer to them now. We are all like a sort of extended family, this group of us who came so far and competed so fiercely to seek the podium. I felt no sting at all in taking silver. Yurio's performance was breathtaking. I'll have to work hard to beat him next season.
Yuuri said up and looked around, frowning at the restless feeling inside him.
I should get dressed. I'm hungry now. Victor will be back soon.
He slipped out from under the covers and walked, naked, across the room to his suitcase, where he picked out his comfortable sweatsuit and slowly dressed. Victor had still not arrived when he was done, so he checked his phone, but found no text."Hmm."
I'll take a little walk to stretch my legs. It's good to move slowly after a big competition. I've worked my body really hard for months, training.
He took the stairs instead of the elevator, letting the kinks work out of his muscles and taking slow breaths. By the time he reached the ground floor, he felt energized, and he broke into a slow jog, heading out of the hotel and down the street.
I'd never been to Spain. It was fun, seeing the sights with Victor. I usually miss Japan, but it's been so much fun being here. I'm supposed to move to Saint Petersburg after we go back for a visit with my family and a celebration. I wonder how everyone will react to the news that I am leaving. They love Victor…and they love me. It'll be hard leaving them, I guess.

But, my home is really with Victor now.
Yuuri spotted a small park, and headed in, using the jogging trail. He moved into a gentle run, admiring the pretty flowers and blue sky as he ran.
I feel pretty good for having just been through a competition. Maybe the euphoria still hasn't really worn off.
He ran through the park and along the side of a creek that ran along the edge, continuing until he began to feel tired, and his stomach rumbled warningly. Turning back, he ran out of the park and dropped back into a walk, smiling as he passed people on the street and enjoying the pounding of his heart and the touch of chill in the air."Hey, Yuuri!" a friendly male voice called, distracting him out of his reverie."Phichit-kun!" Yuuri answered, jogging to meet his friend."Are you out here jogging so soon after the competition? I'm too tired and sore to do that yet," Phichit said cheerfully."I'm waiting for Victor to come back," Yuuri explained, "I was bored and just meant to go for a walk.""You're still excited from winning a medal, aren't you?"Yuuri nodded."It was really exciting for both Victor and me," he agreed."I heard Victor say he's coming back for the next season.""He is," Yuuri affirmed, "but he said that he would also still be coaching me.""Wow! That's going to be a lot of work for him.""I know," Yuuri said, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "I'm worried it might be too much. Victor is a talented skater, but he hasn't worked on his own program all year, and since he gave his planned program to Yurio and me, he has to come up with something completely new.""That's going to be a challenge," Phichit said appreciatively.Yuuri felt a little sinking feeling inside for a moment, but Phichit slapped him on the shoulder and smiled encouragingly."Victor is a genius," he said confidently, "I'm sure it will be fine.""Yeah," Yuuri said, flushing slightly, "I'm sure it will be fine.""Well, I have to go and get my things ready to go," Phichit said, taking Yuuri's hand and shaking it firmly, "I hope I will see you and Victor again soon. Good luck in your training.""Good luck in your training too, Phichit-kun!" Yuuri said enthusiastically.Yuuri watched as his friend disappeared into the distance, then he turned back towards his own hotel, walking slowly with his hands in his pockets.
I do wonder how things will go this season. Last season was Victor's first, coaching. Getting me up to speed was not just mentally challenging for him, He also had to come onto the ice to show me how to do the moves. It won't just be his own short and long program he has to design. He'll also be helping me with mine. But, I have learned a lot from him. I'm sure that I can help more this time around.

We'll manage.
"Yuuri!" Victor's voice called out to him from across the street.Yuuri ran to the corner, pausing to wait for the light to change and the walk signal to switch on. He started across, smiling as he closed the distance to where Victor waited on the curb. He had almost reached the other side, when suddenly the smile left Victor's face, and it was inexplicably overwritten with fear.
What…?
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a fast moving car heading toward him, going so quickly that he couldn't get out of the way. To his horror, Victor launched himself into the path of the car, his frightened eyes locking on Yuuri's.
Victor!
The car slammed on its brakes, the tires screeching and smoking as Victor's body crashed into Yuuri's, throwing both men violently to the ground. Yuuri curled his body instinctively, protecting his head as he struck the asphalt and felt stars explode behind his eyes. The last thing he heard was a heavy impact and Victor's gasp of pain.
Victor!

Are you…?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

A rushing sound returned to Yuuri's ears, and he began to hear the sounds of concerned voices and running feet. He registered the hard ground beneath his curled body and began to feel the sting of wounds on his left arm and thigh. His right ankle throbbed painfully. A pounding ache in his head and loud ringing in his ears distorted the sounds around him. Very slowly, he cracked his eyes open.
What happened?

Where am I?

Where is Victor?
The fog in front of his eyes dissipated slowly, revealing that he was lying in the street, and that a crowd of people stood around him. Shrill sirens announced the approach of emergency vehicles.
What…?
His vision cleared gradually, and in the distance, also in the street, he spotted a curled form that was partly covered with a heavy coat, with a mass of people around the person. His heart seemed to explode in his chest as he glimpsed a flash of silvery hair.
Victor!
Instantly, Yuuri's hands curled and scratched at the ground, and he struggled to crawl onto his knees. Pain shot through his shoulder and back, radiating wickedly down his right side to his hip. Then, a strong hand grabbed him by the shoulder. A scream of pain escaped him."Victor!""Don't move, Yuuri!" a deep, commanding voice scolded him, "They're taking care of him. You're hurt too. Hold still. I've got you.""Victor!" Yuuri gasped, twisting to try to free himself."Stop it, you fool!" the man holding him snapped, "You could make your own injuries worse. Victor has help. They're with him. You have to hold still!"Yuuri coughed and a coppery taste seemed to radiate at the back of his throat."Hold still," the man with him said more gently, his smooth hand caressing Yuuri's sweating face, "They're coming to help you too, Yuuri."Yuuri quivered, a feeling like ice going through his insides as he coughed again and again tasted blood."Easy," the male voice soothed him.Yuuri calmed slowly, his hazy eyes watching as two men leaned over his fallen fiancé, one quickly immobilizing his body and the other examining him more closely."Wh-what happened?" Yuuri asked, tears coming to his eyes.He blinked and turned his still aching head to look at the man with him. A flicker of memory went through him.
Halcòn, the Spanish Hawk. Some time back, he shared the rink in Saint Petersburg with Victor. Chris told me that he and Victor were lovers a long time ago. It ended after awhile, but it seemed the two parted friends.

Why…?

Oh, of course. Halcòn is Spanish, and this is Barcelona.
"Halcòn," Yuuri said in a calmer voice, turning his eyes back to watch as Victor's still form was lifted carefully into an ambulance."You know me?" the man asked.Yuuri watched in silence as the ambulance drove away, sirens wailing, and more medical personnel headed in his direction."You competed against Victor several years ago," Yuuri answered, "Chris said you were…friendly."Halcòn's golden eyes narrowed and his unruly brown hair fluttered in the breeze."We were lovers.""Oh."The two stopped talking as the medics turned Yuuri carefully onto a back board and swiftly examined him.
I know Victor had other girlfriends and boyfriends. Victor is popular, but as far as I know, he was always loyal. He's had more than a few relationships, but to my knowledge, he was never unfaithful to a person he dated.

So, he and Halcòn shared more than a passion for skating.

It's fine.

That was a long time ago.
"Yuuri," Halcòn said, slipping a hand into his, "shall I call Yakov for you and Victor?""C-could you?" Yuuri asked shakily, "I suppose it will be on the news. It would be better for him to find out from people he knows.""I will take care of it," Halcòn promised, "Is there someone I can call for you?"Yuuri bit his lip gently, his eyes tearing as he thought of his parents.
They'll be so worried.
He nodded and gave Halcòn the number. One of the medics met Halcòn's eyes regretfully."We have to take him now.""Of course," Halcòn answered, starting to step back."W-wait," Yuuri objected, studying the man for a moment, "Will you come to the hospital? T-to tell me what my parents say to you. I don't want them to worry.""You've been hit by a car and you don't think they're going to worry?" Halcòn said, looking amused, "Yuuri…""Can he come with me?" Yuuri asked the medic."If you wish," the medic answered, "but we need to go now. You have internal injuries that need to be seen to at the hospital."Yuuri nodded."Thank you."He groaned as the medics lifted the back board and twinges of pain assaulted his insides."This should make you more comfortable," a female medic said, injecting something into the IV she had started.Yuuri sighed in relief as the medication took effect and the pain seemed to become more distant. He drifted off slowly, looking up at the white ceiling of the ambulance and wondering dazedly about his absent fiancé.
Is Victor all right?

He wasn't moving.

Victor.

Are you all right, Victor?
"He seems far too calm for what's happening," Halcòn's voice commented softly."He is in shock," the female medic's voice answered, "But don't worry, we'll make sure your friend receives the best care.""Thank you," Halcòn said, squeezing Yuuri's hand, "Please do."
XXXXXXXXXX

What happened?

I only remember looking into Yuuri's scared eyes, then everything went black.

Where am I?
Victor's eyes opened, and he found himself standing alone on a beach that reminded him instantly of the one he had spent time on with Yuuri. He frowned, studying the area closely."Is this Hasetsu?" he whispered, blinking in confusion and scanning the area to look for his absent fiancé, "Yuuri?"He left the beach and found the familiar trail that led back to Yuuri's home. But strangely, there was no one on the streets and all of the buildings stood, open and silent."What's going on here?" he mused, his frown deepening.He approached Yu-topia Katsuki in slow, measured steps, listening intently, but hearing no sound but his own breathing. The doors stood open and no one greeted him as he entered the shop. Everything looked as though the one there had only just left. The oddness sent a chill through Victor's confused mind."Where is everyone?" he breathed softly, turning towards Yuuri's bedroom.With every step he took, his heart pounded harder. He though he might have heard a strange beeping sound, and when he looked at the photos hung on the walls in the hallway, they had a strange look, like they might be melting. His heart in his throat, he dashed forward, bursting through Yuuri's bedroom door, crying out his fiancé's name. But as the room came into view, he found himself standing, not in Yu-topia Hasetsu, but in a white walled room where a team of doctors and nurses stood over a body he could never fail to recognize."Yuuri!" he howled, running towards the doctors.Victor's throat tightened and his eyes filled with tears as he spotted the opening that the doctors had made in Yuuri's slim abdomen, and the splashes of blood that marked the surgical towels and the scrubs of the medical personnel.
No! I remember now!
He saw himself standing on a street corner, watching as Yuuri appeared on the other side, then waited for the walk signal before beginning to cross. And again, as he came close, Victor saw the speeding car and heard the screeching tires.
That's right.

I saw that my Yuuri was about to be hit and I tried to push him out of the path of the car. I suppose I must have been hit, but was Yuuri hit too? Is he like he looks here? Cut open and covered in bruises? Is all of this a dream? Am I dead? Am I dying?

I need to wake up!
The scene in front of Victor dissolved, and the sound of a steady beeping grew louder. He felt a stinging sensation he thought seemed as though it was in an arm, then a burning that radiated for a moment before sending his mind into a calmer, quiet abyss.
If I am dead or if I am alive, I have nothing to lose by holding on. So, I will hold on. I will stay here. If I have a choice, I choose not to leave my body.
He felt a cutting, icy breeze and his vision cleared again, allowing him to watch as a different team of doctors leaned over his battered and bleeding body, working tirelessly to keep him alive. He knew well that he should be panicking, but at the worst of his fears, one thing cut through, keeping him focused and unrelenting.
I have to get back to Yuuri.

He was hurt too.

XXXXXXXXXX
Halcòn heard approaching footsteps and concerned voices, and he turned to greet Yuuri's father, mother and sister as they rushed into the waiting room."Ah," he said, bowing, "you must be Yuuri's family. I am Halcòn. I am a figure skater.""You are a friend of Yuuri and Vic-chan?" asked Hiroko, "You are the one who called us?""I am," Halcòn replied, nodding, "I am a friend of Victor's, but I was present at the scene of the crime. Yuuri asked me to call you.""Thank you for doing so," Toshiya added gratefully.Mari gave the Spanish skater a more skeptical look."Eh, weren't you a competitor of Victor's?" she asked."We were competitors," Halcòn agreed, "but we were also friendly. I know that Yuuri has become quite important to my friend, Victor, so I did what I could to see he was cared for, while the medics were evaluating Victor.""Is Vic-chan going to be all right?" Hiroko asked worriedly, "Have you heard anything about him?""Unfortunately, no," Halcòn said more quietly, "I only know that both Yuuri and Victor were rushed into surgery. I was told to wait here."Mari took a step closer, he lips remaining in a tight frown."You called what happened a crime," she noted, "Did you misspeak or was this not an accident?""Oh, it was a crime," Halcòn said with certainty, "The driver of the car drove away."Yuuri's parents made sounds of shock and Mari scowled."I am sure that the police will identify the culprits," Halcòn assured them, "In the meantime, I will offer you a place to stay in my home while you are in Barcelona."Hiroko's teary eyes widened."Th-that's very kind of you, Halcòn-chan, but we can't possibly leave.""Ah, I didn't mean now, of course," the golden-eyed man said, smiling gently, "I am sure that you will want to stay nearby, even once Yuuri is out of trouble, and resting. You are all welcome to visit my home. I have plenty of room."He handed Yuuri's mother a piece of paper."That is the address," he explained, "Once Yuuri is stabilized, please come to stay for as long as you will need to be in Spain.""Oh, but we couldn't impose," Toshiya began."Nonsense," Halcòn insisted, "Any friend of Victor's is a friend of mine.Toshiya and Hiroko exchanged glances and a nod."Thank you very much, Halcòn-san," Hiroko said, bowing, "We gratefully accept your hospitality.""Good," Halcòn said approvingly, "Now, if you need anything, please ask. I know my way around.""We will. Again, thank you.""It is nothing."Approaching footsteps made the group stiffen, and they stared intently as a weary looking doctor and nurse arrived in the doorway."Mr. and Mrs. Katsuki," the doctor greeted them, "And are you the sister that Halcòn mentioned?""Sure," Mari said in a non-committal tone."Please," Hiroko said urgently, "How are Yuuri and Vic-chan?"The doctor sighed."Your son is in serious but stable condition," he reported, "He had some internal bleeding that required surgery, but we were able to stop the bleeding. He suffered two broken ribs and there are some hairline fractures in his right ankle, so I've placed it in a cast to heal. Yuuri will make a full recovery, but he will be unable to train for several months, and then will have to come back slowly.""I'm glad he'll be all right," said Toshiya."That's the most important thing," Hiroko agreed, "But, how is Vic-chan?""We would normally not be allowed to discuss his condition with you," said the nurse, but we were informed by Victor's family that he asked for you to be added to the list of family who could receive the information in case there was ever a situation like this.""Ah yes, because he and Yuuri are engaged," Toshiya acknowledged."They are engaged?" Halcòn asked, his golden eyes glinting for a moment, "I was aware that Victor was coaching Yuuri, and there were rumors, of course, that was not all, but I did not know.""Vic-chan and our Yuuri are inseparable," Hiroko said proudly, "Yuuri informed us that he was moving to Saint Petersburg to live with Vic-chan. We were all so happy for him!""I am sure that Yuuri will come through all right," Halcòn reassured her, "But Doctor, you were saying about Victor?""Victor is in much more serious condition, I am afraid. The car hit him, although it had slowed down enough that the damage wasn't fatal. There is a lot of tissue damage, heavy bruising and some stress fractures, but luckily, his athleticism allowed him to avoid more devastating damage. He did, however, sustain a serious concussion that we are watching closely. Victor is still in surgery, and will be for several more hours. Yuuri is being examined one more time, then he will be sent to a regular room. My nurse will escort you there to wait for him, if you wish.""Yes, please!" Yuuri's mother exclaimed."Come right this way," the nurse invited them.The four started to follow, but the nurse stopped and looked regretfully at Halcòn."I am very sorry, but we can only allow three in the room with the patient," she explained.There was a moment of reaction in Halcòn's golden eyes, then he nodded and stepped back."Of course.""We will come out and let you visit in a little bit," Hiroko said soothingly."Thank you," Halcòn said solemnly, "I will wait here."He watched the family leave with the nurse and doctor, then turned to look out the window, into the darkness."You are engaged, Victor?" he whispered, "I wonder if Yuuri has any idea what he is getting into."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"Yuuri," a familiar female voice called softly.He felt a gentle hand squeeze his.
Mom?
There were more touches on his face as a damp cloth cooled his skin. Yuuri cracked his eyes open, squinting as the light in the room blinded him for a moment. He found himself lying on his back and looking up at the ceiling, which seemed to waver strangely in front of his eyes. The faces of his mother, father and sister came slowly into focus. A throbbing ache began in his head and he groaned and panted softly, wincing in reaction."Ah, it hurts," he managed."You were in a pretty serious accident," Toshiya reminded him."You could have been killed," Mari added, scowling at him, "You scared us all to death.""We're just glad that you're going to be all right," Hiroko said encouragingly, "And see?" she said, moving aside slightly to the side, "Your friend, Halcòn convinced the staff to bring you to Victor's room.""Yeah, to shut him up and get him to sleep when he was delirious and kept trying to drag his beat up body out of bed to go to Victor, himself," Mari muttered under her breath, smirking slightly, "You must really like him a lot.""I love Victor," Yuuri said sadly, turning his head to look at his unconscious partner, "Victor saved my life."He closed his eyes against the tears that began to burn in the corners."Is he going to be all right?"Hiroko stiffened at the question, pressing up against her husband's side, while Mari took a breath and explained."His legs weren't broken, but there's a lot of damage to the muscles and tendons. There is some damage to his lower back also. It's going to take a long time to heal. He may need more surgery later.""It's to be expected, the poor boy, after what happened," Hiroko said sympathetically, "But Yuuri, the doctors are taking good care of him. And when we sit and hold his hand, we talk about you and Vic-chan's vital signs always improve.""B-but, why isn't Victor awake too?" Yuuri asked urgently, struggling to sit up and instantly earning a sharp admonition from his sister."Stop it, Yuuri," she warned him, insistently, but not unkindly, "You're messed up too. You need to rest. Everything that can be done for Victor is being done."Yuuri took a shaky breath, calming slightly."Sorry," he apologized, looking at Victor's quietly resting form, "I just really want to go to him."Hiroko bit her lip gently, considering. She brightened a moment later."Why don't we move the beds closer?" she suggested, "Then, you can hold Vic-chan's hand too!""Could we?" Yuuri asked, trying to sit up again, but groaning in distress as the movement sent pain radiating through his abdomen."Be careful, Yuuri," his sister scolded him gently, "You were bleeding inside and they had to stop it. You're all bruised up.""S-sorry! Sorry," Yuuri apologized hastily, biting at his lips as his family carefully rolled his bed closer to his unconscious partner's.He sucked in a happy breath as the movement stopped, and he found Victor's hand within reach. He took hold of it, lacing his fingers together with Victor's limp ones. He frowned a moment later, noting the absence of the gold ring he had given his beloved."Victor's ring!" he exclaimed, looking down and registering suddenly that his own ring was gone as well, "Mine too! Where are they?""Easy, easy, Yuuri," his mother soothed him, "The doctors gave the rings to me, while they took you to surgery. They said that it would be best to wait until you are released from the hospital to put them back on, because they don't want anything to happen to them.""It's a public hospital in a different country," Mari elaborated, "They're worried the rings could get stolen.""Oh, right," Yuuri said, nodding, "Thanks for taking care of them, Mom.""I'll tell you what," his mother said kindly, removing the rings from her purse, "While we are visiting you, you and Victor can wear the rings. And we will take them with us when we leave to go to Halcòn-chan's home to rest.""Thanks, Mom!" Yuuri said, smiling as he accepted the rings and placed his own on his finger.He lifted Victor's limp hand and gently returned the ring to his finger, then drew in a happier breath. He started to speak, but found the breath sucked out of his chest as Victor's fingers twitched, then the corners of his lips curved ever so slightly upward."You see? We've made Vic-chan happy, Yuuri!" his mother said, clasping her hands together."He does look happy," Yuuri agreed, trying to fight off a fresh bout of tears, "I hope he wakes up soon.""We all do," his father agreed."So, you're staying with Halcòn-san?" Yuuri asked."He's been very good to all of us," Hiroko said appreciatively, "He offered to host Vic-chan's parents too, but they couldn't stay because of something to do with their business in Russia. They saw Vic-chan through his surgery, but had to leave this morning. They said that they hoped to meet you more properly when you and Vic-chan return to Saint Petersburg."Sadness invaded Yuuri's brown eyes, and he turned his head to look quietly at Victor's peaceful expression.
It doesn't look different from when he's just sleeping.

Victor!
"I hope we can go back soon.""It won't be long," he mother said bracingly, smiling down at him, "Vic-chan will wake up and you will go home soon. We'll all keep encouraging him, and he will come along.""I hope you're right," Yuuri said, his mind suddenly replaying the accident, as though in front of his eyes.
It happened so quickly.

So quickly our lives turned a corner, and we ended up here.
But, I'm not giving up, Yuuri decided, looking at his fingers that were laced together with Victor's paler ones, I didn't chase after you, wanting to be with you all of my life, just to lose you now.His heart sank a little as he noticed the heavy bruising, barely hidden by Victor's hospital gown.
We'll get through this. Victor, you've been strong for me for awhile now, while I worked to gain confidence. This time, I promise I'll be there for you. We are going to compete on the ice together, my Victor. We will!
"Yuuri, I'm going to go out so that Halcòn can come in," Mari said, heading for the door."Such a nice young man," Hiroko said, smiling warmly."You say that about everyone," Mari sighed, shaking her head.She met Yuuri's eyes squarely."You should get to know him better before you decide to trust him," she advised her brother, "He's being great to all of us, but it makes you wonder if there's something the man wants."Yuuri's eyes widened slightly and a little flush came onto his cheeks."I do know that he was Victor's boyfriend a long time ago," he confessed, "but if he wanted Victor back, why would he be helping us?"Mari considered for a moment."Maybe because if he wants to do something, he needs to keep you close to him," she suggested, "I'm not saying I know he's up to something. I haven't seen anything I can point out that says this, but remember that he is a stranger, and a person whose thinking you don't understand. I'm just telling you to be careful, Yuuri.""I understand," Yuuri said, nodding, "I'll be careful."Yuuri gave his parents a troubled look."What is it, Yuuri?" Hiroko asked, taking his hand in hers, "Did Mari's worries make you anxious? She did say that she didn't see anything that suggests Halcòn-san is anything but a friend.""Yes, but…"Yuuri trailed off, looking over at Victor and frowning."I am not good at understanding people. I've gotten better at it, because of Victor, but I still can't always figure them out.""Don't worry about it," Toshiya advised him, "You have your mom and sister, and you have me.""But Mari is right!" Yuuri exclaimed softly, "I don't really know him, and he was Victor's boyfriend. Until Victor wakes up, we won't really know whether we should trust him or not.""That is true," Hiroko agreed, "but until you know, you should give the man the benefit of the doubt. You can be careful without rejecting his kindness and offering him kindness, ne?"Before Yuuri could answer, Halcòn stepped in through the door, smiling at Yuuri."You're awake I see," he said approvingly, "How are you feeling?""Very sore," Yuuri admitted, "I hurt pretty much everywhere.""I think we should go and let Yuuri and Halcòn visit," Hiroko suggested, "Yuuri, if you will give me the rings. Your father and I will be back after lunch."Halcòn watched wordlessly as Yuuri removed the rings and handed them to Hiroko, who slipped them into her purse. Yuuri's parents kissed him on the cheek and headed out, leaving the young men alone."Would you like me to check with the nurse to see when you can have more pain medication?" the golden-eyed man offered."Oh, I'm okay," Yuuri assured him, "We're figure skaters. We're old friends with pain, eh?""I'm glad you can joke about it," Halcòn said, moving closer, "You must be getting better."Yuuri's eyes blinked, and he felt an odd, worried twinge inside as the other man looked over him to where Victor laid on his other side."Has he shown any signs of waking?" Halcòn asked, "any at all?""A little, maybe?" Yuuri said uncertainly, "His heartbeat got faster, and his fingers twitched and he maybe smiled a little when I held his hand before.""That's good. You know, the doctors told me that his heart stopped for a short time during the surgery."He held up a hand as Yuuri's face reflected instant alarm."They don't think that there was any loss of brain function. No lasting damage. But it would be good if he woke up sooner. I thought that having you placed with him might give him incentive.""My parents told me that you convinced the staff to let us be together. They also said that you've been really good to them."He paused, considering his words carefully."I don't mean to be rude at all, Halcòn-san," Yuuri said, bowing his head politely, "but I wonder why you would be doing so much for us. It doesn't bother you at all that I am seeing Victor now?""Yuuri," Halcòn said with an edge of disapproval, "I imagine you are…eh, inexperienced?"Yuuri flushed brightly."Hmm, as I thought," the elder man said, recovering his smile, "Victor much prefers innocent partners. I may be the only partner he's had who was more…worldly than he was. Of course, it was at a time when Victor was more innocent."
Oh, I don't like where this is going!
"H-Halcòn-san, erm, c-could you please bring the nurse after all? I…I feel…it hurts," Yuuri stammered, breaking out in a sweat.
I just can't talk about things like this! Especially with someone who I barely know. Maybe I could learn something important, but I just might die of embarrassment!
"I am sorry, Yuuri," Halcòn apologized, "I've upset you.""N-no!" Yuuri exclaimed, blushing more darkly, "You didn't. I just…!"Yuuri blinked in surprise and his head turned swiftly to look at Victor as he felt his partner's fingers move."Victor!" he gasped, forgetting caution as he turned and tried to roll onto his side.A heavy shock of intense pain roiled his insides, and a howl of agony escaped him. Halcòn's strong arm wrapped around him, and Yuuri froze as the man held him and pressed his side against Yuuri's. Yuuri's eyes widened and his heart pounded in reaction.
What is he…?
"You are going to start bleeding inside again if you move to quickly like that. Let me hold you so that you can reach him.""Oh!" Yuuri said, the blush roaring back across his face, "right."He reached out with a shaky hand to touch Victor's face, but his unconscious partner didn't move at all in response."Victor."He sagged against Halcòn, his eyes filling to the brim with tears."I keep thinking I feel him move! I thought he started to smile. Am I just seeing things, Halcòn-san? Am I just so desperate for him to wake that I will jump at anything?""You are in love with him," Halcòn purred in Yuuri's flushed ear, "You have been through hell.""But, am I just imagining this or is Victor trying to wake up for me?" Yuuri sobbed, "I don't know!"It's all right," the elder man said comfortingly, "You want badly for him to wake. And if you just keep encouraging him, maybe he will wake soon."Halcòn eased him onto his back, then gathered a few tissues and brushed his tears away. He handed Yuuri several more tissues, waiting as he blew his nose, then taking them to trash can and dropping them in. He returned to Yuuri's side and sat down in a chair."Sorry," Yuuri apologized."This is hard for you," Halcòn said, shrugging, "It's obvious to me that you love Victor very much."He paused, considering."Would if help if you talked about how he came to Japan to be your coach? I have heard the basics, but I am curious what drove him to go to you in the first place…a playboy and talented skater like him. I know you are talented too, Yuuri. Don't take this wrong, but…I don't understand what Victor saw in you."Yuuri took a shaky breath, glancing at Victor, then returning his gaze to meet Halcòn's."If you had asked me that question a year ago, I wouldn't have been able to figure it out either," he answered, the anxiety going out of his expression, and his lips smiling, "I don't know if Victor knows what made him feel inspired, whether it was seeing that I had worked so hard to learn his skating routine at a time when my own skating career seemed to be over…or whether he was worried about his own future, and he needed to think about something else. Maybe I was just lucky enough to catch his attention at the right time."Halcòn gave Yuuri a knowing smile."I think you and I both know that it had to be something special about you, Yuuri. I am very curious to know what that is. Maybe as we get to know each other, I can figure it out."He paused, rubbing his chin."You know," he went on, "the doctors told your parents that you will be released in a day or two. I know you want to go back to Russia with Victor, but it seems that he is not waking up so quickly, and will be in the hospital a bit longer.""What are you saying, Halcòn-san?" Yuuri asked, tilting his head curiously."I want to ask you something," the elder man continued, "Yuuri, you are obviously going to need to be cared for a bit, and you will want to be close to Victor. My estate is huge, and I have a private skating rink. I know it will be weeks before you are ready to step on the ice, but if this should be a long wait, I want you to know that you are welcome to remain here, in my home, and I will help you to recover.""Ah!" Yuuri exclaimed, his eyes rounding, "Halcòn-san, I don't know. I was going to talk to Minako-san and Yakov-san about that.""You don't need to answer now," Halcòn said quickly, "But as you consider, understand that we don't know how long Victor will be unconscious. And when he wakes, you don't want him finding that you haven't been taking care of yourself. So, just think about it.""It's a lot to think about," Yuuri said uncertainly, "But, thank you. You are very kind."Halcòn smiled."Whatever I can do to help," he replied, "I am here."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Yuuri emerged from the bathroom in his and Victor's hospital room, dressed in a soft, blue sweat suit and carrying a plastic bag that held his belongings. His expression distant and lost, he moved to Victor's side and set his things down on a chair, then he climbed onto the bed and laid down beside his still unconscious partner. He picked up a comb from the bedside table and slowly ran it through the silvery strands of Victor's hair, his mind working to try to process what was happening.
It's hard to believe it's just been a week…one week since Victor and I thought that the most important thing was me reaching the podium at the Grand Prix finals. I remember how focused I was, how I thought to myself that my world hinged on winning. I had to win to show Victor that it wasn't a mistake for him to have taken the time to coach me. I was so focused on that, I never realized that as much as we ignore it, we are never more than a step from losing everything.

What do I wish now?

I know that it was nothing I did. We were in the wrong place at the wrong moment, and something bad happened. But some part of me, some little, desperate voice in my head keeps screaming that if Victor had never come to Hasestsu to coach me, we would have been spared this fate.

I know it's irrational, but so is the fact that I am lying beside him, and he's so still and silent. He has the best doctors, the best possible care, but he's been the same ever since the surgery ended. The doctors tell me the same thing every day. There is good brain activity. He is coping as well as can be expected. His body is stabilized and they are giving him time. But, we all know that the longer it takes him to wake, the more his chances of emerging without permanent damage begin to fade.
"You are looking well today, Victor," Yuuri said softly, resting against his partner's side and continuing to comb his hair gently, "Yakov should be here soon. My parents left to return to Japan this morning. They stayed here for as long as they could, but…even though our world has stopped, it seems like everyone else's had to continue. They had to go back to work at Yu-topia Katsuki. Your parents have said that they will honor what decision your doctors and I make about your care. It's hard, but faced with the facts…"Yuuri's voice stopped and he looked up in surprise as Yakov entered the room, not alone, but with six young men who had, one week prior, shared the ice with Yuuri at the Grand Prix finals.
J. J. Leroy.

Otabek Altin.

Phichit Chulanont.

Christophe Giacometti.

Yuri Plisetsky.

Why are they here?
"Yuuri," Yakov greeted him, his face the same stern mask he always seemed to wear, but his eyes containing a sadness that couldn't be missed."Yakov-san," Yuuri acknowledged softly, keeping his eyes carefully focused on Victor's calm sleeping face, "Why is everyone here? I would have though that…""Why do you think they are here?" Yakov growled softly, "It's the right thing to do to honor their friend before returning home. And we want to hear what you have decided to do."Yuuri drew in a slow breath, sitting up on the edge of the hospital bed and lacing the fingers of one hand together with Victor's."I spoke to Victor's doctor this morning," Yuuri answered, "While he is making good progress, and his body has stabilized, they are concerned that moving him back to Saint Petersburg, given the length of the trip and the stresses he would be subject to…it is recommended that we remain here one more week and focus on trying to wake him. They have suggested several therapies they think could be helpful.""I see," Yakov replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "And have you worked out your financial situation? I heard that Victor's family offered to pay for you to remain here with Victor?""Hai," Yuuri affirmed, "They are paying all of Victor's bills and have set up an account for me to use while I am here.""And do you have someone looking out for you?" the elder man asked.Yuuri nodded, indicating the door as Halcòn entered the room.Yurio, Phichit, Otabek and J.J. studied the golden-eyed man, looking as though he was vaguely familiar to them. Yakov made a low sound of disapproval in his throat, but said nothing. Christophe eyed the Spaniard more closely."Halcòn DeGuerra," he greeted the golden-eyed man, arching an eyebrow, "I haven't seen you for awhile. I heard you quit skating."Halcòn shrugged, smirking slightly as he answered."I took a break to make some money and consider my options. And I have decided to return to figure skating. I have been competing locally and working my way along. You will be hearing from me soon.""Who is this guy?" Yurio asked, giving Halcòn a piercing glare, "Yuuri, are you sure you know what you're doing?""Halcòn DeGuerra," Chrisophe repeated, "He was a well known figure skater, back in our early days of competition. I do believe that you and Victor dated for awhile, but it ended rather suddenly, didn't it? You disappeared for awhile after that.""I thought it would be best to regroup and get focused again," Halcòn said sedately, "I suppose it took longer than I expected, but it's coming along now. I plan to be one of the final six when the Grand Prix comes around again.""Tch!" Yurio scoffed."Yuuri," Yakov interrupted, "do you have a trainer here to help you build up your strength again?"Yuuri exchanged glances with Halcòn."My doctor recommended two more weeks of rest before beginning any serious physical training. My cast will be off in three weeks, and I will need physical therapy to regain full range of motion and flexibility in that ankle. We should be back in Saint Petersburg before then, so Halcòn has offered to help me get the rest of my body back into shape to prepare for training later.""Isn't that foxy of you?" Chris commented, earning a smoky look from his former competitor, "You haven't changed a bit, have you?""You have changed, Chris, quite a bit for the better, I'd say," Halcòn chuckled, "You've grown confident.""I have, haven't I?" Chris said, holding Halcòn's gaze steadily, "and I am completely confident in saying that maybe you should keep on staying out of skating and making money. You're actually good at making money, it seems.""Oh, I'm much better on the ice," Halcòn laughed, "But you will see. I promise you, you are all going to be very, very surprised.""Why don't I like the sound of that?" Yurio said under his breath to Otabek, who met his eyes quietly before answering."Because there is something dangerous about him," he whispered back, "We shouldn't underestimate him. He wouldn't be making this move now if he wasn't sure of himself.""Yuuri!" Yurio snapped, making his friend blink and stare in reaction, "You should both come back to Russia now."Yuuri gave the others a conflicted look."I have thought about that," he admitted, "And if the doctors were more encouraging, I would take the chance of us making the trip, but…Victor's recovery is the most important thing. I am making the best decision I can for him.""Hmm," Yakov muttered, giving Halcòn a piercing look."Well," J.J. said, breaking the tension in the room, "we all need to get down to the airport, so Yuuri, best of luck to you and Victor.""Keep in touch, Yuuri," Phichit said, smiling sadly and hugging his friend."I will, Phichit-kun," Yuuri promised."Good luck," Otabek said, squeezing Yuuri's hand."Don't trust that guy, pork cutlet bowl," Yurio warned him, "Do what you have to, then bring Victor home.""I'll walk you guys out," Halcòn offered cheerfully."Great," Yurio huffed.Chris hung back as the others exited, and he moved closer to Yuuri, looking down at Victor."There is something you need to know," he said in an unusually solemn tone, "Yuuri, something bad happened between Victor and Halcòn that made them break up before. I don't know what it was. Victor wouldn't say anything at all, and we were close at the time. It was like he wasn't himself for awhile, and he almost didn't qualify for the Grand Prix finals that year."Yuuri froze, thinking back.
I know what year Chris is talking about. I remember. The commentators said that although his technical performance remained flawless, it was like the heart went out of his performance. But, by the end of that year, he seemed to brighten again, and although he struggled in the final, he managed to win the silver.

I always wondered why…

"Some years have passed," Chris went on, "and I suspect there's a reason Halcòn has been quiet all of this time. He's been building up to something. I'm sure there's no way you could have known, but you know now. Whatever he's offered you, you need to pull away."

Yuuri's eyes widened.

"Do you think he wants to hurt Victor?" he asked anxiously.

"Victor is unconscious and monitored day in, day out," Chris reminded him, "You are the vulnerable one. I think you should try not to be too obvious, but Yuuri, you need to cut ties with him. Maybe you can't do it now, but do it soon. And while you are in his care, be very careful."

"Chris…"

"I have to go," Chris said, embracing Yuuri for a moment or so longer than appropriate, "Take care of yourself and Victor."

"I will," Yuuri promised, his heart sinking in his chest as the other skater left the room.

Yuuri turned back to Victor, his hands shaking slightly as they gripped the edge of the hospital bed in distress.

Everyone's gone now. I'm alone, and Victor can't help me.

But, for some reason, Yuuri's mind flashed back to the Rostelecom Cup, when his partner had been forced to leave him to face the free skate alone.

"Yuuri," Victor said, burrowing into his shoulder, "even though I have to go, I will be with you in spirit."

"This time your body is here," Yuuri whispered, laying down against Victor's shoulder and burrowing in, his eyes overflowing with tears, "and it's your spirit I can't feel! Victor, wake up! I need you. I'm alone and I don't know what to do without you!"

He sucked in a surprised breath as he felt Victor's fingers sink into his hair, on the back of his head, tightening and quivering for a moment, before going limp again.

"Victor!" Yuuri gasped, sitting up and watching in dismay as his partner's hand fell away and dropped back onto the bed, "Victor!"

He took his unconscious partner's face in his hands, unable to look away as a nurse stepped into the room with Halcòn a step behind her.

"Is he all right?" she asked.

"What's going on, Yuuri?" Halcòn asked, watching closely.

"He touched my hair!" Yuuri cried, his tears splashing onto Victor's face, "It was just for a moment, but he…!"

Yuuri started to say more, but felt his body go weak as Victor's eyes opened into slits and tried to focus on him.

"Y-yuuri…"

"Victor!" Yuuri sobbed, kissing him gently and ignoring the tears that ran in streams down his face, "You're awake, Victor!"

A look of devastation and disbelief overtook Yuuri's face as Victor's eyes watered and leaked out a tear, then closed again.

"VICTOR!" Yuuri howled, clenching the front of his partner's hospital gown, "Victor, wake up!"

"Yuuri," Halcòn said warningly, spotting the stern look on the nurse's face.

"Mr. Katsuki, you must calm down. This is a hospital…"

"Victor!" Yuuri sobbed, ignoring her as Halcòn rushed to his side and wrapped an arm around Yuuri's waist.

Yuuri twisted and tried to push him away.

"Don't touch me! He was waking up! You SAW him!"

"We saw him," Halcòn agreed, holding Yuuri tightly against him and looking back at the nurse, who stood crossing her arms, "This is good, but you need to calm yourself. Step back and let the nurse look at him."

Yuuri's teeth clenched and his hands curled into fists, but he remained still in Halcòn's grip as the nurse moved forward and examined Victor briefly, then summoned a doctor, who examined him as well.

"Be careful, Yuuri," Halcòn warned him, "It's good that Victor is improving, but you have to keep yourself under better control. You are going through hell, I know, but if you don't want them to ban you from being at Victor's side, you have to listen to them."

Yuuri's damp eyes closed tightly, leaking another tear onto his damp face, but he forced his body to relax until Halcòn nodded and released him.

"Sorry," he apologized to the doctor and nurse, "I'm sorry for my outburst."

"I'm sure you can understand," Halcòn added, "He's been hurt, himself, and he's barely eaten or slept. This man is his life. Yuuri will handle himself better from now on. I will stay close by to make sure of it."

"Thank you, Mr. DeGuerra, Yuuri," the doctor said.

"Can you tell if he is really starting to wake up?" Yuuri asked, rubbing his red eyes.

"It seems that he is," the doctor said encouragingly, "but he may drift in and out for awhile. I need to run some tests, which I will start right now. I want you to let Mr. DeGuerra take you someplace to eat and rest. Come back tomorrow, and I will talk to you about the results."

"But, I don't want to leave him now," Yuuri objected, careful to keep his voice lowered, "What if he wakes up during the night? What if he calls for me?"

"Victor will be monitored throughout the night, and I will have the nurses check on him frequently. Yuuri, it is for your own health that you need to leave and really try to rest. I know you are worried about Victor, but you mustn't neglect yourself."

"He's right," Halcòn said quietly into Yuuri's ear, still holding him firmly, "Come home with me. You can take a hot bath and eat something, sleep while the tests are done. I promise you, as soon as word comes, we will come back."

"I don't know," Yuuri whispered, gazing down at Victor's peaceful face, but feeling only ice in his own heart, "If he wakes and I'm not there."

"We will reassure him," the nurse promised, "I will tell you what. I will sit with him when I am not on rounds. If he wakes again, I will tell him you are coming back in the morning. Will that help you, Mr. Katsuki, so you can rest? We went to some trouble to heal you. We are just trying to make sure you don't end up back in a hospital bed, yourself. Please go with Mr. DeGuerra. Before you know it, it will be morning."

"Oh," Yuuri sighed, "I think it will be a long night, but…if you think it best, just…please watch over Victor. If he wakes, and I am not here…p-please tell him my spirit is with him."

The nurse smiled more gently.

"I will tell him, Mr. Katsuki."

"Thank you," Yuuri said, bowing respectfully, "Thank you for everything."

"Come, Yuuri," Halcòn said, keeping an arm around him.

Deflated and silent, Yuuri let himself be led out of the room and to the hospital elevator.

"Are you all right now?" Halcòn asked quietly, as the two entered the elevator, "That was quite a scene you made back there."

"I barely remember," Yuuri confessed softly, placing a hand over his heart, "I was just so desperate for Victor to wake up, I couldn't think of anything else. I couldn't make myself stop."

"Yes, he has mastered you quite thoroughly," Halcòn replied.

The words sent a strange coldness through Yuuri's insides, and he stared up into the taller man's eyes questioningly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Halcòn gave him a disarming smile.

"You don't need to take offense," he said with a warm inflection, "It is just clear who is master and who is submissive in your relationship."

"What are you saying?" Yuuri objected, blushing, "Victor and I are not like that!"

"Well, I just meant that he is your mentor, and in your relationship, you are the innocent one. He mentors you there also."

"I don't want to talk about that," Yuuri said shortly, "It's private."

"My apologies," Halcòn chuckled, looking amused, "Yuuri, I'm sorry if my brashness offended you. I sometimes forget to think before I speak. Anyway, it's late. Come."

His eyes full of misgiving, he followed Halcòn out of the elevator and to a dark colored sports car.

"You are managing on that walking cast quite well," Halcòn said to make conversation, "Does your ankle bother you at all?"

"No, not really," Yuuri said, relaxing slightly as he slid into the passenger seat, "The fractures were very minor. They only cast it to be sure that I didn't try to return to skating too quickly and re-injure myself. Ankles are tricky. If I go back too quickly, I could damage mine irreparably."

"Right," the elder man agreed, driving out of the parking structure and onto the busy street.

Yuuri went quiet, looking out the window and breathing slowly to calm his nerves.

They proceeded quickly through the maze of roads, and soon were passing through a security gate into the courtyard of a huge mansion. Yuuri's eyes widened.

"This is your home?" he mused, "Mom, Dad and Mari must have nearly fainted when they saw it!"

"They did enjoy their stay. They had your things and Victor's brought over from the hotel. I've had them placed in your room."

"Oh, thank you."

Halcòn brought the car to a stop, and an attendant appeared at the door to open it for Yuuri.

"Good evening, sirs."

Yuuri stared in wonder at the lovely fountains and the fine architecture of the house.

Wow.

He flinched slightly as Halcòn wrapped an arm around him.

"There are steps," he reasoned, helping Yuuri climb the steps, then guiding him to the front door.

The door opened from within, and a tall, aged butler looked out at them.

"Good evening, Mr. DeGuerra," the man said in Spanish, "Welcome, Mr, Katsuki."

"Thank you."

Yuuri heard a little familiar yip, then a bark as Makkachin ran forward to meet him.

"Makkachin!" Yuuri exclaimed, missing the disapproving look Halcòn gave his butler.

"Mr. Katsuki's family sent the dog to comfort him," the butler explained, "He arrived this morning, after you had left, sir."

"Hmm," Halcòn huffed softly.

Makkachin's head turned, and the usually friendly dog emitted a low, warning growl. Yuuri stared at him in surprise.

"Makkachin," he breathed anxiously.

"It's been a long time," Halcòn said, smirking at the poodle, "I see you haven't changed a bit."

Makkachin moved closer to Yuuri and gave a mingled growl and whine.

"Be polite, Makkachin," Yuuri scolded him gently, rubbing the dog's head.

"Will you show Yuuri to his room?" Halcòn said shortly, "I have some work to do. Yuuri, have a bath and some food, and get some rest, okay? I will be around."

Yuuri watched as he left, then allowed himself to be herded into a huge bedroom that was decorated in rich, beautiful shades of red. Another attendant arrived to lead him to the bath, where he helped Yuuri cover his cast and bathe, then led him to the dining room, where a huge meal was laid out. Yuuri wasn't sure that he would be able to eat, but then, he looked more closely at what was in front of him.

"Pork cutlet bowl!" he exclaimed, managing a smile.

"Your parents informed our cook how to make it for you, Mr. Katsuki," the attendant explained.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Yuuri laughed, digging in, "This is really, really good."

"I'm glad you like it, sir," his attendant said happily.

Yuuri devoured his meal, then fell in with the attendant and let himself be led back to his room.

"Just ring the bell by your bed if you need anything, Mr. Katsuki. We are happy to serve you. We are all big fans."

"Oh, thank you," Yuuri said, blushing, "that's so nice."

He waited until the attendant had left, then climbed out of the bed he had been tucked into, and moved over to the desk to look at several items his parents had left. His personal items were neatly set to one side, and a small safe holding the engagement rings and their papers and passports rested on the other.

"Hmm," Yuuri sighed sleepily.

He blinked slowly.

I should check if Victor brought that DVD.

He moved to Victor's suitcase and searched quickly, making a sound of approval as he found the DVD he had been looking for, and he placed with the other things in the safe.

Victor's plans for his short program and free skate are on there. Yes, we were already working on ideas for his comeback.

He felt tears burn in the corners of his eyes, but brushed them away and headed back to the bed, where Makkachin waited. The dog whined and pressed up against him as Yuuri laid down. Yuuri hugged the old poodle.

"Watch out for me, Makkachin," Yuuri whispered, earning another little whine and a lick on his cheek, "I can tell you already know. Our host is a man with an agenda. We need to be careful."

He was only able to sleep because he could feel the dog pressed closely to him.

I'm glad you're here. I'm kind of afraid of being here alone with him. I wonder what happened between Halcòn and Victor that hurt Victor so badly that he couldn't tell Chris, and he almost ruined his skating season that year. I don't know what it was, but I do know this…I won't let him hurt Victor again!

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

A shaft of sunlight crept across Yuuri's bed, bright, but carrying little warmth as it brought him awake. He could feel that his arms were still wrapped around Makkachin, and the old poodle's tail thumped against his hip and thigh as he perked up at finding Yuuri awake and looking at him."You must be hungry," Yuuri concluded, rubbing the poodle's face and smiling as Makkachin's tongue swept along his cheek, "Well, let me get dressed."He had no sooner climbed out of bed, than a light tapping sounded on the door, and a youthful male voice spoke to him."Mr. Katsuki, may I come in?"Yuuri gave Makkachin a perplexed look."What? Are they watching us?" he whispered, "I suppose I wouldn't put it past him."He turned his attention to the closed door."Come in, Maceo-kun," he invited the attendant.The door opened and the smiling young Spaniard entered the room, carrying a tray, loaded with food."Wow!" Yuuri laughed, "That's a lot of food.""Well, you're recovering from an injury," the attendant noted.Makkachin barked and let his tongue hang out as he panted."I haven't forgotten you, pooch. I have food and water for you. Mr. Katsuki, if you like, I will walk him and care for him while you are at the hospital with Mr. Nikiforov today.""Will you?" Yuuri asked, "He loves walks. Just keep him away from any sticky buns. He chokes on them.""No problem," Maceo chuckled, "I will take good care of him for you.""Oh," Yuuri said around a mouthful of his breakfast, "thank you.""Shall we go out and let you relieve yourself now?" the attendant asked the poodle, earning an enthusiastic yip in reply, "Come, pooch.""His name is Makkachin," Yuuri informed the attendant, "He is Victor's dog.""Come, Makkachin," Maceo chuckled, leading the dog out of the room.Yuuri stole a glance out at the clear, cold sky as he continued to eat.
I usually gain weight quickly, but I've barely been able to eat anything since the accident.
He paused, frowning.
Mari nee-chan told me that Halcòn witnessed the accident, and that he said it was a crime. The police did come to speak to me, but I really couldn't tell them anything. Just a vague description of the car. I wonder if they've made any progress, finding out who hit us.
He took a longer, slower breath, still gazing out the window.
I wouldn't say it out loud yet, but a part of me wonders if…
Yuuri's mind played back the last moments before the impact.
The car was speeding towards me, too fast for me to get out of the way. Victor dove towards me and then I heard the screeching tires and that sound!
Yuuri's heart pounded painfully, and a dull throbbing began in his head."Ugh!" he grunted, rubbing his temples."Are you all right, Yuuri?" Halcòn's voice asked from the open doorway, "Your pain medication is there, by the bed, if you need it. Your doctor did say not to let yourself just be in pain.""It's all right. I just have a little headache," Yuuri lied."You look like you're eating better," the golden-eyed man said approvingly."How can I help it?" Yuuri asked, forcing a smile.
I don't want to make things awkward between us, while I am still his guest. And also…I won't be able to watch him closely if I am too unfriendly. Ah, I am no good at doing things like this. But…if I can become a tasty pork cutlet bowl for all of the world, I can use my charms on this man to learn what he's up to!
"The food your staff makes is great!" he said enthusiastically."I'm glad you like it.""I have to be careful, though," Yuuri went on, "I gain weight easily when I am not able to practice, or when I get anxious.""Ah, then you and I have something in common. But while I hear your favorite is the pork cutlet bowl, my Achilles heel is my grandmother's recipe for Pulpo a feira. It is an octopus dish. In fact, I'm planning for us to have this for dinner, if you'd like to try it.""S-sure," Yuuri agreed, "This is my first trip to Spain, and I haven't had much traditional food yet. There wasn't much time when I arrived before the Grand Prix finals."Halcòn studied Yuuri's face quietly as a momentary look of agony passed over it."A lot has happened," his host acknowledged."Yes," Yuuri said, nodding, "Halcòn-san, when can I go and visit Victor? I need to speak to his doctor this morning.""We will go over in a bit," Halcòn said, looking out the window, "It's not visiting hours yet anyway, and I was wanting to show you my ice rink.""Oh, although I won't be able to really enjoy it, limping around on this," Yuuri said, indicating the cast on his ankle."Why don't you leave that up to me?" Halcòn suggested, smirking and extending a hand, "Come."Yuuri accepted his hand and fell in beside him, heading out of the room and through the huge manor, gazing raptly at the beautiful colors and décor."You have such a breathtaking home," Yuuri said appreciatively, "I've never been anywhere like this.""You have never seen the estate where Victor grew up?" Halcòn asked, looking surprised, "I thought you and Victor were engaged. You mean to say that he never took you to meet his parents?""What happened between Victor and me when we arrived in Barcelona was a surprise," Yuuri explained, "although, I guess we've been working our way slowly toward that point all season as Victor coached me. He was comfortable being to me, whatever I would have asked of him.""Really," Halcòn said, observing him more closely, "You are saying that your idol came to town, willing to coach you and willing to be anything to you, and it took all of that time for you to become sexually interested in him? You are very innocent, aren't you?""I didn't understand at all what love was, until I met Victor. He was patient with me, and he never asked for more than I could give.""Well, I am sure that while you were figuring things out, he wasn't lonely," Halcòn chuckled, "He is good at charming people, eh?""What do you mean?" Yuuri demanded, blushing and stiffening, "Halcòn-san, how could you say something like that to me?""Eh, I'm sorry, Yuuri. I told you I speak without thinking sometimes," Halcòn apologized."I never asked Victor not to see anyone!" Yuuri exclaimed, "All along, I knew I wasn't good enough for someone like him, and Victor knew I didn't believe I was worthy of him, so he worked with me, building my confidence until I knew that I was."Yuuri paused his eyes filling with tears."It was then that I realized Victor wanted my romantic love all along. But he knew that I had to have confidence in myself to love him back!""That is a lot of effort to go to, when he could have shortened things by kissing you at any time.""Kissing me would have been meaningless if he hadn't chosen a moment when he realized I was ready. The moment he chose to first kiss me was perfect.""At the end of the China Cup free skate?" Halcòn asked, his smirk returning, "I saw that kiss. I think it sent a shock wave around the world. Do you realize how many people hated you for that, Yuuri?""I know exactly the effect it had," Yuuri said, forcing his voice to stay calm, "But when Victor saw the love I expressed on the ice that day, he knew I was ready, not just to experience love with him, but also to protect that love.""You matured a lot this year. There is no doubt about that," Halcòn said, pausing in front of a large double set of doors.He opened the doors and led Yuuri into a huge ice rink. Yuuri looked around in disbelief."You have a full-sized ice rink as part of your home?" he mused, staring.Halcòn gave a little shrug."It was eccentric, I suppose, but I wanted very much to return to skating."Yuuri's head tilted and he looked at Halcòn curiously."Why did you leave figure skating?" he asked, "Was it because you and Victor broke up?""I suppose it was because he left me," the elder man confessed, leading Yuuri to where several pairs of ice skates sat on a long bench.Yuuri frowned at the appearance of one of the pairs."You have brought my skates here?" he asked, "Why? I'm not going to be on them for a long time.""Hmm," Halcòn said, eyeing him closely, "I can feel already that you want to be on the ice. It's where you're most comfortable, eh? So, why don't we go out there?""Halcòn-san!" Yuuri objected, "I have a cast! I can't skate. I…I'm in my pajamas!""Trust me," Halcòn urged him, coaxing him into sitting on the bench, then kneeling in front of him.
He wants something.

What is he doing this for?
Yuuri watched silently as Halcòn slid a warm, thick sock onto his bare foot, then placed his skate on the foot and laced it up firmly. He put his own skates on and stood."Halcòn-san…""Trust me," Halcòn said, taking Yuri's hands, guiding him to the ice.He stopped Yuuri at the entrance and offered his skate."Let the cast rest on my boot," he suggested, watching as Yuuri hesitated, then tentatively complied.Halcòn moved his feet carefully, and Yuuri kept his cast rested on the elder man's foot as Halcòn swept them out to the middle of the rink and began to skate, holding Yuri in place in front of him."You see?" he breathed into Yuuri's ear, "I can feed your lust for the ice, even with you injured. I know you skate to manage your emotions. You have a lot pent up from everything. Relax, Yuuri. Relax and enjoy this."
He wants me to believe this is just to settle me, but I sense more. This flirtation is calculated.
But even knowing, Yuuri's heart ached sweetly at feeling the cold air on his face and shifting his body to move fluidly with the other man's. He closed his eyes, imagining he was with Victor, and that they were skating together."Your face looks serene when you skate," Halcòn complimented him, touching Yuuri's cheek, "Yuuri…"Yuuri sucked in a surprised breath, realizing suddenly that the other man's face was coming closer to his. He tore free of Halcòn, tripping and crashing down onto the ice, then sliding away and scrambling for the edge."Yuuri, what are you doing? Are you all right?" Halcòn asked in a concerned tone, "Why did you do that?""Y-you!" Yuuri gasped, "You tried to kiss me! Is that why you were so nice to my family and insisted on me staying here? You wanted to seduce me away from Victor?""That is not at all what I intended," Halcòn objected."There is only one man for me!" Yuuri shouted, tearing away and falling to the ice again as Halcòn tried to help him up, "I would never betray Victor!""What betrayal?" Halcòn asked, shaking his head, "I am not trying to take you away from him, I was comforting you.""By trying to kiss me when I belong to another man?" Yuuri exclaimed, struggling as Halcòn's strong hands took hold of him and hauled him to his feet, helping him to stand on the mat next to the ice, "Are you crazy?""I am trying to help you be a little less naïve," the elder man said, moving forward and trapping Yuuri against the wall of the skating rink."What are you doing? Stop it! Let me go!" Yuuri cried, struggling harder.He sucked in a surprised breath as Halcòn's hands gripped his wrists tightly, holding them down, and the elder man pressed up against him, laying him back over the top of the ice rink wall."Get away from me!" Yuuri screamed."Grow up!" Halcòn hissed, glaring down at him, "There are two kinds of men, Yuuri. There are men who dominate and men who submit. You are a submissive. It doesn't suit you to be so rebellious. I am sure that Victor has scolded you for this before, hasn't he?""Victor loves me the way I am!" Yuuri shouted, lifting the foot that still wore his skate and thrusting it towards Halcòn's leg, only to miss as the elder man stepped back nimbly.But moving made him loosen his grip and Yuuri broke free and fled, stumbling out of the room with the ice rink and sobbing in frustration as he slipped and crashed down onto the marble floor."Stop, Yuuri," Halcòn said sternly, "I'm not going to do anything, despite the fact that you could have damaged my leg. Just hold still and let me take off your skate. Each time you fall, you could be hurting yourself. If you want to skate again, you need to calm down and let me help you.""Don't touch me!" Yuuri hissed, tearing at the laces on his skate and pulling the skate off.He dropped the skate on the floor and started to climb to his feet. A sharp pain through his abdomen dropped him back to the floor. Halcòn moved closer and lifted Yuuri into his arms."P-put me down!" Yuuri gasped, "Let go of me!""You've done damage to yourself," Halcòn insisted, "I'm putting you back in bed.""I have to go see Victor!""You need to rest first. Yuuri, you are going to kill yourself, being so stubborn. I am sorry I overstepped your boundaries, but we are both grown ups. I promise I will not overstep again. Calm down. Rest. We will go to the hospital a little later.""I'm going to the hospital now!" Yuuri snapped, "You aren't keeping me away from Victor!""I'm not trying to keep you from Victor," Halcòn argued, "I'm trying to get you to calm down.""Well, you won't calm me down by trying to take advantage of me and refusing to let me leave here!""I see that," the elder man said as he reached the bedroom and set Yuuri down on the end of the bed.Yuuri glared at Halcòn, his body shaking and his fists clenching. The golden-eyed man stood silently for a moment, watching Yuuri and thinking before he spoke again."My apologies, Yuuri," he said finally, "I didn't intend to offend you. I will call an attendant to help you dress."Yuuri bit his lip gently, frowning down at his clenched hands."Please have my things taken back to the hotel where Victor and I were staying," he said in a shaky voice."Yuuri," Halcòn said, sitting down beside him, but keeping a careful distance, "I said that I was sorry. Will you at least understand that people express love differently? You have your way of expressing it. Perhaps my way is just more worldly than yours.""How can you think that it's okay to kiss another man's fiancé?" Yuuri asked in a wounded tone.Halcòn shrugged."I knew Victor, and Victor was a playboy when I knew him. I think you know that about him, Yuuri.""I know that Victor had other lovers," Yuuri answered in a calmer tone, "That doesn't bother me. It would bother me if I had any claim to him or his life before, but I didn't until we made it that way. We look only forward now. Victor and I will not live in the past.""That is a good attitude to have, but sometimes the past comes back to haunt people, even people like Victor.""What do you mean by that?" Yuuri asked, his frown deepening."Nothing," Halcòn assured him, "I apologize for offending you. Please let me make it up to you.""You don't have to do anything to make it up to me," Yuuri said in a flustered tone, "Just please respect my relationship with Victor.""Of course. Now, I will leave to let you dress, then I will take you back to the hospital. While we're there, we should have you examined to make sure that you didn't re-injure yourself.""I'm all right," Yuuri assured him, "I just needed to sit down and catch my breath.""Very well. I will be waiting in the courtyard to take you over."Yuuri watched silently as Halcòn left, and an attendant arrived to dress him. He stood quietly as his attendant saw to his clothing, then headed back through the house to the courtyard where the dark convertible was standing. He slipped into the passenger's seat and said little as Halcòn drove back to the hospital. Halcòn parked the car, then paused for a moment, studying Yuuri's conflicted expression."You are still angry with me," he concluded."No," Yuuri replied, keeping his eyes lowered, "I am just worried about Victor. We should be in Saint Petersburg, and he should be showing me around his hometown. Instead…""Your life took a difficult turn," Halcòn acknowledged, laying his hand gently on Yuuri's, "That speeding car changed many things.""Yes.""Well, we are back at the hospital. Perhaps Victor will be awake, and you can bring things back to normal.""How is it going to be normal?" Yuuri said sadly, "Even if he wakes up, Victor has many physical challenges ahead of him. He may have to relearn how to walk. It may be a year or more before he is able to skate professionally again.""And yet, I see in your eyes determination that will carry him through all of that. Yuuri, you are nothing like I expected."Yuuri felt a strange twinge inside at the words.
Like he expected?

But…didn't we meet by accident?

Did he mean I am not what he would have expected…or…?
"Victor is lucky to be with you.""Thank you," Yuuri replied, opening the car door and stepping out into the parking garage.Both were quiet as they made their way to the third floor of the hospital and headed for Victor's room. Yuuri passed through the doorway, then skidded to a stop as he realized that Victor was sitting up against his pillows, and looking silently in front of him. His head turned, and instantly he broke into a warm, relieved smile."Yuuri."Yuuri ran to the bed, laughing and crying and hugging his fiancé carefully, so as not to hurt him."Victor!"Halcòn remained in the doorway, hanging back as the two shared several kisses and Yuuri climbed onto the bed and burrowed into Victor's shoulder."I'm sorry I worried you," Victor apologized, "But I heard that someone was taking care of you for me. Who was that? Was it one of the other skaters?""W-well, he used to be a skater," Yuuri explained, nodding in Halcòn's direction as the Spaniard stepped closer, "He was there when we were struck by the car. He remembered you from years ago."Yuuri paused and stared in surprise as Victor stiffened and sucked in a hissing breath, his blue-green eyes glittering with hatred."Halcòn," he breathed icily, "what shit are you trying to pull now, you absolute bastard?"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I've never seen Victor Nikiforov the way he is now.

His body that has always been limber and pliant, that has always moved with grace and poise, looks tense to the point of cracking. The hands he keeps open and gentle as they touch me to guide my training, are in a death grip that tears at the bedding. The flush and sweat on his face are no sign of his labor of love, figure skating, but radiate with an incomprehensible level of anguish. His eyes that are normally serene and very slightly aloof, have turned to chips of blue-green ice that flash with deadly fury. The words he uses are in his mother tongue, but he doesn't have to tell me they are enraged curses. And faced with all of this, Halcòn stands, unfazed, crossing his arms…smirking.
Yuuri froze, pressed up against Victor's side, longing to give a little touch to reassure him, but inwardly terrified of the completely different side his usually unflappable partner was displaying.
Victor, what did this man do to you that makes you change like this, just seeing him again?

And why does Halcòn look as though there is nothing at all unexpected in this sudden and violent change in you?

What happened when you were together?
"You are just the same, Victor…mi pedacito de cielo." (my little piece of heaven)Victor's scowl deepened and Halcòn laughed."I like what you've done with your hair."Was that a compliment? Yuuri wondered, Or was he being insulting? Judging by the look on Victor's face, he wasn't being nice.Victor."Get out, you pathetic, thieving swine!" Victor spat."I am that, I suppose," Halcòn said, still looking amused."And that hasn't changed either!" Victor steamed, his eyes flicking for a moment towards his shocked partner."What are you talking about?" the Spaniard asked, frowning, "You're not making sense. Are you still high on painkillers?"Yuuri made a sound of surprise as Victor's hand wrapped around his wrist, lifting it to display recent bruising."Do you think I wouldn't know what you were up to, kindly offering to care for Yuuri? The moment you got him alone, you…""Mr. Nikiforov, a nurse interrupted, running into the room, "are you all right? Your heart monitor is going crazy.""Get him out of here!" Victor hissed, "And do not let him anywhere near me or Yuuri again.""Oh, of course," the nurse stammered, looking up at Halcòn's disapproving face, "Sir, you will have to leave immediately.""Not to worry," Halcòn said in an oddly flippant manner, "I already have what I want.""Better check his pockets before he leaves," Victor suggested sarcastically."Adios Victor, Yuuri," the golden-eyed man said, turning out of the room, "Te veo luego." (See you soon.)"Go back to the rock you live under," Victor said petulantly.Yuuri couldn't hold back a flustered look."It's a pretty fancy rock he lives under…" he mumbled, mostly to himself.He realized suddenly that as the nurse and other man left, Victor's eyes turned to look at him. Yuuri stiffened, wondering if they would still be angry, but although they were stern, they radiated mostly with concern."Yuuri," Victor said, capturing his younger partner's hands and turning them over to display the darkening bruises on his wrists, "what happened? Did that animal hurt you?""Ah…!""Did he force himself on you?" Victor asked more insistently."No!" Yuuri yelped, "No, it was nothing like that. I mean…w-we…he…he tried to seduce me. But it's not like I let him. That's why I have the bruises!"Victor's expression darkened and Yuuri gulped and broke out in a sweat."How did he try to seduce you? Should I be jealous?" he asked sternly.Yuuri stared back at him silently.
I never should have let him get me onto the ice. Victor's going to hate me.
"Yuuri," Victor prompted him, using the more commanding tone he used during their practice sessions.
Damn it!
"W-with ice," Yuuri mumbled, blushing darkly.Victor arched a pale eyebrow and Yuuri's shoulders sagged."He has an ice rink in his home.""He does? He's that rich?" Victor mused, "But skillful thieves can be. Go on.""He was trying to cheer me up, because I was worried about you, but the hospital wouldn't let me stay with you.""Hmm.""He took me to the rink and he had my skates there. I told him I couldn't skate because my foot is in a cast.""And I'll bet he offered to help you," Victor concluded, his voice laced with rising anger.Yuuri swallowed hard and nodded."He said he could feed my lust for the ice, and he tried to kiss me. I got the bruises, getting away from him.""Before or after he kissed you?""He didn't kiss me, okay?" Yuuri snapped, "He tried to trap me by the wall of the rink, but I kicked at him. I missed, but I managed to pull free. I got out of the room and kept falling on the floor because my skate was still on and the bottom of the cast was slippery from when I was flopping around on the ice. I don't know why he stopped, then, but he did. He helped me up and started being nicer again.""He probably realized that he would have to get more violent than he wanted to, if he was going to control you."Yuuri gave his troubled partner a crestfallen look."I'm sorry, Victor," he apologized, "I didn't know. Halcòn only told me that you were lovers, and even Chris, who has known you the longest, didn't know why you broke up. He said that you never told anyone what happened.""No," Victor admitted, lifting Yuuri's bruised wrists to kiss them tenderly.Yuuri went silent for a moment.
Should I ask him?

Does he want me to ask him?

Or is this piece of his past so painful that he can't even tell me?
"Victor," Yuuri whispered, "did he force himself on you?"Victor sucked in a long, slow breath, looking steadily down at Yuuri's bruised wrists."No.""Then…?""Everything I gave Halcòn, I gave him freely…and maybe that's the worst part."Victor's slender fingertips curved around Yuuri's soft cheek, caressing so tenderly it brought tears to his eyes."You know what it feels like to be completely humiliated," Victor went on, "I saw that on your face the day of last years Grand Prix finals. Like you, I couldn't look anyone in the eyes and tell them. And Yuuri, I can't tell you now. I am sorry."The moment seemed to freeze with Yuuri's mind working swiftly.
It hurts! It feels like a door I want to smash to get to him. But, Victor has never been forceful like that with me. There was a time when I couldn't tell him some things, and he accepted it and encouraged me until I came to him.

How can I do the same?
He pushed away the tightness in his chest and captured Victor's hands in his."You don't have to apologize," he said quietly, "and you don't have to say anything you don't want to. I just want to know you're going to be all right. You almost died, Victor, and you did that to save my life. It's not too much to ask me to wait until you are ready to tell me.""I will tell you. I promise," Victor whispered, kissing Yuuri's fingertips, "You are the only one I think I could ever tell.""Then, tell me when you're ready," Yuuri said, leaning forward and touching his lips to Victor's making them smile sadly, "For now, just get better. I want you to take me to Saint Petersburg with you, Victor. I want to see where you grew up, and finally meet your parents in person."Victor gave him a perplexed look."You've never met them, even though I know they were here while I was unconscious?" he mused."I was unconscious for a lot of the time too," Yuuri chuckled, "But even though we never met, they were really good to me. They set up an account to pay for me to stay here with you, even though they had to leave.""And you still accepted Halcòn's dubious offer to take care of you?" Victor said disapprovingly, "I think we need to talk about you and trusting my old lovers.""Sorry," Yuuri said sheepishly, "I think I wouldn't have been so quick to trust him, but he was there when our accident happened. He stayed with me while the medics were taking care of you."Victor's frown returned quickly."He was there? Why is this the first I'm hearing of this?" he asked stridently."Well, you were unconscious, and like I said, no one knew what had made you guys break up. I guess he read me like a book and took full advantage," Yuuri sighed, blushing, "I feel really stupid."Victor sighed."You shouldn't feel stupid for not guessing what no one else could.," he said reassuringly, "Let it go, Yuuri. He's gone now. And we're going home."Yuuri gave him a perplexed look."Victor, you just woke up after nearly dying and being out cold for a week!" he exclaimed, "You can't possibly…!"Victor touched the button to call his nurse."You're not serious, are you?" Yuuri asked, staring, "Victor!"The smiling nurse appeared in the doorway, and Victor smiled back at her."Do you need something, Mr. Nikiforov?" she asked."Yes," Victor answered, nodding, "I am checking out.""This isn't a hotel!" Yuuri objected, "You're still recovering. You can't even get out of bed yet!""It's okay," Victor answered, regaining his charismatic smile, "I'm rich. I can be transported home on a private jet and I don't have to lift a finger.""Um, Mr. Nikiforov…" the nurse said uncertainly."A private jet?" Yuuri repeated, giving him a befuddled look, "Then, why did we always fly coach to my competitions?"Victor shrugged."That was on your dime, because it would be added into the coaching fee…which I'll still hold off on, because you haven't made enough money.""Mr. Nikiforov," the nurse interrupted, "sir, you can't just walk out of a hospital. You'll need to talk to you doctor, and I can tell you…""Will you bring him now?" Victor asked, still smiling."I'm sorry. He won't be in until…""Then, anyone who can discharge me.""But you can't walk, Victor!" Yuuri squawked, "How are we…?""That's okay. You'll carry me," Victor concluded."Mr. Nikiforov, there is no way that, with your injuries…" the nurse argued."Yuuri will be careful. He's a very tender lover!" Victor giggled."Victor!""He gives good massages," Victor went on blithely."Nevertheless, you are going to have to…""Is there a doctor who can discharge me?" Victor asked again, "Yuuri, go and find me a doctor.""Hell no, I won't find you a doctor!" Yuuri shouted, losing his temper, "I just laid by you for a week, wondering if you going to live!" he sobbed, "And when I was done with that, I wondered if we would ever get to compete! I know you want to go home. So do I! But you're not moving out of that bed until a doctor says you're well enough to go!"Victor shrugged."Okay.""Finally, you'll listen to reason," Yuuri sighed, rubbing his eyes."If you like it so much, the bed can come with us," Victor announced, grinning widely."WHAT?"
XXXXXXXXXX

(Two hours later – in a hospital bed on a private jet)
"How did you do this?" Yuuri asked, shaking his head, then pressing up against Victor's side, resting his head on his fiancé's shoulder, "Is this even your jet?""No," Victor confessed, "This one belongs to a friend. Mine is bigger.""Kinda figures…""But even I can't afford a transporter, like in Star Trek," Victor laughed."You know, I'm not stupid. I know there aren't really that kind of transporter," Yuuri said dryly."I was kidding," Victor snickered, "otherwise we would have used one.""Right," Yuuri said a little stiffly."You know, you need to relax," Victor suggested, "Would you like to join the mile high club?""Huh?" Yuuri mused, looking at him blankly."I mean, do you want to have sex on a private jet?""What? Like now?" Yuuri stammered, "No! First of all, it's not cool to use someone else's jet for that, and second, it'd probably kill you!""A good way to die, though," Victor giggled.As he watched, a little flicker of curiosity blossomed on Yuuri's face, only to disappear into a pretty blush."Oh, what did you just think?" Victor pressed, "Come on, I saw that look. You want to know something.""No, it's fine," Yuuri said, blushing more darkly, "I thought something, but I don't really think I want to know."Victor's face lost its joviality and he nuzzled Yuuri's cheek."You want to know if I ever did it on an airplane," he reasoned, "but then, you aren't sure that you want to start a conversation about my sexual conquests."The uncertain look on his innocent partner's face spoke more loudly than words could."Are you worried that I would take another lover, Yuuri?" he asked, "I am engaged to you now.""Are we really?" Yuuri asked, glancing down at the rings he had recovered from the safe upon its arrival at the airport, "You know, I only offered the ring to say how grateful I am for you coaching me. I didn't ask you to marry me. And I don't know how serious you really were when you told everyone we would get married as soon as I won the gold medal."Victor gave him a look filled with mingled confusion and loving amusement."You mean to tell me that you don't know?" he asked, Do you need for me to ask you directly?"Yuuri considered silently for a moment, then shook his head and laced his fingers together with his handsome partner's."No.""No?" Victor inquired, "Are you sure?"Yuuri gave a little flustered sigh."No, but the thing is…if it's real, I just want to let it happen, and if this is all a dream and it's going to come crashing down? I don't think I want to know.""Yuuri," Victor said in a tone that made the younger man stiffen and color instantly, "Do you really think that the man who jumped in front of a car and almost died for you is going to leave you? When are you going to understand? You inspire me. You inspire me enough to drop everything and rush to you, offering to be your coach, enough to wait as long as it takes to win your sexual love, and…if it's necessary, I will die to save you, preferably after we make love at least once.""But I don't want to be the reason that something bad happens to you," Yuuri whispered, tearing up, "That's what's been torturing me ever since the accident happened.""What? Would you rather I just let you die in front of me next time?" Victor asked, an edge of temper beginning to show, "It's pretty selfish of you, wanting me to die of guilt after watching you get hurt or killed and doing nothing.""Yeah," Yuuri said sheepishly, "I know I wouldn't have hesitated if it was you in the path of that car.""Yuuri," Victor said more gently, hugging his younger partner tightly, "I can't promise you that nothing bad will happen, but I will do everything I can to be here for you. I can tell that almost losing me has been hard for you. It's okay if it takes time for you to forget.""I can't forget," Yuuri whispered, tears escaping the corners of his eyes, "I can never forget what it was like, feeling us falling, hearing that sound, the car hitting you, the gasp you made. It repeats in my head until I want to scream. I don't know what I can do to forget that."Victor gave him a warm smile and touched his face gently."We need to get you healthy and back on the ice. The only thing I know to erase fears like this one, is to get you to focus on the competition."Yuuri rubbed his eyes and smiled."I can't wait to compete with you."Victor's smile wavered."Hmm. I think we had better be clear about this from the beginning," he said quietly, "I am almost twenty-eight years old and I have been a competitive skater for a long time, Yuuri. There is a chance that I will never skate in competition again."Yuuri stiffened and his usually gentle brown eyes became instantly fierce."You are going to skate competitively again," he said sternly, "I will make sure of it! I'm not letting you off easy, Victor. You saved me, and I owe you. I am going to pay you back by not giving up on you!"
That's it.

The best way to take your fears away is to get you to fight.

I only hope that fight is one that we can win, Yuuri. As much as you want to skate in competition with me again…I want badly to compete against you.
"So," Yuuri said more calmly, "do you think Halcòn is going to leave us alone, Victor? He did say that he was returning to competitive figure skating.""Who knows?" Victor sighed, "I suppose he'll try. But the truth is, he lost his inspiration when he lost me.""Maybe he's trying to get you back," Yuuri suggested."I will never go back to that monster," Victor spat, "Nothing could make me do that."
XXXXXXXXXX
Back in the bedroom of his mansion, Halcòn slipped an unmarked DVD copy into his DVD player, watching closely the small clips of Victor's moves that had been edited together to create a fresh program."Beautiful," he breathed appreciatively, admiring the unique arrangement and small clips of test music, "Thank you, Victor. I have everything I need now to make you pay for leaving me. I can't wait to see your face when you see my programs."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

After I won the silver medal, while Victor and I were still happy and excited from the event, he asked me to move to Saint Petersburg to live with him. I was excited that I was going to see now where Victor grew up, to meet his family and to train with him there. We had no idea at all, when we were making those plans, that something was about to change everything. When the plane landed in Saint Petersburg, we were taken to what Victor assured me was the best hospital to see to his care. He was settled into a private room, with a second bed brought in, so that I could stay with him. Then, it was time to start rebuilding.
"Yuuri," Victor said, looking up from his food tray, "I spoke to Yakov, and he agreed to take over your training for the next season.""What do you mean?" Yuuri asked, frowning, "You heard the doctor when you were examined after we arrived. He said you were improving. You're going to be here maybe another week, then we can go home.""You forget that I may still not be walking. I haven't even tried yet, so nothing is sure," Victor reminded him, running his fingers through his hair, "I will be in physical therapy and maybe in a wheelchair.""And," Yuuri said in a tensed voice, "you don't have to be walking to coach me. Yakov never steps on the ice and he trains you.""This is different," Victor insisted, his eyes showing signs of rising anxiety, "I am going to need to put all of my focus on getting my body to work properly again.""And I am going to be right there, helping you. We'll work together," Yuuri assured him, "We can do this."Victor loosed a long, worried sigh."You need to concentrate on your own training," he said solemnly, "I'm not saying that I'm not going to work just as hard, only that I would already have been strained a bit, coaching you and training with Yakov. With these additional challenges…""So, I will train with Yakov for awhile, then as you get stronger, you can take over parts of my training, until you are one hundred percent."Yuuri caught instantly the look of doubt that passed over his fiancé's handsome face."Victor," he said more softly, lacing their fingers together, "I won't be a burden to you. I'll help you.""I never said that you were a burden," Victor objected."Listen to me," Yuuri said, squeezing his hand, "You are looking at the person who you left your own training to coach, the person you gave up a season of competition to grow into a medal winner. What you've given to me is way beyond what anyone has ever been able to do.""I did get quite a benefit from doing it, Yuuri," Victor reminded him, "I got to visit your hometown, learn all about the person who inspired me. I got to eat wonderful new foods, drink like crazy and relax in a huge hot spring as often as I wanted to. I also got to know you. You inspired me when I didn't know a thing about you, Yuuri. You inspire me even more now.""Good," Yuuri said approvingly, kissing his fingertips, "then let me keep on inspiring you. I'll train with Yakov temporarily, if that's what you want, but I'm also going to help you get back on your feet, skating and coaching me."Victor gave him a quizzical look."That's a tall order. Have you got any kind of plan?" he asked."Well, since you're still in bed, I can give you massages and work with your therapist on restoring your strength, range of motion and flexibility.""I suppose that's a sensible place to start. Don't neglect your own training, though.""I won't," Yuuri promised, "But it's not like I'm going to be training that soon anyway. I'm still wearing a cast."Victor eyed him skeptically."Yakov will send a car for you in the morning, Yuuri.""What? You mean, like tomorrow? What am I going to do? I can't…""Weight training and planning your programs.""Oh, right," Yuuri said, deflating slightly, "I guess that does make sense. But, don't you need to be there to help me plan?"Victor gave him a little smirk."I didn't show you everything that was on that DVD," he said giving Yuuri a wink, "I have plans to make our programs complementary.""Really?" Yuuri said, brightening, "how?""You remember how you and Yurio had programs that used different parts of the same music?""Uh-huh.""Well, we will have complementary themes and music that, at the end of the season, can be combined for a two person exhibition ice dance."Yuuri's jaw dropped."What? You look surprised," Victor teased him, "Did you really think that I was giving up on returning to compete?""No!" Yuuri exclaimed, "It's just that you made such a big point of telling me that…""You have to be prepared in case this doesn't work," Victor reasoned, "I have arranged the programs so that if it doesn't work out, I can adjust yours to compensate."Yuuri gave him a look of determination."It's going to work, Victor," he insisted, "We're going to make it work."Victor smiled warmly."I believe it will also. In the meantime, did you mean what you said about massages?""Yeah," Yuuri said, blushing slightly and nodding, "Just tell me where to start."Victor pulled the blankets away from his lower body, leaving just the hospital gown covering him down to mid thigh."Maybe you could start with my toes and work your way up from there?" Victor suggested.A moment of complete silence passed, and Victor looked up at Yuuri questioningly. His younger partner stood, stiffened, wide-eyed and staring at the lighter, but still significant bruising on Victor's muscular legs. Yuuri quivered and tears began to run down his face, although he remained ominously silent."Yuuri, what's wrong?" Victor prompted him.Yuuri remained unmoving, his brown eyes locked on Victor's legs and an expression of anguish on his face."Yuuri," Victor said more gently, reaching out to touch his distressed partner's hand tenderly, "they are just bruises. They are going away."There are more than just bruises, Yuuri's agonized mind registered, The muscles and tendons, the things underneath the skin that support his weight, the things that are under huge amounts of stress when we perform on the ice…
And Victor…beautiful, graceful Victor took the chance of damaging himself to the point of not being able to compete anymore…to the point of perhaps, dying! And why? What made him do that?
"Stop blaming yourself," Victor said quietly, "I know that's what you're doing. Whatever you may think, I made my own choice to try to save you. I have no regrets about that. And you need to stop having regrets about things that were never your decisions to make.""You should never have come to Hasetsu," Yuuri whispered, wiping his eyes."It was my choice to go to see you," Victor insisted, his eyes intent, "You know as well as I do, that I didn't just leave Russia for you. I left for myself also. After five consecutive championships, my inspiration was dead. There was something that I needed to go on, just like there was something that you needed to go on. We found that in each other, Yuuri. There is no mistake in that, and nothing to ever regret.""What if the cost had been your life?" Yuuri asked, sniffing and rubbing his eyes again, "How could I live with that?""What if it had?" Victor asked in a firmer tone, "Even if everything ended tomorrow, we've had everything up to now, and I'm glad. You, me, Yurio…we're all stronger because I left Russia to coach you. Whatever bad things might happen, there have been a lot more good things.""I know you're right…""But you were scared out of your mind. You're a nervous person anyway," Victor said calmly, "Take a few good breaths and look at the bruises again, Yuuri. They aren't just a reminder of what could have happened, they're really what happened. I am all right. I'm banged up, but nothing is broken.""You said, yourself…""That I can't say what the outcome will be, because nobody knows. That's really what bothers you, isn't it?""Y-yeah," Yuuri admitted, climbing onto the bed and sitting alongside his injured partner, "You and I know that you don't have to break something to suffer a career ending injury. Victor, we're supposed to be in figure skating together.""Shh," Victor soothed him, capturing his hand and lacing their fingers together, "keep thinking about us skating together. Put that in your mind and don't think about anything else. And…if you don't mind, could you get started with that massage? My feet and legs are really achey.""Do you need more pain medication?" Yuuri asked, starting to climb off the bed, only to feel Victor's hand tighten on his, stopping him."I don't need medicine, I need to feel your hands, Yuuri."Yuuri blushed instantly."So cute," Victor laughed, "Why don't you start with my toes, eh?""Okay."Yuuri scooted down on the bed, kneeling by Victor's uncovered feet and lifting one. Leaning forward, he touched his lips to the tips, then rested the foot on his lap as his fingers firmly captured and rubbed every inch of each toe. Victor sighed and laid back against the pillows, watching Yuuri and wearing an affectionate expression. The feel of his fiancé's fingers pushing in and rubbing firmly, had him sighing in contentment and dozing in moments, as Yuuri worked his way from the toes to the joints, then along the arches. He smiled at the familiar feel of calluses that attested to the endless hours that Victor had spent perfecting his art.
I have them on my feet too. It's like a rite of passage for a professional skater. Our work is hard on our bodies, but we work to keep them in top condition.
Yuuri reached the top of the first ankle, then switched and took Victor's other foot in his hand. As he took hold, Victor winced and Yuuri drew back, catching his breath and looking guilty."Sorry.""It's fine," Victor chuckled, "I must have sprained something. Don't worry about it."Yuuri bit his lip gently, forcing his hands to move again, to recapture the foot. He worked more cautiously around the sore spot, gently stretching and releasing. He set the second foot down and began to work his way up one long, slender white calf, carefully avoiding the bruised areas."Oh, that feels wonderful! I can't wait to get out of this bed. I want to soak in a big tub with you.""I thought you said your tub was regular sized. That was why you like the hot springs so much," Yuuri commented, regaining his smile, "Is there a place we can go that has bigger tubs?""I'm sure we'll figure that out," Victor said cryptically, "For now, I'd settle for just being clean.""I could give you a sponge bath," Yuuri offered."And I love feeling your hands on me," Victor sighed, "but I want to dunk myself in hot water.""We could ask if you can sit in a therapy tub. They probably have one of those. You'll probably need to after physical therapy starts. If you ache now, you'll probably be pretty miserable then.""Then, you'll have to distract me," Victor said, giving him a wink.
He's trying to comfort me. He knows how bad I feel about all of this. But Victor is right. I have to let my anxieties go and just focus on the here and now. Sure, he could have been hurt worse or killed, but he wasn't. He's here and he's alive and getting better.
Yuuri finished with the first of Victor's lower legs and began to massage the other, working his way up to the knee and avoiding the extensive bruising. He was so lost by then in his thoughts that he barely registered that as he began to work at his fiancé's thigh muscles, Victor's blue-green eyes went hazy, and a notable bulge appeared under his partially hiked up hospital gown. Yuuri finished with one soft thigh and began to massage the other, his mind still working to the point of missing completely how lusty his handsome partner's eyes had become.I hope we get to go and see his place soon. He said that a friend is stopping by to care for Makkachin, so that we can focus on each other. I wonder what Saint Petersburg is like. I barely got a glimpse on the way here. I saw cloudy skies and a few seagulls, like Victor described to me before. Some dark buildings…"Yuuri."The seductive inflection of Victor's smooth voice caused the flush to return to his cheeks, and Yuuri felt a powerful twinge in his loins. His mouth went dry as he spotted the impressive bulge under his fiancé's hospital gown and he read the wanton emotion in the other man's eyes.
How does he…with just his voice?
Yuuri felt himself drawn closer.It's like when we bathed together at the hotel. It's been awhile since then, and I…I really want to touch him! But…He glanced at the open door, and he heard Victor giggle. He pushed the call button next to the bed, and a moment later, the desk nurse's voice sounded through the intercom."Can I help you, Mr. Nikiforov?""Yes," Victor answered, smirking meaningfully at Yuuri, who covered his mouth and blushed more brightly, "My partner is going to be giving me a sponge bath. Will you please make sure we are not disturbed?""Of course, sir.""Thank you."Victor looked back at Yuuri playfully, but was met with an uncertain look."What is it?" he asked, tilting his head questioningly."What if I hurt you?" Yuuri asked."You won't hurt me," Victor assured him, "We'll just be touching."Victor's fingers tickled his shyer partner's cheek, making Yuuri flinch and shiver in reaction."Go on and close the door. No one will bother us."He could barely make himself slide off the bed, and felt a little tremor in his legs as he walked to the door and closed it."Are you sure?""It's fine. Come, Yuuri."Yuuri turned back, then stiffened and froze as he realized that Victor had removed his hospital gown, and now laid, fully exposed on the bed. Yuuri's widened brown eyes took in the sight of his fiancé's battered body, and the guilt he had fought down reared up again stubbornly."Look, Yuuri," Victor said calmly, meeting his stunned partner's eyes squarely, "but I need you to look with different eyes. Don't look at me and see bruises. Look at me and see how much I love you."Victor paused, studying Yuuri's conflicted expression."Or…is it that such heedless love makes you afraid?"
He's right.

It's not just that I feel guilty he got hurt saving me. It's that love strong enough to make him so reckless with his own life…terrifies me. But this is how strong the connection between us has grown. It's a bigger, more beautiful and chaotic feeling than anything I've ever felt.
"Yuuri, come here."Yuuri wasn't sure how he made his feet move, but he managed to return to the bed and sit down. Victor's hand slipped into his and squeezed comfortingly."You think that what is happening between us is scary, because it can make us do things that could get us hurt.""Or killed," Yuuri agreed.Victor nodded."But the truth is, we live with that fear all of the time, right? Every time we love someone, whatever kind of love it might be, we take that same risk. There are many people in your life who would gladly have done exactly the same as I did, to protect your life. But, because they are with you all of the time, you learn to push that aside and not become too focused on it. Isn't that true?""Yeah," Yuuri agreed, looking down at their joined hands, "it's true. I just never looked at it that way.""I understand. Something bad happened, and it made you look closely at how vulnerable love makes us. It's natural to fear something that powerful, but it's more important to respect it. We don't show our respect for love by fearing it, Yuuri. We show our respect for love…by embracing it despite our fears. So, go ahead. Embrace our love."
How does he do that?

How does Victor seem to know exactly what I'm thinking? It's like he can see right through everything in a way that no one else does. He knows it's eating away at me that he took such a risk to save me. And he said just what I needed to hear.
Yuuri felt Victor's palm come to rest on his cheek and he let himself be coaxed down into a long, open mouthed kiss.
It is scary to think about what happened…and about what could have happened. We could have lost each other, that much is true.
Yuuri's mouth left Victor's, and worked slowly, placing tender kisses, first all over his fiancé's smiling face, then along his graceful white throat. He kissed his way down Victor's bruised body, soothing the hurt places and pleasuring the rest.
We could have lost each other, but we didn't. We're still here, still alive, and we're still able to show our love. So, that's what I'm going to do, Victor. I'll show you my love!
Yuuri's smiling lips trailed down Victor's slim torso, making him sigh contentedly and slip fingers into Yuuri's tumbled hair to tease and encourage him. Victor's breath caught and he shivered delightedly as Yuuri's tongue dipped into his navel, then he resumed kissing his way along the trail of fine hairs that led downward."Yuuri!"
The way he said my name. He's whispering in Russian now, but I don't have to ask what he's saying. He wants me to put my mouth on him and pleasure him that way. I've never done that before. My heart's beating so fast, and I feel aroused thinking about it. I thought I'd be afraid…or embarrassed, but it's neither. It's something about his scent that I'm breathing in, and the little bit of dizziness I feel from my lips sliding along his skin. It's made me hungry for him.

He's watching me.
The realization sparked a lovely twinge in Yuuri's loins, and he found it easy then to close the distance."Yuuri, you don't have to…" Victor began.His words ended in surprised gasp as Yuuri 's smiling mouth opened and wrapped around his engorged member. His partner's silken pink tongue swept lightly over the satin head, then he sank down sucking firmly. Victor dropped back, panting softly and watching with widened eyes as Yuuri's head rose and fell, and the flickering heat and the erotic tickle of his lover's tongue brought him swiftly to the edges of bliss. Yuuri let his moaning partner's length slide out of his mouth, then licked the damp head teasingly before sinking back down again. Already nearing the end of his endurance, Victor managed a quick warning, then realized he had said the words in Russian."Swallow," he added hastily, caressing Yuuri's throat and chin as he surrendered to the gripping shudders of release.Yuuri tensed, trying to comply, but almost instantly choked and pulled away, coughing and sputtering an apology."It's all right," Victor laughed, yanking him upward and hugging him tightly, "I should have done a better job of warning you."He licked the younger man's flushed lips indulgently, then sank his tongue into Yuuri's mouth, enjoying their mingled flavors. He rolled onto his side, then loosed a gasp as pain shot through his hip and back."Victor!" Yuuri cried, carefully easing him back onto the pillows, "What were you thinking?""I wasn't thinking," Victor managed in a pained chuckle, sweat breaking out on his forehead, "I was trying to return the favor. It only seemed right after how good you made me feel.""You don't look like you feel too good now," Yuuri scolded him, "Lie still. Do you need a nurse?""No," Victor giggled, "but I could really use that sponge bath now. Do you mind?""Oh," Yuuri said, blushing, "sure."Yuuri left the bed and returned several minutes later with warm, soapy water, sponge and towels. He smiled at his contented looking partner as he began to wash the sweat from Victor's fine skin."I feel bad," Victor admitted, "I really wanted to touch you too, Yuuri.""We'll get to that when you're better, okay?" Yuuri said in a flustered voice."Please, how can I make it up to you," Victor insisted."How you can make it up to me…" Yuuri repeated, caressing Victor's skin gently with the wet sponge.He thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded."You have an idea?" Victor asked."Yeah," Yuuri answered, "Tell me something. Tell me something that no one in the whole world knows about Victor Nikiforov.""Something no one knows about me?" Victor asked, tilting his head to the side as he considered.Victor's eyes met Yuuri's and softened affectionately."You want to know something that no one else knows about me?" he said again, "Okay."Yuuri's eyes locked on his intently."You and I have something in common, Yuuri Katsuki," Victor confessed, "We both reinvented ourselves after suffering a great humiliation."Yuuri's breath stopped and he stared in fascination."You suffered a crushing defeat in the last Grand Prix, but you worked hard and made changes. Because of that, you and I are going to be together skating for the rest of our careers."Victor paused, gathering himself and Yuuri remained frozen and waiting."I also suffered a terrible humiliation when Halcòn betrayed me in the worst way possible. I am not speaking about infidelity, Yuuri. This was much darker. I was lucky I discovered the truth and put an end to everything before his plans played out. I was destroyed, and I considered leaving figure skating. It was on Yakov's advice that I reinvented myself. I shortened my hair and changed my music and performance. To avoid risking another disastrous affair, I was careful in my relationships from then on. I decided that I could only survive by having the strength to handle things on my own. I started each new season by starting over again, and the result?"Victor paused, noting Yuuri's saddened expression, and he reached out a hand to cup his lover's soft cheek."The legend that is Victor Nikiforov," he finished quietly, "Five consecutive world championships and a lifelong legacy. Yuuri, sometimes the worst things that happen are just a doorway to finding what you really desire. Life is like an egg. When the shell is cracked open, you either grow or you are fried and you die. That was true for you, true for me…and now it is true for us. We've survived. Let's look for the good in this and keep going."A tear slid down Yuuri's face and he nodded and hugged Victor crushingly."Yuuri?""Hmm?""The water got cold.""Oh, sorry, I'll get more.""Don't bother. I'm clean enough."Victor watched quietly, smoothing his hospital gown back into place and pulling the covers up as Yuuri left to dump the water.
I wonder if I should just force myself to tell Yuuri everything now.

I want to.

For the first time, there is someone who I would trust with that. I would trust Yuuri with everything. But Halcòn still holds something over me, and I hold something over him. We are in a delicate balance and Yuuri may just be the point of balance between us. Too much movement, and the balance will shift.
Victor was stricken with a sudden image of the frozen moment in which he had started to throw his body into the path of the car about to hit his fiancé.
I was looking at Yuuri, but I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I didn't remember that detail until now.

The driver's expression changed.

First, I saw intent, then I saw surprise.

Oh my god, I wonder if the balance has shifted already! Was Halcòn trying to have Yuuri killed?
"Yuuri!" he gasped, throwing his legs over the edge of the bed and pushing himself to his feet.He managed a step, then crashed down onto the floor, pain exploding into so many places, his head swam and the room darkened."Victor!" he heard Yuuri cry out.He used the last of his consciousness to grab Yuuri's arm as his fiancé knelt beside him, calling frantically for a nurse."Yuuri, I think Halcòn tried to have you killed! You have to…!""Victor?"
Damn it, I can't move!
I just hope that…he understood.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"Victor!" Yuuri cried, watching in dismay as his fiancé's blue-green eyes blinked and slid closed.His frantically searching eyes found a nurse as she ran into the room."Mr. Katsuki," she said urgently, dropping to her knees at Victor's side, "what happened here?""I…I'm not really sure!" Yuuri exclaimed, "I was out of the room for a minute, and as I came back, I saw Victor try to get out of bed. He looked upset about something. He was calling out to me. But he fell. I don't think he hit his head, but he passed out!"Another nurse appeared in the doorway as the first quickly examined the unconscious figure skater."Bring a gurney and inform Mr. Nikiforov's doctor we're checking for exacerbation of the original concussion.""Is Victor going to be all right?" Yuuri pleaded."He'll be all right," the nurse assured him, "We just need to be cautious because Victor already had a moderately serious concussion he was recovering from. We'll need to run a few tests, but he will probably just need a little treatment, more rest and making sure he doesn't try to get up again until the doctor tells him to.""Yeah, Victor's not very good about doing what anyone tells him," Yuuri sighed, "He kinda just does what he wants.""Well, a concussion doesn't respond well to that," the nurse said, shaking her head, "You're going to need to convince Mr. Nikiforov to be more careful. Head injuries are nothing to mess with.""Yeah, I know," Yuuri agreed, "I'll talk to him. But, how long do you think he'll be unconscious?"The nurse gave him a sympathetic look."I'm sure it won't be long, Mr. Katsuki," she said reassuringly, "I want you to wait here. We're going to take him for the tests, then we'll bring him back and talk to you, all right?""Okay."Yuuri stood back as the second nurse arrived, watching anxiously as more staff arrived and Victor was carefully moved to a gurney and wheeled away.Unaware of what was taking place around him, Victor's mind spun slowly backwards in time.
He left the arena at a jog, defying the aches in his body to run up a little nearby hill to a quiet area in the trees that he knew had a good view of the stars. He dropped down in a huff, underneath one of the trees, placing his back against it and glaring up at the stars, trying to calm his angry mind.

"Stupid Yakov," he scoffed, "I need to add that second quad now if I want to win next time."

He replayed the evening's competition in his head, his blue-green eyes calming slightly as he considered.

"It went pretty well. Next time, I just need to…"

The cracking of a twig behind him made Victor turn to look up at the dark form that was entering the trees and moving to join him.

"Yakov, a moment or two, okay? You've scolded me enough. I said I was…"

His eyes widened as they met a pair of familiar golden ones.

"You're the Spanish skater, Halcòn?" he remembered.

"I am," the other youth affirmed, moving to join him.

Victor nodded.

"Sorry, I thought you were my grumpy coach, coming to yell at me some more. He likes to do that, whether I win or lose."

"You didn't exactly lose tonight," Halcòn observed, "I thought you did great, except…"

"Except I fell in a crucial part of the program," Victor concluded.

"You made a brilliant recovery, and you won bronze, even with the fall."
"At least someone noticed that," Victor sighed, leaning back against the tree, "Yakov knows he doesn't have to say anything. I'll scold myself if I screw up. I always do."
"You're hard on yourself, Victor. Like me, you're newer to the senior men's division. You've got something to prove."

Victor rolled his eyes and placed his hands behind his head.

"Don't you start too. Although, you did win silver tonight. You have a good program. Congratulations."

"Thanks," Halcòn said, smiling charmingly, "I took some hints from your past programs to help me refine mine."

"I thought a few sets of moves looked familiar," Victor said, "It's good to know they're doing someone some good, eh?"

"They're doing you plenty of good," Halcòn assured him, "But, I was thinking that if you'd like, we could exchange some ideas."

Victor frowned.

"All right, did Yakov send you to talk to me?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

The Spaniard shook his head and moved closer.

"No one sent me," he went on, looking up at the moon, "I just saw Yakov yelling at you, then I saw you leave to come up here."

"I'd say you were trying to get me alone to reduce the competition by killing me or something, but you beat me tonight," Victor joked.

"Just barely," Halcòn laughed, "and I admit that if you had landed that second quad, you would have beaten me. You would have taken the gold, Victor."

"Now, you're just flattering me," Victor said, arching an eyebrow, "Seriously, what do you want?"

Halcòn smiled and slipped an arm around him, looking pleased as the Russian skater made no move to stop him.

"You want to kiss me?" Victor said, looking amused.

"For starters, yes," the Spaniard youth answered, running his fingers through Victor's long, unbound hair, "Is that all right with you, Victor?"

"You move pretty quickly, but I don't mind so much. I'm sure Yakov would scold me about letting another skater distract me, but he's not here. It's fine."

"You're rebellious," Halcòn observed, sliding a fingertip along Victor's lips, then warming them with a long, slow kiss.

"No, I just don't consider it distraction," Victor explained, tilting his head back to allow the Spaniard youth access to his soft, pale throat.

Halcòn took the invitation without hesitation, easing the slighter youth down onto his back and spreading the long silvery hairs out around him.

"It's experience," Victor went on, "I'm younger, so I lack experience. So, if I take more risks, then I will gain experience that will inspire me to grow. Being my age, it won't be too bad for you either, right?"

"I suppose. But tell me, Victor. Have you had many lovers since breaking into the senior division?"

"Who has time for that?" Victor laughed, "I've fooled around a little, here or there, but nothing serious. It was mostly with friends."

"And do you prefer men or women?"

Victor grinned.

"Do I have to choose? There are beautiful men and beautiful women."

"A fair answer. You seem to know yourself pretty well," Halcòn observed, "So, what kinds of things have you tried with the ones you fooled around with?"

"I haven't been too adventurous, I suppose. Mostly a lot of touching, mutual pleasuring, things like that. And you?"

Halcòn shrugged.

"I have certain likes. I like long, thick hair, a well defined body, fair eyes and skin."

"And in bed?" Victor asked, smirking.

He caught his breath in surprise as Halcòn's strong body laid down on his, and the Spaniard's fingers laced into his, holding his hands down on either side of his head.

"What are you…?"

Victor froze as the other youth's teeth nipped his earlobe sharply.

"I like playing games," he breathed into the Russian skater's ear, making it blush, "Role playing excites me. Would you like to play a game with me, Victor Nikiforov?"

"That depends," Victor answered, his heart pounding, "You're not going to get all serious on me, are you? This is going to be fun, right?"

"Oh, I promise you," Halcòn said, tracing the Russian's soft cheek, "you've never done anything like this."

"Well, that sounds…ominous," Victor said, looking up into the other youth's piercing eyes.

"You don't look intimidated," the Spaniard commented.

"We're both adults, here," Victor chuckled, "Just don't do anything really weird, okay? And if I tell you to stop, you will stop, right?"

"Of course," Halcòn promised, nuzzling his cheek, "Why don't we start by comparing our endurance?"

"Didn't we just do that on the ice?" Victor asked, smirking.

"Oh, that was just a teaser," the Spaniard said, removing a pair of cock rings from his pocket, "You are about to find out just how much stamina we both really have."

"V-victor?" Yuuri's muffled voice called anxiously, "Victor, please, wake up!"

Victor sucked in a deeper breath, turning his head towards the sound. But immediately, he felt a sharp twinge behind his eyes and the room seemed to tilt strangely.

"Yuuri?"

He felt Yuuri's hand squeeze his.

"I'm right here. I've been here the whole time. I haven't left you for a minute."

Victor frowned and opened his eyes, then he blinked in confusion.

"Wh-where are we again? Barcelona?" he asked.

"Ah, no," Yuuri answered, looking even more worried, "Don't you remember? We came back to Saint Petersburg a few days ago. You were doing better, but you fell."

"I…fell?" Victor mused, "Like out of bed or something?"

"No," Yuuri corrected him, leaning forward to brush a few misbehaving hairs away from his fiancé's face, "You got out of bed for some reason. Don't you remember? Victor, you said that Halcòn might have tried to kill me."

"What? I did?" Victor exclaimed, sitting up too quickly and grabbing his head as another painful twinge took hold, "OW!"

"Don't move so quickly!" Yuuri objected, "I didn't know what to do, so I called Yakov. He told me that without knowing exactly what you know, the authorities won't be able to really do anything. I mean, you didn't say you knew he did something. You said he might have. I need you to try to think, Victor."

"My mind's a little fuzzy right now."

"This is serious!" Yuuri shouted.

"Ow!" Victor groaned, cringing.

"Sorry!"

"It's okay," Victor assured him, "I'm fine."

"Yeah," Yuuri said, his brown eyes narrowing skeptically, "sure you are. You know, you really could have hurt yourself, getting out of bed like that. I know you must have been kinda freaked out. Did you remember something? Did you see something that made you remember?"

"I really don't know," Victor confessed, shaking his head, then wincing, "I'm sorry, Yuuri. Whatever it was, I can't seem to remember why I thought that. But, I think we have to take my warning seriously, even though I don't remember."

"But what can we do?" his younger partner asked urgently, "I mean, do you think we're safe here, in Saint Petersburg?"

Victor stiffened as a sudden memory of Halcòn's voice echoed in his ears.

"I like playing games. Role playing excites me. Would you like to play a game with me, Victor Nikiforov?"

"Victor?"

"Sorry, I don't think we can assume that."

Yuuri frowned.

"There's something that doesn't make sense to me," he mused, "You said that Halcòn might have tried to kill me. Do you have any idea when? I mean, he had me, my family and Makkachin all in his home in Barcelona. If he wanted me dead, why didn't he just kill me while I was in his care? Why would he try to seduce me instead?"

Victor's jaw tightened.

I have to tell him.

Everything.

He drew in a steadying breath.

"Yuuri…"

A tap on the door frame stopped him, and the two young men looked up to see a man and woman entering the room. Yuuri was stricken immediately with how the dark-haired man's quiet, serious eyes were the same lovely blue-green as Victor's, and how the woman's silvery hair looked exactly as Victor's had, years before. The man wore an expensive suit and the woman wore a conservative, but very flattering knee length dress.

"Mom, Dad," Victor greeted them, smiling, "Yuuri, I don't know if you've yet met my parents in person."

"I haven't yet," Yuuri said, standing and moving forward to meet them.

He paused in front of them and bowed respectfully.

"It is an honor to finally meet you," Yuuri said, surprising all three by speaking the sentence in slightly halting, but correct Russian, "I want to…thank you for all of your…"

He paused uncertainly, startling slightly as Victor's mother stepped closer to him and gave him the Russian word he was struggling with.

"Pomoshch," she supplied.

"Pomoshch," Yuuri repeated, giving her a look of gratitude.

"You can speak English, can't you?" Victor's mother asked, "We do also."

"But, thank you for showing us your respect," her husband added, "Welcome to Saint Petersburg, Yuuri."

"Thank you," Yuuri said, looking relieved, "I haven't seen much besides the hospital."

"We'll have to do something about that right away. Will you join us for dinner, Yuuri?"

Yuuri glanced questioningly at Victor, who smiled at him and nodded briefly.

"Yuuri and I have Yakov coming to make plans for our training," he explained.

Victor's father frowned.

"What plans? The boy is in a cast and you won't be out of the hospital for a week more, we hear," the elder Nikiforov said sternly, "You should be resting, not seeing how far you can push yourself. We heard that you'd fallen and re-injured yourself."

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Victor insisted, "Just very busy trying to make a comeback. It won't happen overnight, you know."

His mother gave him a knowing look.

"It won't happen at all if you don't take good care of yourself."

"My mother is a professional dancer," Victor said to Yuuri.

"I know," Yuuri said approvingly, following with a quick recitation of her full name and dance affiliation.

"I had no idea you went to such effort to learn all of this, Yuuri," Victor said, smiling warmly.

"I know Russian families have some customs that are the same as ours in Japan," Yuuri acknowledged, "and we have some that are different. I think it's important to make sure we understand each other."

He looked back at Victor's parents, still slightly anxious.

"And the thing I most want you to understand about me is that I love Victor and I am happy to be welcomed into his family," he said, bowing again.

"Well," Victor's father said, his seriousness fading and a more friendly look coming onto his face, "you've certainly done your best to fit in. When Victor is well, we should go out and have a few drinks."

"Yes! Yes!" Victor laughed, "And then, you can see Yuuri dances as well as mother when he's drunk."

"Victor!" Yuuri objected, blushing.

"It's fine," Victor's father laughed, patting Yuuri on the shoulder, then pulling him into a firm hug, "I think we'll get along just fine."

"Ah, why don't I give you a few minutes while I go and freshen Victor's water?" Yuuri offered, gently disentangling himself.

He escaped out the door and paused, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

I was so nervous. I wondered if they'd like me.

"What are you doing, skulking around out here, pork cutlet bowl?" Yuiro's condescending voice called out, making Yuuri startle and turn, "Aren't you supposed to be in there, watching out for Victor?"

"Yurio!"

He nodded to the tall, quiet Kazakhstan native who stood beside his friend.

"Otabek!"

"Yakov sent us over to check up on you two," Otabek explained, "He's getting a bodyguard for you."

"Yeah," Yurio added, "But it may be a couple more days, so he sent us to check on you and make sure that Victor is all right after the fall he took. What was he doing out of bed, anyway?"

"He remembered something," Yuuri explained, "I think it was about the accident, but he can't really remember now. But what is clear is that Halcòn did something to Victor in the past. No one seems to know what, and Victor isn't speaking up about it, but…"

"Well, I warned you I didn't like him," Yurio snapped, "I heard from Yakov, the bastard tried to get you intp bed. I hope you threw your boot at him."

"Oh, I stopped him. I wasn't hurt or…or anything. He backed off when he realized I was willing to fight him."

"I could teach you a few things for next time," Yurio offered, "so you can inflict some real damage."

"Thanks," Yuuri sighed, looking back into the room, where Victor was speaking in Russian with his relieved looking parents, "That means a lot to me, Yurio."

"I'm not doing it for you, little piggy," Yurio teased him playfully, "Victor's my mentor. He needs to be back on the ice. You too. It'll be too easy to win if you two aren't there. I may lose because I fall asleep during my program."

"We're coming back," Yuuri said with certainty, "Halcòn isn't going to stop us. Victor and I will be in the next Grand Prix finals with you for sure!"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Victor hugged his mother, then his father, then he watched the two follow Yuuri out of the hospital room, into the hallway outside. He turned his attention to the grey sky outside the window, his mind working intently.
As soon as Yuuri gets back, it's time to tell him everything. To be honest, I should have told him already. We know each other really well now. Yuuri has opened up to me, and now it's time for me to be as open as he is.
He closed his eyes and an image of Halcòn appeared in his mind.
For the longest time, I have lived alone with what that man tried to do to me. He still holds an ace, but I have one also. Still, if he did try to kill Yuuri, then that means he thought he could get away with doing so. He didn't plan for me to know what he was doing. But, do I really know something? Why did I tell Yuuri that I thought Halcòn tried to have him killed?

What did I remember?

Was it about the hit and run, or was it something else?

What was it?
He heard Yuuri's returning footsteps and looked up as his fiancé entered the room and moved to sit down beside Victor's bed."Thanks for seeing my parents off," Victor said gratefully."Oh, it was no problem," Yuuri assured them, "They're really nice. They invited us to come over when you're back on your feet.""That's good. I'm glad things went well. You surprised me again, Yuuri. I didn't know you knew much about Russian families.""Well, you and I had talked a little about some things. Other things I looked up, because I wanted to make a good impression.""You really did," Victor said, sounding impressed, "They like you, Yuuri.""I like them too," Yuuri said, smiling, "But, how are you feeling? You look kind of pale, Victor.""I'm all right, just a little tired from all the visitors today," Victor assured him."Yeah, Yurio and Otabek are hanging out in the lobby now. They told me Yakov is sending a bodyguard for us.""That's probably best, considering," Victor said, taking a breath to steady himself, "Yuuri, now that we are alone, I think it's time for me to tell you more about Halcòn and me."Yuuri looked back at him silently, waiting as Victor considered his words carefully."Some of what I am going to tell you may make you feel uncomfortable, because Halcòn and I had a sexual relationship."A little flush rose on Yuuri's cheeks, but he nodded for Victor to continue."I met Halcòn through figure skating. As you know, he was a top contender in the years just following my advance to the senior men's division. At first, we saw each other at competitions and exchanged words here and there about trivial things, but we never really interacted much. That changed after one of the early competitions when I'd tried to add a second quad to my routine, but landed badly and fell. I still won a bronze medal, but also got an earful from Yakov. I left the arena and was sitting alone. Halcòn followed me, and we got to talking. He seemed sympathetic, and it was clear he was interested in me. He was charming and I was not attached to anyone, so when he kissed me, I went along with it. I wasn't in love, at first, but Halcòn was, at first, very affectionate and fun. He was someone who liked to play love games.""Love games?" Yuuri mused, frowning, "What do you mean?""Well," Victor said, thinking for a moment, "both Halcòn and I liked to compete at all kinds of things. Some of the games that we played were sexual, and as time went on, we became a couple. There were other games where we role played, sometimes while skating, and sometimes we'd disappear for a few days to hide out from everyone, pretend to be other people, no one well known. Just normal people doing normal things. It's hard to explain, but it made sense to us, given the rest of the time, so many eyes were focused on us."Victor paused and took a sip of water."Yakov knew we were seeing each other, and he tolerated our bad behavior, because I began to really shine on the ice that season. Being in love made me feel motivated, and I brought that into my art. Halcòn, too, made good strides and earned a place in the final six with me. By then, Halcòn and I had been together for over a year. In that time, the games we played continued, but each game we played began to get more extreme.""How do you mean?" Yuuri asked, "Was it dangerous?""Not at first," Victor replied, closing his eyes as he remembered, then opening them again to meet his lover's, "But you know how it is with taking chances. One risk leads to another over time, and the danger grows. We weren't doing anything against the law, What I am trying to say is that the roles we played fell into a dangerous pattern. Halcòn liked to play the hero, so he would first pretend to be a wicked man who would tie me up and threaten me. Kind of like play acting, but he embraced his role, sometimes inflicting pain and pleasure. Understand, that everything that happened, I allowed. I could have stopped him with a word, but I was into the game as well. I didn't mind hurting a little, because the sex that followed was so good. I know that doesn't make sense to you. I'm sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable.""I'm okay," Yuuri assured him."Good," Victor sighed, squeezing his hand, "It's embarrassing to admit, but I didn't mind being rescued. Sometimes I felt like I didn't control much of my life, but when I was with Halcòn, I could be anyone or do anything. Sometimes, I wanted to be a household name and sometimes, I didn't want anyone to know me. I was so wrapped up in embracing those changing roles, I missed the fact that as time went on, Halcòn began to change.""How did he change?""It started with little things," Victor explained, "When we were apart for competitions or family events, he texted me constantly, and expected that I should answer him quickly. Sometimes, he would show up unexpectedly while I was traveling. At first, it seemed like he was trying to surprise me for romantic reasons, but one time when he spotted Chris soaking with me in a hot tub at one of the hotels, he accused me of sleeping around. We got into an argument, and he hit me. I broke up with him, then and there. Chris was there, so nothing happened. Halcòn apologized and he left. I had no idea what I was setting off."Yuuri paled and bit at his lips, but nodded for Victor to continue."A few weeks later, I returned to Saint Petersburg to rest and train for the finals. I was in a slump, because even though I knew that breaking up with him was the right thing, I missed him, Yuuri. I missed the time when the games we played with each other were fun. I missed the long talks and frequent lovemaking. So, just before the finals, he texted me that he was going to be in town, and he asked me to meet him in a public place so that we could have dinner and talk. He said that he was sorry for hurting me, and that he missed me. When we met for dinner, he assured me that he had no hard feelings. We had a few drinks, and then he suggested playing a game, for old time's sake. It was stupid, but I was lonely and sad without him. I agreed to the game, and we went to his hotel room."Victor paused, shuddering for a moment as he remembered."He hurt you, didn't he?" Yuuri asked sadly."He didn't hurt me physically," Victor said quietly, "but what Halcòn did do was to show me why my decision to leave him was a good one. He told me he wanted to play a rescue game, but after he had me in a compromised position, once I was naked and completely helpless, he started to threaten to end my skating career.""What?" Yuuri breathed, his eyes rounding."Never once, in all of the games that we played, did he ever say something like that. I told him that stepped over a line, but he continued to threaten to injure me, and he took a knife and said he was going to cut my Achilles' tendon.""Oh my god!" Yuuri gasped, going white, "Victor, what did you do?""I told him the game was over. I told him to stop. It was our agreement when we played our games that if one of us told the other to stop, the game ended right then. But, he didn't stop, and for the first time, Yuuri, I was actually afraid he would really hurt me. As soon as he saw the terror in my eyes, he stopped and untied me. He tried to say he was sorry, but I was shaking all over. I couldn't think straight. I just wanted to get away from him. I felt stupid for letting such a thing happen.. Halcòn realized he had gone too far. He apologized again, and he left to make tea to calm me down."Victor looked at Yuuri, who was wiping away tears and holding his hand tightly."I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Victor," he whispered, "I had no idea.""Who did?" Victor mused, kissing his cheek, "Young people are sometimes heedless. I took risks back then, because I had no idea that danger could be so close to me. I wanted to have fun and to be loved. That's all. I didn't see the danger until it was too late and there was nothing I could do.""So, what happened?" Yuuri prompted him."Halcòn was out of the room, and I heard a sound, like a text tone. I checked my phone, but there were no messages. I knew that Halcòn never left his phone lying around. And it had a password on it that he didn't share with anyone. I found a throwaway phone in the drawer of an end table, and I opened it to look at what had been sent.""What was it? It was something really bad, wasn't it?" Yuuri asked in a frightened voice, "Was he going to kill you, Victor?""No," Victor said quietly, lowering his eyes, "What I found on the phone was that Halcòn was making plans for me to be abducted before the finals. He wanted revenge, and he wanted me out of the way, since I had left him. Halcòn also knew I was the only real challenge among the finalists, and after the insult of me leaving him, he couldn't stand to be beaten by me. He promised his contact on the phone that my parents were rich, and that there would be a lot of money in it for that person. The person had agreed to break into my house during that night and take me with him.""What did you do?" Yuuri asked, staring."I took the phone with me, and I ran," Victor went on, "When he realized I was gone, and he realized why, he called the cell and shared a video.""Of what? Did he threaten your family or something?" Yuuri asked worriedly."In a way," Victor answered, biting at his lip for a moment, "The video he shared was one of our sexual games. He said that he had recorded most of our games, and that if I did not give the phone back to him, he would begin releasing them.""Oh god, Victor!""You know my family now. You know they are respected members of high Russian society. To have things like that plastered all over social media would have ruined me and them. Halcòn threatened to do just that. But I knew I could not give back the cell phone. I needed it to make sure that he didn't ever release those videos.""So, now he has these videos of you and you have proof that he tried to have you kidnapped to keep you out of the finals.""Yes. He eventually agreed to a compromise. We each held onto our ace, and we parted ways. He agreed never to come to Russia. I didn't ask him to, but he dropped out of figure skating. I don't know what happened to him them, but he must have been capitalizing on his skating career and making a lot of money, if he has a place like the one you described.""It's pretty spectacular, all right," Yuuri admitted, "But, if Halcòn knows that you have the cell phone, then why would he try to kill me? Isn't that taking a pretty big chance?""Yes, of course," Victor agreed, "but think about it. What changed this year?"Yuuri gazed back at him in silence."It was all over the news when I went to Hasetsu and became your coach. It was replayed nationally when you finished your program at the China Cup and I kissed you in front of everyone. What changed is that, for the first time since being with Halcòn, I am in love. One of the reasons he never had reason to do anything more was because I didn't see anyone seriously after him. I remembered the disaster I almost made of my life, and I decided that it was best to be alone. I sank deep into depression and barely managed to earn a silver medal that year. After that, Yakov suggested making changes to my image. It was then that I had my hair shortened and I had new music composed for a more progressive program. I focused all of my energy on perfecting my programs as a way of moving past what had happened. Halcòn disappeared from my life, and after awhile, I stopped thinking about him and looking over my shoulder all of the time. But I never really moved on…not until I met you. When that happened, and we came to the Grand Prix final in Halcòn's hometown, he must have seen an opportunity.""You think he was behind the hit and run, don't you?" Yuuri suggested."Yes. You said that he was at the scene?""Yes, he didn't tell me why he was there, just that he was your former lover, and that he would take care of me and call my family.""And because I was keeping secrets, you and your family were exposed to danger you should not have been. I am very sorry for that, Yuuri.""It's not your fault," Yuuri insisted, "That guy is crazy.""He is," Victor agreed, "And if he did set you up to die in front of me, then he was trying to do it to put me in a vulnerable position.""But, since you were hurt too, he must have changed his plans, and tried to seduce me away from you.""So, it seems," Victor said, frowning."What? You look like you're worried about something."Victor nodded."He may have been trying to use you to locate the cell phone with the evidence on it," he suggested, "If that was his plan, I am bothered by something he said."Yuuri's breath caught."He said that he had what he wanted! Do you think he might have stolen it?"Victor shrugged."It is in a safety deposit box, so I don't think that's what he meant. But if it's not what he meant, then what is? What did he accomplish by having you and your parents as guests in his home? We have to figure that out, Yuuri. It won't be safe for either of us until we know. You are going to have to be really careful. Don't go out alone and be cautious about any strangers. We are in my hometown right now, but we will be traveling, once we are in competition again.""Well, at least we have protection so we can concentrate on our training for now," Yuuri said gratefully."Yes," Victor agreed, "I think we should stop talking about this for now, and do something to start getting ready. Do you have the DVD?""Yeah, it's right here," Yuuri said, taking it out of his suitcase and slipping it into a small player that he set in Victor's lap. He climbed onto the bed beside his fiancé, watching as Victor played the first clip."This part, you have seen," he said, running the video forward, "The red phoenix.""I love the drawing for your costume," Yuuri said enthusiastically, "It'll look great on you.""Thank you," Victor said, smiling, "Your costume will be similar to mine without being the same. Your will be blue.""That's awesome!" Yuuri exclaimed as an image of a second drawing popped up on the player."The theme is new beginnings. You know the story of the phoenix, and how when it's life is done, it descends and crashes down, burning into ash. Our complementary short programs will reflect that, both culminating with bowed positions at the very end. We will each have four quads in our program. You saw the clips I put together to show my part. Now, this is your part."Yuuri watched, his brown eyes lighting up as the clipped and pasted images showed him performing sets of movements and the planned jumps."This is amazing!" he said, shaking his head in disbelief, "Victor, I didn't know how you could make anything more beautiful that the programs you gave me last season, but…wow!""I will add some more dramatic moves with your hands and arms to bring out the beauty of the costume. I want it to have the look of blue flame, and mine, red. The free skate will be the part where we are reborn, where we become filled with new life and begin again in an endless cycle. The finishing moves will be visually stunning spins. You see?""Yeah, they're great! I can't wait to get started!"Yuuri paused, looking down at the cast on his right foot."Though, it's going to be awhile," he said sadly."Not so long," Victor said encouragingly, "And we can start by working on the upper body movements. We'll need to do extra weight training, and we'll add raised arms to some of the jumps to increase the level of difficulty to earn higher scores. I'll have some hand weights sent so that we can get started.""I could go and get them," Yuuri offered.Victor shook his head firmly."I want you to stay here with me," he insisted, "We'll go to my place as soon as I am released from the hospital. For right now, we'll just work on some of the motions."The two continued, practicing the arm movements and making adjustments.On a private ice rink, thousands of miles away, the skater known as Halcòn practiced intently, carefully mastering each move from the copied DVD, then taking a break to wipe the heavy sweat from his skin."Just a few more months, Victor," he whispered, gazing at the image on the video player, "I will have this together, and we can start our next…and last game!"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It's finally time.

Victor is going to start physical therapy today. They're going to see if he can stand, then the hospital has a room with special equipment, and a therapy pool he can walk or just relax in. I'm anxious for everything to go well. I need Victor to be all right.

I need to know we'll meet on the ice to finally compete with each other.
"You look anxious," Victor said, running his fingers through Yuuri's soft hair as the two laid together on Victor's hospital bed, looking out the window to watch a group of seagulls floating across the cloudy sky, "Don't worry. Things will go fine today."Yuuri smiled tentatively."It's a little funny hearing you have to reassure me about that. Aren't you nervous at all, Victor? I should be consoling you.""I'm okay," Victor said easily, "I just want to be out of this bed. I will do my best to retrain my body to the strongest it can be. And I'm glad to know that you will be with me all of the way to encourage me.""Well," Yuuri said warmly, "you've always been there for me. I want to help you in any way I can. Whatever time it takes, I want to meet you on the ice as your competitor. I've worked so hard to reach the point where I can do that.""We will meet on the ice," Victor promised, "If neither one of us gives up, it can't help but happen, right?""Right," Yuuri agreed.The two looked up as his physical therapist arrived in the room with a wheelchair. She guided it to Victor's bedside, then nodded."Why don't you try sliding your legs over the edge of the bed first?"She waited, watching as the Russian skater complied. Victor sat on the edge of the bed and Yuuri moved to stand beside him. Victor laughed nervously."I hope this goes better than last time," he chuckled."I'm right here with you this time," Yuuri promised, taking Victor's hands, "Hold on to me and go slowly."Victor nodded and slid in careful stages, off the edge of the bed, putting weight onto his feet, little by little. Yuuri felt his fiancé's body tense, and noticed sweat breaking out on his skin."How does it feel?" the therapist asked, watching him closely as Victor quivered and his teeth clenched in reaction."It feels like I'm standing on two sprained ankles," the Russian skater answered, an edge of anxiety in his voice, "I don't think I can put all of my weight on them.""Okay, it's a starting point. We can…""Wait," Victor said, glancing at Yuuri, "I think if Yuuri massages my feet and ankles, it might loosen up. He did it before, and I did feel like I could move my feet better."The therapist nodded."I have some massage oils," she said, taking out a bottle of almond oil.Victor slid back on the bed, sitting against the pillows as Yuuri addressed one foot and the therapist worked at the other."Is there any pain when we rub the toe joints?" the young woman asked."The toes are fine," Victor assured her, "When Yuuri did this before, the arches and ankles were painful, but as he rubbed them and stretched everything, the pain went away.""And how do the arches feel now?""They're a little sore, but the massage feels very good.""Okay, let's move on to your ankles," the therapist suggested, glancing at Yuuri, "Yuuri, first massage, then slowly move the foot you're holding in circles."She watched as Yuuri followed her directions."How does it feel?""The joints are stiff," Victor explained, "but it feels like the one he is working on is loosening.""Good," the therapist said, nodding, "Yuuri, you can work on his other foot while I test this one a little.""Okay," Yuuri said, moving aside and turning his attention to Victor's other foot, while the therapist took the first in her hand."Pull your toes back," she requested, holding Victor's ankle and watching as the skater complied, "Good. How does it feel?""A little cramping, but all right," Victor reported.The therapist applied pressure at different angles, each time stopping and asking if there was pain. She repeated the procedure with the other foot, then smiled and nodded."Let's try getting him settled in the wheelchair."Victor moved to the edge of the bed again and placed his hands on Yuuri's forearms, slowly putting weight onto his feet, until he was standing."How does it feel?" the therapist asked."Better now," Victor reported, "The massage loosened things up.""Good. Go ahead and sit in the wheelchair," the young woman directed him, "We're going to the gym for the next part."She smiled at Yuuri."You're welcome to come along, Mr. Katsuki.""Okay," Yuuri agreed, following as the therapist wheeled Victor out of the room and into the hallway.They took an elevator up a few floors and exited, following another corridor to a locked door that the therapist opened. They walked into a larger room that had several stations, each with different equipment. The therapist wheeled Victor to a set of parallel bars."I understand your arms and shoulders are fine now?" she asked."Yes," Victor said, nodding, "I had some bruising, and they were sore for awhile, but it went away. They're fine now.""Good," she replied, wheeling him to the end, "We're going to get you onto your feet on the mat. Hold on to the bars and walk a little. Go slowly, and tell me if there is any pain, and how much."She and Yuuri helped Victor onto his feet, and the Russian skater wrapped his hands around the bars, starting with most of the weight on his hands, then slowly loosening his grip until he was barely holding on."Take a step or two, when you are ready."Victor took a breath and rolled forward carefully on his left foot, then his right, holding on to the bars as he went."It hurts, but kind of feels like it just needs to stretch more.""Take some more steps."Victor worked his way slowly to the end of the bars, then paused."Turn around and come back. Let more of the weight onto your feet.""I feel like an old man," Victor chuckled anxiously, "There is pain in my right hip and lower back.""And what is the level of pain in each area?""About a four in my back and six in my hip," Victor reported."You're sweating," Yuuri noticed."We're almost done," the therapist assured the two, "You can soak in the therapy pool when we're done.""Oh, that's going to feel so good," Victor sighed."I'm going to recommend to your doctor that he should order some more images of the areas you mentioned. We should take a closer look and make sure there's no damage we need to figure into your recovery.""Do you suspect anything is wrong?" Victor asked."Not necessarily," the therapist explained, "but those areas all bear significant amounts of your weight, so I want to be sure that it's safe to proceed. Okay, sit back down in the wheelchair and let me take you to the therapy pool."It's just across the room," Victor said, glancing over his shoulder, "Yuuri can help me walk to it.""Well," the therapist began."Yuuri," Victor said, extending a hand."But…"The therapist watched closely, moving with the two as Yuuri guided Victor in halting steps, off of the mat and onto the smooth floor."You're really supposed to wait until later to do this," the young woman chided the skater."I really want to get in that tub," Victor replied, "I'm not taking any chances. Yuuri is right here. I won't fall. And if, for some reason, I do, I will get right back up.""That's the spirit!" Yuuri laughed.Victor reached the little soaking pool and sat down on the edge, sinking his feet into the bubbling water and sighing contentedly."I was right. It feels great! Yuuri, take my hospital gown off!""Umm…maybe not in front of…"Yuuri blushed as Victor removed the gown and slid down into the pool, up to his chest."Sorry for skinny dipping in front of you," he said, grinning at the blushing therapist, "I'm just dying for a hot bath, you know? Yuuri's sponge baths are great, but this is amazing!""Sorry," Yuuri chuckled, "he's kind of heedless sometimes.""It's fine," said the therapist, giving Yuuri a cute smirk, "though, next time, you should make him wear something under his gown when we have our session.""Will do," Yuuri snickered."Yuuri, you should come in!" Victor laughed, "This is wonderful!""I'll tell you what," the therapist said to Yuuri, "I'm going to go and speak to Victor's doctor about some additional tests we need to do. He's making good progress, but you and Victor have already been told that as he heals, there are some areas that may require some corrective surgery. We'll only know by continuing to monitor his progress. Just caution him to take his rehabilitation slowly.""Oh, he will," Yuuri said with certainty, "I know Victor is impulsive in some ways, but he wants more than anything to get back on the ice and compete. He's not going to do anything that threatens his chances. We'll both work hard to give him the best results possible, and then some."The therapist gave Yuuri an affectionate look."Victor is lucky to have you by his side.""Yeah? Well, there's nowhere I'd rather be," Yuuri answered, smiling at the deeply contented face of his happily soaking fiancé."Well, good luck to both of you. I am going to have someone come to help Victor back to his room when he's done. Let him soak for as long as he likes, and Yuuri, keep encouraging him. Victor has a long way to go to get back to the level he was before. It's going to be really hard for him sometimes, and he'll need you to encourage him.""That's why I'm here," Yuuri assured her."I'll confide in you that I am a figure skating fan. Victor's and yours.""Oh, thank you," Yuuri said, smiling more shyly."I noticed something about the two of you in the videos of your practices, performances and interviews. You aren't the only one who shines more brightly when the two of you are together. When you and Victor performed his routine together at the exhibition following the Grand Prix final, Victor wasn't just perfect, he looked happier than I have ever seen him. If there's anyone who can be the person Victor needs to return to competition, it's you.""Well, thanks again," Yuuri said gratefully, "I'm going to do everything I can to support Victor.""Good, but don't forget to take care of yourself," the therapist advised him, "You have about two more weeks in that cast, and then you will begin your own journey back to the ice. Please, if there is anything I can do to help either of you, call me.""We will," Yuuri promised.He watched quietly as she walked away, then he walked back to Victor, who continued to relax more calmly in the bubbling water."What were you two talking about?" he asked as Yuuri sat down by the spa."Oh, she said that she was going to talk to your doctor, maybe have some more tests run. They want to make sure that you have everything you need to heal all of the way. Turns out your therapist is a big fan of ours. She said if we need anything, she'll be glad to help.""She said something else that made you smile," Victor noted, "What was that?""Oh," Yuuri said, his blush returning, "she was just saying that you and I need each other. We're both better together. She said it's clear I make you happy.""What? You didn't know that, Yuuri?" Victor chided him."Of course, I did," Yuuri assured him, "But, you know, it's different, hearing from someone else that you have such a noticeable effect on the life of someone you love as much as I love you. It felt…good to hear her say that."Victor gave him a little, seductive smirk."You want to skinny dip with me?" he teased."First off, I'm still in a cast," Yuuri reminded him, "It's hard enough to wrap it so that I can shower. I can't go in a hot tub.""Sorry, I forgot.""Also, someone's going to be coming to bring you back to your room. So, you might want to cover up before he gets here.""Why? Are you jealous?" Victor giggled."Stop it!" Yuuri laughed, grabbing a towel and tossing it to him, "I know I don't have to be jealous."Yuuri's brown eyes softened."I know that you would never do anything to hurt me, Victor."Victor climbed out of the hot tub, leaning against Yuuri as he hastily dried off, then he stood quietly as Yuuri set his hospital gown back in place."Victor," Yuuri said solemnly, earning a curious glance from his fiancé as he settled back into the wheelchair, "I hope you know that I would never do anything to hurt you either."Victor's pale eyes filled with instant warmth and gratitude."That means a lot to me," he said, looking up at Yuuri, "To be honest, I don't know if anyone's ever promised me that before. But, I believe it when I hear it from you. You always speak to me from the heart, and I can trust your heart completely.""I know I can trust yours too," Yuuri answered, bending to kiss him.The two looked up as a friendly looking young man with blonde hair and light blue eyes arrived in the room."I was asked to escort you back to your room, Mr. Nikiforov," the man said."Thanks," Victor said cheerfully, "After my first stumbling steps and the soak in hot water, I could use a nap.""Aren't you hungry?" Yuuri asked.Victor gave him a less than enthusiastic look and sighed."Not to be rude, but it's hard to eat the food here," he confessed, shaking his head, "I must sound pretty spoiled.""No," Yuuri said, looking amused, "Hospital food isn't that great. But you do need to eat to get your strength back. So, promise me you'll eat before you drift off.""Oh, I don't know," Victor said, frowning as the orderly wheeled him out of the physical therapy room and headed back to the elevator."I won't take no for an answer," Yuuri insisted."We're not even married and already he's nagging me," Victor giggled to the amused looking orderly, "If he wasn't so cute, he'd never get away with that.""Don't look so glum," Yuuri chuckled, "Trust me."Victor gave him a doubtful look, but sighed again and nodded."Okay," he said resting his head on his chin and blinking sleepily.He was half asleep by the time they reached his hospital room, but as the orderly wheeled him in, the Russian skater sniffed, then sat up straight, looking around. Yuuri smiled and indicated a tray waiting by the bed as he helped Victor out of the wheelchair."Is that…?" Victor began, staring at the little pile of pirozhkis, "But they smell like…""Go ahead," Yuuri invited him, "try one. Yurio's grandfather made them."Victor took a large bite, and his face lit up instantly."VKUSNO!" he shouted enthusiastically, "Pork cutlet bowl pirozhki! Wow! Amazing!""Shh, shh!" Yuuri said frantically, waving his arms to quiet his excited fiancé, "We're not really supposed to give you that. I mean, it's fine, but you're supposed to eat what they send you."The two men looked from the pile of tasty pirozhkis to the bland looking hospital food and laughed."These are great," Victor said appreciatively."They'll have you on your feet in no time!" Yuuri said happily."Where is Yurio? I should thank him.""I think they're out in the lobby, waiting for the…"Yuuri broke off as a tall, stern looking grey eyed woman dressed in even more stern looking grey clothes, entered the room."You're not my doctor," Victor said, looking confused."No," the woman said, eyeing him disapprovingly, "My name is Gavriila Volkova. I am your bodyguard that was hired by Yakov."She moved closer in slow, echoing steps, glaring at the two young men disapprovingly. She stabbed a finger at Victor, giving him an icy look."If you want to live, you will do exactly what I say, little rich snot!"Yuuri and Victor exchanged befuddled looks, mouthing…"SCARY!"

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Yuuri walked down the quiet hospital corridor and past the nurse's station, receiving and happily returning words of greeting with the nurses, before heading down another corridor to the room where Victor waited. He glanced down at the cast on his foot as he walked.
I can't wait for this thing to be off. I mean, I barely feel it now, but it's such a pain to not be able to take a hot bath or to start skating. My foot's going to be awfully stiff when the cast does come off. I'll need to work out the stiffness before I dare start skating again.

I wish the time would move faster!
He slowed, looking around as he approached Victor's room. But even being on his guard, he startled when Gavriila appeared suddenly from a little alcove ahead of him, blocking his path. Yuuri felt sweat break out on his skin and he quivered at the aggressive look she gave him."Eh, hello, Ms. Volkova," he said politely in Russian.
Man, she's scary! What was Yakov thinking, hiring her to watch over Victor? She's almost as scary as Halcòn!
"What do you have there?" the aged former agent demanded, "You aren't sneaking in more food for that shiftless little layabout, are you?""Uh, no!" Yuuri yelped, holding out the little bag in his hand for her to see, "It's just his pain medication!"Gavriila snatched the bag from his hand and removed the little bottle from inside, squinting to read the label before dropping it back into the bag and turning her cold eyes on Yuuri."Fine, go in.""Uh, thank you?" Yuuri managed uncertainly."When I was still an agent, they didn't give us pain medication," Gavriila growled softly, "They thought it was better and made us tougher to feel the pain. And that way, we also never became dependant on drugs. Don't you let that little brat take too many."Wait, Yuuri mused, blinking, Did she just act, for a moment, like she…really cares about Victor?
I don't get her at all.

She insults us all of the time, teasing us about being lazy or weak, even though she knows we're not. She can't say a nice thing about Victor, but she's on anyone who tries to go into his room. She does a great job of protecting him, but…she could really use some charm lessons.
"Are you going in, or are you going to loiter out here all day?" Gavriila snapped, adding a Russian word at the end that made Yuuri's face register confusion as he turned and fled into the room."Yuuri!" Victor greeted him enthusiastically.He paused, frowning at the befuddled expression on his fiancé's face."What's wrong? That ancient she-wolf didn't threaten you again, did she?""Eh, no," Yuuri replied, looking more confused, "It's just…she…used a word in Russian that I know means pretty sweet little boy. But she said it like she hates me!""Yeah," Victor snickered, "I think Godzilla the she-wolf has a few screws loose, but she's got a good reputation as a bodyguard. Nothing gets through her.""I believe that," Yuuri sighed, glancing apprehensively at the door, "I belong here and I barely got through the door!""Don't let her get to you," Victor chuckled, "She's mostly bark and only bites people who want to hurt me. Come here. I've missed you.""I was only gone for a half hour," Yuuri laughed, sitting down on the bed.He made a sound of surprise and happiness as Victor yanked him into a warm kiss of greeting."Now, what did you bring for me? I hope it's more food. I ate the last of the pirozhkis.""Sorry," Yuuri apologized, "it's not food. Your doctor just prescribed some pain medication for when you get released. And I have good news. Your doctor said that you've recovered enough that he's going to discharge you today! We can go home as soon as the paperwork is done. That's why I picked up the prescription for you."Yuuri paused, a little twinge of worry touching his insides at the flicker of doubt in his fiancé's eyes."What's wrong, Victor?" he asked anxiously, "You do want to go home, right?""I do," Victor affirmed, "but I don't think I want the pills."Yuuri gave him a curious look."They give you painkillers here, right?" he asked uncertainly, "What's wrong with taking them at home, if you need them?""I suppose there's nothing wrong with it," Victor answered uneasily, "but you know that a lot of injured athletes become too dependent on them…especially older athletes, who take more time to heal."Victor took the bag gently from Yuuri's hand and dropped it in the trash can."There are other ways to manage pain.""W-well, if you're sure," Yuuri said, looking down at the trash can, "but you know, that's not how you're supposed to dispose of medications. I'll take it to the nurse's station for you on our way out of here."Victor nodded."Then, I want to stop and get some good food to eat when we get home. I'm starving!""I've got no problem with that," Yuuri answered, glancing apprehensively at the door, "but how do we convince…her to let us stop?""Godzilla?" Victor laughed, "I'm sure we'll find a way.""I don't know about that," Yuuri said apprehensively, "But hey, if you want good food, we're getting you good food. Maybe we should just see if any friends are around and have one of them distract her!""Good plan," Victor agreed, "I just hope they hurry up with that paperwork. I'm so hungry!""You're always hungry," Yuuri chuckled, "It's a good thing you don't gain weight quickly, like I do.""I want to go right now. My stomach is growling like a bear and my mouth is watering just thinking about real food!"Victor made a sound of relief as a discharge nurse entered the room alongside his doctor. The doctor smiled at the two young men."I understand one of my patients is anxious to go home," he chuckled."Not to be rude," Victor answered, smirking, "but I'm really looking forward to eating home cooked food, soaking in my own tub and sleeping in my own bed.""I'm sure you are, Mr. Nikiforov," the doctor responded, still smiling, "You have a strong motivation to recover, and you are making exceptional progress. I do need to warn you to take your return to competition slowly. Listen carefully to your body, and to your physical therapist's advice. After each training session, have Mr. Katsuki massage your ankles and legs. Here is a pain management plan."He handed Victor several sheets of paper."Mr. Katsuki picked up your prescription for the pain medication. Take them as needed, no less than six hours apart and…""I've decided not to take home the pain medication," Victor interrupted, "Yuuri, please give them the bottle."Yuuri handed the bottle of pills to the nurse."I have no problem with having had pain care in the hospital," Victor went on, "but I think now that I am going home, I want to use other methods for managing the pain. I've been feeling less pain over the past few days, so I think I will be all right without it.""Very well," the doctor agreed, "It is good not to stay on stronger pain medication if you can do without it. You can switch to over-the-counter medications, if you like, and there are some other suggestions on the papers I gave you.""Thank you.""If, at any time, you find the pain increases, especially at the point when you return to your training, please contact me, and we can address that.""I will call if I need to," Victor affirmed.He smiled gratefully at the doctor and nurse."Thank you, not just for taking care of me, but for letting Yuuri stay with me and be part of my recovery. I think it really made a difference.""I have to agree," the doctor said approvingly, "Your physical therapist commented that if Yuuri ever wants to leave skating, he would make a good physical therapist."Yuuri blushed and let out a soft, nervous laugh."I'm afraid he'd never make a living that way," Victor joked, "because I'd only let him use his magic touch on me!""Victor!" Yuuri objected, blushing harder.Gavriila stepped into the room and glared at the two skaters expectantly."I've cleared the way to the limousine," she said in her usual stern tone, "It's time to go.""I hope you weren't rude to any of Yuuri's and my fans," Victor said in an unruffled tone."I will be rude to anyone who threatens your safety," the elder woman said shortly, "Being careless is a stupid way to die, little brat! Hurry up, now. I will be waiting in the hallway.""Erm…well," the doctor said awkwardly, "I think that covers everything. If you will just move to the wheelchair, Nurse Letova will take you to the car.""A wheelchair," Victor said, frowning and rubbing his chin, "I don't need a wheelchair. I can walk that far now, and Yuuri will be right beside me.""Ah, but it is hospital policy to have patients taken to the car in a wheelchair," the doctor explained."Hmm," Victor mused, his frown deepening, "I don't know if you quite understand. As much as you have tried not to let it be known that I was going home today, I already heard that word is going around and people are coming to see. I have been away from the public for weeks, and these are my supporters, who I will need if I am going to make a return to competition. I know you have your rules, but I don't want the first time they see me to be in a wheelchair!""I understand, Mr. Nikiforov, but…" the doctor said anxiously."I will go as far as the nurse's station in the wheelchair," Victor said stubbornly, but from there, I will walk. I want to encourage everyone that their prayers for me and their kind words have helped me improve, because they have. I can't show that, being wheeled out in a chair.""Let the little brat have his way," Gavriila said suddenly from the doorway."Huh?" Yuuri mused, blinking in surprise.The doctor and nurse stared wordlessly as Victor gave his aged bodyguard a cute wink."Thank you, Gavriila," he said charmingly, "at least you understand.""No," Gavriila huffed, crossing her arms, "I just want to see you fall on your arrogant ass in front of them. I need a good laugh.""I didn't know she could laugh!" Yuuri whispered in Victor's ear, earning a smirk from his amused fiancé."It's time to go," Victor chuckled, pulling back the covers on his bed and turning to let his feet hang over the edge, "Yuuri, will you put on my socks and shoes?""Sure!"Yuuri bent to see to his task as the doctor finished giving the elder skater his discharge instructions. Then, Victor climbed out of the bed, pausing to steady himself, then he eased his still somewhat shaky body into the wheelchair."I'm getting out at the nurse's station," Victor said firmly."Of course, Mr. Nikiforov," the nurse said reluctantly."Yuuri, will you make sure we haven't forgotten anything?"Yuuri looked around the room and swept up the last of Victor's belongings, then he joined his fiancé as the nurse wheeled him to the nurse's station."Gavriila, will you take the bags from Yuuri?" Victor asked in a tone that suggested the words weren't a request.The old woman growled, grudgingly accepting the bags as Victor took Yuuri's arm and got to his feet. He leaned slightly against Yuuri's side as they entered the elevator for the ride down to the lobby. Gavriila let out a little snarl and tossed the bags onto the wheelchair, leaving the startled nurse to wheel them down. As the door opened, they could see through the glass entry doors to where a crowd of people waited, along with several news crews."They got here fast," Victor said cheerfully."Wow," Yuuri said softly, gazing at the crowd.
It's weird, but I feel a little scared. I know we're in Russia, far away from Halcòn. And he's been on TV a few times to talk about his return to skating. My head knows it's safe, especially with Gavriila here, but…
"Come on, Yuuri," Victor said encouragingly, "Let's go home."Yuuri's breath caught as the sliding door opened in front of them, and Victor let go and stepped forward on his own. He smiled widely, waving as the crowd of people erupted into cheers."Mr. Nikiforov!" a reporter called out, "How are you feeling?""Great!" Victor answered happily, "I'm glad to be going home.""How long will it be before you start training again? Will you be making your comeback as planned?""I will," Victor said confidently, biting at the inside of his lower lip inconspicuously as a sharp twinge went through his back and hips, "I will have to get started slowly, but my plan is to be ready to compete in next season's Grand Prix series.""Mr. Katsuki," another reporter called out, "How do you feel about finally facing your coach as a competitor next season?""I'm looking forward to it," Yuuri answered, smiling, "I really appreciate all that Victor has done for me as my coach. I can't wait to meet him on the ice as a competitor next season."Yuuri noticed Victor flinching and turning his head slightly to hide his expression for a moment. He wrapped his arm around his surprised fiancé and gave Gavriila a meaningful glance. She surprised Yuuri with a barely perceptible nod and stepped between Victor and Yuuri, and the crowd."You will excuse us," she said stiffly, "Victor will say more at the press conference tomorrow night."Yuuri nudged Victor towards the waiting limousine, his worry increasing as his fiancé made no attempt to object. They slid into the car and Gavriila joined the driver in the front seat."That was stupid!" she scolded Victor, "You vain little peacock! How can I protect your body if you abuse it like that, just for show?"Yuuri's unease increased as he noticed the sheen of sweat on Victor's even paler than usual skin."Are you okay?" he asked anxiously, "You look like you're really hurting!""I just need a hot bath and maybe a massage," Victor said, smiling despite the pain."I thought you were hungry.""That too," Victor chuckled, wiping the sweat from his forehead and leaning wearily against Yuuri's shoulder, "Maybe we should order something and have it sent to the house.""Whatever you say. Just promise me you'll rest, and that you won't do that again! You aren't taking the pain medication, so there's going to be more pain when you do things.""I will be fine," Victor promised, "I won't push myself too hard. I just…"He paused for a moment, a pensive look overtaking his face."I needed to encourage them that I will be back. I will need their support later."Yuuri let out a piqued breath and nuzzled Victor's damp cheek."You know you didn't have to do that to have your fans' support. They love you, Victor. They want you to succeed. They're going to be with you, just like I am…every step of the way."The limousine paused at a gated entry, then passed through into a private neighborhood. It slowed and came to a stop on a quiet street, in front of a lovely gray stone fronted house at the end of a cul de sac."This is where you live?" Yuuri asked, "It's beautiful, Victor."Victor nodded."It's where you will live too, now," he sighed, squeezing Yuuri's hand, "Let's go inside."The driver exited the vehicle and moved around to open the door for his passengers. Yuuri climbed out of the car, then helped Victor to his feet and supported him carefully as the two walked to the house and Gavriila opened the door to let them in, without her usual insults."Get him to rest," she said shortly, disappearing into a guest room.Yuuri stood in the entry, holding Victor against him and looking at his fiancé questioningly."First things first," Victor said, smiling, "Do you prefer to have a guest room, or will you be sleeping next to me?"Yuuri let out an amused breath."What do you think?"Victor shrugged, giving him a playful, innocent look."I didn't want to make assumptions, you know.""Victor…" Yuuri laughed, grinning."How about a hot bath," Victor suggested, "We'll use the master bathroom.""I hope you have a big tub," Yuuri chuckled, "As soon as I get this stupid cast off, I'm going to want to bathe with you.""Oh, I think it will be big enough," Victor said, giving him an enigmatic look.They entered the bedroom, and Yuuri immediately caught the scent of paint. He helped Victor to the master bathroom door and pushed it open, then he froze at the sight of the room within.
Oh my god!
He tried to speak, but could say nothing as his shocked eyes took in the perfect replica of the hot spring the two had used so often at Yutopia Katsuki."Victor!" he managed in a whisper, after several stunned seconds, "How did you…?"Victor shrugged."Well, a little while back, I decided that I liked your hot spring and I wanted one to relax in at home. I had the plans made and they worked on it while I was away, training you. Then, when you took the silver medal and you decided to come here to train with me in Russia, I asked your parents if they would send along a stone from the actual hot spring."He pointed out a dark colored stone near the entry to the hot spring."Now, if you get to feeling homesick, just touch it and you can feel close to home."Yuuri's eyes brimmed with tears and he hugged Victor tightly."Thank you, Victor. That's the most beautiful thing anyone's ever done for me!"

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Yuuri stepped out of the shower and paused to marvel again at the beautiful replica of his family’s hot spring, then at the stunningly handsome man who looked so blissfully happy sunk to his shoulders in the steaming water. He left the protective covering on his walking cast and moved to sit down at the edge of the hot spring bath, positioning himself so that one hand rested on the dark stone that had come from Yutopia Katsuki.“This is really amazing,” he sighed contentedly, “and you look like you’re feeling a lot better.”“This feels wonderful,” Victor purred, blinking sleepily, “Will you rub my shoulders and back, Yuuri?”“Sure,” Yuuri answered, smiling at Victor as he moved closer.Victor sighed and leaned into his fiancé’s hands as Yuuri’s fingers worked at the muscles and tendons of Victor’s strong shoulders. The elder skater groaned softly, tipping his head back to meet his fiancé for a steamy kiss. Yuuri’s practiced hands worked their way slowly down Victor’s back, his fingers pressing firmly into the muscles to loosen them. He was nearly down to his fiancé’s soft, white bottom, when his fingers suddenly found a place that, when only touched, made Victor cry out in pain and jerk away from him. The sudden motion exacerbated the sharp pain and Victor cried out again in distress.“Victor!” Yuuri cried, “Are you okay? What was that?”Victor’s teeth clenched as he quivered and shut his eyes tightly for a moment.“Victor…” Yuuri whispered in a stricken voice.“It…it’s okay,” Victor managed in a low, rough hiss, “It’s just a really sore area. It was hurting even before you touched it. I think it’s swelling in there or something.”“I’m so sorry!” Yuuri exclaimed, “Do you want something for the pain? I mean, it would have to be something over-the-counter since you wouldn’t let me bring home the painkiller the doctor prescribed, but...”“I’m starting to regret that,” Victor panted, touching his own fingertips to the area, then drawing back, “There’s a lot of pain in my lower back and hip. Thank god there are no breaks, though.”“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed, “I just feel bad that I made it hurt worse, when I was trying to help.”“It’s not your fault, Yuuri,” Victor assured him.He turned his head slightly away to try to hide the intensity of his discomfort as he brushed a few tears away from the corners of his eyes, but Yuuri read the move and his distress deepened.“Victor, this is hurting you too much,” he said worriedly, “Your doctor said that you could call and get the pain medication if the pain got worse again.”He felt a flicker of near panic as his usually stubbornly strong partner bit a quivering lip and nodded.“Okay,” he managed in a shaky, almost crying voice, “Can you help me get out of this?”Yuuri slipped an arm around Victor, supporting him carefully as his fiancé lifted himself out of the hot tub and sat on the edge, panting and clenching his teeth.“Can you get up at all?” Yuuri asked anxiously.“I don’t think so.”“I’ll bring Gavriila.”“Oh god, no!” Victor half sobbed, “She’s so mean to me, Yuuri!”“But, with my leg in this cast, I can’t help you enough. Hang on. I’ll be right back.”“Y-yuuri, no!” Victor complained.He groaned as fresh twinges of intense pain struck his lower back and hip, making them cramp so badly that his head spun and he was forced to lie down, even though doing so was just more agonizing. His discomfort was so extreme that he barely registered when Yuuri returned with Gavriila beside him.“What are you lying around there on the floor for?” she began to scold him.But seeing that Victor only curled up more tightly and whimpered in response, her stern expression faded and she gave him a more sympathetic look. Her voice, too, softened as she scolded him in a more motherly manner.“You pushed yourself too hard, parading to the car when you weren’t in any shape to do that, just because you were too proud to be seen in a wheelchair. Do you see now where your vanity is leading you, you vain little peacock?”“F-fine, fine, whatever you say,” Victor moaned incoherently, “ I’m a v-vain peacock! Just p-please stop nagging me to death. I hurt enough as it is. You’re making my head hurt too!”Gavriila gave him a scathing look.“I should just leave you lying there, so you pay the price for your foolishness, but Gavriila knows what you need. You told your doctor you don’t need the pills, but I told him you were full of shit and I would take the pills home for when you ate your words and begged for them.”Victor and Yuuri made sounds of surprise as the elder woman removed a bottle of pills from within a pocket and handed them to Yuuri.“I will get some water. Take out two pills.”“Okay,” Yuuri answered, obeying quickly as Gavriila went to get the water.She returned a moment later and carefully lifted the collapsed skater’s head so that he could manage the pills and a few swallows of water. She knelt beside Victor, watching quietly and only touching his hair comfortingly for awhile, until he nodded to indicate the pain was subsiding, then he sat up and leaned against her, letting her wrap a yukata around him as she helped him to his feet. With Yuuri on one side and the lady bodyguard on the other, Victor limped back to the bed and laid down. Despite her continued complaints about his stubbornness and lack of wisdom, Gavriila’s hands were gentle as she washed the sweat from Victor’s face and left him resting much more comfortably.“You lie there, and don’t you try to get up.”She glanced meaningfully at Yuuri.“And no funny business with him until he’s not hurting so much.”“Um…” Yuuri said, blushing brightly, “I wasn’t…”“I know you weren’t going to, but I also know how that little pervert thinks. If I hear any rustling around in here, I’ll be straight in to separate you for the night. Get some rest. I will be in to check on you in the morning.”Victor and Yuuri exchange befuddled glances as Gavriila whirled and stalked out of the room.“She’s so scary!” Victor whispered.Yuuri sat on the bed beside his fiancé and took Victor’s hand in his.“She may be scary, but she was really good with you,” he said penitently, “I should have insisted that you should bring the pills home, just in case. I let you talk me out of it, because you’re so stubborn and I was trying to be nice to you. If I had insisted…”“It’s okay,” Victor laughed shakily, “I don’t listen to you any better than I listen to Yakov or anyone else. It was my own fault that happened.”“Are you all right now?” Yuuri asked worriedly, “You look so pale.”“I still feel kind of dizzy from the pain before,” Victor confessed wearily, “but I don’t hurt so much now, thanks to the pain pills. I guess I was stupid to try to come home without bringing them. I just don’t want to depend on them too much. I was really hoping that I wouldn’t need them.”He went quiet for a moment, lowering his eyes and looking more somber.“Yuuri,” he said in a softer, wounded tone, “What if it keeps hurting this badly? What if I can’t…I mean, I don’t want to think that I’ll…”“Victor,” Yuuri said in a surprised voice, “it’s going to be okay. You’re going to be fine. Don’t worry. Just rest, now.”“But it hurt so bad,” Victor said anxiously, “I just wonder if the pain will go away or if it will hurt so that I can’t…”“Shh, don’t you talk like that. You didn’t break anything,” Yuuri chided him gently, “You just need to give your body time to heal. We’ll manage the pills carefully, so that you won’t be too dependent on them. But you’re not going to just sit there and hurt. We’re going to get you well, Victor. And when you’re well again, we’re going to compete against each other, just like you and I both want.”“I hope so,” Victor whispered, closing his eyes and leaning against his worried fiancé, “I don’t want this to be the end, Yuuri. I want more than anything to compete with you. It’s all I’ve been thinking about while we were together this year. If I can’t heal well enough to return to the ice with you, I don’t know what I’ll do!”“Don’t say that,” Yuuri scolded him, kissing away his objections, “Lie down, rest and let me take care of you. You’ve been looking after me for all of this time. Now, it’s time for me to return the favor.”“But, you’re hurt too,” Victor worried, “You should be taking care of yourself, not looking after me.”“I’m not hurt as bad as you are,” Yuuri insisted, “Thanks to you jumping in front of that car to push me out of the way and getting injured like this, I’m healing well. Don’t you worry about me. You have enough on your plate, just taking care of yourself right now.”“I need you, Yuuri,” Victor said in a softer, more weary voice, “I’m not young for a skater, and I know that it will take me longer to heal because of that. It’s going to be hard when I try to start skating again. I want to do it, but I’m so worried that I won’t be able to…to make a comeback from this.”“Of course you will,” Yuuri said reassuringly, kissing away his objections, “You…are Victor Nikiforov. There is no way that you are going to let this keep you from skating with me. We came so far, through so many things, so that we could be close to each other, Victor. We didn’t do all of that, just to give up on what we’ve worked so hard to achieve. So, for right now, while you need it, let me be there for you. Let me take care of you and help you grow strong again. It’s no more than I owe you for saving my career by coming to Hasetsu to be my coach. Trust me, Victor. I’m not going to let you down.”“I know that,” Victor answered, nuzzling his cheek and burrowing into his shoulder, “and I don’t want to let you down either. I’ll do what you say.”“Now, that’s unusual for you to say to anyone,” Yuuri chuckled, “You’re so stubborn all of the time.”“Well, I want more than anything to skate with you.”“You will. We’ll skate together again, Victor, I promise we will.”“I hope so,” Victor said more softly, his eyes blinking as the pain medication took full effect, and he yawned sleepily.The two men laid down and Victor curled up on Yuuri’s shoulder, where he drifted off quickly. Yuuri petted his hair and rubbed his upper back comfortingly until he, too, fell asleep.After several hours, Yuuri stirred and he woke to find Victor still burrowed into his shoulder and snoring contentedly. Not wanting to wake his sleeping fiancé, he picked up the remote control from the nightstand and turned the television on at a low volume. He flipped through the channels absently.
Since I’m going to be living in Saint Petersburg now, I’ll need to learn to speak Russian well enough to interact with people here. When I learned English, it helped to just sit and listen to people talking in that language on TV, so this could be helpful, and it will pass the time until…
He paused as he came to a station that was in English, and, to his surprise, his eyes found Halcòn on the screen, sitting opposite the reporter, Morooka. He knew he must have made a sound of reaction, because he felt Victor move, then his fiancé sat up in the bed, staring.“I should turn it off,” Yuuri offered.“No,” Victor said in a surprisingly calm voice, “Maybe we want to know what he’s up to.”“Okay, if you think you want to.”Victor leaned against Yuuri’s shoulder, his eyes intense as the interview began.“Welcome,” Morooka greeted the Spanish skater, “and thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.”“It’s my pleasure, Morooka,” Halcòn replied, smiling.“It’s been awhile since you were on the skating scene. It was kind of a mystery back then, why you suddenly dropped out of the competitions. Some speculated that it had something to do with your relationship with the Russian skater, Victor Nikiforov, who went on to become a skating legend. Do you have any response to that?”“I do,” Halcòn answered, “I did have a romantic relationship with Victor,” he confirmed.He paused and his lips quirked.“He wasn’t just a beauty on the ice,” the Spanish skater said appreciatively, “He was just as enthralling as a lover.”“You bastard!” Victor hissed, his blue-green eyes turning icy with hatred.“I-I’m sure,” Morooka answered, looking slightly thrown by the other man’s direct answer, “Can you tell us anything about what happened between you? Did Victor pressure you to leave skating?”“No, of course not,” Halcòn answered firmly, “We did have a very nasty breakup, due to Victor having an affair with Christophe Giacometti…”“That lying asshole!” Victor seethed, “Chris and I were never lovers, and he fucking knows it!”“Maybe we should turn this off,” Yuuri suggested, “You’re getting pretty upset.”“No,” Victor growled softly, “I want to see. Let me be, Yuuri.”“Okay, if you’re sure.”“Victor is a beautiful, passionate man, who knows how to please any partner, and he had a lot of them over the years, eh?” Halcòn laughed.“Um…” Morooka said, looking uncomfortable, “Ah, in any case, if he didn’t pressure you to leave skating, then what made you decide to do that?”“I was much younger and when Victor was unfaithful to me, I was heartbroken. I admit I am an emotional person, and that has always shown in my skating. I’ve tried to improve as I’ve aged and I’ve become stronger after that terrible time. I left skating to regroup after Victor left me, and I remained out because I was rebuilding. I finally feel like I am peaking again, so it’s time for me to come back. I think that the program that I have designed for this year’s competitions is indicative of that. It shows how, when one is tasked with adversity, he can rise from the ashes of it and become a better, stronger person.”“Huh,” Yuuri mused as he felt Victor stiffen, “that theme sounds familiar.”“Your exhibition of the short program was amazing,” Morooka gushed, “I think we have a clip.”Yuuri’s jaw dropped in shock and Victor loosed a string of Russian curses as the clip of the exhibition skate began to play.“That…motherfucking son of a bitch!” Victor swore, switching to English to continue his scathing response, “He stole it!”“Oh my god!” Yuuri gasped, going white as a sheet, “Victor, this is what he meant when he said he had what he wanted! When I was staying with him, he must have found the DVD and copied it!”“Unfortunately, he was not stupid enough to use the music I had composed for this. He copied the red phoenix costume, and he altered the moves very slightly to fit the song he chose to use.”“Can’t you just show that to…to someone and call him on this?” Yuuri asked anxiously.“I can’t do anything, and that bastard knows it!” Victor said in a disgusted tone, “The DVD doesn’t prove who made the program, and the only person I showed it to was you. It would be my word against his, and he is well aware of that.”“Except that it’s easy for people who know your work to tell that those are your moves,” Yuuri said sadly.“That is the kind of cruelty that Halcòn indulges in when he is being hateful,” Victor said in a softer, wounded tone, “It’s part of the reason that I couldn’t stay with him, and it’s what makes him dangerous, Yuuri.”He paused, staring in surprise as tears began to leak down Yuuri’s too pale face.“Yuuri, what…?”“This is all my fault!” Yuuri sobbed, “I shouldn’t have just…just trusted him like that! I was so stupid.”“You didn’t know,” Victor said reassuringly, “How could you know, Yuuri? It was my fault he could do this.”“What? No, you can’t be blamed for this.”“But it is my fault that you were tricked by him,” Victor insisted, “Please, Yuuri, stop crying. It’s not your fault, really. The fault lies with me, because I never told you about Halcòn. I was running away from that, and I didn’t want to remember, so I kept it to myself, and because of that, you didn’t know to be careful of him.”“You didn’t know that he was going to start…start doing this. How could you?”“I knew he was dangerous,” Victor said, lowering his eyes, “and I knew that he must still be angry, because he doesn’t let things go. I should have thought to tell you before going to Spain, that he lives there, and that might try to interfere with us. I think I just didn’t want to deal with it all. I didn’t want to believe that he still wants revenge for what happened. But it’s clear now what he wants to do.”Yuuri rubbed his damp eyes, shaking his head in misery.“I still feel terrible for trusting him.”“You didn’t know, and you were hurt and beside yourself, worrying about me,” Victor chided him gently, “Yuuri, what’s done is done. He has my program…and the question is, what can we do about it?”“Well, him stealing your program also means I can’t skate the program you made for me either. I don’t want people thinking I copied him or something. But…we still have to come up with something to use instead of the programs you made. What are we going to do about that?”“I don’t know,” Victor said, his eyes narrowing, and anger returning to his voice, “but he won’t get away with this. We won’t let him, Yuuri. We will find a way, and when I return to the ice with you, we will destroy him!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Yuuri felt the bed move, and he opened his eyes to find Victor sitting on the edge of the mattress, looking as though his teeth were clenched. His pale hands gripped the edge of the bed and he pushed himself onto his feet and stood perfectly still, shaking slightly and gritting his teeth at the discomfort it caused.“Victor!” Yuuri exclaimed, climbing out of the bed and hurrying to join him, “You shouldn’t be trying to do too much yet. Did you even take your pain medication?”“I took it,” Victor said in a clipped voice, “Yuuri, if I want to beat Halcòn at his game, then I have to start now…right now.”“But, isn’t it too soon?” Yuuri objected, “You have to be careful not to put too much stress on your body while it’s healing.”“I won’t put too much stress on my body,” Victor promised, “I am going to work on flexibility and I am going to start working on our programs, Yuuri.”“On our programs?” Yuuri repeated uncertainly, “But I know that when you create programs, you skate it as you go.”“Usually, I do,” Victor agreed, “But for what I have in mind, I don’t need to do that.”“Huh?”“I already have two complimentary programs that are completed.”“You do?” Yuuri exclaimed, “Really, Victor? Geez, you’re pretty well prepared if you have backup programs already made.”“It’s not backup programs,” Victor said, narrowing his eyes, “But, let me show you.”Victor led Yuuri to the closet, where he dug through the contents of one of the boxes and fished out a DVD. He handed it to Yuuri, who inserted it into the player, and Victor used the remote to play the disk. A much younger looking Victor appeared on their TV screen and the two young men sat down to watch as he skated.“The first program is called Doves, the Flight,” Victor explained, “and it embodies the struggle for escape of the small, determined dove from a dangerous bird of prey. I used two less difficult quads in this version, but it would be easy to add difficulty to the jumps. I might also change the step sequence to give it a little more flair.”“It already looks really difficult,” Yuuri said appreciatively, “It’s a beautiful program, Victor. Why didn’t you use it?”Victor’s expression darkened as he moved forward to the second program.“I didn’t use it, because I originally designed that program and this second one for Halcòn and me. It was just before I found out he was trying to set me up. It was going to be my gift to him.”Yuuri gazed sadly at the TV screen as the second program continued to play.“The program I made for him is called Bird of Prey: The Death Dance, and it embodies the spirit of the powerful bird that is both graceful and deadly. While the Doves program radiates beauty, innocence and the desperate fight for survival, the Bird of Prey program has a dominating, powerful feel to it. The jumps have difficult entries. The quads he used were the least difficult, because he hadn’t perfected the more difficult ones, but you can land the quad flip with reasonable success now. We’ll work on the quad lutz next to raise the difficulty even higher. Yuuri, when he sees this, he is going to know exactly what it is. I put my heart and soul into making for us a program that would embody who we were to each other. I didn’t know when I was making it, that he was going to turn on me and try to sabotage me. I was an idiot, Yuuri. I fell so hard, I had no idea at all what a fool I was making of myself by loving him. And when I did know, I put these programs away and I never intended for anyone to see them. I feel sick just looking at this…but…they are easily two of the best programs I ever created, and we need them if we are going to beat that bastard.”Yuuri slipped a hand into his distressed lover’s and squeezed gently.“I’m so sorry, Victor,” Yuuri said sadly, “The programs are beautiful. I think they could definitely get us wins this season, but…are you sure that you want to use them? I mean, I think you should, but I don’t want you to do it if it’s going to bring up too many bad memories.”Victor froze the image of one of his jumps in mid flight, and he gazed at the TV quietly for a moment.“Let it bring everything back,” he said in a low, angry voice, “I need to remember how much in love with him I was, and what a goddamned fool he made of me. He may have been charming while he had the advantage over me, but I’m not the naïve person he knew, and I won’t let him intimidate me. The minute he sees these programs, he’s going to know what they are. He’s going to see what he missed out on because of his treachery.”Yuuri looked from the frozen image on the screen to Victor’s angry, defiant expression.“I understand you wanting to get back at him for stealing your work,” he said tentatively, “but…won’t this make him really angry? And if he’s very angry, couldn’t it make him…I don’t know…want to hurt us again? If you’re right about him being involved in the hit and run…”“Oh, he’s involved,” Victor seethed, “He is in this up to his ears. I see it. I know he is.”“Then, provoking him could make things worse,” Yuuri said solemnly, “He’s already hurt both of us.”“And you’re right,” Victor said, still glaring at the TV screen, “He probably will be angry enough to try something. When he does, I’m going to be ready for him. I have to stand up to him, Yuuri, because if I do that, sooner or later, his arrogance and his temper are going to make him make a mistake. When he does, I’ll make sure that when he leaves the ice this time, it really is because of me. He blamed me for him leaving the first time, when it was really his own doing because he set me up, and I caught him at it. This time, I won’t hold back. I’m going after him with everything I have, Yuuri.”Yuuri approached his angry lover from behind, wrapping warm, comforting arms around him and taking the remote from his hand. He turned off the TV and kissed Victor gently on the back of his shoulder, then turned him back towards the bed.“I know you’re doing what you feel you need to do,” he said finally, “and I’ll help you in any way I can. Right now, I think the way you need me to help you is for me to give you a good rubdown and for you to rest.”“Yuuri, if I’m going to beat him at his own game, I have to…”“You have to make sure that you make your body as strong as you can before you and Halcòn meet again. We’ve got awhile before that happens. For right now, rest and take care of yourself, Victor.”Victor turned slowly and wrapped his arms around Yuuri, looking into his sorrowful eyes and smiling back at him sadly.“You’re right, of course,” he agreed, “Okay then, I’ll put myself in your hands.”“And I’ll do my best to support you,” Yuuri promised, kissing him lingeringly, “After all, you’ve been taking care of me for awhile now. Victor, I’m not going to ever forget how you protected me, even when it meant getting hurt, yourself.”“Yuuri…” Victor said, blushing, “I wasn’t being brave or reckless or anything. I just…saw you about to be hit and I reacted.”“Yes,” Yuuri agreed, hugging him tightly, then guiding him back to the bed and watching as he laid down on his belly, “and it is the way that you reacted that shows brave you are, and how much you really love me. You have nothing to ever prove to me anymore. I know what a gift your love is, and I treasure that love, Victor. I treasure it and I return it wholeheartedly.”Victor’s blue-green eyes misted gently and he was quiet as Yuuri’s hands undressed him, then began to rub soothing oils onto his slender back and into the aching muscles. He worked cautiously around the place that had been so tender before, bending forward from time to time to place warm kisses on his neck and shoulder, down the length of his spine and then in that hurting place in the small of his back.“That feels so good, Yuuri,” Victor murmured appreciatively, closing his eyes and breathing slowly as the wonderfully soothing touches and caresses continued, “With you doing that, I’ll heal twice as fast. I know I will.”“You don’t have to rush,” Yuuri assured him, kissing him on the top of his head, “There are a few more months before the new skating season starts. We’ll both be better by then. I’ll get my cast off soon and the pain and swelling in your body will get less and less. We’ll do this together, Victor. We’ll show Halcòn how stupid he was to take advantage of the love you gave him. He’s going to see us, and he’s going to know that hurting you was the biggest mistake of his life.”“I don’t know why I ever fell for him,” Victor sighed, “It was stupid and reckless. I knew from the beginning that he was a dangerous type, with all of the game playing, but I let myself get swept up in the escape from reality and the adventure. He just brought out a careless, heedless side of me and I went along with him. Now, both you and I are paying for my stupidity. I’m sorry, Yuuri.”“You don’t need to apologize,” Yuuri insisted, kissing him on the back of the neck, “Victor, you never need to apologize to me.”“Well, whether I need to be or not, I am sorry. I will do everything I can to stop him from hurting us again. I will everything I can to make him pay.”“Victor,” Yuuri complained, “I don’t want you to get him…”Yuuri’s words were forcefully stopped as Victor turned and brought him down onto his back, attacking Yuuri’s lips that were still in the middle of frowning and protesting. His warm, searching hands slipped beneath Yuuri’s clothes, his fingertips finding his lover’s pink nipples and teasing them shamelessly as the two kissed. Victor’s hips moved, meaning to cause friction between them, but immediately, the elder skater gave a pained gasp and froze on top of Yuuri.“Victor!” Yuuri panted, his body still reacting, but his eyes widened with distress as Victor made a deep sound of agony and curled his body instinctively,” Victor, are you all right?”“It hurts, Yuuri!” Victor managed, “They said I could increase the pain pills by one if the pain got worse. I don’t want to, but it hurts so bad I can’t move!”“Okay, I’ll get the pill,” Yuuri said, climbing out of bed and hurrying to bring the medication and a glass of water.He set them on the nightstand, then coaxed Victor into a seated position and watched as he took the medication. Victor swallowed the pain pill with some of the water, then Yuuri carefully supported him as he laid down on his back again.“Sorry,” Yuuri apologized, “I got carried away with you kissing me like that.”“I wanted to kiss you,” Victor sighed, brushing the sweat from his handsome face, “I wanted to make love to you, but…but I am like this. Still, I think I can…”“No!” Yuuri snapped adamantly, “Victor, you just…”“I just forgot for a moment and moved wrong. That’s all it was,” Victor assured him, “I think if we…”“No way!” Yuuri argued, “You’re already hurting, and if you move wrong again, you won’t be able to take any more medicine for it. I’m not doing that.”“Oh, Yuuri, you’re so mean!” Victor complained, pouting at his flustered lover, “I throw myself in front of a speeding car and nearly get killed for you, and you won’t even make love to me?”“Your back is killing you right now, idiot!” Yuuri scolded him, “I’m not taking a chance that I’ll hurt you again.”“You didn’t hurt me. I moved wrong,” Victor corrected him.“Well, as much as you thrash around when we make out, you’re going to kill yourself if we make love right now, so, we’re not doing it!”“Don’t say that, Yuuri. You kill me with your meanness. I just want to kiss and touch you. Is that so bad?”“It is when doing that hurts you,” Yuuri said sternly.“Ugh,” Victor groaned, “I think that Godzilla lady is rubbing off on you. You make me suffer so much, and after I…”“Stop it!” Yuuri snapped, “Victor, we’re not having sex! Of course, I want to, but you just…”“It was just a muscle spasm. I promise, I’ll lie still right here and you can get on top of me.”“No!”“Please, Yuuri? I’m so horny for you!”“Victor, I said no! I’m not doing that, so just…!”He broke off as the door opened and Maccachin ran into the room, barking happily and running to the side of the bed. He pulled up short as Yuuri stepped into his path.“Careful, Macca,” he said, catching the old dog and hugging him gently, “Victor’s been hurt, so be gentle, okay?”“Come here, Macca!” Victor called, reaching out as the dog slowly climbed onto the bed.Yuuri looked back at Gavrilla, who stood in the doorway, frowning disapprovingly.“When did he get here?” Yuuri asked.“He arrived just now,” the lady bodyguard reported, “I think it’s good for the peacock to have his pet. Maybe he will keep his hands off of you and not injure himself again.”Yuuri’s jaw dropped.
What? Was she…watching us or something?

Victor’s right that she’s a scary person.
“You make sure the dog doesn’t climb on him, and I will make food for you.”“Uh, thanks?” Yuuri said tentatively as Gavrilla ignored him and closed the door.He turned back to Victor, who was happily hugging his cutely whimpering canine.“I missed you too, little glutton! I think you gained ten pounds. You are so chubby, like Yuuri when he’s had too many pork cutlet bowls.”“Hey!”“Maybe you will hug me and keep me company, because Yuuri doesn’t want to play with me. He thinks I’m too delicate.”“I don’t think you’re delicate!” Yuuri objected, “I just don’t want to hurt your back by climbing all over you!”“Listen to his excuses, Macca,” Victor said in a sulky tone, “He makes excuses because he doesn’t find me desirable, now that I’m and invalid. Did you know I saved his life? And this is how he repays me? He ignores me and he lets me have to live with this painful hard…”“All right!” Yuuri shouted, “Geez, I’ll find a way to…to do something, all right? Just stop saying that. I find you desirable. I want to have sex with you too.”“Ahem,” Victor said suddenly, making Yuuri stop.Victor motioned towards the door, where Gavrilla stood, bearing a tray filled with food.A flush roared across Yuuri’s face and he groaned.“Oh my god.”“I made you lunch,” Gavrilla said stonily, glaring at the two young men, “You eat this and then I am separating you before you kill Victor with your lack of self control.”“But wait!” Yuuri cried, “I didn’t…he just…! Victor was…!”“Shut up and eat!” the old woman snapped, slamming the food down on the nightstand and making Maccachin fly across the bed to go hide on the other side of it.Gavrilla snarled and pointed a jagged finger at Yuuri.“Eat now, and you keep your hands and everything else off of him, little sexpot!”“WHAT?” Yuuri exclaimed, “Why are you blaming me? Victor was the one who…”He was cut off as the old woman disappeared out the door, slamming it behind her.“But…you…she…oh my god!” Yuuri groaned, covering his face with his hands as Victor set the tray in his lap and dug into the food greedily.“Oh, she may be the scariest woman in the world, but her cooking is so good!” Victor gushed.“Did you even hear what she said?” Yuuri complained.“She called me a sexpot!”Victor snickered around a mouthful of the delicious food.“Well, if the skate fits…”“Victor!”“Come and eat, Yuuri, before it gets cold.”

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The next weeks were filled with a dizzying cycle of efforts by the two injured skaters to return to, at very least, some kind of basic training. For a person who usually slept late every day, Yuuri impressed his coach and lover with his dedication by getting up with Victor every morning and helping him prepare his still healing body for the day’s activities.As soon as Yuuri’s cast was removed, they began to start each day with a soak in the hot spring Victor had had built in his home, then they each took turns massaging soothing oils into each others’ sore areas, relaxing the muscles and tissues in preparation. After the massages, the two helped each other to carefully stretch. And each day after their stretching, they walked together, just through the house, at first. Then, as Victor’s back injury improved, they walked down the street to a nearby park. Soon, they were walking longer distances, and after Yuuri walked with Victor, he began jogging gently on his own.Finally, the day came when Victor stopped Yuuri as they were preparing for their usual walk.“Yuuri,” he said, looking down at his feet for a moment, “I feel like I am ready…to go to the ice rink.”Yuuri felt a happy smile come onto his face.“Really?” he asked, “You feel that good, Victor?”“Yeah, I do,” the Russian skater answered, “I think that I’m ready to start doing very basic training, and I think you are ready to learn your programs, just without the jumps right now.”Victor moved to where his golden bladed skates hung, near the front door. He and Yuuri paused for a moment, looking at them and not saying anything. Yuuri stole a glance at his lover and recognized immediately the little signs of anxiety. He smiled at Victor encouragingly.“I’m sure it’ll go fine,” he said reassuringly.His heart sank a little at the uncertain look Victor gave him in reply.“Victor…” he began.“Yuuri,” Victor said calmly, “we have to face the facts. Although I am healing well, you heard what the doctors said about my recovery. They think that I will recover fully, but there are no guarantees.”“I know that,” Yuuri said solemnly, “but I also know you. I believe in you, Victor. You’re going to come back from this. You’re going to come back stronger than ever, and I’m going to be right there with you. It’ll be okay.”Victor nodded, smiled and brought a hand to Yuuri’s soft cheek.“It will be all right,” he promised, “It will be all right, whatever the outcome.”“Victor, you are going to…”“Yuuri, we don’t know what will happen. We don’t,” Victor insisted, “but we will have plans for any contingency.”“What do you mean by that?” Yuuri asked worriedly.Victor met his eyes squarely.“I just mean that we will plan what we will do if I am able to skate in competition, and we will also have a plan for if…”Yuuri shook his head firmly, his brown eyes intense as they met Victor’s unsettled ones.“You are going to compete again,” he insisted.Victor sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.“Even if I do, you know that I may never be the same. Jumps put large amounts of pressure on our legs and backs…”“And we’ll make sure that you get strong enough for that again,” Yuuri persisted, “Whatever it takes, you are going to get out there and compete again. You will, Victor. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”Victor gave him a weary smile.“You know how much I love to share the ice with you, solnyshko,” he said softly.Yuuri took Victor’s golden bladed skates down from their hook and handed them to him. Victor’s hands shook very slightly as he accepted the skates and slipped them into his pack. The two left the house and walked through their neighborhood, past a large park, then over the bridge on the far side, where they found Yurio waiting for them.“Hey Yurio,” Yuuri greeted their fellow competitor.“So, what’s the story?” Yurio asked, “Are you both starting training now?”“That’s the plan,” Yuuri answered, “I’m going to start training on my new program, and Victor’s just beginning basic training to get started.”Yurio nodded and looked at Victor.“How do your back and legs feel?” he asked.“What can I say? They still hurt,” the silvery-haired skater admitted, “But, I have to start somewhere.”“Right,” Yurio agreed.He looked as though he wanted to say something more, but then he shook his head dismissively instead.“Come on,” he prompted them, “I don’t want to be late and have Yakov nagging me.”The three continued on to the ice rink, with Yurio stealing glances at his Russian teammate as they walked. An edge of uncertainty crept into his expression as he noticed the slight discomfort on Victor’s handsome face as he walked with them.“Are you sure you’re okay, Victor?” he asked gruffly, “You’re walking funny.”“Am I?” Victor asked, pausing to wipe a few beads of sweat from his forehead.“Are you tired already?” Yurio asked stridently, “Maybe you should go home and rest more.”“No,” Victor answered firmly, “I need to get started.”“Okay, if you’re sure. Just don’t kill yourself or anything.”“Yurio!” Yuuri objected.“Well, he looks like shit. You can see that, can’t you?”“I’ll be fine,” Victor chuckled, good naturedly, “The first day back is always the hardest after an injury. Isn’t that what they say?”“Yeah,” Yurio agreed, meeting Yuuri’s eyes warily, “Take it easy.”They watched as Yurio headed into the rink, and Yuuri smiled encouragingly.“Ready?”“Heh, ready as I’ll ever be,” Victor laughed softly, “Let’s go, Yuuri.”They passed through the front doors and were immediately hailed by the smiling front desk clerk.“Victor! Yuuri! Good to see you,” she greeted them.“Good to see you too, Aseshka,” Victor replied, reaching over the desk to give her a hug.“I’m glad you’re back,” she said warmly, “How are you feeling?”“Oh, I feel much better,” Victor assured her, “Yuuri has been taking good care of me, and I have plenty of doctors and a physical therapist making sure I recover well. I’m good.”“That’s great. It’ll be good to see you on the ice again.”“Yes, it will be good to be there,” Victor agreed.“I guess you’re really going to show those idiots on the TV who kept saying you were done.”Victor’s smile faded and he turned away before the young woman could see his hurt expression.“Hmm, see you later.”“Bye, Aseshka,” Yuuri said, following Victor into the rink.He studied Victor’s troubled expression as the Russian skater paused near the benches, looking out at the ice.“Victor?”His lover made no sign that he had heard. Yuuri walked up behind him and wrapped gentle arms around him. Victor turned his head slightly, hiding his face in Yuuri’s shoulder.“M-maybe this was a mistake,” Victor mused softly, “I don’t feel so well.”Yuuri captured Victor’s handsome face in his hands and looked into his worried eyes.“You’re going to be fine,” he said firmly, “Victor, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, it only matters what you think. If you want that badly to skate, then put on your skates and get out there!”“But Yuuri,” Victor said, breathing the words very quietly into his partner’s ear, “everyone is watching. When they see that I can’t…”“Hey,” Yuuri said firmly, “everyone knows how brave you were. You saved my life, Victor! Whatever they may think, they know how brave and how strong you are. You may struggle now, but you will come back, and when you do, it won’t matter what anyone thought, right?”Victor’s blue-green eyes widened slightly.“Right,” he agreed.“Then, get your skates on,” Yuuri urged him, “We’re going out there together!”“Yuuri, I don’t know…”“Get your skates on, Victor!” Yuuri snapped.A little look of amusement rose on Victor’s face and he laughed very softly.“Well, it seems like you’re not taking no for an answer, so what can I do?”Victor sat down on the bench and turned his attention to his long unused skates.
The last time I wore them was that night…the night we danced together on the ice in front of everyone! I’m glad we had that dance. Whatever happens now, that can’t be taken away.
He finished tying his skate, then looked up to see Yuuri smiling and extending a hand in his direction.“C’mon.”Victor stood up slowly, instantly feeling an ache in his sore knee and hip joints and a dull throbbing in his back. But he shrugged off the mostly minor discomfort for the pleasure of feeling Yuuri’s hand in his. They walked to the edge of the ice and paused. Victor couldn’t help but notice that several of the other skaters and coaches in the rink area were looking at him.I’m used to having a lot of eyes on me, he thought, I’m not used to being so unsure of myself.But he felt Yuuri’s hand tug on his and took a step forward, onto the ice.“You can let go now,” he said quietly to his protective partner.“Oh, right,” Yuuri said, blushing.“You should warm up slowly,” Victor advised him, “We’re both back today for the first time.”Victor stood silently, watching as Yuuri began. Then, as some of the watching eyes stopped gazing at him, he took a step forward, pushed off and began to move in slow figures.Almost immediately, he registered discomfort in his back and in his knees and hips on whichever side he leaned.
Some pain is to be expected. I was knocked down by a car, and all of the joints and muscles were badly strained. I just have to work slowly through it, and I’ll need to soak in our hot spring tub and have Yuuri rub me down after. It’ll be fine.
Victor continued his slow, steady movements, at the same time watching Yuuri finish his warmup.“Yuuri, practice the spins we talked about using,” he directed his student, “I want to see how each looks with the entry and exit we have planned.”Victor’s eyes focused on Yuuri, and he watched as his student showed him each spin, so that he could watch and mentally compare them.“Show me the second and the third again.”He watched as Yuuri complied, then he nodded briefly.“I think the third combination goes best,” he suggested, “What do you think?”Yuuri ran his fingers through his hair, working to catch his breath.“I agree the third combination is best.”“Okay, we’ll go with that. Let’s work on the step sequence.”Victor skated to Yuuri, then the two moved very slowly together as Victor called out the moves, then they made each one together, side-by-side. The pain that had been nagging at him dropped away as he focused on the motions of Yuuri’s arms, his graceful turns and perfect posture.“It’s looking really good so far,” he complimented his flushed and panting partner when they were finished.Victor felt his own heart racing, though he hadn’t exerted himself as much as Yuuri had. And the aches and pains that had left him while he was focused on instructing Yuuri seemed to come back with a vengeance.“Hey, Victor,” Yuuri called softly to him, making him look quietly at the Japanese skater questioningly, “you’re looking a little beat. Are you okay?”“Fine,” Victor said in a clipped tone, “You keep practicing what you know, so far. I’m going to continue with my figures.”“Okay,” Yuuri answered tentatively.He looked as though he wanted to say more, but Victor turned away and began to skate.I know he’s hurting, Yuuri thought, He just doesn’t want to stop, now that he’s here and he took that first step onto the ice.He glanced over to where Yakov was standing at the rink wall, watching the movement of Victor’s slim body as the Russian skater practiced. Yakov noticed him looking and motioned for Yuuri to join him.“Vitya’s hurting,” Yakov said shortly, “Did he take pain medication before coming here?”“No. He doesn’t like to take it unless he has to,” Yuuri answered softly.“Then, when you go home, you convince him to soak in the hot water with you. You have him take his medication. Then…”He leaned closer to Yuuri, his frown deepening, “you have Gavrila give him a deep massage.”“G-gavrila…a…massage?” Yuuri asked, blinking, “But Gavrila is a…?”“I know what she is,” Yakov said shortly, “but she had jobs before that required her to be trained in this, and trust me, you don’t want to be the one putting hands on our Vitya after this. He will be hurting badly. You comfort him tonight, and if he hurts too much tomorrow, you keep him home, even if you have to tie him down. Vitya must take this slowly…very slowly.”“He will,” Yuuri promised, “and I’m going to be with him every step of the way!”“I know you will,” Yakov said approvingly, “You are good for Vitya. You give him strength to fight.”Yuuri’s heart sank a little and his smile faded.“I don’t how you can think that,” he said sadly, “After all, Victor only got hurt because, more than anything, he wanted to save me.”Yakov nodded.“Now, you will help Vitya and prove that you deserve the sacrifice,” he said sternly.Yuuri’s breath caught a little, and his throat tightened, but he managed a nod of assent.“I will. I swear I will.”“Good.”Yuuri felt a dark, inward twinge as Victor turned and shifted from one foot to the other, then he made a soft sound of pain and shifted again.
He’s pushing himself too hard.
He left Yakov still watching and he skated to Victor, smiling as he reached his silvery-haired partner.“You’re looking great, for your first day,” he complimented Victor, who let out a disgusted breath and shook his head.“I look like shit,” he said shortly.“That’s how it works,” Yuuri said supportively, “You start out looking like shit and you work until you make it beautiful…isn’t that what you’ve told me?”Victor managed a wavering smile.“A few times, I think.”He tried to start another round of figures, but felt an increasing discomfort in his lower back and hips.“I want to work more…”“But you need to stop,” Yuuri said firmly, “Victor, nobody expects that you will just come back and on the first day start jumping. They know you have to come back slowly.”“I know that,” Victor answered wearily, “I just hate the way they look at me, as though they don’t think I’ll be able to do it.”“No one thinks that!”“Yes, they do,” Victor insisted, “You know they do, Yuuri.”“Well, you’re gonna prove them wrong,” Yuuri assured him, “Just…you don’t have to do that today, all right?”Victor managed a genuine look of gratitude.“Okay.”“So, we can go home?” asked Yuuri, looking at him hopefully.“We can go home,” Victor agreed.The two left the ice and took off their skates, then they headed out of the rink and turned in the direction of home. But they’d taken no more than a few steps, when the rumble of an approaching car reached them and Gavrila drove up in a dark colored sedan and stopped beside them.“Gavrila!” Yuuri greeted her through the open window.“Get in,” their bodyguard said shortly.“It’s okay. I want to walk h…”“Get in!” Gavrila snapped, “A lady offers you a ride home, you don’t offend her by running your mouth off and refusing like a cad.”“Um…” Yuuri stammered.“Get in now!”The two young man exchanged perplexed glances and climbed in the car and Gavrila pulled away from the curb, heading swiftly back home.“Did you push yourself too hard today, little peacock?” she scolded Victor.“Eh, n-no, I don’t…”“I will massage you when we get home.”“Oh, you don’t have to,” Victor said hastily, “Yuuri can…”“That boy is too nice to do what needs to be done to loosen you up,” Gavrila interrupted, “I will do it.”And true to her word, as soon as the three reached home, the old bodyguard chased them into the hot spring tub, then she grabbed Victor as he exited the pool and shoved him down onto the bed in the master bedroom.“Ah, are you going to be all right?” Yuuri asked worriedly.“No, help me, Yuuri, she’s going to kill me!” Victor objected.Gavrila straddled the Russian skater’s back, snarling as he tried to squirm out from under her.“Hold still, idiot!”“N-no! You’re going to murder me. Let me up!” Victor shouted.“Um…” Yuuri said uneasily.“You get out!” the old woman snapped, sending Yuuri scurrying out the door, “And close the door! Don’t listen.”But Yuuri couldn’t help hearing Victor’s sharp sounds of agony as the old woman worked to loosen his sore muscles and tendons. His jaw clenched and his heart pounded as Victor continued to scream and swear furiously. But after a few minutes, the Russian skater loosed a ragged sound of surrender and then, all of the sounds from the room stopped.Yuuri stood frozen, taking and releasing soft, worried breaths. He was just about to try the door, when it suddenly opened and Gavrila exited the room, giving Yuuri a stern glance as she left.“I gave him his medicine. You go comfort him until he sleeps.”Yuuri was sure he had never seen Victor looking so very pale. Damp trails still marked his white cheeks and Yuuri could see that his collapsed body was trembling. He sat down on the bed and gently petted his anguished lover’s hair.“It’ll be okay, I promise,” he whispered, “You’ll be okay.”“It h-hurts, Yuuri,” Victor managed shakily, “It really hurts.”“I know,” Yuuri said, mopping the sweat from Victor’s face and throat with a damp cloth Gavrila had left at Victor’s bedside.“But…” Victor continued, “I think that torture actually helped.”

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The next weeks filled themselves with long hours of practice, every day followed by time in the hot spring to soothe their sore muscles. Victor surprised both Yuuri and Gavrila by surrendering himself nightly to the lady bodyguard’s intense massages, usually emerging from the sessions with tears on his face and his teeth still clenched from the agony. But each day, the pain grew less and Victor’s confidence increased. After several weeks, Victor gave permission for Yuuri to begin practicing his jumps, then a few weeks later, he began his own.“Now, remember to take it slow,” Yakov warned him, “Vitya, you have gone to such lengths to be able to do the step sequences and spins. All that is left is the jumps, but I want you to go slowly as you retrain on them. Start out with just a few singles to test your body’s strength. Go on. Give it a try.”He stared in surprise as Victor failed to respond with his usual smirk and off-handed joking. Instead, he simply nodded and moved out, onto the ice, working through his routine and moving into position for the first jump. He lifted his body off the ground and turned, but then yelped and crashed to the ice instantly as he came down.“Victor!” Yuuri exclaimed, starting to go out onto the ice.He made a sound of surprise as Yakov grabbed his arm and held him back.“Hey!”“Be quiet,” the old coach snapped softly as Victor groaned and slowly climbed back to his feet, “This is just the beginning of Vitya’s comeback. He is going to have to fall and he needs to motivate himself to get up every time. He has to do this, and no one else can make him. I know you love Vitya, but you need to save your love for when he goes home and he cries because it hurts so much. Let Gavrila massage him and you comfort him and monitor his medicine. Help him, but do not give him any reason to quit trying.”“I don’t want him to quit trying,” Yuuri objected, “I just hate seeing him hurt.”“Do you think I don’t?” Yakov chided him, “Vitya is like a son to me. Eh…don’t tell him I said that. I don’t like to see him hurt, but I would hate it even more to see him unable to skate competitively anymore. He is older now, but he has some good years left in competition. He is happy. I want him to stay that way.”“I want him to be happy too,” Yuuri said, clenching and unclenching his hands.“Then, if you want Vitya to be happy, you focus on your own training. It is taxing enough for him to have to make his own comeback under these circumstances. To have the added burden of coaching you and doing much of your choreography is not doing Vitya any good.”He paused, his frown deepening at the look on Yuuri’s face.“Don’t get anxious,” he chided the Japanese skater, “I’m sure you’re doing what you can. I was just reminding you to do all that you can to help Vitya.”“I will,” Yuuri promised, “I’ll make sure I’m not a burden to him.”He watched silently as Victor climbed to his feet, then paused to gently stretch the sore joint before trying the lead into the jump again. He tried once, barely lifting himself before touching down again, then he tried the single jump, hissing out a curse as he fell. Yuuri pretended not to see and worked with Mila on an off-ice practice of his step sequence. A sick feeling entered his stomach as he caught glimpses of Victor trying and falling, resting and stretching, then trying and falling again. But after a few repetitions, he landed one, then two small jumps. He fell once more, then landed another before trying and landing a double. Instantly, Yakov’s voice bellowed out a reprimand.“I SAID GODDAMNED SINGLES ONLY, VITYA!” he roared.Yurio shook his head and scowled.“Don’t listen to him. I would be doing triples already, old man.”Victor gave his fellow Russian an evil little smirk.“Why don’t you go and find one of your posters of Otabek to masturbate to?” he teased Yurio, “The adults are working here.”“Asshole!” Yurio seethed.But Yuuri didn’t miss the little worried glance their hotheaded friend gave Victor over a shoulder as he skated away…and accidentally bumped into Mila, who grabbed him in a tight clench, giggling madly.“Oh, you want to cuddle with me like Vitya does with his cute Japanese boyfriend? Of course! It’s my pleasure.”“AUGH, let go of me, hag!” Yurio yelled, struggling.“Stop playing around and get back to work, you two!” Yakov scolded them.Yuuri watched as Victor finished his practice, then he picked up his water bottle and had it waiting as the Russian skated towards him. He forced a brighter smile than he felt, considering the weary and pained look in Victor’s eyes as he moved to the edge of the ice.“Are you ready to work on your jumps now, Yuuri?”“Have some water first,” Yuuri said, handing him his water bottle.“Oh, thanks,” Victor said gratefully.“And…here’s a pain pill.”Victor froze, staring unhappily at the pill he had in his hand.“I don’t…”“It’s obvious to everyone that you’re in pain,” Yuuri said firmly, “You’re going to make your recovery take even longer if you deprive yourself of pain relief when you need it, just because you’re being stubborn. Go on, now. Take it. You are hurting a lot, aren’t you?”“Okay,” Victor admitted, “I am. But I don’t want to be too dependent on the pills to keep me on my feet, Yuuri. You know I could get to where I take too many or something.”Yuuri looked into the elder skater’s eyes calmly.“I won’t let that happen to you. Please trust me. You are due for a pain pill and you are hurting. I won’t let you take them too often and I won’t let you take too many, I promise. Please take it.”Victor remained frozen for a moment longer, then a little, genuine smile touched his lips and he nodded and accepted the pill.“Thank you, Yuuri. Are you satisfied now?”Yuuri leaned forward and touched his lips to Victor’s earlobe.“Not yet, but that can wait until tonight,” he breathed, smirking.“Oh, you do want to kill me,” Victor giggled, blushing and turning his head to kiss his Japanese lover, “Let’s go home and make out right now!”“What?” Yuuri yelped as Victor grabbed him by the arm and started to drag him off the ice, “Victor, we’re supposed to be practicing my jumps right now!”“You can jump me as much as you want,” Victor snickered, tugging on him again, “Come on, now. A minute ago, you were teasing me. You’re so mean, Yuuri!”“Stop it,” Yuuri laughed.
It’s good to see him smiling.
“Practice first, then after Gavrila gives you a massage and we have a hot bath, I’ll do whatever you want,” Yuuri promised.“I think we’ll skip the massage and go straight to whatever I want today,” Victor chuckled.“Oh, no way,” Yuuri said, scowling stubbornly.“Go on,” Victor chided him, “Let’s get working. While you do your jumps, I’ll be planning for later.”“You mean, you’ll be coaching me!” Yuuri snapped.“That too,” Victor said cheerfully, “Start with just doubles and work your way up to triples from there.”“Got it,” Yuuri acknowledged, moving away from Victor.The two fell into more normal exchanges for the rest of their training. Yuuri ran through the jumps in all of his programs, first with doubles, then with triple jumps.“All right,” Victor called out as he finished with the triples, “you’re doing perfectly. I want you to try a quad toe loop.”“Okay,” Yuuri answered, turning and gathering speed for the jump.Victor tensed as Yuuri launched himself into the jump, then broke into a wide smile as he performed the quad flawlessly.“That’s great, Yuuri!” he praised his student, “Do another.”Victor brightened with each successful jump as Yuuri practiced them individually, then ran through each of his programs. At the end of his free skate, Victor grinned and clapped his hands enthusiastically.“Beautiful, Yuuri!” he exclaimed.The two finished practice with their usual pair skate, then skated to the side of the rink to remove their skates.“Victor!” called out an enthusiastic voice as the two sat down.They looked up to see the newscaster, Morooka, and a cameraman coming towards them.“Oh, good afternoon, Morooka,” Victor answered, smiling up at the two as he removed his skate and bent to put on his street shoes, “It’s been awhile.”“It sure has,” the reporter agreed, “Hey, if you’re done with your practice, do you and Yuuri mind giving a short interview? There’s been a lot of interest in your return to skating after the hit and run accident in Barcelona, but not much is being said publicly.”Yuuri gave the man a doubtful look, but Victor nodded without hesitation.“Of course.”“Hey uh, are you sure you feel up to that?” Yuuri asked, “We could…”“Oh, I’m fine,” Victor laughed, “A little sore from the training, but it’s not so bad.”“Liar,” Yuuri huffed under his breath.“Great!” Morooka said enthusiastically, continuing to stand in front of them, “Why don’t the two of you just relax on the bench? I promise we won’t make it long. I know you both are very busy with your rehabilitation and training.”Yuuri bit his lip gently and sat down beside his fiancé as the cameraman focused on the three of them, and Morooka began the interview.“Victor, Yuuri, it’s really good to see the two of you, not just up and around, but training again, even after the injuries the two of you suffered following the Grand Prix final in Barcelona. Can you tell us how the two of you are doing? Yuuri, let’s start with you.”“I’m doing really great, now that I got the cast off and I’ve rebuilt the strength in my hurt leg.”“I heard from another skater that you’ve started jumping quads again. Is that true? And is that on par with what your physicians have recommended?”“Yuuri is following his doctor’s orders to the letter,” Victor answered firmly, “and Yakov and I have brought him along slowly, to be sure that he will be ready for the worlds.”Morooka’s eyes widened.“You think that Yuuri is going to be fit enough to compete in the world championships?” he asked, looking surprised.“Ah…” Yuuri interjected softly.“And not only will Yuuri be competing,” Victor went on, “I will as well.”“Um…” Yuuri said, looking nervously at his widely smiling partner.Morooka’s face projected even more surprise.“Is this an official announcement, then?” he asked, “Because when you were not able to compete in the Russian and Japanese nationals, there was some speculation…”“But, as you know, there is latitude for the countries sending teams to the world championships to extend invitations to any top skaters, even if they were not able to compete in some of the run up events,” Victor pointed out, “Yuuri is Japan’s top skater, and even not having competed in this years competitions, I am still ranked Russia’s number one skater. Although Yuri Plisetsky did a wonderful job in his debut and broke one of my records, and Yuuri Katsuki broke another, I still hold world records for overall scores in the men’s singles as well as several other achievements. Yuri Plisetsky and I have both been placed on the Russian team going to worlds.”“Victor,” Yuuri said under his breath, “I thought we going to wait to say anything, just in case…”“And you feel confident that you will be ready?” Morooka inquired curiously, “I saw some of your practice today, and although you have definitely come a long way, the kind of injuries you had…”“Oh,” Victor interrupted, looking into the camera and narrowing his eyes aggressively, “I will be more than ready for worlds. Yuuri and I have something very special planned for our performances.”Morooka grinned.“Is there anything you can tell us about your programs? Now, Yuuri, you have had great success with your Eros program and current free skate. Are you two saying that you and Yuuri will both be doing new programs? And how do you think that is going to impact your presentations, using untried programs in the world championships?”Victor started to answer, but he felt Yuuri’s hand touch his and looked back at his fiancé curiously.“Victor is a genius at creating programs that maximize our potential. I wouldn’t be where I am if I hadn’t put myself in Victor’s hands and let him coach me and choreograph for me.”“I’ve been passing along to Yuuri everything that I know and have learned over the years. I think if anyone has the potential to debut new and surprising things in the championships, we do.”“So, what can you tell us about the content of these programs?” the reporter asked excitedly.Victor gave him a charismatic wink.“I think I can tell you that there will be some very surprised faces when they see these programs. I actually began preparing them for myself and another skater, some time back, so I already know the routines. My focus will be on refining what I already know and teaching the complimenting programs to Yuuri.”“Do the programs have names yet? Do you have your themes?”“We do,” Victor affirmed, “but we prefer not to say just yet. We will be preparing and releasing some clips of our practice in the near future as the competition gets closer, so very soon…”“I know your fans are going to be very glad to hear that. There was some speculation that, given the injuries you suffered as well as your age and the possibility you might need surgery, you might not come back.”“You don’t need to worry and neither do they,” Victor said reassuringly, “I have absolutely no intention of quitting. I will be careful, because, at my age, I am going to be more prone to reinjury, but there is no reason I wouldn’t be able to perform.”“Well, I wish you and Yuuri the best of luck, of course. But I have one more question on a more personal level. I’m sure you are aware of the explosive comments that were recently made by returning veteran skater, Halcòn of Spain.”“Yes,” Victor affirmed, his eyes clouding and his tone darkening, “I am aware.”“Halcòn has said that you were in a relationship years ago, and that it ended, due to infidelity.”“That is what he said,” Victor replied calmly, “and I will say what I’ve said before. My personal life is not something that I care to share. I am a figure skater, a coach and a choreographer. Those are the things that matter, and they are what I am focused on. He is free to spread any lies he wants about me. The people who know me and love me are not going to think any less of me.”“Then, you are saying that you didn’t, in fact, have an affair during your relationship with Halcòn?”Victor met Morooka’s eyes with a warm, steady gaze.“I am saying in the most respectful way I can, that I do not wish to talk about my personal life,” he said firmly, “But…I will happily tell you that you, Halcòn and everyone else are going to have your socks blown off when you see what Yuuri and I have in store for worlds.”“Thank you, Victor and Yuuri,” Morooka said, nodding, “I’m looking forward to seeing and hopefully, interviewing you again at worlds.”Victor grinned and reached over to squeeze Yuuri’s hand.“Yuuri and I promise we will give you an exclusive,” he laughed, “Thanks so much, Morooka. It’s good to see you again.”“It’s good to see you and Yuuri both back on the ice,” Morooka responded, shaking Victor’s hand, then Yuuri’s.Yuuri waited until the reporter was out of hearing, then he scowled and swatted his fiancé lightly on the back of the head.“Ow!” Victor objected, rubbing the back of his head and frowning, “What was that for, Yuuri? You’re going to kill me!”“Why did you tell him that we’d already decided about worlds? I thought we were going to wait and see while you recovered and maybe put off competing until next fall.”“Oh, I know that was impulsive,” Victor sighed, giving Yuuri a penitent look, “I just feel so angry about Halcòn stealing that program and trying so hard to sabotage me. Maybe I should have waited…”“At least until Yakov and the team doctor both say it’s okay.”“They’re going to clear me to compete,” Victor said with certainty.“Yeah, I know that,” Yuuri said worriedly, “I just…don’t want anything bad to happen to you, okay?”Victor gave his partner a tender, sad smile and climbed carefully to his feet, wincing as a flicker of pain went through his back.“I know,” he said, embracing Yuuri and kissing his frowning lips, “and I know that you are aware that if I am off the ice for too much longer, my career may end sooner, rather than later. I need to do this, Yuuri.”“Yeah, but do you need to do it so fast?” Yuuri complained, hugging him cautiously, “You scare me when you take so many chances. You’re a really brave person, but sometimes you’re so reckless.”Victor took Yuuri’s face in his hands and kissed him on the forehead, then on the mouth again.“I’m not being reckless in this, I promise you. Yuuri, we are going to compete at worlds, and we are going to leave Halcòn in a sweaty, quivering heap on the ice.”“I hope so,” Yuuri sighed, laying his head on his fiance’s warm shoulder.“It’ll be all right,” Victor vowed softly, running his fingers through Yuuri’s hair, “Now, come on and let’s go home, okay?”Yuuri gave a half-hearted sigh.“Okay.”They left the skating rink and headed down the street, only to hear a loud honk as Gavrila pulled up beside them and glared out the window at Victor.“Get in.”“But Yuuri and I were going to get something to eat,” Victor complained, “It’s really close. We can…”“You can get your little cocky ass into the car and I will drive you there!” the old woman snapped fiercely.“I think we’d better listen to her,” Yuuri said, opening the door for Victor, who slid into the back, flinching and clenching his teeth as he sat down.Gavrila met his eyes in the rearview mirror, clearly sending a message.
You see I’m right, little peacock!
She looked taken aback and betrayed a hint of genuine worry as Victor leaned against Yuuri and gave a ragged sigh of relief.“Did he take his pain pills?” she asked sternly.“Yeah,” Yuuri assured her, “I made sure of that.“Good. Now you eat, then we go home and I massage you.”“Eh, couldn’t we put off the massage?” Victor whined, “I took the pills and I’ll take a long bath. I promise.”Gavrila shook her head firmly.“You want to be ready for competition at worlds, da?”“Yes,” Victor agreed, “but…”“But nothing. If you want to compete, you trust Gavrila’s hands.”She started off down the street and Victor burrowed more deeply into his fiancé’s shoulder.“Will you massage me instead, Yuuri?” he whispered, giggling.“No,” Yuuri huffed, “She’s right. If you want to compete, you need her.”“I need you too.”“Yeah, and I promise I’m gonna be there.”