Chapter Text
“Well?”
The doctor Yakov had called as soon as Yuuri had walked back into the hotel lobby with a shouting Victor looks up. “It isn’t broken or sprained. But it may be tender for the next few days.”
Yakov curses. This was great, just great! Of course his star skater, who was in a good position to take silver or gold (if Yuuri had an unprecedented bad day), had to get himself hurt the day before the free!
“Can I skate?”
Yuuri makes a noise, clearly an unhappy one. The omega has been mostly silent ever since he had refused to budge while the rest of the competitors had been shooed away. He’s just been glaring at Victor’s ankle unhappily as it was examined, and Yakov couldn’t tell exactly why he was upset. He would bet it had something to do with being mad he couldn’t compete and win against Victor at his best, but there was a tinge of worry and fear in his eyes that the older alpha found…
Reassuring.
Some part of Yuuri had to be concerned simply that Victor was hurt, hence his clear displeasure at Victor asking if he can skate.
The doctor looks between alpha and omega before addressing Victor directly. “I wouldn’t recommend it, but something tells me you won’t listen to me if I tell you no.”
“Will it do any permanent damage?”
She sighs. “If you downgrade your jumps and take it easy, it’s unlikely. But you can’t go all out like normal, Mr. Nikiforov.”
Victor nods, looking up at Yakov for permission. “I’m shocked you’re even asking.” He grumbles. “You usually don’t listen to what I have to say.”
“You’re not skating.”
“Yuuri,” Victor says calmly, too calmly for Yakov’s liking, “yes, I am.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Yuuri.”
“You’re going to get yourself hurt!”
“I think it’s best if I…”
Yakov nods, motioning for both him and the doctor to exit. No one needed to get between the fated pair while they argued. “Let me escort you out.”
The door closes behind them with a quiet click, leaving Victor and Yuuri alone to argue. “I will be fine. The doctor said…”
“She said it was unlikely, not impossible!” Yuuri huffs. “You aren’t skating.”
Scowling, Victor crosses his arms. “You don’t get to decide what I do, Yuuri.”
“You…!”
“No. Hasn’t that been your whole argument about our relationship?” Victor raises a brow, and Yuuri stumbles to a stop. He can’t argue because that has been his stance since Victor had waltzed into the onsen. “You can’t tell me not to skate. If I choose to take that risk, then I will deal with the consequences, no matter what they may be.”
Deflating, Yuuri nods. “Fine.”
“You almost sounded concerned for me for a minute.” Victor teases, trying to lighten the mood.
“Well, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by your accident,” Yuuri sits beside him on the bed, leaning against his shoulder. “You’ve changed a lot since we met, even just in this season!, and I appreciate it.” He looks up. “You’re growing, and in the growth, you’ve become someone I can call a friend.”
“Friend.” Victor tests the word on his tongue. He knows he'd said the same thing to Chris earlier, but it felt different hearing Yuuri say it. “I like that.”
Smiling, Yuuri cuddles closer, allowing Victor to wrap an arm around his shoulders. “I do too. Which is why I was worried when you got hurt. It’s why I’m still worried you’ll hurt yourself more if you skate.”
“I know you’re worried, Yuuri, but I have to skate.” Victor sets his jaw. “I’ve come this far. I’ll downgrade my jumps, take it easy, but I want to finish the season. It’s my last skate, let me have this.”
“Well, since I’m not your coach, or you partner technically, I don’t really have a say.”
“I get final say in my life, just like you get in yours.” Victor squeezes him tight. “Sorry it took me so long to admit that.”
“Thank you for finally admitting it anyway.”
They both fall silent, letting the conversation fade naturally. Today had been long and draining, and the heavy topic only added to the weight. And it still wasn’t over; Victor had to decide what he wanted to do. Granted, he’d already voiced his desire to skate his free program, but it was evident that those around him disagreed with his choice.
Yuuri, on the other hand, was wrestling with his own conflicting emotions. Yes, Victor had grown a lot, and part of him really did love how comfortably they’d settled into an easy sort of friendship as they both learned how to navigate their strained relationship. But a small part of him still held a grudge over that first meeting, rankled by how controlling Victor had tried to be. It was cautious, wanting to go as slowly as possible to keep an exit route available should this all be a trick.
That larger part of him from earlier scoffed at that. If this was a trick, Victor wouldn’t get very far before Lilia, Minako, and likely Yakov stopped him.
“I’m skating.” Victor finally says. “And if you’re mad at me for it, I understand.”
“Worried,” Yuuri emphasizes, “but understanding. I’d want to skate too.”
Victor smiles, lapsing back into silence as they both yawn. Despite not ever making it to dinner, they didn’t feel too hungry, their appetites overshadowed by the tense situation. Instead, they just felt tired, drained, and ready for bed. “Wanna stay the night?”
Yuuri hums, already half asleep. “Don’t hog the blankets.”
“I won’t.”
When Yakov decides to check on them an hour later, hoping it will be safe to come in but still expecting carnage, he is pleasantly surprised to find them still cuddled together, sleeping peacefully. “Well,” he says, placing his hands on his hips, “how about that.”
He tucks them in, not wanting either skater to get cold before leaving, more than a little pleased that nothing had been broken. “Perhaps you two are finally figuring things out. Good thing too. This was doing nothing good for my blood pressure. Or my hair.”