Viktor hasn't been the same since Yuri disappeared.

He had all but shut himself in his house-their house-since Yuri had not come home. He cut off all contact with the outside world, he left all calls unanswered, his friends could not reach him. His door was locked so nobody could check on him. Any time he went on the Internet, he was always bombarded with the same things:

IS YURI KATSUKI DEAD? JAPANESE FIGURE SKATING STAR MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARS!

WHERE IS VIKTOR NIKIFOROV? HOW IS HE DEALING WITH HIS FIANCE'S DISAPPEARANCE?

POLICE INVESTIGATING DISAPPEARANCE OF YURI KATSUKI. MORE INSIDE…

It was always the same. And Viktor was not dealing with his fiance's absence. If his depression said anything, it was that Russian figure skating legend Viktor Nikiforov was close to dead.

When Yuri did not come home from the grocery store, the first thing Viktor did was panic. After that, he called the police, who had promptly come to his house to ask questions. But Viktor was unable to properly answer them amidst his tears. His answers were minimal at best, and grammatically incorrect. He was barely able to make it through the interview before he collapsed onto his knees.

After that had been nothing but a downward spiral. He cut off all ties on the second day with the outside, and on the third he stopped eating. Not to mention skating. How could he skate when his love was probably dead?

On the fourth day Instagram and all other social media was flooded with the news of Yuri's disappearance and Viktor's isolation. News headlines were nothing but, and his own feed was filled with sympathies and well wishes.

Viktor couldn't stand it.

They had no idea what he was going through. They had no idea how he felt, how it was for Yuri to just not come home. He should have gone with Yuri, he should have realized Russia was not accepting of their relationship. What was he going to do without his Yuri? How could he live the rest of his life without him?

He had already been through one major heartbreak with his first fiance; he did not want to go through another with Yuri.

On the fifth day he was desperate. He had not gotten any sleep at all, so he was just pacing around the house, practically nothing more than a walking pile of exhaustion. Calling the police again proved fruitless as they had not made any progress in finding Yuri. The dark circles under his eyes grew more prominent as the days passed. The cameras of the press who forced an interview clearly showed the world just how much of a wreck he was, how frail he had become.

On the thirteenth day he was hardly anything more than a skeleton with a bit of flesh. Too weak to stand, he remained in bed while his friends (who forced their way in) tried whatever they could to help Viktor.

But Viktor didn't want help. He wanted Yuri.

But the blurred shapes above him would not leave him be.

"He still won't eat?" Mila asked, chewing her lip as she watched the still figure beneath her draw a long, labored breath.

"No," Yurio answered with a shake of his head. "Damnit, what the hell is taking the police so long? Who knows how much longer the geezer will last!"

"Yuri…" Viktor strained a whisper, turning his head to the side and heaving a breath. One glistening tear fell to the pillow and disappeared. Disappeared like Yuri…

Viktor crying was never a pretty sight. His body was so weak that he could not handle a full episode, so he could only weep big, ugly tears almost soundlessly. Tiny whimpers occasionally escaped, but nothing more. Seeing Viktor so broken could shatter the strongest man's spirit, as was seen in those who observed. All fell silent at once, shocked despite how expected the action was.

"Hey, don't cry, Viktor! They'll find Yuri, I just know it!" Mila's intentions were good, but she could not convince him as her tone said otherwise. The fact that she would outright lie to him to make him feel better only served to make things worse.

"Listen. We need to get him to a hospital. Like now." Yurio commanded, tapping his foot. "He could literally die any minute if we don't."

"Mila. You may need to hear this. You too, Yura." Otabek, who had been in the kitchen making lunch, peeked in the room. Both looked at each other in confusion and followed him into the living room.

"What's this all about?" Yurio asked in his usual gruff manner. Otabek sighed.

"Good news or bad news first?"

"Just fucking tell us!" he retorted.

"Fine, good news first. The police called just now. They found Yuri. Bad news-"

"They found him? That's great!" Mila exclaimed, cutting the other off.

"He's not dead, is he?" Yura questioned.

"He's alive, but a little...beat up. I don't want Viktor to hear this, but the police might tell him that Yuri...was kidnapped. He was taken to a sex dungeon and violated for twelve days."

"That's terrible…"

"So where is he now? Can we go get him?"

"Um...he's at the police station. We should go see him. And bring Viktor with us. Do not tell him any of this, or where we are going. It will be easier that way."

Yurio was already on it. He rifled through the closet and picked out a thick hat and gloves and warm socks. Mila shifted Viktor's light frame as he applied the articles one after the other, then wrapped him in two blankets until he was a human cocoon. Viktor himself did nothing to slow them down as the four departed, Otabek carrying the silver one in his arms. All situated in the car, they took off as fast as possible.

Viktor shivered violently in the cold car, despite being so bundled up. He trembled and cried pitifully and broke the hearts of everyone near him as he called out to his little Yuri. They all hoped that whatever monster would do this was brought to justice.

"Wh...Where are we going?" Viktor strained out through tears. Mila patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"You're going to love it. I promise."

Otabek hummed in agreement as he skillfully weaved through traffic, not willing to be slowed down by anyone. Thankfully the station was not very far off, so they made it there in record time. Everyone unloaded from the cab with Viktor in tow and rushed inside, out of the cold winter air.

Mila was the one to check in with the police while everyone else sat down and waited. A few others in there gaped in awe at just how thin and small Viktor was as he was worked out of his wrappings. His wrists were so bony that the skin threatened to break entirely, same with much of the rest of him, and each heave of his chest revealed his ribcage clearly...not that anyone could see that under his shirt. Not long after they situated themselves did an officer step out, her thin frame nearly matching Viktor's.

"You four must be here for Mister Katsuki, yes?"

The eager looks on their faces told her everything. She nodded and motioned for them to follow.

"This way, please. And please be mindful when you speak to him, he is still in shock."

Yurio and Otabek supported Viktor's trembling body while they stood, and Mila and the officer led the way into a smaller side room of the department. There was little more than a small cot inside, and a chair and small desk with a lamp. At the desk sat a police officer, watching over a small form lying on the bed. The person did not react to the arrival of the five others.

"Here he is. Please be gentle, and do not overcrowd him. When you are ready, I can provide the details of his disappearance." The woman and the other officer left them alone with the still figure. Mila turned back to Viktor after getting a good look, a hopeful expression on her face.

"Viktor, look. It's Yuri!" she tried, raising the attention of that thin man. His eyes fluttered open slowly and he lifted his head up weakly, hope glittering in his dead eyes for the first time in two weeks.

"...Yuri?" he whispered, somehow finding the strength to break free from the gentle grip of the two holding him upright. He staggered over to the bed and dropped to his knees, lightly touching the mass of black hair in front of him. Said lump stirred and rolled over with a dead expression. Seeing Viktor, however, certainly worked to liven it up some.

"Viktor?" Tears welled and overflowed before he could catch himself, and Viktor, seeing the other cry, did the same as he threw his arms around Yuri and held him with all his little strength, burying his face in the crook of his neck where head met shoulder. Yuri clawed at Viktor's shirt and held fast to it, as if he thought if he didn't this reality would crumble away and he would wake up back in that dungeon, chained to the wall as his captor violated him in ways he didn't think possible.

His weak hands lost their grip and slid down Viktor's chest, stopping at his abdomen, and there Yuri could feel Viktor's heart thudding furiously against his fingers. Each rapid intake of breath revealed ribs jutting forth dangerously, startling him. He withdrew his hands in shock and pulled away, leaving Viktor without a warm body to heat his chilled one.

"V-Viktor! Y-Your chest! I...I can feel your ribs!" he stuttered, frightened for the other's health. Viktor, not entirely sure what he was concerned about, stared blankly down at his chest. He saw nothing wrong with it, though. To him, it was just his body. His ordinary, dime-a-dozen figure skating body.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked softly. He tentatively poked his ribcage and admired how he could feel his bones project from the skin that barely held them back. He was like a child discovering his body for the first time. Looking up again, he caught Yuri's horrified stare as he could not tear his eyes away from the frail figure standing before him. It was heartbreaking to see Viktor this far gone, and even more so since it was because of him that this happened in the first place.

"He was depressed," Otabek answered Yuri's unasked question. Yuri looked up at the tall Kazakh man standing a couple feet off. "So he stopped eating."

"It's not your fault, Katsudon," Yurio chimed in before Yuri could blame himself. "You were the reason he starved, but you couldn't help it. So don't beat yourself up, got it?"

Then Mila joined in with "Yeah! And we'll make sure you both get better. No more starving on our watch, right?"

"Sure, whatever," Yurio answered, aloof as ever, but everyone could see right through the facade. The waterworks started all over again from the Japanese man, although this time from overwhelming joy. Everything was going to be alright after all.

…

It took time, a long time, but Viktor and Yuri were eventually able to put the events of those two weeks behind them.

Viktor was the easier of the two. After knowing Yuri was safe, and after Yuri had insisted he would never go shopping alone again in Russia, Viktor was ready to begin the recovery process. It was hard for him at first to start eating, since much of what he did force down came back up later. He felt sick and exhausted and miserable, and was often not even hungry. But Yuri was adamant that he should eat, even just a little at a time.

Eventually, he began to heal. He started eating more and more, and sometimes even went and made it himself when Yuri was busy. His ribcage showed less through his shirt as he gained weight. At a few points in the process, he was ready to relapse, as he felt self-conscious about gaining so much so quickly and not being able to burn off the extra calories through skating. Yuri, however, was a constant reassurance to him, encouraging him to eat now and worry about getting back in shape later.

But that was just Viktor. Yuri was harder to help. After twelve days of torture and rape, his panic attacks were a continual interference in their lives, and often left him huddled in some corner of a small room away from Viktor. It was not only hard on himself, but also on his fiance, especially while he was bedridden and unable to come to his aid. He was always left with no other choice but to let Yuri go through it by himself.

After he was strong enough to walk, Viktor wasted no time in consoling his distressed partner through the attacks. These times usually consisted of holding him close and whispering sweet nothings to him to get him to calm down. Other times, it was a hot bath, or a soothing massage, or even a home-cooked meal, one that was hot and delicious and usually involved sweets. One time, he even made katsudon using the recipe Hiroko gave him during their time in Japan. He was ever grateful for her cooking lessons, especially in times like these. Without them, he wouldn't even be able to cook an egg (he was a damn good baker, though).

In time, Yuri, too, began to heal. It was a slow, arduous process full of its ups and downs and flashbacks, and both knew that neither would ever fully recover from the experience. Sex was even a touchy subject, understandably. However, both also knew that, given enough time, their lives could and would be the nearest to normal it can get, which was more than they could ask for.

Hey there! So this was basically a late-night idea, so I decided to make it happen! Especially since my stories often involve Yuri being on the receiving end of the pain, and Viktor always seemed to be immune to that stuff. Yes, I still hurt Yuri (that poor angel), but this time I went into Viktor's emotional state as well. After all, it would make no sense for Viktor not to be affected. This may actually become more of a thing!

As always, thank you for reading!

(By the way, can someone please explain the origin of the hc that Viktor can't cook?)