I'll Be There
OtayuriWeek Day 5

Yuri will never admit it to anyone, but at some point, before every competition, he starts to be terrified beyond belief.

He's twenty-two fucking years old, has four Grand Prix gold medals under his belt, and he suddenly gets a wave of stage fright before stepping out onto the ice.

Admittedly, he's not as bad as Yuuri used to be before he retired, but it's still enough for Viktor to fret about him before.

Otabek is also there, but he doesn't really know what to do. He's never been anxious before his performances when he was younger, so he doesn't quite know what his precious boyfriend is going through as Viktor gently rubs his back and whispers encouragements into his ears.

One day, Yuri breaks.

His short program goes without a hitch, and he's in first place, but the new competition is fierce and he doesn't know if he'll be able to take the gold at Worlds this year. So he stalks off to the bathroom, hot tears in his eyes, and like Yuuri from years and years before, he locks himself in a stall. He slumps on the toilet and takes in a shuddering breath.

It's never been this bad, he says to himself. Even when it's been barely a point between him and anyone in second, it's never been so bad that he's reduced into a sobbing mess. The door creaks open loudly, and Yuri holds his breath to silence himself, waiting for the person to finish their business and leave.

"Yuri?"

It's Otabek, Yuri tells himself. It's Otabek, he's fine, he won't make fun of you for crying.

But he's never seen me like this, another part of him reasons. He'll think I'm pathetic.

"Yura?" Otabek asks again, softer, and Yuri realizes he's let a few loose, ugly sobs out. He shakily reaches up and unlatches the door of the stall, curling in on himself when Otabek pushes it open. "Oh, котенок," he whispers, wrapping Yuri in a fierce hug. "Hush, my tiger, it'll all be alright."

"What if I don't win?" Yuri blubbers. "What if I don't get gold? What if I'm not good enough?"

"Hey." Otabek pulls back to wipe a few tears from Yuri's cheeks, and cradles his face. "Hey, you'll do just fine like you always do. You're going to go out there and give it your all."

"B-but-" Otabek presses a finger to Yuri's lips.

"But nothing Yura. You aren't the Russian Fairy and you haven't been for a long time. You're the Ice Tiger of Russia and the partner of the Hero of Kazakhstan, so are you going to let one loss destroy you?"

"No," Yuri whispers, head down.

"I can't hear you, Yuri Plisetsky," Otabek demands, forcing Yuri to look at him. "Louder."

"No." Yuri glares at Otabek, his green eyes hard. "I'm going to do my best. I'm going to go out there tomorrow and win."

Otabek smiles and kisses Yuri on the forehead. "That's my Yura."

The next evening, Yuri posts a selfie of him and Otabek, Yuri with a broad grin as Otabek kisses his gold medal. Yuri's coated in sweat, and his hair is astray from falling out of its ponytail during his intense free skate, but he looks on top of the world.

And Otabek looks just as ecstatic.

❤️️ v-nikiforov, christophe-ge, phichit+chu & 8,764 others

yuri-plisetsky on the top with the man i love #goldmedal #worldchampion

1,785 comments

February 24th, 2017 || Day 5: Fears/Encouragement

author's notes
i didnt plan for these to be connected it just happened oops
i cry i finished this last night super late while on skype im tired
i had too many donuts
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