#like i get being concerned especially in bad weather and it's nice to tel me to be careful or to want to know when i get places

[imafoolishfragilespine]

i got into one minor car accident eight years ago and my parents will never forget it

[mypoorfaves]

Feeling Unwell

So this is a somewhat follow-up to Semi-conscious Sonder where Yuuri comes down with a cold. (Can also be read as a stand-alone.) Takes place in St. Petersburg post-canon.

~2000 words

～～～

Yuuri awakes from his nap with a sore throat and a gentle hand on his shoulder. He feels the hand move as he stirs and looks up to meet Victor’s ocean-blue eyes. They light up with fondness as Yuuri blinks sleepily at him.

“Hey there, sleepyhead,” Victor says. “It’s not like you to be in bed this early.”

Yuuri covers his mouth as he stifles a yawn. “‘s your fault,” he slurs tiredly and rubs his eyes. “Training was exhausting. I took a nap.”

“Naps will ruin your sleep schedule, lapochka,” Victor chides and playfully tousles his dark locks.

“I have one of those?”

Victor laughs. “Not for much longer, if you keep taking naps.”

Yuuri closes his eyes again and burrows under the covers with a sigh. “But it’s so cozy…”

“It’s not time for bed yet,” Victor points out. “We have yet to even make supper!” Yuuri’s only response is to burrow further with a quiet whine of protest. “Yuuri～,” Victor pouts, drawing out each of the three syllables as he tries to shake him awake.

“Victoru,” Yuuri complains weakly, saying his fiance’s name in a similar way. “We can eat later.” Victor stops shaking him for a peaceful moment and Yuuri wills for sleep to take him. Instead, Victor’s hand finds Yuuri’s wrist and manages to haul him into a sitting position.

Yuuri slumps over like a ragdoll, blanket pooling at his waist, and stares blearily ahead. His black hair is disheveled with bed-head and the longer strands fall into his eyes. Through the mess of hair, he can see Victor beaming brilliantly and expectantly at him, and though he’s still exhausted, Yuuri feels his own lips turn upwards in a smile of his own at the sight.

“Finally awake now, my love?”

“If I have to be,” he complies then yawns again, this time wincing as his throat protests the dry air. Victor doesn’t miss it.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Sore throat,” Yuuri responds as he rubs it, though it obviously does nothing to help as the discomfort is internal. What is not internal, however, is the sudden blast of cold air that hits Yuuri causing him to shiver. He longs for the comfort of the blanket again as he turns towards the source and sees the open window. He forgot to close it before falling asleep. That’s probably why his throat feels so sore and dry. And that would also explain his chills. Just the wind.

“You’re not catching a cold, are you?” Victor asks suddenly. His hand finds Yuuri’s forehead and Yuuri doesn’t stop him. He feels fine, after all. No headache or congestion or runny nose. Victor hums and Yuuri can’t tell if it’s in thought or displeasure. “You don’t feel too warm,” he notes, but his voice holds uncertainty like he thinks Yuuri is trying to hide his illness. Which he’s not, because he’s not sick, Yuuri thinks to himself firmly.

“You still have your training clothes on. And you slept with the window open,” Victor continues. His hand moves down to Yuuri’s cheek, then his neck. “Didn’t you once tell me that all of your colds start with a sore throat?”

“Yes, usually, but I’m fine,” Yuuri insists and lightly swats Victor’s hand away. Although Victor does have a point, he brushes it off as coincidence. He refuses to succumb to a cold at this point in the season. He closes the window, gets up from the bed and stands. Victor follows suit.

“You would tell me if you weren’t, right?” Victor asks with sincere concern in both his voice and features.

“Of course I would, Vitya,” he smiles. “Now come on, let’s go make supper.”

～

Come the next morning, Yuuri isn’t feeling much better. If anything, he feels worse. His throat is still sore, his head now contains a dull ache, and all he wants to do is sleep. But alas, their alarm clock insists otherwise. With a groan, he silences it and forces himself out of bed. Victor does the same, but with much more ease and energy than Yuuri could ever hope to muster even on a good day.

Today is by no means a good day for Yuuri. His symptoms (though he refuses to call them that) are very present and very annoying. In the end, though, they’re mild and could be worse. It’s not bad enough to justify taking a day off. With that thought in mind, he heads to shower.

The hot water and steam help wake him up. It also causes his nose to run, but at least it soothes his throat a bit. When Yuuri emerges after getting dressed, Victor has a cup of tea waiting for him, and one for himself as well.

“I know you said you’re feeling fine, but here,” Victor smiles as he hands the cup to Yuuri. He accepts it gratefully and inhales the aroma: ginger and lemon, with added honey. “Just in case,” Victor adds with a kiss on the cheek.

Yuuri hums in delight at the affection and at the taste of the tea as he takes a sip. He can feel the creamy consistency of the honey, and the sweetness complements the mild spice of the ginger nicely. He downs it quickly, finishes getting ready and the two head off for another day of training.

～

They don’t skate today. Instead, Victor has taken on the roll of Yuuri’s personal trainer as he tests his ever-impressive stamina through cardio-vascular training. They’re at an outdoor track, and nobody else is around. The weather is nice; it’s another warm and sunny spring day with mostly-clear skies and a cool breeze. Per Victor’s instruction, Yuuri has been doing sprinting drills, long distance runs and everything in between. Victor insists it’s vital for any healthy body and therefore contributes to skating as well, so who is Yuuri to argue?

He’s lost track of how far he’s run now, and how far he’s supposed to run. His nose is dripping profusely and his head is throbbing, but he pushes through it all. It’s not a big deal. Just a cold at the worstーand Yuuri is reluctant to admit even that. So he forges ahead, feet pounding hard on the solid ground.

His legs don’t burn like they did in yesterday’s training but instead feel like jello; he’s not even sure how he’s still moving. His lungs are the ones on fire today, matched by his throat with each laboured inhale. The windーwhile refreshingーis hitting him head on as he runs and is only making his task more difficult. It stings his eyes and throws his hair in his face so he has to squint to see in front of him.

Far off in the distance, he sees Victor standing with a stopwatch in hand as Yuuri gradually makes his way over. His breaths are deep and heavy, but it’s just a little further until the end. He can make it.

Miraculously, he does and Victor clicks the stopwatch and announces his time which Yuuri barely pays attention to. Finally done, or so he desperately hopes, Yuuri’s feet decide now is a good time to stop cooperating as he trips and sprawls on the ground.

His head is pounding in sync with his accelerated heart rate, and the impact of the fall has turned his heaving breaths into fierce coughs that refuse to let up. Victor is at his side in an instant, a hand rubbing his back to try and ease the fit. He’s concerned and calling Yuuri’s name, but Yuuri can’t get the words out to convince Victor he’s alright. He has yet to stop coughing, his body desperate for oxygen, but throat and lungs burning when he receives it.

Yuuri knows he shouldn’t just stop after running like this; he needs to get up and walk and cool down so he doesn’t pass out, but his body isn’t cooperating. He can’t find the strength to move. All of his energy is spent from the exercise, and he’s left further weakened from the coughs that continue to wrack his body. He’s not sure if he has too much air at this point or doesn’t have enough, but there’s a dangerous dizziness pulling at the edge of Yuuri’s senses. It only intensifies as Victor hauls him upright to a sitting position, and that’s all it takes for Yuuri’s body to go limp as he collapses unconscious onto Victor.

When Yuuri later opens his eyes, there is a blurred face with silver hair above him. Their expression is visibly distressed as it comes into focus, then it shifts to slightly more relieved upon seeing him awake. It’s Victor, Yuuri realizes, and he’s trying to tell him something. His lips are moving, and Yuuri thinks he catches his name, but he can’t actually make out what’s being said. There’s a persistent ringing in his ears and his hearing is muffled as if underwater, but the sound of Victor’s voice is almost too loud despite the fact. It takes a moment, but eventually it returns to normal. The rest of his brain catches up with him and Yuuri realizes he’s on the ground with his head cradled in Victor’s arms. When did that happen?

“What happened?” Yuuri decides to ask. His voice sounds as weak as his body feels. He doesn’t try to move just yet.

“You passed out,” Victor explains. “You reached the end of your run and just collapsed. Are you alright, Yuuri?” Victor gazes at him with serious worry, as if ready to spring into action and call an ambulance if need be it. Or even carry Yuuri in his arms all the way to the nearest hospital if the situation is dire. Yuuri blushes at the intensity.

“My legs just gave out,” he mumbles as he struggles to recall the memory. “I started coughing, and I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t get up. I couldn’t breathe.” Yuuri clenches a hand over his chest as he remembers the swirling pain and panic, the former of which still lingers.

“Are you okay now?” Victor asks, eyes overflowing with concern. Yuuri nods. His chest is still sore, and he’s a bit shaken up, but he’s not in any kind of danger.

Victor offers him a hand. “Can you stand?”

“I think so,” Yuuri answers, and accepts it. He’s grateful for the support; his whole body feels shaky, especially his legs, but they still manage to hold his weight with Victor’s help. Once upright, his headache makes itself known again and he closes his eyes against the pain and accompanying dizziness. He sways a bit, unsteady but not unconscious, and Victor is there to catch him.

“I thought you said you would tell me if you were feeling unwell,” Victor scolds, but with no malice, and it takes Yuuri a moment to register Victor’s hand is on his forehead. Yuuri doesn’t see the point in the action since his whole body should be warm from his workout. And yet he finds himself shivering.

“I didn’t think it would be this bad. I’m sorry,” Yuuri whispers, then turns away to cough weakly into his shoulder.

“No need to be sorry, love. I’m not mad, just worried,” Victor says, and Yuuri believes him. “I know you must be feeling terrible. Let’s go home and I’ll make you some more tea, okay?”

“Okay,” Yuuri agrees, feeling utterly drained. He lets Victor bring his arm over his shoulder and the two head back home for a day full of cuddles, naps and tea.

～～～

(End)

Quick translation note: lapochka is a Russian term of endearment meaning sweetheart