Cursed Rings ❅ Vikturi

6) Get Well Wishes

A/N Hi! Another update! I'm happy, I got this one out a lot faster than the last. I'm going to try and write on this every Saturday and Sunday now so updates should be slightly more frequent :) Hope you enjoy the new chapter ~ Maddie (CheshireCatLife)

Five weeks later, Viktor's heart was still breaking as was the ice underneath him. He cut his blades into the thin layer of snow dusting the lake. He had taken a break from professional training for the week yet it still hadn't kept him from the ice.

Being midnight, it was clear no one was going to interrupt him as he did a single loops, landing on the ice harshly. The anger floods out of him each time he hits the ice and he feels more relaxed than he had in weeks. He loved the ice but he hated what it brought with it but being out there, in the open, with no pressures or people to distract him- he felt free again. He felt like he had when he first stepped foot on the ice.

He began twirling and spinning lazily on his skates, digging his phone out of his pockets and begun to scroll through a few pictures on social media. Five minutes passed and it seemed that everyone, even Yurio, was happier than him. Pictures of smiling skaters bombarded him like gunfire. It hurt to know they were happy when he was not, all because he left the man he loved. He knew he had to, though and he knew that he didn't want to tell Yuuri.

His reason was genuine and he knew it would be for the best that they were apart. Yet, why did he feel like he was falling apart? Why did he feel like Yuuri was falling apart? Why did everything seem to be crumbling more than it was before? He had escaped to avoid the pain and had found himself worse. His only hope had been that Yuuri would recover.

It seemed Yuuri had only gotten worse.

His words were violent, cruel even. He used them against Viktor and he understood why. He would too. But, Viktor hadn't found it within himself to reply. See you in Barcelona, so Yuuri was still competing, he contemplated. Viktor didn't think he could face Yuuri like that. He would have to quit, maybe it would be for the best- he was too old for this anyway. He would be thirty soon and he would probably be thrown out before he could retire.

Viktor sighed and brought his attention back to his phone. He looked down, the picture catching his eyes, the description glowing brightly. Viktor fell, hard. The ice cracked underneath his weight just as his bones almost cracked under the pressure. He groaned and fell back, taking deep and steady breaths.

It couldn't be true, it couldn't be.

Phichit+Chu: Get well soon, Yuuri! You better get out of that hospital bed soon and compete or I am going to kick your butt!

The picture of Yuuri back in Detroit hardly mattered. Yuuri was in hospital. Why? When? How? Viktor panicked, his mind reeling whilst trying to grasp for an explanation. 'Yuuri, what have you gotten yourself into?' He breathed, panicked, before throwing himself off the ice and onto the lightly snowy ground. He threw off his skates and began to ran home. He was going to the rink tomorrow so he needed his sleep. He would go to ask each and every skater there if they knew what was wrong. Because, no matter how much pain he had caused Yuuri, he couldn't let himself see Yuuri in this state. He was bad enough to be in hospital. What had happened that was so severe that he had been sent there?

Viktor ignored his spinning thoughts as soon as he opened his front door, almost immediately crumbling to the floor with exhaustion. But, out of sheer willpower, he made it to his bed. He didn't even bother to change. His legs ached from the skating- he hadn't realised how much he had done until now- and his mind needed a rest from the constant worrying thoughts attacking him. He was worried for Yuuri, really worried, and despite the exhaustion, he knew those thoughts would keep him up most of the night.

When he woke up, he knew he had been right. His eyes sagged and his cheeks looked almost hollow as he looked into his bathroom mirror. His eyes were bloodshot and it looked as if the weight had dropped off him. He knew this wasn't just one night's worth of bad sleep but days of bad eating and lack of sleep. He felt terrible, inside and out, but he knew what he wanted to do and he was going to do it. He slipped his sports bag over his shoulders and hurried out in a rush, towards the skating rink.

It didn't take him long to arrive, the other skaters already on the ice. 'Vitya!' His name was called out in surprise, a gruff voice: Yakov.

'Hi, Yakov.' He panted, realising just how hard work it was now to just run to the rink- which was no more than five minutes from his apartment. 'I came...to...ask about Yuuri.' He spoke between heavy breaths, drawing the attention of other skaters who had never seen him so unfit.

'What about him?' Yakov raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

'He's in hospital, I think. I wanted to know why.' Viktor regained his posture just slightly but was still taking slightly larger breaths than usual. Viktor scanned the room, just to be given multiple shrugs and a scowl from Yurio. Yakov didn't say a word.

'Vitya, get on the rink, you need to practice,' was all Yakov said. Viktor gaped at him. That was not the answer he had been suspecting. But, it seemed that no one else had the answer and his only option was to follow orders. He wasn't in the mood to be shouted at nor was he really in the mood to skate but he knew one was much better than the other.

Viktor started on step sequences, not noticing as the other's stepped away and watched him worriedly as he lazily failed to do even simple steps. Viktor then began to do jumps, the worst idea he had probably ever had for the state he was in. Single loop, that went well, almost impossible to fail as a professional skater unless injured. The next, a double axel, also very hard to flub- some would say it was impossible unless injured too. It seemed they were wrong.

Viktor slammed into the ice hard, his arm taking the brunt of the damage. He felt the pain jolt through his arm and he groaned in pain, rolling onto his back and looked up to see one or two skaters leaning over him, no attempts to help- just to gape.

'Vitya, get off that ice, now!' Yakov barked and Viktor nodded in relief, limping as he got off the ice- it seemed his arm wasn't the only thing injured. He fell back onto the bench and Yakov looked at him in disappointed. 'I'm pulling you out of this season unless you can get your act together by next week. I would go see the hospital if I were you, you look almost dead.' Viktor nodded half-heartedly and took off his skates, sighing.

How had he not noticed just how bad this had gotten? He left, he needed to accept that. But, he couldn't. He couldn't let go of the man he loved.

word count: 1262

published: 30.04.17