A/N: I couldn't leave Lullaby well-enough alone. And when I presented the idea on Tumblr (ded-i-am-just-ded), the overwhelming response was Lullaby needed a sequel. So, here we are. Not gonna lie, I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with this, so y'all are coming along for the ride.

This fic will not make sense if you haven't read Lullaby.

PROLOGUE

The countdown is locked in his head like a time bomb, days on the calendar ticking away steadily. Every time Yuri crosses a date off the calendar on the wall, he feels his stomach roll. It's a day he doesn't want to come but knows it's inevitable.

April 9th is the end of the skating season. He's walking away with Silver and Golds, overall not a bad season to lay to rest. It's the beginning of 8 weeks of the off-ice season, the period that isn't really a vacation because he's stuck pleasing sponsors and bowing to Lilia's demands. This year, he's scheduled to travel more than any other off-ice season before. He's counting his blessings, though, that Lilia gave him his first two weeks to use as he pleases. He has a flight leaving for Moscow on the 10th, then on the 17th he'll leave from there to Almaty. Part of him nags at him that he should have done it the other way, but he thinks maybe Otabek will need that week to himself.

April 9th is also the day Otabek Altin holds a press conference at the ISU headquarters in Switzerland. Yuri wishes he could be there, instead settles for taking over Viktor's massive TV and couch and tuning into it with a quick 'Davai' kicked off to Otabek's phone 30 minutes before start. He doesn't get a reply and he doesn't really expect one.

When it starts, Otabek stands behind his coach while his coach begins to speak about the pride he has for his skater, then rambles onto a tangent about Kazakhstan being proud as well, then begins to break down the story of Otabek's motorcycle accident. Yuri tunes him out and watches Otabek shift his weight, watches the ways his face changes. His leg must be hurting, he's not using his cane and Yuri can see flashes of pain that Otabek quickly covers.

Yuri knows what's coming, but still slides to the end of his seat, just as Katsuki drops down onto the couch next to him. He reaches for the remote and cranks the volume up, even though there hasn't been any change of noise level in the house.

Otabek shifts the position of the microphone and leans on the podium, another sure sign he's in pain. He takes a moment for people to settle down, then nods at someone off camera before he begins in his accented English, "Thank you all for coming. I'd like to keep my statement short, and I will not be answering any questions at this time." He lets go of the podium with one hand and turns a little, to gesture towards his coach, "As you've heard, last year I was hit by a drunk driver. It wrecked my motorcycle and put me in a coma." He looks down, then back up again, "I've been in therapy for months now and after many long talks with many professionals and the steadfast support of the ISU I've had to come to a tough decision. Effective today, April 9th, 2021, I am withdrawing from the figure skating circuit. Permanently."

The crowd, which has been silent up until now, explodes. Yuri's phone lights up and begins to ding with notifications of being tagged by multiple social sites. He unlocks it just to put it on silent, then tucks it away again. Otabek is holding up a hand, asking for silence.

"I would like to thank everyone for their support through the years; my fans who have been there since the beginning and those that appeared along the way. My coach for his determination and guidance and I know I never would have made it this far without you." He glances at said man, who nods a silent thank-you, "My fellow competitors, thank you for the challenges, the friendship, the competition. My family, who've been with me through every fall, every victory and who have made so many sacrifices to allow me to do what I've done. Lastly," He looks right at the camera Yuri is watching, and he sees just the hint of a smile on Otabek's lips, "I'd like to thank my best friend and closest companion, it's been five years and we're still not sick of each other. He's been with me through the toughest parts of all of this, fellow skater Yuri Plisetsky."

His dark eyes roam back over the crowd and Yuri buries his face in his hands. He feels Katsudon pat his shoulder as Otabek moves into a closing statement, and thanks the press for their time. He steps back from the podium and retreats as a member of the ISU steps to the microphone to take over and begins answering questions as best they can. Yuri reaches out blindly and finds the remote, letting the image on the screen die.

"I can't believe he called me out like that." He mumbles and pushes his hair away from his face.

Katsudon grins, squeezes his shoulder, then stands up, "It must have been a tough decision, but I'm glad he was able to be there to make it."

"Yeah," Yuri pulls his phone out again, swiping away the long list of notifications on the lock screen only to have them replaced by more. He kills the screen again and stands, thinks of Otabek laying in a hospital bed, of the sound of his voice late at night and early in the morning. He thinks of long walks and stolen kisses, as he tucks the phone away.

They've survived worse, this isn't the end of the world. He told himself at the NHK that he was beginning a new story.

Maybe now, they can write a story together.