A funny word called Love

Chapter 44

It was a year and a half later when Yuri had gotten everything ready for him to immigrate to Kazakhstan, and he still couldn't believe that he was about to do this. It had been well over a year since they had decided to be in a qpr. A year and a half since they decided to move in together. Yuri still couldn't believe that he had been the one to suggest the latter. Usually, Yuri wasn't that impulsive, but the words had just slipped out of his mouth without his brain processing it.

And honestly, even though Yuri denied it, he was scared. He and Otabek had grown really close over the years and Yuri was scared that living with him would somehow screw everything up. Yuri was scared that if Otabek had to spend that much time with him, he would eventually realize how terrible a person Yuri is and would leave him. He was scared because this was such unfamiliar territory. Once he had started skating, everything, besides his mother leaving, had been pretty constant. Changing jobs definitely mixed things up, but his life still revolved around skating and he still lived in the same place. But now he was moving, and to an entirely different country.

As Yuri boarded the plane to Kazakhstan, he willed the voices in his head to stop filling him with fear, but it had no effect. ON the contrary, it felt like the higher they rose, the more negative they got. Worst case scenarios were playing in his mind on a constant loop, showing how Otabek would have enough of Yuri and leave him, because that's what was inevitable in life. Others leaving you. By the time Yuri had landed in Kazakhstan, he had half a mind to try and get the next flight back to St. Petersburg. However, he went through customs and to the baggage claim nonetheless, and as he got his suitcase, a voice called out behind him, saying, "Yuri! You're here!"

"Hey Beka," Yuri said awkwardly, surprised by how excited Otabek had sounded.

"How was the flight?" Otabek asked.

"It was fine," Yuri said untruthfully.

"No it wasn't Yuri, I can tell that you're scowling. What happened," Otabek said after seeing Yuri's apprehensive and exhausted looking face.

"I'm not scowling," Yuri said, deciding that it would end best if he didn't explain. "Come on, let's go."

"Okay, yeah, let's go," Otabek said in agreement, probably figuring that it wasn't a battle worth fighting.

They soon arrived at Otabek's apartment in downtown Almaty. It was quite different than the Altin family's home that he had visited last time he was in Kazakhstan. Instead of the casual mess that was strewn across the house, his apartment was ridiculously clean, almost to an extent of being intimidating. The house felt cramped but in a cozy and sweet kind of way, whereas the apartment was extremely spacious for an apartment, with a spare bedroom already set up for Yuri and a lot less clutter covering every square inch of the house. However there were some similarities between the two places. Both had many family photos mounted on the walls, both had many bright colors popping up randomly, and both had a friendly, gentle, and calming ambience .

Yuri started to unpack what he had brought, though there was more which he hadn't brought in a suitcase, but had rather opted to mail to St Petersburg. He only had his clothes, and his cat with him currently. Many more things would be coming later, such as shis collection of books and movies, and a couple of family heirlooms that Yuri prayed would arrive without breaking. But for now Yuri decided that his top priority was his cat. HIs cat who was desperate to get out of her cage. "Can I let Monetka out?" Yuri asked Otabek.

"Of course! Oh she's so pretty," Otabek said, admiring the silky gray and white cat. Of course, he had seen her before in photos, and she was so much more beautiful and regal looking in person.

"She likes you," Yuri remarked as Monetka rubbed against Otabek's legs, and then hopped into Otabek's lap, purring contentedly.

"Can I pick her up?"

"If you have a death wish, sure, but if you don't, it's not advised. But don't worry, she can be very cuddly when she chooses to be and will sit on your lap for ages. Oh, and sometimes when you're laying down she'll start rubbing her face against our face and it's the sweetest thing in te world. Although other times, she tends to forget that humans are a thing that exist."

"Hmm. She's amazing!"

"Yeah, she is. I should go finish packing!" Yuri said before going off into his room. He had finally started to feel like everything was going to go alright, I mean, Otabek approved of his cat, but as soon as he got some solitude his thoughts returned, reminding him of how he was actually going to be living with Otabek. Sure, they had lived together before, but always for brief periods of time. This. This was indefinite, and Yuri had no clue how it would work. It was just so overwhelming.

"Dinner's ready!" Otabek called, interrupting Yuri from his thoughts.

"Thank you!" Yuri said and joined Otabek at the table.

"Hey Yura, are you alright, you're scowling again, did something happen?" Otabek asked.

"I'm fine, and nothing happened," Yuri said, not wanting to admit to Otabek how anxious he was about the whole ordeal.

"Are you sure. Please, if something happened, tell me," Otabek said. He was aware that he was probably pushing Yuri a little bit more than Yuri was used to, and that that might end in Yuri snapping, or completely shutting him out, but something was clearly wrong, and Otabek thought that it would be best if he actually knew what was going on so that he could do something about it.

"It's not a big deal," Yuri tried. He was aware that it wouldn't necessarily end poorly if he talked to Otabek about it, but he was still determined not to, because it was honestly a quite awkward thing to admit.

"If it's not a big deal, then you can tell me," Otabek countered, smiling slightly when he saw the look of dangerous determination melt into something a little softer, though also, for some reason, a little bit afraid looking.

"Ugh, fine. I'm just anxious, that's all," Yuri said, trying not to yell at himself for being as stupid as to tell Otabek this.

"Why are you anxious," Otabek pushed, though he had a pretty good idea of why he was anxious. They were moving in together, after all.

"I'm, I'm anxious because since we're living together, you'll inevitably spend a lot of time with me and once you spend that much time with me, you'll realize how terrible of a person I am, and that you don't want to be around me anymore, and then you'll leave me. I don't want you to leave," Yuri admitted hurriedly, knowing that Otabek could read his emotions better than anybody, and in the end it would be easier just to tell Otabek what had been going on inside of his mind.

Otabek smiled sadly at Yuri from across the table, and softly said, "You have nothing to worry about. I'm not going to leave you. You mean too much to me for me to be able to leave you, okay?"

"Okay," Yuri said, his mind just a little more at ease.