All About Us [Yuri Katsuki x Reader]

120 - Pins and needles

It felt warm. That was the first thing that you felt, the first sensation you had come to recognize. It wasn't a smothering heat that burned your insides but the heat that you did feel was more like that of an ember. It was small, barely even a spark but it was there. From deep within your chest through every cell of your body, the warmth enveloped you, it wrapped itself around you...It was nice. It welcomed you like an old friend. It was comforting and familiar. It was something that made you feel...safe.

You were in a vast expanse of nothingness but as soon as you had been there you were gone just like that. You were shaken back into reality. Your eyes opened slowly, your lashes faintly batting against your lids when you blinked, shedding yourself of a dreamless sleep. It was almost overwhelming, everything felt new, fresh and raw. Waking up to soft sheets, you tried to get up but couldn't as you felt sore all over. For a second, you didn't know what you were doing here. You didn't know how you got into bed nor did you know where you were. The sense of time is lost to you. At first, it was dark. You couldn't see anything since all was a blur but as a few seconds past, you became aware of the glare of the lamp sitting on top of the bedside table. You couldn't make out anything but dark lumps of furniture and the blank wall in front of you.

And all of a sudden, it all came back to you. Your memories crashed onto you like a ton of bricks. A chill ran up your spine as you registered where you were. The beeping noise was back and it sent your mind reeling. It was mocking you, taunting you. Cold sweat washed over you, your heart tried to escape through your throat the first chance it could get. You wished that you had remained in that blissful ignorance instead of being uprooted by the fear of being in here, all you could think of was to get out and escape.

Trying to sit up was a long and painful process. Your whole body was sore and was protesting against you. It was as if your own limbs didn't belong to you and each movement felt more like a negotiation rather than a direct order. Your head was throbbing causing the whole room to spin in a dizzying motion. Your mind was clamoring for any sort of relief to come. The pain had been forgotten once you were asleep. The little trap door that you entered, a moment of bliss, a few hours of tranquility was far out of reach. As of now, everything hurts again. You had to bite down on your lip to resist the urge of crying out. Getting out of here was a futile effort. The sharp, stabbing pain lanced through your head and colorful spots flashed in front of your eyes. It felt as if your whole body had just been beaten up and every little movement caused an ache. Regardless, you still needed to escape.

Then you felt something, something holding you back. It was that same, warm feeling from earlier. Only then did you notice that you were not alone, your frenzied mind was slowly being put to rest.

He was hunched over by your side, fast asleep and yet...he held onto your cold hand tightly, showing no signs of letting go. His calloused fingers brushed against your palm in such a fashion that was oddly comforting. The simple touch sent a wave of butterflies coursing through your veins, their fluttering wings eased the dread that had settled inside you.

The sudden stir had caused him to rouse from his own slumber. His eyes were bleary as he stifled out a small yawn. You couldn't bring yourself to move.

And it was at that single moment that his eyes met yours that felt as if time itself had frozen over.

You were, in a word, surprised to see him here and so close to you. It had felt like a dream. Maybe you had just imagined this whole thing and when you pinch yourself hard enough, maybe...just maybe you'd wake up and find him gone. You knew that tensing against your shaking was useless but you did it almost instinctively, trying to suppress for a few more moments what you knew deep within yourself that you cannot.

Yuri scanned your face for your reaction, his brows lined with something between worry and concern. The silence that hung in the air was like the suspended moment before falling glass shatters on the ground. It was like a gaping void that needed to be filled with sounds, words...anything. It was eerily unnatural, clinging to the both of you like a poisonous cloud that could siphon the life out of you. He had expected you to scream, to yell at him or at the very least say something but instead you did none of those things and kept quiet...however you have yet to let go of his hand.