#asthmatic viktor

[mypoorfaves]

imagine viktor alone at home and suddenly having an asthma attack - he wheezes and coughs and it feels like people are clawing at his lungs and he can't breathe and the inhaler is just a few inches away but he can't reach it and he really needs it but there's no one at home except makkachin

Troubled breathing? 👀👀

This is such a good scenario! I may have some ideas...

[whoareurl]

Going for Gold

some more asthmatic!viktor but this time during a competition because i’m having a really hard time with finals and i needed some more asthmatic!viktor whump so if anyone wants to write me anything i’m always open to that lmao

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Viktor feels the familiar leap in his chest when he takes off for the triple axel but it doesn’t go away once he lands. It feels...different. He’s not sure what to make of it but he doesn’t have time to think about it because he’s about to start his step sequence and, as much as he doesn’t like to admit it, he really will fuck this up if he doesn’t focus. Skating is about making something look effortless which, ironically, takes a lot of effort.

So Viktor keeps his mind on his routine and flows through his steps as gracefully as he can. He almost trips on a twizzle but he doesn’t think it will be too noticeable. He’s learned from watching his programs back over the years that what feels like a huge mistake is often so minute that he struggles to see the evidence of it even though he knows what he’s looking for. On the contrary, the things he thinks he gets away with make him look like an octopus caught in a spider web.

When he lands his first combination, he’s acutely aware that something is Not Right. For a moment, he remembers being thirteen years old and competing in his first JGP event. He remembers this feeling in his chest. That entire season had been difficult but it had all started with that one attack. It had gotten so bad that Yakov had insisted on keeping Viktor’s inhaler easily accessible at all times. He made Viktor “check in” his inhaler before he was allowed on the ice which, at thirteen, Viktor had found extremely patronising and had rebelled against this as vigorously as he could. Now, at twenty eight, he can appreciate that Yakov was just looking out for him.

Now, Viktor can feel that familiar tight feeling creeping into his lungs. He’s in the second half of his program. He has a quad flip combination planned - the first of its kind. He likes to surprise. But he knows it’s stupid to try it; even downgrading it to a triple probably won’t be enough. In all honesty, Viktor knows that the only sensible course of action is to stop right now. But he won’t do that.

Though, his brain supplies, it would be surprising.

The Ina Bauer transition gives him a moment to gather himself. His chest is heaving and his heart is racing and it should be normal but it isn’t. He’s afraid. No matter how many attacks he has, he’s always a little afraid.

It feels like breathing through a straw. The image makes everything feel worse because now Viktor can’t get it out of his head and his body is moving of its own accord and he’s in a sit spin before he really notices. He feels himself wobbling. Curling in on himself like this really isn’t helping so it’s with relief that he pulls himself up into a Biellmann.  

He downgrades the flip to a triple and almost pops the triple toe loop that follows. He hears an audible gasp from the crowd. The pounding of his heart fills his ears and suddenly he’s very aware of his high-pitched wheezing and he just wants to stop. He wants it to be over.

He pushes through his last spin and he starts to see spots and he’s terrified that he might just fall over right here. He’s so awfully dizzy so he pulls out of his spin early. But there’s still music left so his body, apparently working on instinct, begins working through a small set of circular footwork and then he poses and its over.

The edges of the world are blurring together as Viktor offers a hasty bow in both directions before making a beeline for the exit. He knows his face is red and he’s aware of the panic in his expression and he knows that he’s currently being broadcast all over the world but he just can’t care about anything.

He grabs his skate guards but he doesn’t put them on. Yakov has a hand on his back.

“Vitya,” he says sternly, guiding him to the kiss and cry. Viktor doesn’t notice that Yakov has been trying to shove something into his hand until he says gruffly, “Take it, you stupid boy.”

Viktor doesn’t have to be told twice.

He wraps his fingers around his inhaler and before he even takes a breath he feels his chest relax. Just knowing he can fix this seems to make his body react.

He thuds down on the bench in the kiss and cry with Yakov at his side and takes a second puff. He lets out his breath as the scores are announced, putting him back at the top of the scoreboard by ten points.

He did it. He took gold.

He feels thirteen again. The gold matters. He really wanted it. And, for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t sure he’d get it. Now he remembers why he loved winning.

Yakov pulls him to his feet.

“Vitya!”

Viktor turns and Yuuri is flying towards him with panic evident all over him. He has Viktor’s inhaler clutched tight in his hand. Viktor wonders how he knew.

Instead of asking this, Viktor says dumbly, “I thought you gave that to Yakov.”

Yuuri looks him over and spies the inhaler still in Viktor’s hand. He cocks his head. He doesn’t say anything.

Viktor looks at the inhaler in his hand again and notices that the medical instructions on the cannister are in Russian. His heart stutters a little.

Yakov carries an inhaler.

Viktor doesn’t know where he got it. He’s sure Yakov doesn’t have any other asthmatic skaters which means that Yakov got this for him. He carries it for him.

Exhausted, Viktor steps towards Yuuri who instinctively opens his arms to welcome him in. He breathes heavily but loosely against Yuuri’s shoulder. Yuuri puts a hand on the back of his head.

Viktor’s heart flips over. He got gold in more ways than one.

[whoareurl]

asthmatic!viktor headcanons

i got some anon prompts about this and since i’m about to sleep and can’t write a full thingy that would do them justice, here are my asthmatic!viktor headcanons for ur enjoyment

-hands down, his allergies set it off the most but a particularly bad cold or case of the flu can leave him just as wheezy and tired

-he’s really forgetful about bringing his inhaler with him so yuuri makes sure he always has it on him

-he was hospitalised following an attack when he was nineteen when he showed up to training with a chest infection and just couldn’t get up after a fall (and scared yakov half to death) but that was the only time it ever happened

-he only developed it at sixteen. it was hard to adjust to, especially because he thought it would stop him skating, but he’s mostly on top of it now.

-he can tell the difference now between an asthma cough and a sick cough

-he’s really sensitive to aspirin and ibuprofen, something he discovered after his free skate in switzerland when he took some for a headache and set his asthma off so couldn’t skate his exhibition

-he has a medical alert bracelet so doctors know he can’t have those medicines but he’s super whiney about wearing it. yuuri convinces him to wear it more.

-winter is the worst time for him because the air is too crisp and sharp and it hurts his chest. he has a perpetual cough from november to march.

-he also finds staying still for too long in the rink can make his chest tight so he tends to have quite a dynamic coaching style to avoid that

-he actually finds wearing masks like yuuri does during the winter helps a little

pls enjoy