Otabek's never really considered himself a particularly harsh or tender person. He likes animals and children and he's had to pull himself up from literally nothing through a complete lack of support. Not that he hasn't had people backing him and caring for him, but there are no famous rinkmates, no world-class facilities, no reason for people to have their eyes on someone like him like a Russian prodigy. Things have gotten a lot better since he started winning, but he's had to do most of all of this by beating it into submission.

But he's almost shaking, finding this quiet moment between things. Yuri feels delicate in his arms but the way that turns his touch soft has nothing to do with not wanting to hurt him and everything to do with wanting to be able to touch something softly. Maybe Yuri can feel the difference and that's why he allows it. He doesn't think very hard about it, because it's nicer not to.

They sleep tangled up in each other (mostly Yuri tangled up in him, but he's definitely not helping) and the morning is all lazy kisses and the slide of their skin, which is all building quickly to a round of really fantastic morning sex, right up until one of them sees the clock for the first time and realizes how late they've overslept.