so when i think about yuri and this situation, I think about me. I used to have 4-5 close friends at work, and now i'm down to one (ppl moved, got married, switched schools, etc). There's no universe in which i would act on a crush in this situation. none. because i only have the one good friend. I need that friendship to last indefinitely, and it will if I don't fuck it up. That's way more important.

like maybe later Yuri will think he has a tighter knit community around himself (I tend to think he sort of does but doesn't feel that way because nobody else is exactly where he is in life until Otabek), and he'd be more inclined to take a risk, but while he still thinks Otabek is the only one who gets him at all, even if he straight up knows that he's stupidly in love with Otabek, I don't think he'd act on it.

but I mean, you know, that's me, because those are my feelings. I'm cool with other people playing it out differently.