#vesperia au no one asked for | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

crestfallencrest · 1 year ago

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Perfect

Summary: Flynn never thought to ask for more. He always thought what he had was simply enough. But after a strange turn of events, he finds himself wanting more. Prompt: No prompt, I just wanted to write a thing for my Fluri Kid(s) au (Talked about it here [x]) Pairings: Flynn/Yuri Genre: Slight Angst, mostly fluff Warnings: Child endangerment, Mentions of human trafficking, a murder and Very small spoilers. Word Count: 4,875

I’m always taking writing prompts! Feel free to send some or a request if none of the prompts catch your eye! Just remember that I have a right to turn it down!

Mornings were normally a calm and peaceful time where Flynn would take a few extra minutes of solitude before having to get up for the day and go from being Flynn Scifo, just your average everyday man, to Commandant Flynn Scifo, the man who had almost the entire world on his shoulders.

This changed, just slightly, a few years ago when he finally made his feelings known to a certain raven haired man that had made a large impact on his life almost every day since the moment they met, all of those years ago. Yuri returned his feelings, albeit hesitantly (where Yuri got the idea that he wasn’t worthy of him, Flynn would never know but he shut that down instantly), and their relationship began.

Of course, with Flynn being Commandant and Yuri being part of the guilds, they didn’t get to see each other as often as they would have liked. But when they reunited, their nights were spent making up for lost time, sometimes with heated kisses and gasping breaths beneath their sheets and other times by just sitting next to one another, too tired to act on their love and just finding solace in being in the other’s presence.

On the days that Yuri slept in Flynn’s bed, mornings were still as quiet as before but Flynn would be forced to deal with the temptation of slipping back into bed, next to Yuri’s side so he could rest his hands on the waist of his beloved and pull him closer and closer so he could pretend that the man wasn’t going to have to leave soon. So he could pretend that Yuri would always be by his side, no matter what.

It was nice to pretend that a life like that was within reach. It was nice to imagine the thought of coming home to Yuri every single night. To take him into his arms after a rough day in the office or on the field and kiss him until they couldn’t breathe and to just hold him in his arms, running fingers through his hair. It was a nice fantasy but it was one that Flynn scolded himself for thinking of or else, his yearning may turn his feelings bitter.

…Which is why he was surprised when one night, in between wanting kisses and love bites, Yuri muttered out words that sent Flynn into overdrive.

“Starting this month, I’m gonna be stationed here in Zaphias as a branch for Brave Vesperia.”

When Flynn hurriedly questioned the reasoning behind this (and secretly trying to find out who to thank for this), Yuri explained that Brave Vesperia had grown enough that a few of the members decided to branch off. After all, not everyone could make it to Dahngrest if they needed assistance from the guilds. With Karol being old enough now (Seventeen… had it really been five years since they fought the Adephagos?) to handle most of the Guild Headquarters on his own, with some guidance from Raven of course, Yuri and Judith both decided it was time to station themselves in places where they were needed.

He didn’t go into detail over what Judith was planning on her end but Yuri decided to come to station himself back in Zaphias for a multitude of reasons. Flynn knew that he was one of the reasons, of course, but Yuri was a man of priorities so if Flynn had to guess, he likely wanted to keep an eye on the Lower Quarter (Though Flynn thought he had been doing a good job at keeping the Lower Quarter maintained… was he not?). When Flynn asked, he couldn’t quite get an answer out of the man and instead, Yuri pushed to continue their current and more intimate activities.

Flynn decided to simply not look a gift horse in the mouth and left it alone.

Life continued as normal, and before long, Yuri was completely settled in Zaphias, choosing to operate in his own room rather than building his own office but most of their nights were spent together, whether in Flynn’s own room in the castle or smooshed together in Yuri’s bed. It was nice. It made Zaphias feel more like home than it ever had before. There were times where Yuri would have to leave for work business but it was nice, knowing he would come home to Flynn before too long, and they would fall right back into the pattern of falling asleep in each other’s arms and waking up as a tangle of limbs and light kisses as they greeted each morning together.

Things took a drastic and surprising turn when Yuri suddenly vanished one day with nothing but a note on his desk, in his room.

‘Looking into something for a job. Be back in a bit.’

‘A bit’ turned into several days with no word from Yuri or Repede and Flynn, knowing that the pair could take care of themselves but beset with anxiety regardless, ended up sending one of his men over to Dahngrest to check in with Karol, to see if he had heard anything. Karol hadn’t, and that served to make Flynn’s anxiety worsen.

On the tenth day, when Flynn was getting ready to call an official search, a commotion outside catches his attention as he hears some of the knights yelling and before he can get up to investigate, his door is thrown up. Yuri stumbles through, looking pale, weak, bloodied and shaken. The man looked like he had not slept much at all the past week and he noticed Repede pressed up against him as if helping keep him grounded.

What shocked Flynn the most though was the small child, no older than three, Yuri held tightly in his arms, who clung to him desperately with her face shoved into his chest. She had black hair, matted and tangled and– Oh Gods, was that blood? Her skin was pale and she was skinny in a way that made Flynn feel uncomfortable. They were both shaking though Yuri seemed a bit dazed.

“Yuri–” Flynn breathes out, eyes widening as Yuri takes a few steps in. Some of the Knights hurry in after him, hands on their weapons but they pause when Flynn quickly holds up a hand. “At ease. He’s– He’s my partner.” He instructed, trying to ignore how his voice was shaking as he looked back to Yuri and – that wasn’t Yuri’s blood and it wasn’t the little girl’s and he’s not sure if that made him feel better or worse.

When the knights begin to back off, Yuri had leaned in close to the little girl in his arms and whispered something that Flynn couldn’t quite catch and she responded with the tiniest whimper she could muster before she threw her arms around his neck. Finally, he looked up at Flynn, eyes exhausted and voice wavering as he spoke.

“Flynn, can… you send the Knights to go grab someone?” He had asked, cautiously as his eyes darted down to the little girl in his arms.

Flynn did not waste even a second as he ordered his knights into action.

The little girl was apparently the daughter of a servant who had worked for a noble. Yuri had received a tip that the noble (someone who worked so closely with the Empire, Flynn had come to learn much to his disgust) was secretly purchasing people from a hidden, underground trafficking ring. The little girl and her mother were one amongst many that the noble had bought. As if that weren’t disgusting enough, though, apparently the man had been murdering his servants for his own entertainment when he got tired of them.

Yuri had infiltrated the man’s establishment as a maid while trying to find evidence and had gotten close to the young girl (“Iris.” Yuri muttered, holding her close. “Her name is Iris.”) and her mother and did his best to protect them while he was there. Things escalated, apparently. Iris’ mother had apparently been caught stealing medicine from the noble’s belongings, as Iris had caught a pretty bad cold. They had disappeared.

Yuri would find them two days later, the man– that monster– attempting to choke the life out of the crying little girl. Her mother was already deceased.

Yuri had reacted appropriately, of course. He threw the entire mission to the side and beat the man nearly to death. Flynn was surprised to find that when Yuri left him tied up in the basement of his estate, he was still breathing, if barely. Documents regarding contact with the human traffickers were found in his quarters on the estate, multiple reports from the remaining servants were made regarding his abuse and after some time, the remains of the past employees were found. Yuri was also questioned but he had refused that Iris be questioned and considering that the young girl had just experienced more trauma than anyone her age should have experienced, Flynn agreed quite quickly.

Overall, the noble’s fate was sealed and his crimes were finally brought to an end. It was a mess that took entirely too long to take care of but knowing that that monster was off of the streets and the remaining servants of the estate were free and safe, then it was all too worth it.

But then, Flynn had to figure out what to do about poor little Iris. In the month and a half it took to get her mother’s murderer behind bars, Iris had not once left Yuri’s side and vice versa. In fact, Yuri seemed entirely too anxious to keep his eye off of her for too long. Had the circumstances not been so utterly horrendous, Flynn would have found the entire thing too adorable for words.

Iris, despite what she had been through, seemed to bounce back pretty quickly. She was not the quiet type of child Flynn thought she was when she was first pulled into his room. She was loud, energetic, and was able to keep a conversation for longer than most people could. Her entire personality screamed “People’s person” and when Flynn had commented on that, Yuri simply gave the man a sad smile as he held onto Flynn’s hand.

“Yeah, her mother was like that too.”

Eventually, another few weeks passed and despite a fight never occurring between the two men, things were as awkward as ever between them. When Flynn would lean in to kiss Yuri, Yuri wouldn’t respond with as much energy as he normally would. Yuri’s mind would simply be elsewhere and the man was simply too distracted with whatever was going on up there in his brain that it was as if Yuri wasn’t even there at all.

Until one day, Yuri speaks up, voice uncertain as they sit on the edge of the fountain in the Lower Quarter together, watching Iris squeal with delight as she runs from Repede. The canine bounced all around her, tail wagging furiously as he pretended to try and catch her.

“What do you think of Iris?”

Flynn doesn’t look away from Iris as she moves to jump over a puddle, nearly toppling over and he can’t help but chuckle. A simple puddle was not enough to stop Repede’s onslaught. “She’s a very sweet girl. Very strong personality.” He notes, smiling to himself.

Yuri snorts quietly. “Is that your way of saying that she’s too stubborn and can’t sit still?”

“No, it’s my way of saying she reminds me of you.” Flynn smirks, nudging his hand before letting his fingers intertwine with Yuri’s hand and squeezes. “But aside from that, she’s… she went through a lot. And look at her. Running and laughing like it never happened. When my father and mother died… I was distraught for months…”

“...I know.” Yuri frowns, not looking away from Iris but he does pull Flynn’s hand into his lap. “Iris is… she’s still suffering. She has nightmares every night and she misses her mom more than anything. I can’t… No one can fix that. Not really.”

“... Yeah… I know.” Flynn whispers and then finally, he lets out the question that had been nagging the back of his brain since Yuri stumbled into his office that day with Iris in his arms. “What’s… um… your plan? What are you going to do with her? Are you going to take her to the children’s home?”

Yuri takes entirely too long to answer which, in Flynn’s eyes, already solidifies the answer. Yuri had no intention of taking Iris to the children’s home, where they both grew up. There wasn’t anything wrong with the place. In fact, it was in much better condition now due to Flynn’s influence than it was when they were small. It wasn’t a horrible place. But there was a certain type of loneliness that came with that type of place. Yuri and Flynn had each other but even then, some days were simply lonelier than others. After what Iris went through, she needed special attention and care. But would Yuri be able to give her that? Would–

“I promised her that I would stay with her when I found her. She begged me not to leave her alone.” Yuri’s words are low and contemplative. “She… begs me every night when she wakes up, screaming to never leave her. And to be honest, I don’t intend to.”

“What about your guild work?”

“I’ll have to improvise on some days, I’m sure. But Iris has been getting along kinda well with Hanks and the others in the Lower Quarter. We’ll work on it but I’m sure some of them would be happy to watch her if I need to go somewhere.” Yuri ponders quietly to himself.

Flynn considers it very carefully as well. “I suppose that when Lady Estellise and Rita are in town, they would also be willing to watch her for us.”

There’s a small nod in response as silence settles between them. And then, Yuri blinks. “For us?”

Flynn nods, not quite registering Yuri’s surprise for a moment as he puts his free hand to his chin, looking very thoughtful. “We would have to make some adjustments, of course, and also some introductions but Lady Estellise is very good with children and I’m certain Iris would love some of her stories that she has.”

“Flynn, h-hold on–”

“We would also have to get her a proper room set up as well. There’s not nearly enough room for all three of us on your small little bed back in your inn room. But staying in the castle the whole time would be rather stifling for the both of you. I know you weren’t into the idea at first but maybe I could convince you to try house searching again. Maybe we can find a house in the citizen’s quarter, since there are more of a variety there. It would be a good spot to raise a child, at least for the time being–” “Flynn, stop!” Yuri slams his hand over Flynn’s mouth, who’s eyes break out of his rambling daze before raising an eyebrow. Yuri let out a breath that he had been holding and quickly continued. “Flynn, you don’t have to raise her with me. This isn’t your responsibility–”

Flynn bites Yuri’s hand.

“OW–”

“You’re such a damned idiot–” Flynn growls out as Yuri pulls his hand back with a look of confusion and anger. “I love you, dumbass. For SOME reason. I love you more than anything in the world. Gods, if you would let me, I would literally marry you, right here and now!”

Yuri’s shocked expression almost makes him laugh but instead, Flynn proceeds to grab Yuri by the hands and yanks him to his feet. He’s unsure what exactly spurred this decision but he would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it before. This whole time, he was living under the assumption that getting to have Yuri living in Zaphias was the most he was allowed to wish for. So when it came true, he had stopped wishing for more. He had Yuri, and thus, he was content.

But then Yuri decided he wanted to add to his family, by taking in a little girl. By becoming a father, and then he had the nerve to assume that Flynn didn’t want a part of it? That was enough to light a fire in Flynn’s chest, full of want. And want, he did. He wanted more. The entire scenario unleashed an entire flood of feelings through his body. He wanted this.

He wanted to stay by Yuri’s side. To wake up next to him, every single morning for the rest of their lives. To be able to lean over and kiss him good morning. To be able to run a hand through his hair, to whisper sweet little good mornings into his ear.

He wanted a house to call their own. To have a space that’s so specifically theirs, that they could call home and return to it whenever they finished their work for the day. He wanted a kitchen to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner in. A place to eat with his family. He wanted a place to share with the man he loved most.

He wanted a family. He wanted to be there for Iris on the nights that Yuri couldn’t be. He knew it would be a work in progress, since the young girl couldn’t trust anyone as much as she did Yuri but he wanted to get to know her. For her to get to know him. He wanted her to depend on him as much as she depended on Yuri. He wanted her to feel at home, wherever it was they stayed. As he glances over his shoulder, he sees her wide smile as Iris falls to her knees and throws her arms around Repede, hugging him tightly. And he fell even more in love with her and with the idea of having their small little family grow.

So, he turned back to Yuri and held his hands tightly, bringing them up to his lips as he kissed across the man’s knuckles and he relished in the fact that Yuri’s face had begun to turn a shade of pink.

“Yuri–” He starts, blue eyes glancing up to meet Yuri’s gray orbs. “I want to support you in any way that I can. In any way that you’ll allow. If I can’t support you when you’re on the other side of the world, at least let me support this. I want this, Yuri. It’s not me trying to take responsibility. You want to take in this little girl. You want to raise her. To make sure she’s never alone again. And I want that too. I want it so much, Yuri. To be with you, to raise her together in a place that we can call our home? It’s… It’s…”

He hated the way his voice cracked, the way his eyes stung with a certain emotion that filled his chest. “It’s just perfect. You’re perfect, you’re both so–”

Yuri kisses him, slow and sweet but full of love. More love and energy than Flynn had been kissed by him in weeks and he briefly wondered if this was what was causing Yuri to distance himself. Had he been planning this from the start? Was he intending to adopt Iris and had just begun to assume that Flynn wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Was he once again doing that dumb thing he did, where he was insisting on not getting in the way of his career as Commandant?

Flynn kisses back, wrapping his arms around Yuri tightly, and refusing to let go. He couldn’t. He had to make sure Yuri knew that he was serious about this. That they could handle it. Just like they handled everything else in the past.

Together.

“Mm…” Yuri hums softly, pulling back from the kiss as he reaches over to brush a hand against Flynn’s cheek. “So you’d marry me right here and now if you could, huh?”

His smile is wide and teasing and Flynn felt his cheeks burn as he remembered just how easily the words left his mouth. He wouldn’t take them back though.

“Yes. Yes, I would…”

And then came the question that nearly swept Flynn off of his feet. “What’s stopping you?”

But before he could even think of how to respond, the tiniest voice calls out to them and they’re both yanked from their trance as they look down at Iris, who’s looking up at them with wide and curious eyes. Her gaze trails down to their joined hands and realization seems to hit her.

“Yuri…” She asks, almost gravitating to cling to the man’s leg as she glances up to Flynn. “Yuri’s married?”

Just being in the radius of Iris was enough to make Flynn’s heart melt. And it only got worse when Yuri leaned down so he could make eye contact with her. “No, not married yet. I’m working on it, kiddo.” His smirk was evident as he chanced a look towards Flynn, who felt his cheeks heat up immensely.

“Oh!” Iris giggles, seeming pleased with that answer. “Soon?”

And this time, Yuri looks up at Flynn, eyebrow raised in question and almost like on autopilot, Flynn leans down as well so he could look Iris in her curious, dark eyes. “Very soon.” He confirms, holding out a hand towards her.

Iris does step back just a moment, not fully used to Flynn yet but she just as quickly gets over her fear and bravely reaches out and takes Flynn’s hand. “I can throw flowers? Pretty blue ones?”

Flynn and Yuri both exchange glances at this, smiles wide, cheeks red and eyes full of love and happiness.

“Only the prettiest.”

The smile that followed became Flynn’s entire world.

That was the day that Flynn’s mornings began to change. He had come far, it seemed. He went from waking up alone in the room picked out for him at the castle, to waking up in a small little house in the Public Quarter (an equal distance from both the Lower Quarter and the Royal Quarter). Two years had passed since that day and Flynn had the pleasure of waking up with a face full of raven colored hair shoved into his face, a tiny leg jabbing into his waist and the large form of a dog lying across their legs.

It was uncomfortable, it was painful, it was crowded, but it was perfect. More nights than none, Iris would find her way into their bedroom and shove herself in between them, a habit that the now five year old started back when they officially adopted her two years ago. She still clung to Yuri the most, who would happily pull her closer with his free arm but Flynn did cherish the days where he woke up with her face shoved directly into his chest.

He loved her. He loved both of them. He loved his family so much that he worried that he was going to become known as an overly doting father and husband back at his office.

His mornings were no longer peaceful, he realized, when he would watch Yuri struggle to get Iris ready for the day (“You have to put the shirt on THIS way, Iris.” Yuri argued, trying to tug the shirt off, only for little fists to cling onto it as tight as they could. “I wanna WEAR IT THIS WAY!” Iris would argue back with a screech of rage.) as Flynn worked to get into his uniform for work himself. As Iris pitched her daily temper tantrum and began to bicker with the older man, Flynn couldn’t help but smile to himself. He had so much. He had Yuri. He had Repede. He had Iris. He had a small home in the middle of Zaphias, and he still was able to successfully run his position as Commandant with no issue while Yuri was still able to do his own work as well.

His life almost felt perfect… but as he watched Yuri and Iris stick their tongues out at each other after their first argument of the day, he couldn’t help but think that something else was missing…

“Okay, well I don’t want to hear it when someone calls you out over your shirt being backwards.” Yuri points out, gently jabbing a finger into Iris’ stomach. “I tried to warn you.”

“It feels better this way.” Iris huffed, crossing her arms.

“You just don’t wanna admit that you were wrong.” Yuri smirks and pokes her again, earning a quick smack of defiance from the young girl. “Flynn’s gonna tell me if you go running to him to fix it later.”

“Nuh-uh! Flynn’s not a… a…” Iris trails off, seeming stuck on what to say. “...Not a tattletale like you!”

“I don’t know who told you that but they lied to you.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Yes-huh.”

“NUH-UH!”

Flynn decided to step in before things got out of hand. “How about we put a pin in this conversation?” He chuckles as moves to pull Yuri back to his feet, pausing to adjust his shirt for him (And he smiles so warmly when he notices the familiar silver band connected to the chain around his neck. “I believe it’s time to head out. Lady Estellise wanted to go over some more lessons today with Iris so you shouldn’t be late in dropping her off.”

Yuri smirks a bit and leans forward to press his lips against Flynn’s, who happily returns the small kiss that had just fallen into routine for them. “I think I’d be doing her a favor if we were late. Gives her time to prepare for the Hellbeast I’m about to unleash into her room.”

“Well, I won’t stand for it, thank you very much.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you won’t.” Yuri laughs and gestures for the door, looking to the young girl who was currently trying to stand on her hands and failing spectacularly. “Alright, Squirt. Out the door, let's go.”

Iris doesn’t waste time in running out in her backwards shirt and her black hair bouncing behind her and Flynn watches her go only to see her freeze by the door. Then, twisting on her heel, she runs back with her insane five year old speed as she runs at Flynn with open arms. Flynn had seen this before and instead of letting her run face first into his arm, he’s quick to reach out and scoop her up underneath her arms.

When she throws her arms around his neck and plants a kiss onto his cheek, he chuckles and returns it, planting a kiss on her forehead. When Iris turns to look at Yuri, there’s an evil grin that stretches across her face as if taunting him and Flynn had to fight to keep from bursting out into laughter.

“I kissed Flynn bye-bye before you did!” Iris brags, looking way too proud of herself.

“You are a little menace to society.” Yuri reaches over to tug the girl from Flynn’s arms. “You treat me so badly. Both of you. Repede is the only one in this damn family that loves me anymore.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Flynn couldn’t stop the laugh this time. “Are you really going to let yourself be bullied by our five-year-old, Yuri?”

“Okay, next time she can bite you and you can see if you’re able to stand up to her.”

As if to prove his point, Iris looks to Flynn and shows her teeth, making overly dramatic chomping noises. Here’s hoping that she would grow out of the biting phase soon…

Taking Flynn’s silence as his own personal victory, he puts Iris back onto the ground and nudges her towards the door. “C’mon, let’s go.”

Iris darts out the door again, waving one final goodbye before she hurries towards their living room to grab her pouch. Yuri snorts quietly to himself and moves to follow…

Flynn suddenly grabs Yuri by the sleeve. “Hey… Yuri, could I ask you something? Just something to think about?”

The man (his husband! Flynn reminds himself with a burst of excitement) stops in his tracks, turning to Flynn with his silent curiosity.

And Flynn is just overwhelmed again by how lucky he was and how much he loved living this somewhat normal but not normal life of theirs and he knew he was selfish. He knew he was asking for the world and more. But even then, he couldn’t help himself as he leaned forward and kissed Yuri again, loving and deep as he let his hands reach down to grasp at his hands as the question slipped from his lips.

“What if we added one more to our family?”

He watched a multitude of emotions run over Yuri’s face that day: Confusion, which turned to shock and then quickly followed by silent questions just on the tip of his tongue as he processed the man’s words… and then Flynn was more than pleased to see just a small spark of excitement reveal itself on the man’s features.

And Flynn knew he had won.

#tales of vesperia #yuri lowell #flynn scifo #fluri #oneshots #fluri kids au #i was stressed today so i wanted to write the fluff

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crestfallencrest · 1 year ago

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Bravus Vesperia Magica (Ch. 4)

(Basically a Magical Person AU origin story!) Read here on Ao3 [x] (Notes at the end) Read Chapter 1 here! [x] Read Previous Chapter here! [x] Word Count: 20,964 Hiya! I'm back from vacation! And I got a BIG chapter (this was not on purpose i am so sorry). Introducing a bunch of names in this chapter so some notes on a few of them! Niren, Hisca and Chastel - obviously from the First Strike movie. I don't think it's REQUIRED for you to watch the movie but hey, it might help a bit <3 And is good movie! Liam, on the other hand, is an entirely made up character. Also I borrowed some of the Symphonia cast and one from the Abyss cast. (Also this chapter jumps between Yuri and Karol POV)

Chapter 4: A Coward's Test

“What’s the matter with you?”

Yuri’s hard gaze tears itself away from the window of his classroom, breaking from his thoughts as he turns his head towards the source of the voice. Amber eyes stared back at him, as one of his classmates stood over him, arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed suspiciously through her red bangs that rested just above her eyes.

Yuri takes a moment to examine her closely. “Ah, Chastel.” “Guess again.” The girl’s hands drop to her hips as her nose twists in irritation.

Yuri keeps his lazy expression though a small grin begins to stretch across his face. “Nah, I don’t think I will.” He drawled. “Maybe if you and your sister wore your hair in different ways, I wouldn’t get so confused.”

“It’s not my fault that you’re too blind to notice the differences!”

“Sure, sure, whatever you say, Twin Number 2.”

The twins, Hisca and Chastel: Yuri had somehow had the displeasure of being stuck in their class since middle school. For a while, the two of them tended to hang out with him and Flynn, with Chastel, the younger twin, constantly fretting over the blonde while Hisca, the older twin, constantly nagged Yuri’s ear off. Yuri had to admit though: It was pretty impressive meeting someone who nagged more than Flynn.

“You’re so infuriating.” Hisca growled out but began to pull out a chair next to his desk anyway, despite her irritation. “What’s going on with you? You’ve been angry all morning. Did you get into a fight again?”

Yuri rolls his eyes, once again propping his face onto his right hand and moving to stare at the window. “No.”

“Well, the bandages beg to differ.” He feels Hisca reach out to tap at his bandaged cheeks and he flinches back with a tiny hiss. She quietly withdraws her hand. “Sorry, but this wouldn’t happen if you weren’t fighting all of the time!”

Yuri clicks his tongue but doesn’t respond.

“Don’t click your tongue at me!”

“Well, I don’t know why you’re asking me such stupid questions.” Yuri drops his hand onto his desk again in frustration. “You seem pretty good at guessing what happened so why are you bugging me about it?”

“Because I’m trying to get the full story, you jerk!” Hisca slammed her hand on the desk. “Liam and his goons are talking about how you came out of nowhere and beat them up for no reason yesterday and people are talking about you now. I thought it was nothing but a lie but seeing the bandages…”

Psch, of course they were. It didn’t help that Yuri was already building one hell of a reputation with his fighting. But of course those guys were trying to make themselves seem like the good guys. He was certain that Flynn had a hard enough time dealing with that. In truth, the fight was no one’s business. Flynn couldn’t necessarily correct the rumors because then he would just look like he was taking someone’s side.

…The fact that Yuri was just given three days of detention during lunch instead of straight up being suspended was already stabbing holes into Flynn’s credibility as the student council president. Correcting the rumors would simply be a death sentence.

“So, what do you think?” Yuri raises an eyebrow at the twin. “Think I jumped them?”

Hisca considers it for a moment, finger to her chin. “...No, I don’t think so. Not unless they were doing something they shouldn’t be doing.”

Yuri just lets out a hum to show that he was listening.

“So… they managed to get a few hits on you then?”

“No. I got jumped by a crazy maniac with a knife on my way home yesterday.”

Hisca lets out an amused snort only to stop when she notices the hard and serious look on his face.

“Oh my god, you’re serious?”

“Wish I wasn’t.” Yuri’s irritation slowly fades as he slumps down into his chair. “Before you start freaking out, I’m fine.”

Hisca stays quiet for a moment, eyes scanning his cheeks and then moving down to his hand. If she was unsatisfied with what she saw, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she props her elbows onto Yuri’s desk as she leans closer. “I knew that Liam’s story was fishy when he started taking credit for your injuries. The guy has never thrown a punch properly in his life. So what happened? And don’t lie this time.”

Yuri considers it for a moment. Despite Hisca’s nagging, she never seemed to come off as an untrustworthy person. If anything, she was just way too annoying, loud and loved to hover and criticize him at every given moment. Which made him realize pretty quickly that he was likely not going to be able to leave this classroom until he gave her what she wanted.

“Ugggh, fine.” Yuri throws his head back in annoyance. “Here’s the short version: The jackasses were feeling up on Estelle, the new girl, and they were kicking around a dog too–”

“Oh, the one you were taking care of?”

Yuri stopped and stared at her like she had just grown two heads, earning the tiniest of shrugs in response.

“Chastel told me…”

“And how the hell did she know?!” Yuri exclaims, completely baffled. Was this Flynn’s fault? Oh, he would bet money on it.

“I don’t know.” Hisca shrugs again, waving her hand at Yuri, signaling him to continue. “Keep talking.”

“You both suck.” Yuri’s eyes narrow as he continues the story. “So they were kicking around Repede and feeling up on Estelle so I decided to take care of it. So, sure. You could technically say I jumped them. But they started it.”

Hisca nods, understandingly. “So, that’s why you’ve been so huffy all day?”

A small growl leaves Yuri’s lips before he can even stop it. “No. I’m pissed off that I was called to the principal’s office and was told that instead of being suspended for starting a fight, I would only get three days of detention. Which means that Flynn likely had a hand in this somewhere.”

Hisca immediately slaps her hand against her forehead in disbelief. “You’re mad because Flynn got you out of trouble?!” She exclaims and… yeah, when she says it like that, it sounds stupid.

But it wasn’t. Not really. He was a known troublemaker and he was also known as Flynn’s childhood friend. Everyone in the school seemed to know this and if you didn’t, then it wouldn’t be long until you did. Flynn, to his credit, did everything he could to treat Yuri as equally as the other students. Hell, if anything, Flynn was a lot tougher on Yuri than others. But despite it all, rumors still flooded the halls of the school. People, mostly those with malicious intent towards Yuri or Flynn or both, would whisper constantly about how the only reason Yuri hadn’t been expelled yet was because of Flynn.

And on some days, Yuri felt as if they were right. Today was one of those days.

“I want you to repeat that sentence to yourself, but slower. Sound it out if you have to.” Yuri’s words come out sarcastically as he folds his arms behind his head, leans back into his seat and kicks his feet up onto the desk. “He shouldn’t be getting me out of trouble.”

“But those guys started it! You were just protecting another student!”

“Yeah, and even if the principal understands that, you really think the other students will?” Yuri closes his eyes with a tired sigh. “Especially with the stories that Liam has been spreading?”

Hisca half-heartedly swats at Yuri’s feet to shoo them off of the desk. “So go and set the story straight.”

“Find me someone who will listen and maybe.” A chuckle leaves Yuri’s lips as he peeks an eye open at her. “Until then, I want Flynn to stay out of my business.”

“Ugh, you’re just so impossible. You and Flynn.”

The silence settles between them and Yuri chalks the conversation up to a close. He pulls his feet back to the ground and moves to stand, grabbing his bag along the way. “Okay, speaking of detention, I should probably head that way. See ya around.”

As he moves past the girl, he does feel her reach out and tug back on his sleeve, grabbing his attention. When he looks back to her, eyebrow raised questioningly, she’s looking down into her lap cheeks a slight tint of red from embarrassment.

“Hey, for what it’s worth, I’ll listen. Chastel will as well. And I know a few handful of others who will as well. So don’t act like it’s you against the whole school, okay?”

The sentiment was nice and he really did appreciate it. Truly, he did. But he and she both knew that he was not the type to run to others with his problems. Not when they had other things to worry about. Regardless, he gives her a tiny nod as he gently pulls out of her grasp and heads towards the door.

“...Yeah. Okay.”

---

He had been making his way towards the room for detention, ignoring the way that eyes would stare him down as he passed while choosing not to pay any attention to how people pointed out his bandaged cheeks. They whispered, they pointed, they judged and Yuri chose to turn a blind eye to all of it. He was, admittedly, surprised that the guys from yesterday were popular enough to cause so much gossip. He barely even recognized them, after all. Well, it showed what he knew regarding the social ladder of the school. Regardless, he would, again, choose to just forget about it. At least, he would attempt to until he heard her voice call out from around the corner.

“I demand that you correct these silly rumors at ONCE!”

Oh no. She wouldn’t.

Yuri’s uncaring attitude about the situation suddenly took a turn as he hurried to the corner and poked his head out, and sure enough, his fears became a reality. There he spotted Estelle, having Liam and two of his goons from yesterday ‘cornered’ (They were simply just leaning against the wall while Estelle stood before them with her hands on her hips) as she glared at them with the ferocity of a small and angry puppy.

‘No offense, Repede.’ Yuri commented to himself, thinking back to the small pup that he had left back at his apartment on the way to school with Flynn today.

As Yuri peered around the corner at them, he tried not to take too much pride in how much the three boys were all bandaged up and he was sure he saw the gap in Liam’s teeth from where he had lost the tooth.

As Estelle stood tall against Liam, the boy snickers to himself as he sported that same sleazy look from yesterday. “You really want to come back for more, princess?” His voice is light and teasing, and just so slimy and disgusting. “I figured you would have had more brains than to show yourself to us again.”

Yuri takes a quick glance around and, of course, there didn’t seem to be anybody else nearby. Why would he ever be that lucky?

“You know, your boyfriend isn’t here to bail you out this time.”

“Yeah, for real.” The two lackeys (because what more could they possibly be?) glance at each other with large grins. “You know, you shouldn’t hang around someone so violent, miss. We’re so much nicer.”

Oh, Yuri was about to show them violence. He glances at Estelle and while he can’t see her face, he notices that her hand is shaking in anger. He notices a twitch of her hand and he briefly wonders if she were about to slap one of them. That… would not end well for her at all. Was he going to have to step in again?

“Yeah, you should definitely play nice with us. Lowell will likely be kicked out of school before the end of the year and after that, things will be very different around here, I promise–”

As Yuri steps out from around the corner, a hand suddenly grabs hard onto his shoulder and yanks him back with such ferocity that he finds himself getting thrown onto his ass on the floor. Looking up from his spot on the floor, all he sees is a glimpse of brown hair and a girl’s uniform as whoever it was turns the corner with quick and angry stomps.

All Yuri can hear is the loud clap that he can only assume was someone’s fist connecting with someone’s face, followed by the sound of someone falling to the floor with a loud and pained groan. He jumps to his feet in an instant and peers back around the corner as he takes in the scene.

The new arrival was a young girl who was a few inches shorter than Estelle with short and messy brown hair. She stood confidently above Liam, who was now on the floor holding his cheek while his two lackeys flocked to him to help him to his feet. Estelle quickly took a step back, hands flying over her mouth as she looked between the girl and the three guys. Judging by their angry expressions, Yuri was becoming more certain that a fight was about to break out.

“Will you three just shut the hell up?!” She growls out and when she takes another step forward, Yuri nearly laughs with lackey #2 flinches back. “I have heard NOTHING but the dumb shit that you’ve been talking about all freaking day and I’m SICK of it!”

“And who the hell are you supposed to be?”

“Wait, aren’t you that Mordio girl? You’re just an underclassmen! You can’t treat an upperclassman like that!!”

Mordio took another step forward and this time, Lackey #1 stepped back. “I said SHUT UP! You’re literally so annoying! I can’t even go to the library without hearing about how you three got your butts kicked! For someone who tries to act all tough, you would think that you would get embarrassed about sharing a story about how you got your sorry tails handed to you. Who brags about losing a fight?!”

Okay, this Mordio girl had a very good point.

Liam pushes himself off of his little buddy followers and makes a step towards Mordio, shooting her a dangerous glare and for a split moment, Yuri is back on guard, ready to step in. “I’m already getting really sick of your mouth, Little Girl. This conversation had nothing to do with you so stop butt–”

“I’m getting sick of you! ”Mordio put an end to his little macho speech by delivering a kick to somewhere that made Yuri flinch back in a bit of sympathy pain. When Liam once again drops to his knees, both hands shooting to cover his crotch in pain, Mordio quickly snatches Estelle by the arm and begins to hurry away with the taller girl in tow. Estelle has a moment of panic as she looks back to the assaulted leader and his friends. “Uh– Wait–”

Mordio either doesn’t hear Estelle or chooses to ignore her protests as she hurries past the hallway that Yuri was currently standing in. Yuri was unsure the two noticed him at all as they quickly made their way down the stairs to the floor below. The two boys that remained quickly left Liam on the floor and moved to pursue and that's when Yuri decided to step in. As he stepped around the corner, he shot his hands out and grabbed the two guys by their shoulders and spun them around away from the staircase.

“Hey there.” He greets with a grin as he slides his arms over both of their shoulders. “Fancy meeting you guys here. Were you on your way to detention too?”

He takes a little bit too much pleasure in watching how both boys freeze and pale upon getting caught by Yuri. And when Yuri tells them to help their friend up and get him to the nurses office, they thankfully have the brain to do so without complaint.

At some point, Yuri makes sure to send a quick text over to Estelle when he can. Whoever Mordio was, he was pretty sure she didn’t intend on harming Estelle, since she went out of her way to get her out of the situation. But it still didn’t hurt to check in.

---

Karol really hated when his friends started going off about ghost stories at the lunch table.

It wasn’t like he was scared or anything! And even if he was scared, who could really blame him?! He’s heard so many stories of teenagers that were a good five years older than him running out of the Quoi Woods, screaming in terror. He’s heard adults talk about how they avoid the forest in the park like the plague. He’s heard stories of eerie red lights, evil monsters lurking in the shadows, people disappearing, curses… he’s heard them all! How could anyone blame him for being wary?

And yet, here they were, speaking about the Quoi Woods for the third day in a row. He wasn’t entirely sure why Anise, a girl only one year older than Karol with black hair pulled up into pigtails, was so hyper focused on the forest lately. She babbled on and on about the rumors of the forest with an evil grin on her face as she scanned the table for reactions. Nan sat beside Karol, digging at her food with her fork as she listens carefully to Anise’s words and Karol is momentarily baffled because Did Nan actually like stories like this? !

“...and then I heard that a teenager over at Zaphias High saw a giant monster-like creature in the forest!” Anise clutches to her little stuffed toy (which was creepy enough without all of the ghost tales) with a wide grin.

A low hum of boredom is from across the table and Karol and Nan both glance over to a boy with white and messy hair pick at his lunch in disgust. One glance at the lunch box told Karol everything he needed to know. Genis, one of his classmates (and a genius at that), was known for being a wonderful cook, to the point where he ended up making his own lunches. Unfortunately, it did not stop his older sister, a professor who taught over at the same high school Anise mentioned, from trying to make his lunches for him. Karol didn’t want to know how she had managed to sneak the food into his lunchbox like she did.

“My sister heard about that story and said it was only a bear or something.” Genis eventually gives up and moves to close his lunch box.

“Yeah, but I also heard that the police are starting to look into it!”

Karol frowns, pursing his lips. “Maybe… they’re just tired of all the rumors so they’re going to confirm that there’s nothing there.”

“Yeah, or maybe there’s a rabid wolf or something and they’re going to go put it down.” Genis rolls his eyes. “I highly doubt it’s a monster, Anise.”

Anise shoots both boys a glare as she slams her doll onto the table. “If it were just a rabid wolf, people wouldn’t be making it such a big deal.” She pouts before looking at Nan with a smile. “Nan believes me, don’t you, Nan?”

Nan takes a moment, trying to consider it as she glances at Karol. “Maybe there is a monster.” She finally decides, putting a finger to her chin. “All the more reason to stay out of the forest, right?”

“I wasn’t planning on going into the forest in the first place. You’d have to be an idiot to go into the forest, especially at night.” Genis shrugs lightly, earning a frown from Karol.

“Didn’t your best friend go into the forest at night?”

Genis stares dead at him. “I rest my case. But he didn’t see anything.”

Karol nods lightly. “I… don’t think there’s a monster in the woods or anything. I think people are just seeing things or seeing bears or something.”

There’s a long silence that stretches over the table and Karol figures that that must be the end of the conversation, so he picks up his fork and decides to go back to eating his lunch. There was a moment of relief as the conversation seemed to die down but that relief lasted only a moment before he noticed that Anise was staring at him with narrowed eyes and an evil grin.

“Why don’t you go prove it then?”

The clatter of a fork dropping on the table is barely heard over the bustle of the crowded lunchroom though it wasn’t Karol’s fork that fell from his hands. Looking over, he sees Nan very quickly snatch the utensil back into her hands as she narrows her eyes at Anise, quietly. Karol, however, turns pale as he looks back to Anise.

“How would I prove that?!”

“You’ve gone camping before, right?” Anise pulls her doll back into her hands and grins proudly.

“N-No, I haven’t!” Karol clutches his fork in hand fist as he looks helplessly between Genis and Nan. “What would camping in the woods prove?!”

Anise hums playfully as she holds up one finger as she counts her reason, adding a finger to every reason she lists. “It’ll prove that there’s no monster in the woods, like you claim, it’ll prove that you actually can go out and do something interesting for once and it’ll prove that you’re not just a scaredy cat!”

Okay, the last two were just mean…

“I’m not a scaredy cat!” Karol argues, leaning back in his seat as Anise leaned in closer. “I just think there are better ways to spend my time!”

“What, like hanging out with your babysitter? ”

“That’s… he’s not–”

“Don’t you dare try and say he’s not your babysitter!”

“He’s not!” Karol’s eyes narrow, tone coming out more sharper than he meant to but he leans forward regardless. “He’s my friend! He’s not just some babysitter!”

Anise cackles at that. “He’s literally getting paid to hang out with you. Why else would a guy in high school hang out with some weird kid in middle school?”

“Genis’ best friend is sixteen!” Karol argues, unsure of what the difference is.

“Yeah but Genis isn’t as clingy as you are. You can’t do anything by yourself. I bet your babysitter thinks that as well.”

Genis frowns, looking between Karol and Anise before letting his eyes settle on Nan, who seems to be clutching her fork tightly as she stares over at Karol, waiting for his response. Karol’s mouth opens to reply but his voice dies in his throat as his shoulders suddenly slump.

He knew Anise was wrong. He knew that Yuri didn’t think that way. Despite his foul mouth and passive attitude, Yuri was a good person. That was clear as day to anyone who spent more than two days around him. He wasn’t just watching over Karol for the paycheck, he knew this. He stepped in because he saw a young kid staying home alone due to overworking parents and wanted to do something about it.

That’s where his doubts came in.

He knew Yuri wasn’t in it for the money. But was it really because they were friends? Or did Yuri just see a kid left all alone and decide to take on the responsibility of taking care of him, despite his personal feelings on the matter? He remembered how tired Yuri had been lately too. He tried so hard to hide it last night but Karol noticed how Yuri was a shade paler than normal and how his legs shook when he wandered into the house.

He shouldn’t have even been there. But because Karol had sent out that text complaining about Flynn’s cooking, he threw everything out the window, went and grabbed some pizza with his own hard earned money and made it way over to his house. Karol wished he had never sent that text. Yuri had been so exhausted, it was plain as day. So exhausted that he had apparently passed out on the couch not long after he, himself, had been put to bed.

He had stirred awake upon hearing a quiet curse as something thumped against the wall. Karol had jumped out of bed and hurried towards the door, cracking it open just wide enough to see Flynn stumble back from the corner of the hallway, favoring his left foot as he did so. In his arms, held so closely, was the sleeping form of his caretaker, dead asleep even as Flynn stubbed his toe against the corner of the room. Flynn bit his lip tightly as he fought through the pain of an injured toe when he looked up and spotted the brown eyes staring at him from the doorway. The pain is barely there still but he still offered Karol a tiny smile as he began to maneuver his way through the hall, towards the guest room where Yuri tended to stay. Karol, without much thought, moved to follow. He peeked into the room just in time to see Flynn gently place the sleeping man onto the bed, moving to pull the blankets over him. Yuri, normally a pretty light sleeper, didn’t move an inch. As Flynn drew the curtains closed and moved to step out of the room, switching off the light as he did so, he looked back at Karol and held a finger to his lips. As they both backed out of the room, Flynn shut the door gently behind him and then placed a hand on Karol's back, quietly leading him away from the door. “Now what are you doing up?” He whispered, curiously. “I heard you kick my wall…” Karol admitted, eyes darting over to the entryway of the hall, particularly at the corner that nearly took Flynn out. “I wanted to make sure no one was hurt. You’re not hurt, are you?” “I’ve definitely had worse bruises, no worries. You should get back to sleep though. It’s getting late…” Karol nodded quietly but then found his gaze drifting towards Yuri’s door. Worry began to settle in his stomach again. “Is… Yuri okay?” After hearing a tiny questioning sound from Flynn, he clarifies. “You know… despite everything with the guy with the knife. He seemed distracted tonight, didn’t he?” He takes notice of how Flynn’s face slowly falls from his caring gaze to something more withdrawn and sad as his eyes trail over to Yuri’s door as well. “Yuri is just… tired.” He stated, quietly. “He’ll be alright though.” “Tired from what?” “Well…” Flynn turned back to Karol, lips pursed in thought. “He’s just got a lot on his plate, I suppose. Though he’d sooner die than admit it.” Yeah, that sounded like Yuri, alright. “Is there anything I can do to help?” The question hung in the air as he stared hopefully up at Flynn. Flynn is, of course, a bit surprised by Karol’s willingness to help but he just as quickly gives Karol a tiny smile that Karol knows all too well. Don’t worry yourself over this. “I think your flowers helped Yuri more than you think.” Flynn explains carefully, moving to guide Karol back to his room. “Lilies are special to Yuri, so it was a thoughtful gesture that I’m sure he won’t forget.” Karol can’t help but feel slight defeat as he’s led back to his room. “It seemed like they just made him more tired than happy.” “It’s… complicated. But I promise you, he does love them.” Flynn watches as Karol climbs back into bed and offers him a comforting smile. “So don’t worry yourself over Yuri. I’m hoping that I can convince him to share part of the load he’s carrying with me so he won’t work himself to death.” Karol wasn’t too sure of that. From what Yuri said when talking about Flynn, Flynn was just as much of a workaholic as Yuri was. So the idea of Yuri willingly letting Flynn help him out when he had just as much work to worry about was close to zero. But instead of speaking his concerns to Flynn and insisting that he could also help, he just quietly nods instead, letting the topic drop. “If you need anything, come let me know, alright? I’ll be in the living room.” Karol nodded again, face blank as he moved to lay down. He hears Flynn leave the door open, just a crack, leaving Karol alone to deal with complicated feelings of guilt and uselessness.

Karol swallows hard as he clenches his fists tightly. “I can take care of myself! I don’t need Yuri!” He argues, feeling a flash of anger rush through him. “And… And I’ll prove it!”

From the way Anise’s grin grew, Karol knew she had technically won the argument but he couldn’t care less about what she thought. He had to prove that he could take care of himself just fine. That Yuri didn’t need to stress himself to death just to take care of him. He would prove it.

Genis gives Karol a quick look of disbelief while Nan stares at Karol with her mouth open and eyes wide with shock. “Karol–”

“You’re gonna prove it?” Anise is clearly over the moon with this information. “Gonna prove that you’re not a coward? You know, people aren’t into cowards, Karol.”

Karol sees the way her eyes dart over to Nan and the anger intensifies, along with a warmth that spreads over his cheeks. “I’m not a coward! I can take care of myself so– So…. So I’ll camp out in the Quoi Woods this weekend! By myself! And then you’ll see that I can handle myself, that I’m not some scaredy cat afraid of ghost stories and that there are no monsters in the woods, either!”

As Genis mutters a quiet “I dunno if this is a good idea…”, everyone’s words die in their mouths as Nan suddenly stands up, slamming her hands onto the table. Her face is red with anger as she clenches her hands into fists as she looks between Anise and Karol. Karol had a sinking suspicion that he was about to get yelled at for something.

But as Nan stood there, mouth opening like she was about to start yelling, her eyes trail over to Karol’s and she stares dead into his face for a few seconds. Karol can’t help but shrink back slightly because he knew that look all too well. He had done something wrong. Eventually, though, she moves away from her seat.

“You’re so stupid, Karol.” She says simply before storming out of the cafeteria.

“Wha– Nan!” Karol moves to climb to his feet while Anise lets out a giggle.

“Maybe Nan thinks that you’re not brave enough for it.” Anise thinks aloud before moving to close her lunch box and her doll, moving to stand up. “When you go camping, be sure to take a picture~! Or else no one will believe you~!”

And with that, she stepped away from the table, skipping happily out the door, leaving Genis and Karol behind. They both look to each other in silence before Genis moves to get up as well. “Hey, remember earlier when I said that you had to be stupid to spend the night in the woods?”

“...Yeah?”

“My opinion has not changed.” He states simply as he moves to leave as well, leaving Karol behind to contemplate his sudden life choices.

---

[Yuri: hey u alright? just witnessed a onesided beat down between liam and some angry gremlin child and then i saw u gettin kidnapped u good?]

Estelle had not texted him back since his message earlier that day. Which was all well and good since they confiscated his phone for the duration of detention. But even after it was given back to him, he still hadn’t received a response. Still, he wasn’t one to worry too much about it. Estelle was nice and sweet but she came off as a bit of a space case so maybe she had just forgotten to respond. No big deal.

He started getting a little curious though when Estelle had come back to class, all smiles as she wandered back over to her desk without a word. The normally attentive girl was lost in thought all throughout the class and Yuri could not stop his curious nature from taking over as he pulled out his phone to try and send a quick text to Estelle, wanting to follow up on what she seemed so giddy about.

He just as quickly shoves his phone into his pocket when a chalkboard eraser is thrown in his direction from the front of the room by their history professor. This earns a few chuckles from the classroom, though the professor's behavior was nothing new for her. Thankfully, it's new enough to Estelle that it’s just enough to snap her back to attention as she looks back at Yuri with wide eyes.

“Were you aiming at my hands or were you aiming for my head?” Yuri leans down to pick the eraser up as the professor wanders over, pushing her white bangs from her face as she takes it from his hand.

“For your hands.” She answers, a tiny smirk on her face before replacing it with a stern expression. “No phones in my class. I’ll take it away next time.”

“Your aim is getting better.” Yuri simply comments before holding up his hands in defeat. “No phone, got it.”

Thankfully, Professor Sage was one of the few teachers he could somewhat tolerate but she was also one of the strictest. Yuri was not too interested in giving her a hard time so he never tried to fight her authority or snark at her… too much. Seeming to accept his response for now, she takes her eraser and returns to the front of the room and resumes her lessons.

Yuri took one glance towards Estelle and Flynn, both sitting within the vicinity of each other and was not at all surprised to still see them staring over at him. Estelle, seemingly surprised that the professor’s way of regaining attention is via the use of throwable objects, quickly turns back in her seat and straightens up. Flynn’s gaze lingers a bit longer, eyebrows narrowed and mouth closed tight.

If Yuri still wasn’t so mad at Flynn, he would have laughed at his face, eyes widening in annoyance and mouth puffing out with a huff, when Yuri responded by sticking his tongue out at the boy.

---

Estelle’s reply never came, though that would be because she was up and out of her seat seconds after class ended as she made her way over to Yuri’s desk in record time. She nearly ran into another student on her way, causing Yuri to have to hide his amused grin behind his hand as she quickly apologized and continued her pace to Yuri’s desk.

“Yuri! Hello!” She greets, pressing her hands together in front of her as she offers a quick little bow. “How are you feeling?”

Turning in his chair to face her, Yuri leans back into his chair with a casual grin. “Feeling a lot better, thanks!”

Truthfully, his hand still burned a lot. Holding a pencil was also a pretty tough task at the moment. He had some use in his right hand but with his left hand being more dominant, his word speed had slowed down considerably and his handwriting had gotten a bit sloppy. Most of the teachers didn’t seem to care too much, and if they did, they didn’t mention it. The only one to make any type of comment was Ragou, who made a muttered comment about his handwriting being illegible. Yuri didn’t care enough to make it into a big deal. If it wasn’t his handwriting, he was sure that Ragou would have found something wrong regardless.

“I’m glad it’s doing better! I’m sure it’s sore but so long as you keep it clean and change your bandaging regularly, it should heal up in no time.” Estelle smiles brightly and Yuri can’t help but notice how contagious her energy was. “So… um… Yuri, if you’re not busy at the moment, do you think you could stop by my locker real quick? I have something I’d like to give you.”

The way Estelle glances back towards the door of the classroom tells Yuri that it’s not just a simple gift that she intends on giving. (When he follows her gaze, he does notice that Flynn and both of the twins are staring hard at them and they were not being subtle about it. When Yuri meets Flynn’s eyes, Yuri huffs and looks away.) “I have to leave pretty soon to go pick up Karol and then stop by my apartment to repatch back up before heading to work but I should have a few minutes to spare.”

“Oh, right! Of course!” Estelle nods quickly and reaches over to grab his right hand, pulling him out of his chair. “Come this way then, please!”

“Yeah, yeah, take it easy. I’m not gonna run away.”

As Estelle pulls him out of the room, they both nearly slam into someone attempting to enter the classroom. A young girl with short and light brown hair that was adorned with a small braid in the front and whose purple eyes were stern and unamused in a way that filled Yuri with annoyance and dread, staggers back as she drops her books onto the floor from Estelle’s impact. Estelle squeaks and quickly scrambles down onto her knees and begins to scoop up the books.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry–”

The girl quickly drops down as well, hands reaching out to gather her now-scattered papers. “No, it’s quite alright…” She mutters as she quickly stacks them all together.

A familiar presence approaches Yuri from the side and he’s once again left wondering when he had started sensing Flynn by presence alone. “Sodia, are you alright?” He asks, gently moving around Yuri and Estelle to help the girl, the school’s very own vice president, back up to her feet.

“Flynn.” She greets him with a tiny smile and accepts the hand up. “Yes, I’m alright, I–” She pauses when her eyes meet Yuri’s and the smile is gone instantly.

“ You. ” Her tone is, as always, so full of disdain as her lips curl up in disgust. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going, Lowell?”

Here we go…

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Yuri shoots a very annoyed glance towards Flynn as if silently asking the man to call his easily aggroed dog off. Instead, all he sees is the tiniest and pleading glance that asks Yuri to ‘please play nice’ as if he were the one who started swinging right out the gate. Yuri honestly couldn’t give a rat’s ass about Sodia and what she did with her time but the fact that she would constantly belittle Yuri at every turn and look down on him as if he were the scum of the Earth was annoying at best. Even when he tried to act civil, it was to no avail, so he stopped trying.

Estelle was already in the process of babbling out another apology, trying to point out that she was the reason Sodia had fallen but of course, her eyes were still trained on Yuri suspiciously.

“I like to think that I have a pretty good eye on my surroundings.” Yuri just shrugs as he moves to slip by the angry woman as he scratches at his left side. When he receives a look of doubt from Flynn, blue eyes lingering on his hand and cheeks, Yuri can’t help but roll his eyes. “On most days, that is.”

He doesn’t wait for a reply before he’s snatching up Estelle’s hand and tugs her back again. “C’mon Estelle, let’s go before someone’s guard dog starts barking at me.”

There’s a moment where Flynn’s eyes dart down to Yuri’s hand grabbing Estelle’s but his attention is snatched back to the matter at hand when Sodia bristles up. “Dog?!” She exclaims, stepping forward as if she were going to take matters into her own hands.

“Yuri, you can’t say that to her–” Flynn also tries to argue but Yuri has already turned away and is leading the pink haired girl away from the problem.

“Sorry, super busy!” He calls back, casually reaching a hand to scratch at the left side of his waist, feeling a weird itch appear on his skin. “Later!”

“I-I am very sorry!” Estelle calls back as well, letting herself get dragged away.

Thankfully the two do not make a move to follow. Good. He was not in the mood to deal with Sodia today and his frustrations with Flynn were still as strong as they were this morning.

As he and Estelle walk through the halls, Yuri does eventually release her hand as he shoves his hands into his pockets. He slows his pace enough to walk beside her as she stares up at him with a hint of concern on her face.

“I’m sorry for getting you into trouble again.”

Yuri shrugs and smirks. “Nah, don’t worry about it. Sodia is like the president of the “Yuri Hate Club” so she would have found some reason to get mad at me. You just gave her an excuse, is all.”

“She… hates you? How come?”

“Same reason why a bunch of randos hate me. I’m a troublemaker and an embarrassment to the school or something. Blah, blah.” As he explains, Estelle’s face drops and her eyes widen as if someone had just spit at her. “Specifically for Sodia though, she thinks all of those things AND she thinks I’m just a horrid influence on Flynn.”

Estelle’s mouth falls open. “But why would she think that?! I’ve only known you for a short couple of days but I can see, clear as day, that you are genuinely a nice person with the best intentions and–”

Yuri’s scoff cuts her off. “Best intentions doesn’t always excuse the actions. But I do what needs to be done. But she does have a point. I am a pretty bad influence on Flynn.”

“Why would you say that?!”

“Because it’s true?” Yuri notices that the girl was beginning to get upset, judging by the frown turning into a disappointed ‘mom’ glare, so he reaches over and rests a hand on her shoulder as he begins to explain himself. “Estelle, I got into a fight yesterday. I should have gotten suspended for it. We all should have. But we didn’t. Flynn likely had a hand in it and that’s why my ‘sentence’ was decreased to just detention. Flynn shouldn’t be doing stuff like that. I chose to fight so I had to accept the consequences for it. So long as the other guys got punished too, I didn’t really care. But because my sentence was decreased, theirs was too and they didn’t learn. You saw that earlier today, didn’t you?”

“You saw…?” For a moment, Estelle’s face turns a slight tinge of pink.

“Yep. Saw the whole thing. I was ready to jump in again but then that girl jumped in instead and went berserk on their asses.” Yuri snickers a bit. “She literally pushed me to the ground so she could step in. It was scary. But, Estelle, you shouldn’t go picking fights like that. Those guys are merciless.”

“It’s just… they were spreading such awful rumors about you and it was because of me and–” Estelle’s lip quivers and Yuri has a moment of sheer panic because he really did not want to make Estelle cry but then she’s shoving herself into his space, that same look of sheer determination appearing on her features. “No, Yuri! It wasn’t Flynn’s fault!”

“Huh?” Yuri pauses midstep, eyes widening slightly as Estelle steps around him and glares up at him, fists clenched in front of her chest. “What do you mean? I know the teachers weren’t lenient for the sake of leniency. Someone had to have had a hand in–”

Oh. Oh.

The culprit was standing in front of him.

Oh, fuck , he probably had to apologize to Flynn, didn’t he?

Fuck.

“Estelle.” He lets out a deep breath and quickly has to run a hand down his face to steady himself. “You… You’re the reason? How did you even–” A sigh escapes him as he turns to stare Estelle in the eyes. “You realize that by getting my punishment reduced, you got everyone’s punishment reduced. You realize that those guys aren’t gonna stop harassing you and others now. You realize that, right?”

To her credit, Estelle does look slightly ashamed of herself but only a little. Her resolve, however, seemed to be much MUCH stronger than her shame, however. “Yes, I realized that. Which is why I stepped up today and tried to talk with them. I decided to handle my problem on my own and get them to stop without having to bother you with it.”

“And how did that work out for you?”

“...Bad. It worked out bad.” Estelle’s shoulders suddenly slump as she turns and continues to slowly lead the way to her locker.

“Yeah, it worked out very bad. It was almost a repeat of the whole scenario and then we all would have gotten punished. You included, for starting the whole altercation.” Yuri explains as he quickly moves to walk alongside her. “I’m not going to tell you what to do but my suggestion? Leave it alone. I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”

“Mm… Maybe it’s for the best. After all, I keep involving people who shouldn’t be involved.”

“Exactly.” Yuri smirks a bit. “I think those guys learned their lesson though, because of your friend. Who was she anyway? I thought I heard the name Mordio…”

The frown on Estelle’s face changes and Yuri immediately catches the way that her hands join together as she fiddles her thumbs. Her frown changes into the tiniest of smiles as her eyes dart over to Yuri and then back down to her feet. “Oh… Yes! Well… that’s not– I mean, it is her name– It’s… her last name.” She giggles quietly to herself. “Her name is Rita Mordio.”

“Rita Mordio, huh?” Yuri smirks a bit, letting the name run through his brain for a moment. It rang a bell, that’s for sure. “Wait, isn’t she like… a year under us? People say she’s like a super-genius, right?”

“Do they?” Estelle blinks, confused. Of course, Estelle was still a new student after all. She’s probably not intune with all of the rumors yet. But she does give off a tiny little smile after a moment. “She seemed very smart so I definitely believe it.”

“So that was your first time meeting?”

“Yes, it was. She was so nice, stepping in to save someone without really knowing who they were… She reminded me of you, in a way.” Estelle’s smile is telling as she folds her hands behind her back. “It’s nice to know there are such kind people in the world like you two.”

Estelle was conveniently forgetting the way that Rita had slugged Liam and then promptly connected her foot with the man’s dick while he was down. He would let her have her fantasy. “I’ll have to thank her next time I see her.” Maybe. There was a good chance that she wanted to punch his lights out too.

“Oh, I’ll be happy to introduce you later!” Estelle chirps, her low mood now suddenly bright and sunny as she smiles happily towards Yuri. “We plan on meeting up again in the library tomorrow. We’re both book lovers, so I asked if I could join her again and she said yes!” As they approach the lockers, Estelle practically hops over, excitement clear on her face. “Maybe we can start a little book club with the three of us! Maybe Flynn too!”

Yuri was not a big book person and he figured that just by looking at him, this would be obvious. Plus, he didn’t really have the time to be joining a bookclub, which was good because he wasn’t sure if he could say no to the hopeful look in Estelle’s eyes otherwise. “I might have to pass. I already have enough on my plate to begin with. You know… part time jobs, saving the world… that kinda thing.” He snickers quietly.

“Oh. Right.” And then the two of them are laughing to themselves as Estelle moves to open her locker. “Sorry, I got excited. But speaking of ‘saving the world’....”

She reaches in and brings out a pretty decent sized gift bag and quickly hands it over to Yuri. The bag is plain, just a simple purple coloring with white tissue paper meant for gift bags shoved inside. Yuri tilts his head, taking the bag carefully into his hand.

“What’s this for?”

“It’s a welcome gift!” Estellise smiles widely, folding her hands in front of her skirt as Yuri peeks into the bag. “Welcome to Brave Vesperia! I think this will come in handy for when we have to go out and actually get to work.”

Upon peeking into the bag, Yuri can see a black piece of clothing inside and he takes a moment to look up and down the hall. Crowds of people were huddled through the hallways and thankfully, everyone seemed more involved in their own conversations so their words would go mostly unheard. Knowing this was a gift regarding Brave Vesperia, however, he decided to hold off on opening it for now. “I’ll check it out when I drop by my apartment today before grabbing Karol. I’m guessing it’s an add-on to my costume?”

Estelle nods eagerly. “I figured it would be best if we tried to hide our identities!” She explains, cheeks turning a bit red as she continues. “I… read in a book that superheroes have to hide their faces or else, things can get complicated. So… So I got something for you that you can put on after you transform. I got a mask for myself, as well!”

A mask, huh? Yuri couldn’t stop the grin from appearing on his face. “So you went out and read comic books and stuff after finding out we could transform? Think it’ll work?”

“I… believe so! Yes! I…” Estelle trails off. “Do you think I should have gotten something for Repede? His form changes so drastically, I thought that maybe he wouldn’t need it but… Oh, no, what if he feels left out?!”

A poorly suppressed chuckle leaves Yuri’s lips. “I don’t think Repede will appreciate a doggy outfit. You’re fine.” He reaches out and pets the girl on the head, trying to comfort her. “I appreciate it, Estelle. I’ll try it on later. I’ll even send pics and you can tell me if it suits me.”

The way Estelle’s eyes light up is almost breathtaking as she beams at him, clearly pleased with this development. “Oh, please do! I’ll even send you pictures of my mask!” She claps her hands together, gleefully.

“I’m looking forward to it.” Yuri grins.

As he holds onto the gift bag in his hand, the two talk happily with one another as they move to leave the school together. Yuri is heavily aware of the looks they receive as they leave, side by side, and he can’t help but worry about ruining Estelle’s reputation as well (Not that she had much of one just yet, with her being new) but the way Estelle would smile through it all was… comforting at least.

As the two go their separate ways after leaving the building, Yuri checks his phone, making sure that there wasn’t a text from Karol yet, letting him know that he was ready to be picked up. Instead, he saw a text from Flynn from just a little bit ago. With guilt settling in his chest, he quietly checks the text with a sigh.

[Flynn: Yuri, have I done something to upset you?]

He couldn’t help but feel like a brat in that moment but… he really HAD thought that Flynn was behind him only getting a slap on the wrist. He supposed that he could have just confronted the man and asked but with everything going on, he was not really feeling the energy to have yet another confrontation with Flynn. Not only that, but he was having a lot of conflicting feelings about… well… everything from last night and he wasn’t quite recovered from showing even the slightest bit of vulnerability last night.

But still… he at least owed the man an apology.

[Yuri: no u haven’t done anything wrong. was just going thru something today. Sorry]

He sends the text quickly as he takes his bag and hurries back to his apartment. On his way there, he received a text from Karol, stating that he was ready to be picked up so he only had limited time to change into his work uniform and check out the new present from Estelle.

As he slipped into his apartment, he gives a quick greeting to Repede who barks in reply before he’s already unfastening the buttons of the rather large school shirt and quickly slipping out of it. He remembered trying to skip out of school that day due to him lacking another uniform top, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to afford a new one at the moment, when Flynn practically shoved his extra shirt at him this morning, opting to just wear his same shirt from yesterday. The two of them used to be the same size, so Yuri didn’t see much of a problem with it but then when he actually put on the shirt, he suddenly remembered just how much muscle mass Flynn had gotten recently.

Yuri was once again thinking of Flynn’s newly acquired muscle mass and found himself facing those conflicting feelings again. Considering how his face heated up, he decided not to entertain those thoughts for very long.

Instead, he tossed the shirt and pants aside before pulling on his work uniform, a long sleeved burgundy button up with black slacks and a black apron tied around his waist. He redid the clip in his hair and made sure raven strands were pulled from his face before pulling his black shoes back on.

As he finishes getting ready, he does take a quick moment to pour the contents of Estelle’s gift bag onto his bed. Pushing the white tissue paper aside, he’s greeted with black hooded poncho with white accents bordering the edge of the cloth and a small black face mask to match and Yuri couldn’t help but to laugh. Estelle definitely had a color theme in mind when she thought of him, huh?

This would definitely help, he thinks to himself, as he runs a finger over the soft cloth of the poncho. He would have to be careful with the hood, of course, but he figured that the mask would at least hide his face if the hood were to fall. Of course, if he operated during the night, that’s an entirely different story.

He does take a quick moment to try the poncho on, mask and all, and thankfully it seems to be a perfect fit. Estelle was kind of good at this, huh? He smiles to himself and takes a quick selfie before sending it her way, right as another text from Flynn appeared.

[Flynn: You stuck your tongue out at me earlier. Most people would assume they’ve made you mad when you stick your tongue out at them.]

Fair point. After he’s taken the poncho and the mask off and safely stores it in his dresser for now, he takes another selfie for Flynn, making sure to stick his tongue out in this one as well. But this time, he made sure to have at least some kind of smile in the picture. A silent gesture of we’re good. I promise.

Flynn’s reply is instant.

[Flynn: I see that you’re just being you. Is that your work uniform?]

[Yuri: yep the boss said i have to be somewhat presentable so he shoved me into a suit]

There’s a long pause between Yuri’s reply and Flynn’s next reply. Which is quickly followed by a couple more less collected and obviously flustered texts that nearly had Yuri on the floor, laughing.

[Flynn: You look good.]

[Flynn: Not to say you don’t always look good. You’re very good at wearing clothes.]

[Flynn: That sounded wrong. I meant that you have a good fashion sense.]

Yuri had to take a few minutes to calm down from his laughing fit and even Repede had to walk over to make sure he was good as he struggled to catch his breath. “Flynn, holy shit.” He breathes out, giggles escaping his lips. He didn’t think his uniform would have caused Flynn to spiral into a flustered mess. He knew that he should have left it alone and let Flynn die of embarrassment in peace but he’s never been one to pass up an opportunity like this.

[Yuri: are u saying I don’t look good when im not wearing clothes?]

[Flynn: You’re the worst.]

[Yuri: i guess this means no shirtless pics for flynn :( ]

[Flynn: Some people would just say “Thank you for the compliment” and move on.]

[Yuri: yeah but im not Some People now am i?]

[Flynn: This is true. You’re definitely one of a kind.]

As Yuri reaches down to give Repede a quick pat, who pushes his snout gently against Yuri’s palm, he feels a small smile stretch across his face at Flynn’s words. He wasn’t sure if Flynn meant it as an insult or a compliment but knowing Flynn, it was likely both. Still, it made him feel a bit warm inside of his chest. As he gathers his things, ready to head out with Repede on his heels, he shoots off a quick reply to Flynn before turning his phone on silent.

[Yuri: youre one of a kind too. talk to u later.]

---

The Sagittarius was more of an unofficial tavern than an actual restaurant, according to Yuri’s fellow coworkers. It had the vibe of one, anyway. The place was rather old, sporting a more rustic style. The wooden walls were rough to the touch and the floors creak when someone walked across them and Yuri couldn’t help but think that the place could use a bit of a makeover. But despite the old and organic look that it had, it was still a rather cozy place. The tables were kept clean and organized and the windows were usually crystal clear and the bar that sat in the front of the store was sturdy and had plenty of room for people who would usually forgo the food in favor of getting a drink instead.

Selling drinks was normally Raven and Judith’s area of expertise since Yuri wasn’t quite old enough to sell alcohol yet. Legally, that is. So instead, he would focus more on either cooking food for the restaurant portion of the establishment, or waiting and bussing tables. It really just depended on where Raven needed him on that day. It just so happened that today, he was needed as a waiter.

Despite only being at this job for just a couple of weeks, Yuri got the hang of it pretty easily. Of course, it helped that the place was pretty lenient on how one should act. When he was hired on by Raven, the man made it very clear that a lot of the people who came by were regulars and that it paid more to treat them like an old friend rather than a stranger that he should be overly kind to. That was a huge relief for Yuri, who hated the idea of having to be overly accommodating to a bunch of strangers. He was a waiter and a cook, after all. Not a servant.

Three hours into his first shift, Raven commented that Yuri was built for a job like this. As much as Yuri hated to admit it, he silently agreed. He wasn’t a people’s person. It wasn’t like he was anti-social or anything. He could be plenty social if he were around the right people. But he was often told that he had a sharp tongue and a rough attitude and that had a tendency of throwing people off.

However, it only served to make him more popular at the Sagittarius. Between the friendly but sharp banter between him and his manager (How Raven managed to score that position, Yuri would never know), the way he and Judith (Another waitress who had been hired about a year ago) hit it off immediately, and the way he jumped to help the rest of the staff when he could (though he would jokingly complain, of course), Yuri became pretty well liked by the staff, as hard as it was to believe.

Not only that, but he already had regulars that would come in on his shifts just to chat. Some were friendly, like the young couple with their five year old. Some who would come in to mooch off of the free wi-fi for work or school (Yuri always made sure to give anyone studying a free slice of cheesecake as a desert, courtesy of Raven after a lot of convincing). And then some who, Judith pointed out, may or may not have gained quite an attraction to the new cook/waiter. Mostly girls who would come by after school, who would talk to each other in excited hushed whispers every time Yuri walked away. He never noticed until Judith pointed them out.

Of course, there were some that were more obvious about their crushes. Like, for example, the little blonde haired girl, who was maybe around Karol’s age, that was currently clinging to his arm and staring up at him dreamily as he guided her to her seat.

“Here you go, Patty. Window seat, just like you prefer.” He gestures lightly before using his free arm to carefully peel the girl off of him.

Patty smiles widely as she hops into the chair, grabbing the menu eagerly. “Thank you, Yuri, my beloved!” She sighs happily, blinking her blue eyes up at him.

“Yeah, yeah.” Yuri rolls his eyes as he pulls out his notepad. “Water to drink?”

“Yes please! And the Seafood Bowl!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see what I can do.” Yuri quickly scribbles it down. “Your family lives by the beach, right? I don’t see how you can work with fish all day long and not get sick of seafood.”

Patty grins widely as her hand slaps her chest, puffing it out proudly. “Ye can’t keep an ocean gal away from what she loves most!”

“So it would seem.” Yuri snorts quietly as he shoves the notepad into the pocket of his apron. “It’ll be a few minutes for the seafood bowl. The water will be out in a sec.”

“I’ll be waiting!”

Patty was one of the regulars of the establishment. When she first appeared, he wondered what a child her age was doing wandering into the restaurant all by herself. But apparently, she had been coming to the place since she was small. Er… well… small er. According to Raven, her father would frequent the bar every night after a fishing trip and he would always bring along Patty with him. While he celebrated the catch of the day over a drink, Patty would always be sitting at a nearby table, celebrating with a nice dessert. When Yuri asked what happened to her old man, he simply replied that he wasn’t able to come by anymore and that Patty was just continuing to do what she had always known.

Yuri got the impression that Raven was respecting Patty’s real life privacy by not discussing what happened with her father. He had some ideas of what was going on but he agreed. It wasn’t any of his business. Besides, Patty seemed like she was getting along just fine. He had only been here a short amount of time but he had never seen Patty without a smile on her face.

As he got Patty’s water and delivered it over and then put in the order for the cook in the back, he went back to clearing out his tables and getting them ready for the next customer. On his way, his eyes do catch Karol sitting at the end of the bar, scribbling away at his homework for the night with Judith taking any free time she had to assist him with whatever it was he was working on.

Some days he felt bad about dragging Karol to the restaurant with him. It definitely wasn’t ideal for a ‘normal babysitter’ but Karol usually seemed excited to come to work with him. The young boy seemed to warm up with Raven, Judith and the rest of the staff and even befriended some of the customers as well. At this point, the young boy seemed like an unofficial employee of the Sagittarius, though whenever Raven would try and get Karol to work, Yuri would immediately step in to let him know that if Karol does any work, it’s coming out of Raven’s tip jar. That’s usually enough to shut the old man up.

“You survivin’ over there, Captain?” Yuri calls out as he passes by the bar, earning both Judith’s and Karol’s attention as he does so.

Karol tapped his pencil on the counter, anxiously. “Uh… yeah… we’re almost done, I think.” He mutters, eyes glancing down to the floor.

Judith smiles warmly at Karol before moving to stand up straight as she leans against the bar to look at Yuri. “I decided to take a quick little break to help Karol out, since I know you were busy.” She explains, voice calm as ever. “The poor guy seemed pretty stressed…”

Yuri didn’t need Judith’s superhuman empathy skills to be able to tell that. Ever since Karol had been picked up that day, Yuri could tell that there was something on his mind though he would insist that everything was fine. Had he really been freaking out over some homework?

One glance at Judith made Yuri realize that there was probably something more to it than that. The way she stared at Yuri, an eyebrow slightly raised, told him that she definitely suspected something and that he probably should too.

“Stressed, huh?” Yuri moves to rest a hand on his waist. “You got a big test coming up?”

“Oh– uh… yeah, I guess so.”

“You guess so?” Yuri and Judith both raise an eyebrow at that before Yuri continues to press. “That doesn’t inspire me with confidence, boss.”

This seems to be enough to snap Karol back into attention as he suddenly straightens in his seat before looking both Judith and Yuri in the eye. “I-I mean, a pop quiz could come at any time! So I just have to be prepared, right?”

Judith lets out a small hum. “Mm… yes, you’re right, I suppose.” She takes another glance towards Yuri, silently calling out Karol’s bluff.

He was worried, admittedly, but he didn’t want to force Karol to talk if he didn’t want to. So, with a tiny nudge to Judy’s side with his elbow, he decided to step back for now, making a mental note to see about bringing it up later. “If you say so. Just let us know if you need anything, okay?”

Karol’s mouth opens and shuts a few times, causing Yuri to pause before he begins to leave to continue working. He gives Karol a moment. Two. Three. Finally, he just sighs and nods. “Okay, Yuri…”

Damn. It seemed like Yuri almost had him. But he kept to his silent word. He would let Karol come to him rather than force him to speak. So instead, he went back to work, moving to finish cleaning his tables. Judith, thankfully, offered some assistance and helped take some of the dishes off of his hands, placing them gently into the sink in the back before returning to the front of the bar. Yuri wasn’t surprised when she kept glancing over towards Karol’s direction.

Judith was more than observant. She had a talent of being able to size up a person with literally just one glance. She seemed to be an amazing judge of character and Yuri was almost jealous of her for it. She could usually tell whether or not a customer was going to be a problem, and nine times out of ten, she was usually right. Not only that, but she proved herself to be plenty capable of taking care of herself and others. Once, a guy had gotten drunk and got a bit too handsy with one of the waitresses. Before Yuri could step in and handle it, the guy was grabbed and literally thrown out the door by Judith with such ease that Yuri wondered if she had actual self-defense training. He would believe it, for sure.

She also had a tendency of digging for information. She would ask about Yuri’s school life or life in general and while he didn’t tell her much at all (after all, what could he say that wasn’t the generic answer you would hear from a school boy), she managed to put together context clues to get a pretty decent understanding of Yuri’s personal life. Meanwhile, he knew literally nothing of hers. (Plus, Karol had let Flynn’s name slip once and apparently Yuri had gotten a weird expression on his face when his name was said, according to Judith. So now he will never know peace from the woman.)

Neither would Karol, it seemed, because even after Yuri finished bussing his tables and delivered Patty’s food to her, she was still eyeing the poor boy up and down. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice but Yuri was stepping in regardless.

“Hey, leave him be.” He says under his breath as he moves to put some dollar bills into his tip jar for later. When she blinks and looks back at him with a tiny hum, he continues. “He’ll talk when he’s ready. Let’s not force it.”

“Oh, I’m just worried, is all.”

“And curious.” Yuri gives her a suspicious look before smirking. “You’re way too into other people’s drama. Nosy.”

Judith feigns an innocent look, making sure to blink her eyes in Yuri’s direction. “Oh, no, I’m not nosy. I just like to hear about people’s troubles so I can help.”

“That is the definition of nosy, in case you weren’t aware.”

Judith doesn’t confirm nor deny it but instead, she looks back towards Karol, who was back to anxiously tapping his pencil on the counter. “Do you think it has to do with that little friend of his? What was her name? Nan?”

“Yeah, Nan.” Yuri shrugs, following her gaze. “And I dunno. Maybe. They argue a lot so maybe it was another fight.”

Judith sighs sadly, folding her arms behind her back. “Love is just so complicated at his age…”

“He’s literally twelve.” Yuri shakes his head. “He’s got all the time in the world to figure it out. Nan does too.”

“I know, I know but it doesn’t stop it from hurting in the moment, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

There’s silence before a devious grin stretches across her face. “I guess you would know more than anyone, wouldn’t you, Yuri?”

“Aaaaand the conversation is done.” With a clap of his hands, Yuri begins to step away. “Good job everybody. Same time next week.”

Before he could completely step away, however, a strong hand slaps down onto his shoulder and pulls him back over as Yuri is suddenly greeted with a bush of brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail and the faint smell of alcohol.

“Aw, c’mon, yer gonna stop th’ conversation before I get the join in?!” Raven greets with a wide smile as he pats Yuri on the back before his arm is shoved away by the latter. “What’s this I’m hearin’ about love? Oh! Does our lil’ Yuri have a sweetheart now?”

Yuri wrinkles his nose. “Have you been drinking on the job again , old man?”

“Naw, I was just tastin’ one of our new products.” Raven waves him off before hopping onto a stool so he could lean against the bar. “It’s fiiine. It was literally just a sip. You won’t even notice it missing!”

“He says that every time.” Judith hums. “I guess I’ll see when I do inventory tonight.”

“And I won’t disappoint ya, Judith Darlin’!” With a snap of his fingers, Raven grins over to Judith before looking back over to Yuri. “So, who’s the one who stole our lil’ Yuri’s heart?”

Judith smiles, staring Yuri directly in the eye. “Oh, I can tell you all about him–”

“Judy, I’ll literally fist fight you.”

“--But we were talking about Karol.” She finishes, her smile not once wavering. “He’s feeling anxious about something and we’re thinking it has to do with a special friend of his.”

Raven puts a hand to his chin, nodding in understanding. “Ah… Young love. I remember those days…”

“I’m surprised. That was centuries ago.” Yuri deadpans, moving to grab a wet rag to wipe down the bar.

“You don’t hafta be so mean to this old man, y’know? My heart’s sensitive.”

“You make it so easy though.”

Raven gives Yuri a tiny pout before moving to lean his head against his hand. “Maybe I should talk t’ him. See if he’ll open up to good ol’ Raven!”

“Leave it alone, Old man.” Yuri shoots the man a quick warning glare. “He’ll talk when he wants to. Let’s stop crowding him, okay?” He directs the glare between Judith and Raven, a final warning before he moves to clean off another table.

“I suppose Yuri has a point.” Judith says after a moment. “He’s more familiar with Yuri anyway. If he’s going to talk to anyone, it would be him.”

“Yeah, yeah, I guess so…” Raven nods in agreement before scratching at his head. “By the way, you two still good to watch th’ restaurant for me on Friday? That work business I mentioned last week finally got confirmed so, definitely gonna need the night off for it.”

Yuri gives a quick little nod. “You scheduled me for it, so I’m available.”

Judith also nods, smile never fading. “Someone has to keep the place running.”

“I knew I was right in trustin’ ya with my heart and soul, Judith, dear!” Raven leans in with a grin, only for Judith to reach out with two fingers, pushing his forehead back.

“How about just trusting me with the restaurant, mmhm? I might just accidentally shatter that heart and soul of yours. I am terribly clumsy.”

“H-ha… yeah…Sure, that works too…”

---

Usually by the time Yuri got off of work, Karol was exhausted and ready to crash as soon as they got home but tonight, he was especially anxious as they quietly headed home, which was thankfully not far from Karol’s house so the walk wasn’t too bad. As they closed for the night and Yuri and Karol headed out, they paused by the small makeshift dog house that Karol and Raven had happily made out of cardboard when they saw that Yuri’s new pup had followed him to the restaurant. Repede, as grumpy as he looked, seemed pleased with his little temporary house at the time.

But he seemed even more pleased to be heading back home with Yuri and Karol in tow.

Yuri, on the other hand, was exhausted. In the last hour of his shift, he had gotten slammed with a multitude of tables. Not that he was complaining, of course. More tables meant more tips. But it still left him rather fatigued, especially with everything that’s happened within the last two days. But even though he was pretty exhausted as they walked through the street, his attention was on Karol in an instant when the boy finally spoke up for the first time in the past two hours.

“Hey… Yuri?” He speaks slowly, uncertainty clear in his tone as he shoves his hands into the pockets on his pants. “Are… you working on Friday?”

Yuri rubs at his eyes, trying to force some more energy into his body before he nods. “Yep. Working all weekend actually. Is that okay? I can see if Flynn can watch you if you don’t wanna hang out at the restaurant all weekend.”

“No, it’s okay! Really!” Karol’s eyes widen as he whips his head to look over to Yuri. “I like the restaurant. I don’t mind but…” He trails off again as he slows to a stop.

Yuri stops as well and he takes a moment to glance around the empty and darkened street, a bit uneasily. He steps just a bit closer to Karol before leaning down to make direct eye contact with the boy, frowning in concern. “What’s wrong?”

Karol stays silent, eyes downcast and face dropping to stare back at the ground.

Yuri frowns. “...Karol, if something is bothering you, you can tell me.” He says quietly, voice calm and serious. “I don’t judge people for that. You can talk to me. And if you feel like you can’t, I can give you Flynn’s number and you can talk to him. Or you can talk to Judith, or Raven. I don’t know what’s bugging you but you don’t have to deal with it alone–”

Yuri’s words must have sparked something within Karol because the next thing Yuri knows is he’s suddenly looking back up at Yuri with a certain determination on his face. “No! Nothing’s wrong! It’s just… just… a sleepover!”

Excuse me?

Yuri knows he said he wouldn’t judge but… well… that didn’t make any sense at all. “A… sleepover?”

Karol nods his head quickly. “My friend, Genis, is having a sleepover on Friday and he invited me.”

“...And you were freaking out because…?”

Karol pauses, swallowing hard. He glances towards Repede when the small pup trots over to his side and sits down. Taking the hint, he leans down to pet the small dog in an effort to comfort himself. Meanwhile, Yuri can’t help but stare at Karol closely. He was still so nervous and Yuri was having a pretty hard time trying to figure out why a simple sleepover had Karol freaking out as bad as he was. What exactly was he hiding? That couldn’t be all there was to it, right?

…Unless…?

“Is Nan going to be there?”

Nan’s name alone was enough to cause Karol to tense up. Yuri, for a moment, felt as if he had hit the nail directly on the head but something still didn’t feel right. He rubs anxiously at the Bohdi Blastia on his left wrist as he waits for Karol to answer. After a moment of hesitation, the young boy quietly nods.

“...Yes.” Karol’s voice was quiet, almost akin to a squeak as brown eyes quickly peeked up to Yuri’s as if trying to gauge his reaction.

Something didn’t feel right. Something didn’t feel right.

“So, it’s going to be… You, Genis, Nan…” Yuri trails off, tilting his head a bit to gesture for Karol to fill in the blanks on who else would be there.

Karol takes a deep breath. “Me… Genis, Nan… Anise and her creepy doll.” Another uneasy pause. “Maybe another kid or two. He didn’t specify.”

“Uh-huh…” Yuri lets the hum of agreement trail off, making it quite clear to the boy that he was feeling a bit suspicious about the whole thing. “Karol, no offense buddy, but the way you’re fidgeting is making me think that there’s something more going on here.”

Yuri tries to keep eye contact with Karol but the young boy seems more interested in running his hands through Repede’s fur, who nudges him lightly with his nose, as if also trying to urge Karol into speaking the truth. He sees now that Judith was right to be worried as Karol’s behavior was suddenly worrying Yuri as well. But he couldn’t even begin to imagine what could possibly be worrying Karol so badly. Yuri didn’t do something wrong, did he? He didn’t think he did but…

Finally, though, Karol speaks up and it startles Yuri out of his thoughts and leads him to focus on the young pre-teen in front of him. “It’s just…” Karol starts out slowly, eyes scanning over Repede and then across the street and then to his shoes before finally looking towards Yuri. “... I’ve… never been invited to a sleepover before…? I’m not sure how to react… I guess.”

Oh. Oh.

The suspicion immediately vanished as a small tinge of sympathy settled in Yuri’s chest. Karol, unfortunately, never had many people in the friends’ department. A lot of his time was spent taking care of the house on his own before Yuri started to watch over him. He had heard Karol talk about some of his friends off-handedly but even then, the friends he mentioned didn’t seem very close with Karol, not that Yuri would say that to the boy out loud.

He knew that Karol had a certain attachment to his friend, Nan, though he wasn’t too certain on how she felt about him. Whenever Yuri would bring her up, Karol would get extremely flustered and attempt to change the subject so he could only use his imagination to guess what kind of girl she was. Considering how Karol would mention the two of them fighting at times, he couldn’t help but believe she was a bit of a headstrong kid.

While Yuri still had some concerns regarding this sleepover, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of joy rise up within him as he suddenly reaches over and ruffles the young boy’s hair. Karol sputters in surprise, quickly batting Yuri’s hands away as he looks at him with questioning, wide eyes.

“Well… if I can offer a suggestion, you can react happily.” Yuri grins at him before flicking the boy’s forehead. “You don’t need to be nervous. I’m sure it’ll be fun. I’m happy for you.”

“Wh– You’re letting me go?” Karol’s eyes widen even more in disbelief, hands falling from his hair. “Seriously?”

“I’ll need you to give me a good phone number to contact and the address and all that, but… yeah. I guess I am.” Yuri tries to shove away the feeling of anxiety he was still feeling. Karol had a chance to actually get closer to people his own age. He wasn’t going to ruin that simply because of his own anxieties. “Should I not?”

“N…No! No, that’s–” Karol takes a deep breath and quickly nods. “Y-Yeah… So… Friday. I’ll go… Friday.”

“Yeah…” Yuri reaches out to ruffle his hair again. “I’ll try and do my best to survive without ya, Captain Karol. Will I still need to pick you up?”

“No… I can go home with Genis that day…”

“Gotcha…” Yuri gives him another smile before moving to stand back up. “We can talk about it more later, if you wanna. Right now though, I’m exhausted so let’s hurry back, kay?”

“Y-Yeah… Sure thing.”

---

He was a liar. He was a dirty, filthy liar. He looked Yuri directly in the face and lied with his whole chest and badly too! Karol was shocked, frankly, that Yuri let him get away with such a horrible lie. The whole thing was a mess, to be honest, and Karol just kept digging himself deeper into a hole.

The worst part is that he almost came clean. He wanted to come clean! He didn’t want to go and spend his Friday night camping out in the creepy forest bordering Quoi Park. He could literally spend his time doing literally anything else. But then, Yuri had to go and open his big stupid mouth and remind him why he was doing this to begin with!

“You can talk to me. And if you feel like you can’t, I can give you Flynn’s number and you can talk to him. Or you can talk to Judith, or Raven. I don’t know what’s bugging you but you don’t have to deal with it alone–”

He didn’t have to deal with it alone?! Yuri had the nerve to say that after trying to deal with everything on his own! Those words alone were enough to shoot a surge of determination through Karol’s body, determined to show Yuri that he could be trusted to help carry the burden, even if it’s just a little bit. Determined to show Yuri that, yes, he didn’t have to deal with it alone but Yuri didn’t have to either! He had to show Yuri that he wasn’t just some little kid that needed coddling.

So he lied about the sleepover. He lied about going to Genis’ house and about Nan and Anise being there. He lied about it all and even took a cheap shot at Yuri, lying that he was nervous because it was the first time he had ever been invited to someone’s house. And Yuri had fallen for it. Or at the very least, he let it slide but regardless, he felt like a horrible person afterwards.

He felt like an awful person when he asked Genis for his phone number and address the next day, asking him to pretend that he was staying over if Yuri had decided to call on Friday (to which the boy eventually relented and nervously agreed to, yet making sure to stress that it was still a horrible idea).

He felt like an awful person when Anise came over to his desk that Thursday, and then again on Friday, making sure that he still intended on keeping his promise to go camping in the woods that night. When he once again agreed and even decidedly went over his plan for the night with her, she seemed overjoyed and even impressed by his resolve. He hated it.

As for Nan, she had barely interacted with him in the past two days since their last conversation in the lunchroom. She definitely seemed mad about something and he wondered briefly if it was because of his decision to go camping, though the one time he tried to ask her why she was so angry with him, she simply slammed her book on the desk.

“I shouldn’t have to tell you why I’m mad, Karol!” She snapped, narrowing her eyes dangerously at him. “You’re just so… so…”

He frowned, shrinking back a bit at her rage. “... so what?”

“.... you’re just so spineless!” She spat out, crossing her arms.

He definitely didn’t get what she was mad about. He was going to go camp in the middle of the woods at night all by himself. Wasn’t that the opposite of spineless? Of course, when he tried to mention that, it only seemed to make Nan even angrier.

“You’re clueless , Karol!” And with that, she ran off with a huff before Karol could try and ask her to explain what he was missing.

Now he was anxious, depressed and confused.

Part of him wondered if he could just go into the woods and just take a few selfies in the forest and call it good but that might make him feel even worse for chickening out. Anise would call him out on it immediately, Yuri would never feel like he could rely on him and Nan would have a genuine reason to call him spineless.

And thus, he found himself pushing through his school day when Friday arrived, constantly in battle with his own brain until the final bell rang that day and it felt as if that bell was the sound that marked his execution.

Maybe he was being a bit overdramatic. He hoped he was anyway.

But as the school day came to an end, he hurried home as he decided that he should just go for it. Go for it before he could change his mind again and chicken out. He felt strange without Yuri leading him home for once. It wasn’t like he didn’t know the way. After all, he would walk home alone when he was merely ten years old! But he had gotten used to Yuri coming by to pick him up and it was a bit nerve wracking not seeing him appear on the corner of the street to meet up with him, like usual.

Part of him was expecting Yuri to show up anyway, even though Karol told him that he didn’t have to. And another part of him was disappointed, while the other part was relieved. After all, he didn’t exactly come up with a plan for if Yuri caught him walking home by himself instead of walking home with Genis, as was told. Thankfully, that was his only concern about getting caught on the way to his house. If Yuri were to try calling Genis, thankfully the boy had promised to cover for him, despite how much he didn’t want to. He made a note to himself that he definitely owed Genis for this.

As Karol arrives at his house, he quickly replaces the books in his bag with a bundled sleeping bag, a flashlight and other necessities for his camping trip. He did make sure to take a pocket knife that his father had left behind as well, making sure to have some kind of defensive weapon on him if he needed it. (He desperately told himself he wasn’t actually going to need it.)

As these items were shoved into his bag, he gave pause when he noticed the familiar looking stone that he had found earlier that week when he had been digging around in the garden. The amber-colored stone, when pulled from the bag, sparkled almost unnaturally when the light hit it just right. He had almost forgotten that he had found it.

Holding the stone in his hand seemed to bring him a bit of comfort as he ran his thumb over the smoothness of the stone. He still couldn’t quite remember why the stone seemed so familiar but if it was good for anything, it was good at lowering his anxiety. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to take it with him as a good luck charm.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt inclined to take the stone with him. Maybe it was some type of intuition or something.

Well hey, if anything, he could throw it at the bear if the bear were to show up. With that thought in his mind, he shoves the amber-colored stone back into his bag. Slipping a hoodie on and pulling it over his head, he makes sure he has all essentials needed for his trip and with one final deep breath, he places his hand on the doorknob leading outside of his house.

After a moment’s hesitation, he throws the door open and heads out.

---

Yuri was almost glad that nothing of note seemed to happen up until the end of the school week. There were no fights, his teachers didn’t give him a hard time, the rumors regarding him seemed to slow to a stop and there was no sign of Zagi or any kind of world ending threat. It was almost as if life had gone back to normal, even if it was just for a short amount of time.

His hand still gave him a little bit of issue but after having Estelle look at it briefly during their lunch period on Friday, she noted that the wound looked as if it were recovering quite nicely so that was a relief, at least. During their short meetups, Yuri did bring up the Quoi Woods and the possibility of something lurking within though Estelle seemed rather confused when she had heard of it.

“A supposed monster in the Quoi Woods?” She asked with a whisper as she sipped at her cup of juice she had brought along for lunch. “I don’t believe I’ve heard about that.”

Yuri took a bit of his sandwich as he leaned back in his chair. “I’m gonna guess that’s a good thing then? If you haven’t heard about it, then there probably isn’t anything to worry about, maybe?”

“No, I wouldn’t say that…” Estelle frowns, looking thoughtful. “I just haven’t really looked into the area yet. I can do some research though!”

“Sure, just don’t get caught up in chasing a false lead.” He snorted softly before propping his head on his hand, looking at her curiously. “So, what about Brave Vesperia? Any more leads on them, yet? Any other dreams?”

Yuri notices how she pauses, putting her cup down thoughtfully. He can see her pondering to herself for a moment. “I’m unsure… My dreams were… Well, I saw someone… but…”

Yuri doesn’t respond and instead waits for her to gather her thoughts together. He couldn’t imagine having prophetic dreams. Hell, he never really had dreams before aside from the one about his blastia. If he had any other dreams, he certainly didn’t remember them. So he figured that trying to gather one’s thoughts after a dream like that must be tough. So he remained patient. Unfortunately, Estelle simply shakes her head.

“It was just too blurry. The voice– She sounded familiar! Very familiar!” She notes and Yuri sees a tiny smile appear on her face. “But I couldn’t quite place it and I couldn’t make out her words.”

“Well… is she tall? Short? Was there a vibe? Color?”

“...Hmm…” Estelle’s finger moves to her lips, eyes closing as she tries to force herself to remember. “...Short. Red. She wore red. But… you know, that doesn’t mean anything, sadly. She could be wearing anything right now.”

“Yeah… I guess you have a point.” Yuri nods quietly, moving to sit back in his seat.

He doesn’t get to relax for much longer, unfortunately, as Hisca and Chastel end up calling him away to help with moving some of the desks of the classroom (despite his protests). They didn’t have much time for any more conversation after that.

Something else he noticed over the next two days was that Flynn had shown up at school looking rather exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. Still, the boy kept his shining personality as best as he could as he didn’t let the exhaustion slow him down. Still, Yuri wasn’t about to let this stand for long.

“What’s the matter with you?” Yuri had asked that Friday afternoon, after school.

Since he didn’t need to pick Karol up, he had a little more time to spare before he had to go get ready for work. So, he decided to spend it by slipping into the student council room and thanked whatever God he had to, that Sodia and others weren’t there. Flynn sat alone in the room, looking through some papers regarding some of the plans for the school. When Yuri entered the room, he quickly looked up and gave a small smile as he removed his glasses from his face.

“Oh, Good afternoon Yuri!” Flynn beams happily, moving to stand up to properly greet him. “You don’t have to hurry home today?”

Yuri wanders over to stand by Flynn, waving him back down as a silent gesture to let him know he didn’t have to stand up and greet him. He grabbed a nearby chair and slid it over next to Flynn’s and plopped down next to him. “Karol’s got a sleepover today so I have some time to spare.”

“And you decided to spend it here?” Flynn asks as his smile only grows wider.

“Well, yeah. Is that a problem?” Yuri raises a suspicious eyebrow, earning a tiny chuckle from Flynn.

“No, no, of course not. It’s just that I’m almost done here myself. The workload was light today so… maybe I can walk you home.”

“You’ve really been hanging on the whole ‘walking me home’ thing.” Yuri reaches over and snatches a pen off of Flynn’s desk, though the blonde haired man quickly catches him by the wrist, fingers once again brushing against the bracelet on his hand. “I think you’ve been watching too many cliche romance movies.”

“I-I have not!” Flynn’s grip remains on Yuri’s wrist as he moves to let their hands rest on the desk between them. Yuri didn’t feel the need to pull away just yet. “I just… miss walking home with you. And I figured it would be a good chance to say hi to Hanks as well.”

“Well, you were the one who decided to move into the dorms. It’s a bit out of the way to walk me home now.” Yuri reminded him.

“Well… considering that Niren offered to pay for it and it would move me closer to the school, I didn’t see any reason not to.” Flynn frowns. “You can still move in too, Yuri… Niren told you that the offer was still on the table.”

“Nah, he’s your legal guardian. Not mine.”

Niren Fedrock. He was a man who worked very closely with Flynn’s father back when he was alive and on the force. He and Flynn were around nine years old when they met the man for the first time. He was invited over for dinner one day. After that, he could come by to visit and Yuri and Flynn warmed up to and admired the man quite quickly.

His presence became more frequent after Flynn’s father was killed in the line of duty. He likely felt as if he had to take care of Finath’s wife and child for him. This was confirmed when Niren took official custody of Flynn after his mother passed. Since Yuri was technically under Hanks’ legal custody (and just decided to let the boy have free reign to his own apartment room), Niren couldn’t just take the boy in like he did Flynn. But he still offered some casual guidance here and there.

Yuri liked Niren, he really did. But he wasn’t about to mooch off of a random man’s kindness like that. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He would make a mental note to go visit the old guy one of these days though.

“Well, it’s not just me that he’s looking out for, you know. And he knows that Hanks wouldn’t be able to afford it as easily–”

Yuri lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Flynn, can you really see me getting along with some random roommate that they assign me with?”

“You get along with plenty of people!” Flynn quickly argues, squeezing his wrist. “You don’t know that it’ll be someone you won’t like.”

“I only get along with like… ten percent of the school’s population.” Yuri reminds him. “It just wouldn’t work. And it’d be weird anyway. I’m comfortable staying in my own apartment.”

“Then… maybe Niren can help you pay for the apartment–”

“Pass. I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”

Flynn drops the conversation after that, realizing that he was fighting a losing battle at that point. Instead, he directs his gaze down to their joined hands and runs a thumb over the golden bracelet hanging off of Yuri’s wrist.

“Where did you get this bracelet from, Yuri?”

Yuri kind of wished they could go back to fighting over the dorm rooms now. “Oh, I found it at a shop on the way home.” He answers simply but when he moves to pull his hand away, he realizes that Flynn has a firm grip on his wrist. He couldn’t pull away without actually snatching his hand back and… well, that could be seen as suspicious.

“... Everything okay?” Yuri’s question was slow and uncertain as he eyed Flynn cautiously.

The way that Flynn seemed to be studying the bracelet, eyes narrowed in thought, made Yuri’s heart race. It was just a bracelet, right? At least it should look like that to someone outside of the whole world saving business. So why was Flynn staring at it like he was suspicious of it? After a few minutes of silence, Yuri clears his throat and tries to tug his hand away again.

“Flynn?” He tries to grab his attention again and it almost comes out as a worried whine.

“Sorry–” Flynn snaps out of it and loosens his grip though he doesn’t let go completely. “I… was just trying to see if that was real gold or not.”

Yuri felt like he was about to have a blood sugar crash. He lets out a quiet sigh of relief before chuckling to himself. “Oh, is that all? Well, what do you think? It was like five bucks. Was it a steal?”

“Don’t know. Couldn’t tell.” Flynn laughs quietly, moving to rub at his eyes. “Maybe I’ll look at it again later when I can see more clearly.”

“Yeah, speaking of, you look like you haven’t been getting any sleep lately.” Yuri happily takes the chance to guide the conversation away from his blastia. “Everything okay over at the dorms?”

Flynn rubs at his eyes again and snorts. “Yes, everything is fine. I was just up for most of the night with Sodia.”

“Surprising no one–” Yuri freezes. Blinks. He looks back to Flynn, eyes wide and confused. “Wait, with Sodia?”

“Yes?”

“...Doing what exactly?”

There’s a brief moment of silence as Yuri and Flynn are both staring at each other before it finally clicks with Flynn what Yuri was implying and he simply just clicks his tongue. “Yuri, come on now… We weren’t doing anything. We were studying.” Another pause passes and suddenly Flynn is smiling a bit. “I didn’t know you were the jealous type.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on! I was not jealous.” Was he? Yuri wasn’t the type to get jealous… at least, so he thought. “I was just shocked that she possibly had the balls to make a move on you.”

“Well, she didn’t. And I don’t exactly want her to.” Flynn shakes his head with an amused grin on his face.

“Aw, damn. Don’t let her hear you say that. She might die on the spot.”

“I think you’re looking too into it. I don’t believe Sodia has a crush on me.” Yuri made a mental note to ask Niren about getting Flynn’s eyes checked again. “... And even if she did, it doesn’t matter. My eye is on someone else at the moment.”

Way to be obvious about it.

Yuri’s teasing grin falls as he tries to tug his hand away again but Flynn’s grip tightens again, not wanting to let him escape so easily. “I think you should give her a chance. Isn’t that what people say in situations like these? Everyone deserves a chance.”

“I think that saying is meant more for life in general, not relationships.” Flynn points out, his thumb brushing against Yuri’s palm. “And if that saying were about relationships, then that would mean I would get a chance too, right?”

“Ah… Right, I guess so.” Yuri pouts. “I guess it’s a dumb saying.”

“Yuri…” He receives another irritated sigh from his childhood friend and he feels himself being pulled closer. “I wish you would stop avoiding the topic of… of us–”

The sound of a door opening interrupts him, followed by a painfully familiar voice. “Excuse me, Flynn, about tonight–”

Yuri isn’t sure if he was disappointed that Sodia just barged into the student council room or if he was glad that she interrupted the conversation that was about to happen that he wasn’t quite sure he was ready for yet. For a moment, she looks shocked and surprised to see Yuri there, hand flying to her mouth as if to stop the words from slipping from her mouth but it’s soon replaced by that usual glare that tells him just how unwelcome he was in this room of theirs. Taking the hint, Yuri’s hand yanks from Flynn’s grasp as he jumps to his feet and shoves his hands into his pockets.

“Welp, I guess that’s my cue to leave.” Yuri snorts, trying to force his voice to stay steady and trying to ignore the ache slowly seeping through his chest. He also tries to ignore the glare from Sodia as she moves past him, making her way towards Flynn.

Flynn, looking rather frustrated at the interruption, nods in greeting to Sodia before looking back to Yuri, eyes softening. “You can wait outside, if you’d like… I’m almost done here and then I can walk you home.”

“You’re still trying for that?” Yuri quickly waves him off. “I–”

“Actually, Flynn, I needed to have an important word with you.” Sodia interjects, standing up straight with her usual serious expression.

Flynn’s gaze leaves Yuri and he almost laughs at the pout that the man tried to hide as he stares up at Sodia. “Um… about what, Sodia?”

The girl stays silent and Yuri tilts his head to try and get a look at her expression but gains nothing from it. Her face remains stern, eyes trained directly on Flynn’s and mouth shut tight. There is a moment where her eyes dart to Yuri and Flynn’s eyes show recognition as they follow her gaze, as if there were some silent communication between them.

“... You know, you’re allowed to say that it’s a private matter.” Yuri tells them both, rolling his eyes. “Instead of just side-eyeing me like that. Just be like “I don’t want to discuss it in front of him.” ”

Sodia glares. “Would you even listen?”

Yuri ponders for a moment and grins. “Absolutely not.”

He almost laughs at the way Sodia bristles where she stands before she whips her head around towards Flynn, almost pleading. “Flynn–”

“Yes, yes…” Flynn sighs, trying to mask his disappointment as he looks back to Yuri. “I guess this might take some time… I can walk you home another day, perhaps?”

“You are SUPER persistent.” Yuri complains with a groan as he heads for the door. “I’ll think about it.”

As he moves to leave, Flynn quickly stands up and hurries after him, moving to grab the door from him. As he holds the door open for Yuri, the blonde gives him a tiny, bashful smile as he speaks with a whisper. “...And will you think about…?”

He trails off, gesturing between the two of them with his hand and Yuri finds himself looking past Flynn and instead letting his gaze fall on Sodia. She’s staring at the two of them, eyes narrowed with disapproval and it just served as a reminder of how much of a bad idea it was for them to cross that line that they had been on for the past few years. Still, he couldn’t ignore how much his chest warmed at the idea, no matter how much of a mistake it would be.

After a moment’s pause, Yuri just sighed. “...Look. I’d rather not talk about this here, okay?” He gestures behind him towards Sodia, a silent message between them of I don’t want to talk about this in front of her . Thankfully, Flynn seems to understand this but he has that dumb kicked puppy look of rejection and Yuri began to speak before he could stop himself.

“...How about this?” Yuri’s words came out as a defeated sigh. “What if… you came to pick me up after work tonight? I’ll be getting off at around 10 so… maybe we could talk then…?”

Yuri watched as a range of emotions filled Flynn’s face. First was surprise as his blue eyes widened, and then hope as his smile washed over his face… but then the disappointment kicked in, followed with a bit of regret and Yuri instantly knew that it likely wasn’t happening.

“Busy?” Yuri guesses, shoving his hand into his pocket.

“...Unfortunately.” Flynn frowns. “I’m not sure if I’ll be done in time…”

“What are you doing anyway?” Yuri frowns. “If it’s studying, you can just like… pause, right? You’ll have all weekend…”

Before Flynn could even think to answer, Sodia cuts in. “Flynn.” She says, reminding him that she’s still there and Yuri couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste appear in his mouth.

“Geez, wait your damn turn…” He grumbles before moving to head out the door. “Fine, whatever. Just text me and lemme know if you’re able to pick me up. I don’t care.”

“I–I will!” Flynn stammers, nodding quickly. “...Let you know, that is. I’ll text you as soon as I know. I’m sorry, Yuri.”

“No skin off my nose.” And with that, Yuri didn’t bother to wait for a response before he turned and hurried down the hall.

A part of him did consider going back to listen in on the conversation between Flynn and Sodia as Flynn turned and headed back into the student council room. But at the same time, he did not care in the slightest over what he and Sodia had to talk about.

It was true that he thought Sodia would be a better match for the man than he ever could be, even if Flynn thought otherwise.

That didn’t mean he wanted to stick around and see Sodia try her hardest to make the moves on the poor student council president.

Plus, just being around her gave him the worst kind of stomachache.

---

For a Friday night, Yuri’s shift at work was long and slow with time moving by with an almost painful drag. He did what he could to keep himself busy on the floor but a lot of their customers were more interested in buying a drink and talking with Judith rather than dining in with Yuri as their waiter. Not to say that Yuri hadn’t had any tables that night: He had a few, one of them being Patty, of course, but it was becoming clear that he would be lacking in tips tonight.

Still, some money was better than no money. He only wished that he had more to do in the restaurant so he could distract his brain from wandering off. He had plenty of things going through his head. He had sent Karol a text earlier that night to let him know if he needed anything, though he did try not to seem so overbearing about it. But he did wonder if the boy was having fun. Considering he hadn’t heard back yet, he could only assume so. The thought put him at ease, at least a little bit, and Yuri had gotten this Genis’ number in case something happened. So one way or another, someone would contact him if something happened.

However, this was not the only reason why he kept anxiously peeking at his phone at every chance he got. Part of him knew that he shouldn’t hold his breath about Flynn being able to pick him up. Sometimes Flynn got so caught up in his work (or whatever the hell he was doing) that he forgot to eat sometimes. So Yuri knew better than to expect Flynn to actually remember to pick him up. Plus, if he did show up, that meant that Yuri would have to follow up on his word and he would finally have to face what Flynn has been reaching for all this time.

And he still wasn’t sure about his answer. But, they were both about to be adults, right? He was capable of having an actual conversation about everything… right? And it would feel nice to try and be honest about something right now, all things considered.

“You seem distracted.” Judith points out as she finishes pouring a patron another drink, managing to keep eye contact with Yuri instead of on the drink she was pouring. Of course, it was like second nature to her. “You keep checking your phone like a mother hen. Should I start thinking of confiscating it?”

It was a tease, of course. He knew she had no intention of taking the phone away but Yuri grimaced nonetheless. “I’m not that distracted.” A lie, and a weak one at that. “Just thinking about how boring it is on my end.”

“Mm, I suppose the dining room is slow, for a Friday night…” Her eyes scan the dining room as she moves to grab another drink to mix up. “I do agree, though. It is pretty quiet here without Karol.”

“I mean, yeah. He’s way more talkative than both of us.” Yuri snorts quietly. “I’m sure it’s quieter than usual because the Old Man isn’t here either.”

“Mm, you do have a point. Seems like everyone’s got something going on nowadays.”

“You sound jealous.”

“Aren’t you?” Judith raises an eyebrow, only earning a shrug in return. “Maybe we should go out into the city one of these days.”

“I don’t exactly have much free time anymore.” Yuri explains as he moves to lean against the counter.

Judith finishes mixing up a drink and pours it into a cup before sliding it to another patron, who happily takes it, slapping some cash on the counter. She takes it, counting through it carefully before moving to put it into the cash register before she moves over to the edge of the bar to continue the conversation with Yuri.

“I suppose being a senior in High School with a part time job is already hard enough.” She guesses with a smile. “But surely you’re not pushing yourself, right?”

That sounded more like a threat than concern. God, if only Judith knew. “I’m fine. I’m already dealing with Flynn fretting over me. I don’t need you to start too.”

“You know…” Judith starts, moving to clasp her hands together before resting her chin on them. Her voice holds a feigned innocence to it and it’s enough to tell Yuri that he’s in for it now. “You always talk about how hard Flynn works… Have you ever considered that it’s bad if the guy who supposedly works himself to death is worried about how hard you’re working yourself?”

Yep, here it comes. Yuri narrows his eyes for a moment before moving to step away. “No, he just worries about anyone that isn’t himself.”

“Oh, that also sounds like someone I know.” The woman giggles to herself before her expression falls into something a bit more soft. “Just keep it in mind, alright? Flynn isn’t the only one concerned.”

“You know, Judy, if you’re worried about me, just say so.” Yuri forces a smirk. “You don’t have to hide behind Flynn–”

“Who said I was hiding? Unlike you, I’m very intune with my feelings. But it’s not just me either.”

Before Yuri could ask for clarification on who she was talking about, the bell to the door of the restaurant suddenly chimed, indicating customers. Judith and Yuri both looked up towards the door and upon seeing an older woman with a child wander in, Yuri took it as his cue to drop the conversation for now and get back to work.

“My saviors~” He teasingly grins to Judith (who simply snorts with a shake of her head) before hurrying over to the pair, sporting a rather friendly smile as he does so. “Hey, guys, welcome. Have a seat, I’ll get you some menu–”

He pauses when he gets closer to the two. The young kid, sporting a blue t-shirt and shorts with messy white hair, he didn’t recognize but the older woman standing with him, short white hair and wearing a button up coat with boots with a stern expression on her face, was one who was pretty familiar to him. He had heard that his history professor had a little brother, so seeing Professor Sage's little brother right next to her? He could see the resemblance.

“Well hey there, Professor Sage.” Yuri drawls, with a lazy grin as he moves to grab two menus. “I haven’t seen you here before. Is this the famous little brother I hear people talking about?”

Upon looking at the kid, he notices that he’s probably around Karol’s age and he couldn’t help but wonder if the two knew each other. The kid, however, did not seem very happy to be there as he stood between the two of them, rigid and stiff with fists clenched at his side. He was also staring hard at the ground, avoiding any and all eye contact with Yuri and the professor.

Professor Sage gives him a tiny nod of greeting, quickly giving his greeting a smile of acknowledgement. “Yuri, it’s nice to see you. I have to admit, I was surprised when I heard you were working here. But it seems like you’re settling well enough.” She does reach out and puts a firm hand on the kid’s shoulder, and he flinches heavily under her touch and Yuri can’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“You heard I started working here? Who’d you hear that from?” He hadn’t exactly made it public knowledge yet. Not that he was planning a big reveal or anything. It just wasn’t anyone’s business. Not even Flynn knew where he worked until today.

Yuri took a step back, intending to lead the two to a table while they talked but the professor and her pale as a ghost little brother remained rooted where they stood. “Oh, thank you, Yuri but we aren’t actually planning on eating in.” Yuri watches as she smiles down at her little brother and– oh, that’s the smile she uses when someone in class is in big trouble.

You have my condolences, little guy.

“...Um. Okay?” Yuri slowly puts down the menus as he looks between the two of them. “Then… how can I help you? Do you guys need the bathroom…? It’s in the back.”

He notices how she squeezes the kid’s shoulder. “Genis? Why don’t you let Yuri know why we’re here?”

“Genis?” Yuri’s lips fall open a bit, and instantly, he’s looking past the professor and Genis towards the front door, looking for that familiar tuft of brown hair. Karol was, unfortunately, nowhere in sight. “Genis… You’re Karol’s friend, right? Where’s Karol?”

Genis’ fists clench tighter as his elder sister nudges him forward, a movement that was gentle but also firm. Her smile is gone now as she glances up to Yuri and he’s suddenly filled with dread.

“Karol… is… camping out in the Quoi Woods for the night. Our friend Anise dared him to and– And I told him that he was stupid for it but he didn’t listen and–” Genis finally forced himself to look up to Yuri, eyes wide in shame.

Yuri couldn’t even process it. His mind seemingly shut off as he stared dumbly at the professor and Genis.

Karol was camping. Camping in the Quoi Woods. Camping in the Quoi Woods where there was a supposed sighting of a monster. Or a bear. Or something. Karol was there. By himself. Karol snuck off without telling him. Karol could be in danger. Karol was–!

Yuri didn’t even realize he was moving until he was behind the bar, hand shooting for the computer so he could quickly clock out, throwing his apron off in the process. Judith must have picked up on how pale he looked because she quickly reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

“Yuri, what’s wrong?” She frowns, concern clear on her face as he suddenly rips himself from her grasp. “Yuri?”

“Karol snuck off so I’m going to go grab him before he–” Gets himself killed. “--gets lost or hurt.” The words hurt his throat as he moves past Judith. “Sorry, it’s an emergency, Can you–”

Judith holds her cellphone up immediately. “I’ll text someone to come and finish your shift.” She frowns, her casual attitude from before turned serious. “Text me when you find him. Please.”

“Yeah.” Yuri breathes out, trying to keep calm as he hurries out the door. As he passes the professor and Genis, he hesitates and he has half a mind to scold Genis because what was he thinking, letting Karol run off like that?! But the Professor seemingly reads his mind and quickly pushes him towards the door.

“Go on. I am perfectly capable of scolding Genis. Please expect a written apology as well when you return back to class on Monday.” Something about her words indicated that the written apology was the least of the kid’s problems right now.

He decided to leave it to her.

As he ran out the door, he let out a whistle towards the makeshift dog house right outside of the restaurant, calling for his furry partner. Repede had barely stuck his head out before Yuri was running by, bending down and scooping the dog up as he took off in a sprint towards the park. As he sprints down the street, trying to remember what path to take to get to the park from there, he hears his ring tone ring out and his phone is out in an instant.

Seeing Estelle’s name on the caller ID fills him with dread. When he answers, he’s already breathing hard from the running, earning a quiet whine of protest from his pup companion. “Estelle–!”

“Oh– Yuri! Good evening!” Estelle greets, sounding a bit surprised over the phone by Yuri’s heavy breaths. “I’m sorry for bothering you, is this a bad time? I was calling to let you know that I was able to find something about the Quoi Wood–”

“Estelle–” Yuri interrupts her, having to slow down just slightly as he skids around the corner of the street. He pauses to gain an idea of where he was before deciding to continue north. “ Please tell me that the rumors about a monster are just rumors!”

Estelle hesitates, likely confused as to why Yuri was behaving in such a way. “Um… Well… It seems like there’s a possibility that there’s something strange there. I found reports of a strange phenomenon and I think there could be–”

Another stab of dread shoots through him as Yuri yells out before she can finish her sentence. “DAMMIT!” He spits out as he stumbles to a stop and doubles over for a moment. This earns a tiny squeak of surprise from Estelle as she quickly speaks up again.

“Yuri, what’s wrong?!”

He has to take a moment to control his breathing as he quickly begins his running pace again, pulling the phone back up to his ear. “Estelle, Karol snuck off and is camping in those woods right now . I don’t know why but I need to get there right now.”

Estelle falls silent as Yuri spots a street sign, showing the park wasn’t too far from his location. He sighs in relief, thankfully that he was heading the right direction. The moon was shining bright in the sky, which thankfully illuminated his path but everything looked so different at night that it was easy for him to lose his way if he wasn’t careful.

“Yuri–” Estelle speaks up again, voice coming through the speaker with that same determined firmness she usually showed when she made her mind up about something. “Do you have your cloak and mask?”

“Wh-What? No, Estelle, I don’t have time–”

“Will Hanks let me into your apartment if I ask?”

“What?” Yuri glances around the area and spots another sign nearby. To the west. He makes the turn and keeps his pace. “I mean– Maybe. Is there time for that though?”

“I’ll go and get your cloak and mask and I’ll meet you in the woods.” Estelle explains carefully and Yuri picks up a hint of nervousness in her tone. “I’ll come as fast as I can but in the meantime, you have to find Karol before something else does!”

Yuri, despite the fear settling in his gut, can’t help but give a tiny smile at that. “...Right. Right, yeah, I will. Don’t worry. Thanks, Estelle.”

“Please do not thank me. Just promise me one thing, Yuri. Be careful and don’t let anyone see your face, if you can help it.” Her voice is stern and serious and he wonders if there’s something more to her words than that. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to dig into it right now.

“I don’t plan on stopping to have a conversation with anyone so no problem.” Yuri breathes out. “Check the top dresser for the cloak and the mask. Thanks again, Estelle. I’ll see you soon.”

“Be careful, Yuri!”

With a tap of a button on his phone, the call ends and Yuri shoves the phone back into his pocket before clenching his left fist. “Okay, Repede, think you can sniff Karol out when we get to the park?”

Repede perks up at him, giving him a single wag of the tail before giving a bark of agreement. This earns a grin from Yuri as he glances down at the Bodhi Blastia on his left wrist. He notices a warm glow begin to emit from the core within, followed by a surge of power.

“Awesome. Let’s go find the Captain.” He grins and with a flex of his left arm, a familiar and warm flash of light shoots from the core and envelopes his body.

===

Ages in the Chapter by the way: Raven: 35 Rita: 15 Judith: 20 Patty: 11 I decided to make Judith a bit older than Yuri in this AU. She just has that older big sis vibe to be honest. Also, in case you haven't noticed, I REALLY love the Big Brother Yuri / Little Brother Karol dynamic so much, they made me so emotional in game bro. I also wish I could promise that the next chapter will be shorter but I legitimately have no idea LOL

#tales of vesperia #tales of series #yuri lowell #fluri #ristelle #bravus vesperia magica #ch 4 #magical person au

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