#yuri right now in dahngrest holding flynn's hand THINKING ABOUT HOLDING FLYNN'S HAND

[bravewolfvesperia]

"Of course, of course. Our own little guardian angel." In a way it was almost funny. The other kids looked up to Yuri in that way, but Flynn looked after all of them. At first Flynn always seemed to sure of himself and composed that he just said what was on his mind and it was always enough to unintentionally get a reaction out of Yuri. He felt like he was behind Flynn in everything, and Flynn... used to speak like being so good was the most natural thing in the world to him.

All that aside though, Yuri was definitely happy to see that Flynn was starting to come back into his own. The only time he seemed like himself after Yuri left the knights was when he visited the Lower Quarter, but even then he was slowly starting to turn into this more... upright, polite figure like he hadn't seen them in some ten years. Sometimes even Hanks had a few things to say about it, but over time it just became Flynn's norm and people stopped wondering or worrying about it.

Except Yuri, anyway. It always bugged him to see how Flynn hid things like just sheer excitement or interest in anything. Whether Flynn had been forcing it or not Yuri wasn't sure, but it was almost as if he was intentionally trying to create distance before him and things he had emotional attachments to. Lately he wasn't doing that, and... Yuri felt like he could breathe again.

"Just remember Karol's only thirteen. By the time he gets older, he'll be used to whatever side you present to him. You've only known him for about two years or so. Two years of what you've shown him is only the norm because it's been the majority of time he's known you. Sooner or later five years will be more than two and... so on. However he sees you is partially your call."

That said, Yuri did sort of... actually hope more people would get used to Flynn. It was an annoying thing to think about, how people saw knights as strictly authority figures with... no other personality to them. Maybe in the past Yuri had done that too sometimes, but nowadays even with Leblanc, he saw a person behind that armor. Flynn wasn't just some... automated entity that protected the populace.

At least when Flynn would be alone with just Yuri and Karol, if Flynn could let himself forget they had just one single onlooker who wasn't Repede (who already knew Flynn), he could just be whoever he felt like being at that time. Karol could watch and learn and just... adjust. Heck, he had to be good at adjusting if he'd been through all those guilds. Life didn't seem to have given him a choice up until now. Hopefully that meant he could this adjustment on this own, just like he had with living with Yuri.

As Yuri thought about it though, he recognized the weird blooming feeling in his stomach. It always made him somewhat uncomfortable, being some uncontrollable thing that felt like it was right there in his body... but he had offered for Flynn to live with them if Karol was okay with it. That meant probably coming home some days after Flynn. Seeing Flynn already home. Walking in to see Karol hanging around the house with just Flynn.

For a little while at least, it would be an adjustment for Yuri, too. It had been years now since he'd just walked into their house and saw Flynn already home with the other kids, taking care of them and just going about his day. Since that eventually no longer was normal, it meant readjusting to that being normal. Not that he didn't want it to be, but... maybe because the circumstances were slightly different now? It made him feel... very fidgety.

Somehow that led his mind to wondering how the people of Aurnion would see them one day. The people there were heavily influenced by and adored Flynn from the Zaphias side, and most if not all of the guildsmen had at least some respect for him. Since many of them seemed influenced to live there by Raven too, it shed a pretty good light for both sides about each other. It also meant more people would be seeing the Commandant himself, in person, but... Yuri would be with him sometimes, and...

Nobody but Yuri knew his own thoughts right now but damn was it embarrassing how quickly his mind had dove into thinking about that. How unlike the normalcy of the Lower Quarter where nobody would be surprised to see them together (they were actually generally more surprised not to see them together), people in Aurnion would see Commandant Flynn being just resident Flynn. Not knowing anything about them, people would probably be staring at them wondering who the random guy was with the literal Commandant, and... dear heavens this was the most embarrassing thing he'd ever thought about, but here he was, actually wondering about it.

Even the most naivest of people could still manage to hit the mark every once in a while. Flynn knew this but he figured there was no point in really pointing it out. If Karol found out, he simply would find out and they would deal with it then. If he got upset, Flynn would be willing to sit down and talk with the boy himself, if he had to. He could see just how much Karol looked up to Yuri and Flynn had no intention of stealing Yuri from him.

But, even if Flynn didn’t know Karol as well as Yuri did, he… genuinely had the feeling that Karol would be okay with it. The young boy knew how close he and Yuri were, and even without the relationship part, he knew that their bond was a special one regardless. He must have known, right? After all, when it was just the three of them, Karol would always want to hear stories from their past, eyes shining with excitement the entire time. 

There were some things that Flynn didn’t care to relive but it was extremely difficult to say no to such an excited face like his. 

Still, even if he had a feeling Karol would be fine with it, Flynn promised he wouldn’t say anything and he intended on keeping his word. And if the day came when Karol found out, Flynn looked forward to answering any question that the young boy might have. So… long as they weren’t deeply personal questions about the two of them. He wasn’t quite sure he could make it through a conversation like that without dying of embarrassment. 

“I… wouldn’t call myself a rascal for that. The Lower Quarter needed water so I decided to help. I thought I was being responsible by making sure you guys were able to defend yourself. And I had training at the time so I went along to make sure you guys were okay.” The pout appeared on Flynn’s face before he could stop it. “...Aside from that, I don’t know what you mean. I rarely ever got in trouble.”

Mostly because he rarely got caught and both he and Yuri knew it. But the few times he did get caught, he got the scolding of a lifetime, whether it be from his mother, from Jiri or even from Hanks. 

Still, he could tell that Yuri was teasing him and he could feel himself growing embarrassed as his mind began to slowly file through all of the crazy things he, Yuri and the other boys got into as they were growing up. They had calmed down during their teen years, that was for certain but even then, Flynn would be lying if he said there weren’t just a few moments of mischief between the two of them as they grew older. 

Despite the shy expression on his face, he could only smile at the memories. 

“I want that. The entire world can see who they want to see but I’m happy that you still get to see the real me. I’m happy that I’m still able to be the real me… even if it’s just around you nowadays.” Still, the idea of revealing who he was to Karol was … a scary thought. And for once, Flynn couldn’t really figure out why. 

“I’d… like to try and open up to Karol more. Though I’m not even sure how. It feels like you’re the only one I know how to act naturally around nowadays.” Even the people in the Lower Quarter treated him with such high regard that it was hard to revert back to how he used to be around them. “So I would definitely need some time to grow comfortable, I think. And for him to grow comfortable with me. I think once we’ve done that, I can start trying to figure out how to act more… naturally.” 

It was such a strange thing, really. Had he really spent so much time playing pretend that he had forgotten how to act naturally in front of others? Of course, it had slipped out a few times, mostly when he would argue with Yuri in front of the others, but the second Flynn realized, he would find himself slipping back into his knightly persona. 

Maybe it was because being around Estellise and Raven made him nervous, and while Rita didn’t seem to care too much, she was still affiliated with the Empire and maybe that clung to the back of his brain as well. But if it were just Karol… maybe he could pull it off. One step at a time.

[crestfallencrest]

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. 

[4328fox]

Ordination Day

summary: Yuri is invited to the event that would make Ioder and Flynn's positions official. Some things are bound to change as a result. The question is whether or not one is able to accept such change.

notes: pairing is fluri, though this is set pre-relationship. Also, TOV spoilers everywhere!

Once again, I’d like to thank everyone who helped me as I was writing this!

Wordcount is (almost) 13k words. here’s a link to AO3, if you’d rather read it there!

You’re sitting by a windowsill, in an inn in Aurnion. You wrapped up a quick delivery job for someone here earlier. Normally, you wouldn’t have lingered here. While thinking about your circumstances, you glance down to a piece of paper, still resting on your lap. The core of your blastia glints under the moonlight.

Please come to Master Ioder’s ordination.

Flynn won’t even put a proper invitation in, but you’d thrown it out if he did. He knew that very well too. Still, you wondered why he bothered asking.

You stretch a bit, letting out a huff that might just be you mocking the letter. You actually did consider ignoring this altogether. Saying it got lost in the mail, or something. You didn’t want to be mixed into this, not when you had little reason to.

Writing has never been in your style either, but you’d write back to Flynn, to keep in touch with him. He made you promise to, because after the Adephagos was dealt with, it would mean going your separate ways again. Not that you didn’t run into him, sometimes. Or pretty often, even. It’s a well-known fact that your luck is cursed, and Flynn doesn’t know when to leave things be. You wonder if Flynn ever spends time in his room.

Another letter came a day after Flynn’s, this time from Estelle. It must have been serious enough that she went out of her way to write to you, but you already had a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t the emergency you expected.

Yuri, I know that you insisted I throw out that uniform when you caught me sneaking it in your bag, but I held on to it. Once you come here, I’ll let you have it again. It’s for Ioder and Flynn’s ceremony!

And of course it’s Flynn’s ceremony too. As of now, you don’t know what to expect, aside that it’s both Emperor and Commandant ordinations going down in one event. It's hardly surprising that Flynn wouldn’t put any weight on his official promotion taking place.

For a while, the ordination has been the talk of Terca Lumireis. Estelle’s teacher mentioned it before you and Brave Vesperia stopped the world’s end. And after the loss of the barriers, people needed to hold on to something that wouldn’t spark anxiety. Of all places, even Dahngrest began talking about it.

You stretch again. You suppose you should get going to bed, because you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow. You step over to the sleeping Repede, recounting how you turned down Judy’s offer to fly you to Zaphias today. With the main event two days away, you felt like you wanted to take the long route, instead. At least some people established that dock that was made to connect Illycia and Hipionia.

And unless someone were to ask Judy and Karol, no one really knows you’re here. Not that it truly matters, but there’s already going to be some amount of attention on you when you’re in the capital. A small reprise of privacy doesn’t hurt anyone.

You have to nudge Repede a little before you can comfortably lay down in bed. The warmth of your partner is calming, and distracting enough to lull you to sleep.

You are anything but a morning person, but you wake up early due to your gut squeezing at you. Just from trying to comb through your hair with a hand, you can already feel where it tangled up.

The next thing you know, you’ve taken semblance of a decently-looking person, now checking out of the inn. You and Repede note the nice weather outside, the town bustling with life more and more with each new visit you make here. It reminds you of the Lower Quarter. The community here is growing to be just as close-knit too, and you can’t not smile while passing some kids, they’re already running wildly at this hour. There were less of them last time you were here, and you didn’t realise that until this morning.

What you do realise, however, is that a fair-haired Commandant has no business being in Aurnion today. You can’t make out much of him from this distance, but he is armored as ever. He seems to have been handing some reports. You never get how Flynn is this chipper so early in the day, but the sun shining and reflecting on his pauldrons gives him a brighter look. From a certain angle, it would even be blinding.

You make eye contact with him, and he’s already distracted from whatever conversation he was having with the captain stationed here. You stand there, a building or so away by now, as he excuses himself and steps over to you and Repede.

“Yuri, what are you doing here?” he smiles at you in surprise, but you catch his eye twitching, subconsciously. He kneels to greet Repede too, who is ecstatic to see him.

“That’s what I’m wondering. You should be in Zaphias.” You cross your arms as you study his body language more. He doesn’t seem to have packed much on his person, much like yourself. And his hair is its usual messy. He looks up at you, and he squints, actually, because the sunlight hit his eyes.

“I had a blastia thief to deal with. I had to act.”

Of course he did. These cases are singular and not too common, thankfully, but Flynn takes each and every one of them himself. You can tell he still looks slightly breathless, he must have run all the way here.

He stands up to meet your eyes. “And you? I thought Ba’ul would give you a ride.”

“He and Judy have plenty to do. I was just sightseeing here.” You offer a grin, but Flynn must already know that you’re here for a guild job, not looking entirely impressed.

“Well, if we both happen to be here, would you like to go back to Zaphias together?” Before you can even open your mouth, he continues, “We can catch up, and all.”

“We can catch up during your ceremony too,” and he instantly gets a bit exasperated at what you’re trying to imply, even if you’re just joking. “But, yeah, we are going in the same direction. Will your knights mind me taking you away from them for a day?”

Flynn tries not to grin at the way you phrased it, but he now looks like he’s grimacing. “Not ‘my knights’. But just give me a few. I’ll be ready to head out soon.”

You nod at each other, and you instead take your walk’s direction for the entrance of Aurnion. Repede woofs at you and you can’t help but sigh. So much for some alone time.

Not that Flynn is a bother beyond his nagging, but you should have suspected something like this would have happened. In fact, you usually do expect it, it’s a habit you picked up from the past year and a half. While you don’t seek his blue uniform out in a crowd, you do strain your ears for his voice, for some indication that he’s in the same place as you again.

If you didn’t run into each other just now, you would have instead come to Zaphias hearing that he’s running late on preparations for his own special day. Because something’s always bound to come up. The moment Flynn notices an issue, he obsesses over it until he gets it dealt with.

You lean against the entrance of the town, Repede barking as you exchange conversation with him. It isn’t long until Flynn is back at your side and ready to go, somewhat brighter and less sleep-deprived. He scratches behind Repede’s ears one more time before you three officially exit the premises of Aurnion.

The first group of monsters you come across is not overwhelming, but you were struggling to take a breather. It’s good that you packed healing items, and that Repede is so fast. Once able to continue on walking, you find yourself a bit too worn out to offer much of your usual quips. Though it’s because you spend some time in silence that you notice something is eating at Flynn. You should get him to talk.

“Flynn-”

“Yuri-”

You both stop to look at one another. Repede barks, as if to join in.

“You first,” Flynn insists. “I don’t mean to interrupt.”

“Nah, I was going to ask you why you look so nervous. Out with it.”

You give him a look, and he somehow resists rolling his eyes. “I was wondering what you’ve been up to. Besides guild jobs.”

“That’s all?”

“What else should there be?” At a loss for words, you cross your arms. You spot a large enough rock and make a move to go sit on it, but Flynn speaks again. “We don’t need a break for this.”

“...I suppose you’re right. But let me think.”

“Ever so busy, I take?” You can hear the grin in his voice, and you have to push down the urge to tell him to shut it, before his teasing even began.

As you all continue walking, you’re wondering out loud, recounting if anything potentially interesting happened with you. There’s you and the guild looking for a more permanent residence. Flynn assures you that you would all be welcome to Zaphias, if you so wanted. You think a bit more, but decide against it. Too many knights, among other things, wouldn’t make it so ideal. Though you get the feeling you made him disappointed voicing that.

You throw in a story or two between rambling, and he at least offers enough of a conversation so it doesn’t feel disgustingly one-sided. Flynn then gives a story of his own, and talks about another success that he and Ioder managed against the council. The pride bubbles up in you, you say how them working together like this has resulted in a lot more progress being made than what Alexei had seemingly done in his entire time as Commandant. Flynn makes a troubled response, unable to argue against it, and conversation quickly dies.

The silence settling becomes a suffocating one, you both can tell. Alexei is still a sore topic. Flynn tries again by asking “You haven’t been in my new quarters, right?”, which is possibly one of the worst ways to follow up a topic concerning Alexei.

But you humor him anyway. “Is that a special invitation? I thought ordinary people have no business there.”

“Yuri, you’re no ordinary person.”

“Whatever, still not castle staff. But no, you only wrote to me about it. Didn’t it take a while to convince you to move there?”

Flynn flushes a bit, but continues. “It’s still weird. It’s too big, it makes me wonder if there’s any use in repurposing it.”

“Into what?”

“I haven’t thought of it... “

Repede just then barks, and sprints ahead. You turn, and notice the docks. You pick up the pace. Once closer, you now see a few knights positioned there to keep watch. They instantly regard Flynn with the utmost respect. They instantly recognize you too, as a friend of the Commandant. You find it weird.

By the time Flynn started talking to them, probably about some knight things that don’t concern a criminal like you, you and Repede have already decided to board the ship yourselves. There are a few more passengers, but there are also various cargoes going in and out of the ship. It’s probably supply exchanges between the two continents.

You directly head for one of the cabin rooms. Once there, Repede settles comfortably over the bed. You sit down too.

...Maybe you should ask someone at the castle to patch up this Dhaos cape. The winds are less harsh with it on, and it gives you a weird sense of strength fighting with it. As you go through your things, you find your bag weirdly empty on supplies. “Was this your doing?” you ask in Repede’s direction, who only barks back indignantly. Maybe Flynn is low on gels too.

Not that you can exactly ask Flynn now, because he has things to do. Flynn runs on tasks and missions all the time at this point, you would hardly be surprised if he comes here apologising, because he found he needs to take a detour in Halure, or something.

The cabin door opens after some time, revealing him. “And here’s the guy who drained me of my Apple gels again.” You say dryly.

Flynn doesn’t relax from whatever tension he built up. While he doesn’t look visibly nervous, you can tell his throat dried up on the way here. He still frowns at your remark. “I don’t think I threw that many at you this time.”

You grin, you’re already scooting over to give Flynn the sitting space. “I’d say you owe me gels, but stuff them in your own mouth next time, alright?”

“I doubt I came in here to hear that from you, of all people.” From how close you both are now, you can hear something in his body crack slightly upon sitting on the bed.

“And I doubt I was ready to be low on apple gels now.”

“Yuri…”

“I’m just saying!”

“You’re impossible.” Flynn finally slinks back to lay down, and you can hear the metal of his armor click here and there as he positions himself comfortably enough. You watch the way he stretches his torso, and the way he arches ever so slightly, as a pleased sigh escapes his lips. Your eyes trail up to his own, and you find that he’s looking back at you, smiling.

Something on your face threatens to make you smile too, so you cover it up by talking: “Don’t tell me you’re actually sleeping like this.”

“Will you really kick me off for it?” his pointed look only said hypocrite.

“Right. So did you come here because you haven’t had enough of me yet?”

“I can handle a lot before I get enough of you.”

“Sure, say that. But we might be stuck at the hip until nighttime.” You lay back down in the same fashion Flynn has, and now you’re both relaxing side by side, staring at the ceiling. Seconds pass before you ask. “You did leave someone else to handle the organizing at Zaphias, right?”

Flynn sighs a bit. “Lady Estellise insisted she would. And I’d rather not dwindle with something if someone else can do it better.”

“Estelle knows her stuff, yeah. At least you get less time with the council before the main event.” Flynn groans, and you can’t not chuckle. “What now?”

“Nothing, I’m just thankful for Lady Estellise and Master Ioder dealing with them while letting me take on actually important tasks.”

“Wow, you’re kinda honest for once. Are you sure no one is eavesdropping on you to hear how sick you are of the council now?” You mockingly peer at the door, and Flynn shoves you as you laugh.

“It’s not that. But they’d be on my back for taking on emergencies now. They’d say-”

“That you have other knights to handle this? That you can just stay in the capital?” Flynn shoots you a glance, but he shakes his head a little.

“Almost. But I imagine they’d use that argument too.” He swallows a bit. “Do you think so, too?”

You rest your arms behind your head as you think. “Kind of. But I know this is in your style. And I know how much of a pain in the ass these guys are. If someone’s helping you so you didn’t deal with them as much, then may as well focus on something more important. You don’t seem to be taking this ordination that seriously, anyway.”

Flynn laughs helplessly. “If you passed through Zaphias first, I’d be wondering if Lady Estellise told you something. It’s more that it isn’t something to throw a big deal about.” And there he goes again. His own ceremony. “At this point, the council can’t really influence who Master ioder can officially appoint a Commandant. That’s all there is to it.”

You can’t help feeling amused at the idea of those snobs gritting their teeth, knowing they’d continue dealing with Flynn, the stubborn mule, for years to come. Yeah, maybe the Empire’s left in really good hands. “But it feels like a ceremony wouldn’t be too necessary.”

“I’m not surprised you think that, actually.”

“Not for the reasons you think. Everyone back in Dahngrest thought you’re already the permanent choice.”

“Yeah, but things will change after the ordination.”

“You think? Your authority as Commandant isn’t going to increase from what you’ve told me before.” And that’s where Flynn shifts a bit, as if the way he’s laying in his armor is uncomfortable now.

“Yuri, how about the outfit you’ll wear tomorrow?”

“Hey, don’t change the subject.”

“But really now, I was relieved to hear you haven’t done anything to the clothes I gave you all this time ago. Lady Estellise hadn’t told me anything of their fate…”

“I still can’t believe you’re trying to push me to wear that! What’s with my current clothes?”

“Nothing bad, but I just want you to look good for tomorrow!”

“I look fine as I am-”

Poor Repede has to bark at you twice to get you to stop being so loud, and you decide to let it be, letting the conversation calm down into something less likely to spark anything between you and Flynn. Well, at least not in the argumentative sense. You didn’t realise you started shoving one another.

You look at Flynn again. He’s closed his eyes, humming a bit. It sounds familiar, but you can’t seem to put a finger on what the song is. Something about how nice his features look when the bastard isn’t being a pain passes through your mind, and you get an urge to raise your hand and brush some of his hair off his forehead. At least the signal of the ship nearing the docks is enough to distract you from unnecessary thoughts.

It’s still about early afternoon when you finally begin trekking through Illycia, but it would take about a few hours to get to the capital. Repede seems to be the liveliest after the boat trip, but he’s also the only one in the group who got any sleep in. You let him run ahead, and he occasionally stops just far enough to still see you and Flynn, waits for you to catch up, and then runs some more.

By now you know that there’s something up with Flynn.

You take another good look at him, from head to toe. Flynn seems to notice, but doesn’t question you.

You’d think he knows by now why Ioder chose him to do what Alexei couldn’t, there’s no time to wallow in self-doubt…! It isn’t even a matter of succeeding previous Commandants, but carving out a new path to go far and beyond. Is he still reluctant in his abilities as a knight? He’s over some unfamiliar superiors trying to get under his skin, you’ve seen firsthand that he can handle any insult thrown at him.

But it could be that Flynn is that uncomfortable with being in the limelight. Not to mention the way he’s humble to a fault, it’s hard to get him to accept any praise. Back before Zaude came crashing down, he noted how it isn’t even his praise to accept. Isn’t it why he and Ioder tried to give you some official recognition in the first place?

Is Flynn talking to anyone about his doubts at all? Because he sure as hell doesn’t tell you a single thing. He could bother to write more beyond typical pleasantries in his letters to you.

And even though walking usually gets your mind off of things, your concern doesn’t leave. The closer Zaphias gets, you feel even more annoyed. Not only did Flynn (likely) internalise another set of self-deprecating statements, that you still don’t know how to force out of him, but a form of dread took hold of you, because you really don’t want to be dealing with any of this. Your grip on the cloth holding the sheath of Second Star tightens.

And it’s probably because you tuned out of the conversation at some point, but Flynn now squeezes your shoulder. “Yuri, are you listening at all?”

You’re suddenly hyper-aware of both his gloved hand on you, as well as the phantom feeling of your nails having dug into the palm of your own hand.

“Sorry. I was thinking again. What were you saying?”

Flynn, thankfully, moves his hand away, and continues. He keeps an eye on you. “I was telling you about tomorrow.”

“Actually, is it necessary for me to even be in the castle the entire time?” You spit this out without a thought.

“What? Of course you need to be there for most of it. That’s one of the reasons I invited you.”

“No, but see, can I just sneak in and out at certain intervals, so I’d be there only when I’m really needed? I would have much more fun being near fellow commoners and stuffing my face with non-snobbish foods.” You sound angrier than intended.

“Yuri, what are you on this time? You have a reason to be at the ceremony!”

“And what is it, to have some assholes gawk at my being there while they make Ioder’s position official?”

“Is that what’s bothering you?” There’s a pause you almost miss. “No, I actually need-”

“I don’t want to hear what the reason is.” Flynn shuts his mouth then, stupefied, before his face looks less surprised, and more frustrated. You can’t hold back. “Just out with it already, Flynn. Something’s bothering you, not me. Focus on your own problems, for a change.”

He almost says something, but instead looks past you.

“Wait, Yuri.”

It annoys you, so you raise your voice to get him to look. “No. You clearly want to talk now, so let’s do that now!”

“There’s monsters!” He shoves you, to run past you, and you finally turn to notice a horde of said monsters running from the direction you came from. Flynn strikes the one leading the charge. Repede barks in alert too, and rushes into the group beyond you. You have a weird sense of deja vu.

Fighting off some wild boars isn’t entirely unusual, but there sure are a lot of them. You strain yourself beyond your limit to push them aside with your artes. Maybe this is the spirits’ messed up way of telling you not to start fights in the fields.

You dig into your bag to grab another orange gel… only to see you have none left. You curse under your breath, and slash at another boar charging at you. You realise that Flynn’s speed in casting Holy Lance and Mistral soul has considerably lessened, which means he is also out of gels.

And a quick look at Flynn tells you that he’s looking pretty bad already. In order to pave an escape plan, you need to get him to stop casting altogether. You try to yell at him to get a move on, into a direction that diverges a bit from the path to Zaphias.

Not that this works. Repede howls from behind, and you realise that Flynn got surrounded. A boar must have hit him while trying to move, because now he’s resorted to slashing at them with just a sword. He’s barely able to raise his shield.

To hell with these boars. Repede is already taking on the attack a few feet away from Flynn, but neither of them are able to attentively keep in mind the one coming from behind him. Another slash like this could end fatally, and this isn’t where Flynn Scifo should fall. This is where you come in.

“Flynn, stay still!” You yell out hoarsely, and plant yourself by his back and block with your sword. The boar jabs right into your arm and growls fiercely in your face, but you’re hardly bothered by the burning sensation. You punch the ground, shouting out “Destruction field!” from which the boars are sent flying, then crashing into the ground.

There is one monster left standing, but you make no move for it, being at your limit now. You hear Repede’s running, and as expected, he lands the definitive blow. Good boy…

A pair of hands clutch at you before you fall to your knees. At least Flynn minds the arm that got the worst of it.

“Hey, good job, Commandant. Anywhere hurt?”

“Stay still.”

“Flynn, it’s fine. Just hand me a gel.”

“We don’t have any gels.”

“Shit.” You knew that already. “I can cast Guardian Field-”

“You are not using a sword in this state.” Flynn moves to sit you down, and that’s when you realise how close he is to you. The warmth his arms bring out almost makes you forget how much your arm hurts. You watch him double-check his bag again, but there’s no use in that, it’s clearly empty. Repede noses over to sit as well, on alert, in case any newcomer monsters want a round.

With this proximity, you can sense Flynn growing frantic long before it gets apparent on his face. At least he doesn’t look too upset. “We can just wait until the bleeding stops. I’ve had worse.”

“Just let me treat you.” A small, shaky breath. “Divine favour upon you.” Magic focuses around you all, and you can’t even protest, before he says the word. “Cure!”

Magic reinvigorates you, your arm in particular, until nothing hurts anymore. Your vision clears, and it’s Flynn who crumbles, dropping the sword you didn’t even notice he was still holding.

It takes you a second to process what just happened. “What the hell, Flynn! We don’t have gels!” And now it’s your turn to hold onto him, and shit, he looks worse than you thought. You lay him down, so he could at least stop feeling so tense in your arms. “You’re not Estelle, you’re barely able to cast without a blastia!”

“It’s fine, Yuri.” He smiles at you, and that fact infuriates you.

He’s leaning on you as he lays, close to losing consciousness, maybe more, and he looks anything but fine. That fact infuriates you.

“What will everyone say if you died here? Don’t waste your energy when you’re expected back in the capital, asshole! The empire needs you!”

“Is that all there is to it? The empire needs me?”

There’s a beat. You feel like you almost missed it, even if you just saw the way Flynn’s expression dropped. “I can’t die, because the empire needs me?”

Something glasses in his eyes.

“The hell are you-”

“Am I really that irreplaceable…” His eyes are closing, but he’s struggling to keep them open. “That I can’t even…” Flynn is clutching a bit at his chest now, where his blastia would have been. Something in you says to at least take his hand, to guide it away from his heart, but you can’t find it in you to do so.

You can’t even say a thing. For the longest moment you feel like his eyes are piercing right through you, until his strength finally gives out, and he falls unconscious. The way his voice sounded just now is enough to haunt you in your next dream.

The silence that settles on the fields is uncomfortable, to say the least. Repede’s nudging forces you out of the blank state in your mind right now. You grab Second Star to cast Guardian Field, just in case.

If Flynn just let you do this in the first place, him passing out could have been avoided. He’s always putting himself in harm’s way, and for what?

“You’re not thinking rationally.” You hear yourself mumbling. You take off your cape, and drape it over Flynn’s body, just as the wind picks up. “You worry too much.”

At least Repede can watch your back while you can’t bring yourself to stay attentive. It’s less about being exhausted (because little by little, you feel your power coming back to you), but more about everything else about this.

While the fields and tall grass are the worst place to sleep in, Mayoccia plains offer some weird sense of comfort. It’s just the three of you in a large space, with the breeze being your only threat. At some point, you’ve moved Flynn’s head to rest on your lap, to at least reduce the risk of him catching a cold out here.

He’s still incredibly warm. Maybe armor does wonders to keep the heat in. Or maybe it’s his very determination burning strong. You focus on the sensation of Flynn’s hair on your fingers.

He feels so relaxed, for once. Maybe the things he said before passing out were part out of the sheer exhaustion he must be running on. The ordination got to him to such a point, that seeing you get roughed up a bit set him off and made his rationality slip.

But even something about that doesn’t sound right.

You look at how his chest rises and falls. Your eyes move to gaze at his face, and you can’t even bear looking at it for more than a few seconds. Guilt is catching up to you, knowing that snapping at him did nothing to help the situation. At what point is getting mad at him for his confidence in leading the knights justified, and at what point is it overdoing it? Are you any better than the very people that fed into Flynn’s insecurities to begin with?

Your hand continues brushing Flynn’s hair, however, and at least that gives you some clarity that he’s right here, where you left him to rest. That, for now, is good enough.

You finally distract yourself by talking to Repede. It helps pass the time.

Flynn eventually shifts to wakefulness on his own. “Yuri?” he looks up groggily, and you finally gaze into his eyes for the first time since what felt like ages. “How long was I out?”

“About an hour. Are you feeling better?” No, he isn’t.

“Just weird.” He gets up to move, and it doesn’t resemble the movement of a guy who had just passed out. That’s good news, for starters.

You need a moment or two to get up, because your legs fell asleep while waiting. It takes you three a bit to gather yourselves, and to continue the walk to the capital.

“Thank you.” You turn to look at Flynn offering you a smile, but you can tell it isn’t reaching his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m glad I can help.” You did not even comfort him.

But neither of you address it. As you go on, Zaphias gradually stops being a looming presence ahead of you. You’re still not used to seeing its barrier being absent, but otherwise it looks nearly the same as usual. The only actually notable difference is the way many knights are stationed to keep watch of any corner which could allow monsters to rush in.

By now, you’re finally approaching the gates to the Public Quarter. You hoped to at least go through the Lower Quarter, but it’s not like you can split up from Flynn now, because you both are headed for the castle.

Some knights are already saluting you like you’re some great hero, and the discomfort settles in again. Maybe you’re getting a taste of what it was like for Duke at least a decade ago. Or Raven, for that matter, when he would need to be present as Shwann. You wave at the guards. Maybe it would get them to drop the formalities with you. They wouldn’t be saluting you if you weren’t friends with their Commandant.

And once you do go in, the public stares begin almost instantly, but they’re less directed at you, and directed more at Flynn. You hear some whisper or two about you being so close to the Commandant, but only a few people manage to recognize you.

People pay attention to who you’re friends with. Sodia is (or was) a walking example of this. That Flynn is still friends with a criminal would mean it’s easy to bend and twist whatever good image he’s trying to keep with the council.

And maybe Flynn dreads dealing with the council tomorrow because of you. He knows he can’t change you. But then why go through the pain of having you here, especially after you rejected the title of “free paladin”?

...You rarely see the city get so busy out on the streets at this hour. The decorations and scent of feasts for tomorrow are indicative of how dedicated people are to making this day special. It makes you think back to the Lower Quarter, and how they must be preparing to celebrate too.

And the day after tomorrow, you’ll get to be on your own again.

Before you realise it, you reach the Royal Quarter. It’s significantly quieter than the rest of Zaphias, as usual. Flynn turns to look back at the stairs you came from. “I didn’t think the Public Quarter would be this excited.”

“Yeah, they seem to be in high spirits. I’d rather that than to hear them boo you the entire way.”

“I’m sure there’s some people that would gladly do that instead.” Flynn laughs.

“That’s to be expected. Didn’t you tell me some people failed to find fault in Alexei?”

A hum. You two continue walking, some knights salute you, and some nobles stop and stare, like they can’t mind their business. You ignore some of the looks they give you.

“Just let them be for now.” You say. “Some people can’t accept change, and that’s their problem.” Flynn hums again, but it sounds just as inattentive as the other one. It makes you turn to him. “Right?”

Flynn has been looking at you, troubled again, and it takes him a second to realise he’s caught staring. You give a confused look. He sighs and gives in.

“Sorry, Yuri. I was just thinking how everyone must be frustrated that we took so long.”

“They can wait a bit more. You’re not in charge of preparations, anyway.” And didn’t he leave of his own volition? If he’s so bothered by burdening Estelle and Ioder, he really should have just sent in Sodia or whoever to rush toward Aurnion’s general direction all night.

The opening and closing of castle doors is when the ringing in your ears finally comes to a halt. You don’t understand early celebrations.

“Oh, Flynn, you’re just in time.” a youthful voice says. “And is that Yuri I see? It’s good to have you here once more.” Ioder was just walking past the stained glass when you came in. He seems enthusiastic.

“Yo. I had to drag your workaholic Commandant all the way from Hipionia.” You say, and you already hear Flynn grumble in protest. “But take it easy on him, he needs a twelve-hour nap.”

Ioder chuckles, much to Flynn’s dismay. “I do appreciate the gesture. Please, make yourself comfortable. We have some matters to attend to with Flynn, but I believe Estellise is in the castle gardens, if you wish to see her.”

And that’s your next destination. You part ways with Flynn for now, who’s surely more than happy to get a breather away from your company. Repede stays back too, wanting to follow him around for once.

Decorum is all over the hallways. You do have to hand it to the staff here, working hard to make something out of ordination day.

And there’s still a dozen or so workers who are doing some wrap ups for today in the garden. Estelle is in the center of the cogwheel, offering her final input on things. It’s nice to see, she’s really having fun. Once she notices you, she even begins waving very ecstatically. That’s your cue to walk over to her, so she didn’t rush out of whatever she’s doing now. But that still doesn’t stop her from giving you a hug!

“It’s been so long!” You hear her exclaim. She must be exaggerating a bit, but hey, you do feel the sentiment too. You pat her on the head, your ribs aching a little once she lets go of you.

“It sure had been.” You take another look around yourself. “You’re really doing wonders here.”

“It’s just everyone’s combined effort coming to fruition. And we’re nearly done, too.”

“I can go over there” you point vaguely to some distant area of the garden, “and wait for you to wrap up. I’m not in a rush.”

“Sure!” She pauses, but then says: “Have you seen Flynn? He’s been gone since yesterday.”

“Oh, yeah, he’s in the castle now, we got here together. If you need to talk to him first-”

“No, it’s fine! I can see him later. I was worried, is all.”

At least that’s out of her head. You decide it’s best to let her finish up here, so you stroll over to the place you pointed at just now. Estelle shouldn’t take too long, but it’s gotten late enough that trying the clothes today would be pointless. You have the boars to thank for that.

You rest at the bench for some time, the left-and-right movement all over the garden being the one thing keeping your eyes open. The more you think about it, though, the more you realise that you actually have no clue of what the ordination will be like. You didn’t really pay attention when Flynn tried to explain to you.

Stretching a bit, your mind wanders back to Dahngrest, instead. You know that Harry got an invitation too, as is expected, but you’re the only guildsman outside of the Union that was invited. Karol, Judy and even Patty are too busy to come, but you wouldn’t be surprised to see Rita here. Last time you heard from her, she said she had better to do than play dress up for the capital, but knowing how persuasive Estelle is… Maybe she somehow is busy too, though. Out of everyone, Raven seems the likeliest to make an appearance for tomorrow. But he’d be keeping a distance, probably. You envy him.

You didn’t know you were dozing off, not until you snap your eyes open to Estelle calling out to you. She hands you what seems to be a warm sandwich, and you accept it gratefully. Hunger slipped your mind entirely.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting.” Estelle tells you.

“It’s fine. Flynn really left you with all the work.”

Estelle sits next to you on the bench. “Not quite, it was manageable. But I wanted to make sure we can handle everything going on tomorrow.”

“Damn, how long is this ceremony?”

“The ceremony itself? Not too long, I think. But most of the preparations we did today are for the celebrations afterwards.”

“Oh, right. The nobles’ party. Is that one mandatory?” Estelle laughs as you bite into the sandwich.

“It is mandatory. I don’t think you need to stay for all of it, but…”

“Let me guess, Flynn wants me to?”

She’s a bit surprised that you took the words out of her mouth.

“I already came all the way here, I may as well indulge in rich people's food. Flynn also supposedly had intent of showing me that new sleeping quarters of his. Have you been there?”

“Oh yes, it’s huge!” She gesticulates with her arms to emphasise. “Back when it was still Alexei’s, I was never allowed to wander there, not even in the hallway leading up to it. Flynn’s jaw almost dropped when we were finally granted access to clean it up... ”

Between Estelle’s dramatic retelling of the events, you manage to ask how she’s been, and how her writing’s been going. She says she only gets to sit down and add to her story when she isn’t travelling, but you imagine she still carries her journals around to note any ideas she gets.

With some convincing, she has you agree to get up at sunrise to get you dressed. “We could have avoided this if you came here sooner.” Estelle says. You don’t tell her why you were delayed in the first place. You don’t tell her you had intentions of skipping this altogether, either.

Repede eventually makes his reappearance, evading Estelle’s attempts at patting him for the nth time. You usher Estelle to go see Flynn, since he must be free now. Meanwhile, you decide to get some shut eye back in the Lower Quarter. Despite Estelle offering a room for you for the night, you don’t accept it. You don’t know when else you’ll be able to talk to everyone down there before you’d need to go back to Dahngrest again.

...You do feel like there is never enough time to catch up with everyone you don’t see for an extensive amount of time.

“Get it through your head, already! We’re happy just to hear from you!”

Hanks would say this to you each time you and Repede make way for the room that the Comet still keeps vacant for you.

You feel nostalgic just being here. You walk to the bed, toss your boots off, and lay down. Repede follows suit. The room is barren by now, you’ve long since packed the few things you had into a box that you left on the Fiertia. It’s all there until Karol actually picks a proper home for Brave Vesperia. But coming back like this is nice, too...

...Once again, it’s hardly dawn, but you still drag yourself out. The streets give you the weirdest feeling that it’s some calm before the storm.

There’s no need to be discreet, but it would be much faster for you to round the castle building, and scale a wall until you reach a window. You signal for Repede to just go through the doors. Now, Estelle’s room was around the second floor… Or maybe the third, the interior inside is so weird-

“Yuri.” Right behind you. “Just use the entrance, for once.”

“Morning to you too, Flynn.” You flash a grin at him. As you look at him you notice his getup: White pants, and a turtleneck. Wait, what?

There’s an uncomfortable pause, like Flynn expected you to say more. “Yuri?”

Your eyes meet. “You surprised me.”

“I guess I did.” He crosses his arms, but he doesn’t sound convinced.

“Why the hell are you up so early.”

“I was taking a stroll.”

“Unarmored?”

Flynn’s stare moves down to the side of his hip. You follow his gaze, and notice his sword, still there. “Oh.”

“I know it’s weird to see me without my pauldrons, but that doesn’t mean I come unprepared for ambush.”

“No, you look weirdly unprepared now. And I don’t get how you’re here just on time to stop me from scaling this wall.”

“Let’s say I had a hunch.”

“Weirdo. What will the poor nobles think of the oh-so-unsightly way you look?”

“Whatever it is, it would be their last chance of seeing me for what I am; a Lower Quarter plebeian.” Flynn states plainly.

“No way, you’re a plebeian even if they make you wear gold. Don’t forget your roots.”

He laughs. “At least I won’t have to worry about you looking so fancy that you forget your own. But you do need to get a move on. If you want to even stay for the event, you actually need a crash course on what to expect, and Lady Estellise has been racking her head on what to say, and what to omit.”

“If you let me scale, she can even tell me about the origins of ordinations.”

“We all know you hardly care about the origins. You are not scaling this wall.” You swear he’s almost taking a battle stance against you.

“I changed my mind, you’ll actually be the shittiest Commandant up to date.” You say dryly, which prompts Flynn to chuckle. “I can’t wait until the revolution of Zaphias happens.”

“Sure, Yuri. And I’ll wait for you to come back to the knights with open arms.”

“No way in hell.” You cringe, and you take it as your signal to just go.

You take a few steps away from the wall. Flynn watches warily, before relaxing. “Yuri, I suppose I’ll be seeing-”

Then you rush and make a jump for the wall, latching onto the bricks! You barely see the surprised look on Flynn’s face!

“Yuri!”

“Yeah, catch you later, Commandant!” Despite the continued protests, you scale the wall.

You dust yourself off, just as you neatly close the window. Upon looking, you realise a maid was staring the entire time. “Just another morning in Zaphias castle, right?”

“...No, not really.”

“I guess not.”

You make your way to Estelle’s room, in front of which Repede is waiting for you, diligently. You wait a few minutes like this. Once Estelle finally emerges, you realise that it’s been a while since you’ve seen her actually look like a princess. Though, this get-up is definitely not as regal as the clothes she wore back when you first met. Only a few strands of her hair are tied back, and they probably meet at the back of her head with some ribbon. It’s just in her style.

She has to stop you from barging into her room, and instead drags you away to where you’d supposedly have to change in. The way all these hallways look similar has you doubt if Estelle didn’t take at least one wrong turn on your way. She insists she didn’t.

One look inside this dressing room tells you everything: it’s too empty and yet, too pompous. You swear that Flynn should be repurposing places like this first, before he goes around changing the use of his own quarters.

“Estelle, was there no room that was closer, at least?” You deadpan, staring at yourself in the comically large mirror.

“I had to ask a maid to tell me about here…”

You look very unimpressed, and she can probably tell. “If you look on the bright side of it, we can stay here, until it’s time, and then we can use the shortcut to get to the throne room faster.”

“Did a maid tell you about that too?”

“No, Flynn did! Actually, Yuri, maybe we can have him come over and-”

“Let’s not.”

She sinks a little. “Why?”

“...He’s probably busy.” Given he hasn’t chased after you this entire time. “Look, let’s just get this over with.”

Estelle leaves it at that, as much as she probably doesn’t want to. She walks over to the single chair in this room, right by the divider. You notice your designated clothes folded there. “Here,” she says and lifts some belt, “Let me at least tell you about all the pieces you’re about to wear.”

“You really did your homework, huh.”

She glows even more. “Of course! I was preparing for this! Tell me, do you care about wearing this belt that you can attach your sword to?”

It wounds up being a long morning.

From the lengthy explanations, you get that you have to stay in one place. You weren’t tasked to do anything important, like you dreaded. Flynn made too much of a big deal out of this.

“It’s almost like it wouldn’t matter if I’m not there.” You sit on the chair, arms folded, while Estelle brushes your hair. The bored expression that you see in your reflection should be enough to give you some award.

“That’s not true, Yuri!”

“I’m joking. I wouldn’t want to waste your effort, for one.”

“We are very happy to have you here.” She smiles just as you feel her make through another knot in your hair, before brushing upwards. “I know it’s taking a lot from you to be here, so we really appreciate it.” She then carefully ties your hair up in a ponytail, not letting any strand run loose. She looks over it a bit, and it doesn’t feel uncomfortable, surprisingly.

Estelle takes a step to your right, taking a look at you through the mirror, probably to read your expression. She points to the mirror with her brush still in hand, and asks a simple question.

“How do you find the uniform?”

That prompts you to stand from the chair, finally examining yourself. You fold your arms for a bit, to get a feel for the fabric, then kneel to pick up Second Star, in the same way you always do. You’re staring back at your reflection.

You take a good long moment to think about it.

...But you don’t think it’s in your style. It’s not quite the type of comfort you embrace, a tad bit too comfortable, a tad bit too regal. By tying your hair back and brushing your bangs neatly, you make for a perfect fake. A knight in the heart, a knight in fabric you probably never thought you would wear yourself. Estelle said she did her best not to make the clothes wrinkle after all this time, ever since you caught her trying to stuff them in your bags long ago. It’s not like you would care if she did.

And no matter how much you protest, you are invited. Even if you try to remind yourself about how much you don’t fit in, it’s very apparent that you’re wanted there for one reason or another, amongst all these nobles who scoffed at you back then. Would they even recognize you like this?

“It’s just about what I expected it to be.” You say as you look at Estelle, offering a smile in order to ease her nerves. “But we’ve been here for a while. Isn’t it about time for us to go?”

She glances at the windows for a second, then looks back and nods. “I don’t think even Flynn would recognize you instantly.”

“I would only hope so.” You briefly wonder if disguises would have worked back when you were still wanted by the knights. “Hey, Flynn and Ioder are going to be overdressed too, right?”

“Absolutely.” Estelle says, as she leads you out of the room.

Even though you hoped to blend in better when dressed like this, you suppose walking with Estelle and Repede down the hallway is still a sight. Not that you want to bother unpacking all of the other reasons you’re being stared at. At this point, you may as well make a show out of it, they can’t insult you in your face with much that you haven’t heard before.

You don’t even know most of the faces that you pass by. You swear you even caught a glimpse of Sodia and Applehead at some point, but by the time you think about it, you’ve already made your next turn.That must mean Flynn is somewhere near...

But now you’re finally here. The throne room. You remember the first time you were here, when Alexei had taken over the castle. It wasn’t the best first impression. But hey, at least it looks different now.

Someone pushes from your side, complaining about how you stopped right at the doors. Estelle takes your left to guide you away, but something on your hand distracts her from making more than a few steps. “Yuri, your blastia...?”

“I think a lot of people still keep theirs.” You tell her. As she stares at it, it seems to you that she can’t find the words to express what’s on her mind. It’s a weird pause, it makes you look down to see if something happened to your blastia. But you only see the core, dormant as it has been.

Your eyes move back to Estelle, and you realise she isn’t wearing hers. She hadn't worn it yesterday too.

“I’m sorry, Yuri, I thought I saw something.” Another pause settles between you two.

“Let’s just go before someone else pushes me.” You say.

..At least Estelle is standing next to you for the ordination. As you look around, you notice a few other people wearing similar outfits to yours, standing around you, it’s probably some swordsmen, who are given a special title thanks to the Empire’s favour. Noone here even knows you.

Soon enough, the ceremony starts abruptly, or so you think it does. There’s some guy who announces the beginning, and more people emerge to stand around by the throne itself. Some hold items like scrolls. You realise that amongst them is the Fake Dein Nomos. Did Estelle suggest using that instead of prying the real one out of Duke?

It dawns on you how this entire thing really is going to drag on for a while. While these people read from the scrolls, you offer a scratch to Repede, or mess with your bodhi blastia, to try pass the time.

Things eventually do pick up, by having Ioder’s name finally be called for. It’s only then you notice that Ioder and Flynn are standing at the top of the staircase, waiting. Ioder walks down.

To you, he really does look overdressed. You have to suppress a chuckle, but the best way you can describe his appearance is that of a very stereotypical ruler from some storybook. While all of this must have been tailored for his size, it makes Ioder look relatively small instead.

Beyond that, you don’t dwell on Ioder’s appearance, because your eyes look for Flynn, still waiting to be called for.

He looks so serious, that you’d mistake him for a statue. He’s wearing the thing Drake gave him months ago. It’s very… well, it’s different. Armor wraps around him where you would see blue. It’s not something you’re used to. It’s clear that this is purely ceremonial, but you feel like such armor would be a waste not to use against monsters who pierce their victims with teeth or claws. You could ask Flynn what he thinks about that idea. The headpiece offers some support on his face, but it’s probably about as useless as going against foes without any helmet.

There’s a detail over his heart that keeps your eye transfixed on Flynn, but then you notice his blue eyes looking bright in stark contrast--

“In place of Dein Nomos, we shall present you, Emperor Ioder, with a counterfeit left by the late Commandant Alexei.” Ioder expresses his thanks as he accepts the sword.

Your focus settles down on the scene at hand.

But you think he looked back at you.

Your eyes hurt from staring up for so long. You rub at them a little, to get the irritation to stop, and some guy on your right scoffs.

And then it’s Ioder’s turn to offer some smart words he probably spent weeks thinking about. He looks bright, not unlike some of the paintings of previous Emperors you passed by earlier. How long would it take until people insist on painting him too? He’s only eighteen.

You at least figure out when to clap. Ioder looks over to where you stand, and Estelle claps louder. Once the noise calms down, he speaks again.

“I, Emperor Ioder Argylos Heurassein, call forth Captain Flynn Scifo.”

But the silence continues.

You look up, and see that Flynn is still. You can’t make out his facial expression. You hear murmurs.

You start to move, and Estelle grabs your arm. “No, Yuri!” She barely keeps her voice low.

You look at her. “Something’s not right.”

“Yes, so what of it?” Someone behind you speaks out. “That would be an example of the Emperor’s errors in choosing someone incompetent enough to mess up their own ceremony. Are you trying to instigate something?”

“Hey, you-” You try to move, but can’t, because Estelle holds on to you tightly.

Though the frustration bubbles in you, you hold your tongue. In the blur of it all, Ioder says something, but you don’t hear it. Iit passes through you, really. You focus your gaze on Flynn’s figure again, who has begun moving, suddenly. Was it in reaction to your commotion? Well, at least the whispers have stopped.

As Flynn goes down the stairs, it’s as if nothing went wrong in the first place. Eventually, you can see the face he’s making; it’s like he’s about to face off another serious foe. Something about it is very endearing, but you still can’t shake the feeling off that something’s wrong.

Before you know it, he is now facing Ioder, and bows. “I am here to serve.”

Further talking ensues, but you’re not paying attention. Every so often, Flynn offers a “Yes.”, as he is promising to do his duties. Protecting the people, commanding the knights. You’re suddenly reminded of the ten-year-old, who talked your ear off about how amazing the knights are. And from today, he will be the one to make them into something more than childish praise.

“Flynn Scifo, you are bestowed the position of Commandant of the knights, officially.”

“This is the highest form of honor, Emperor Ioder.” Flynn bows once more.

He faces the crowd of spectators, looking determined. He looks upon all spectators, and the scroll reader says something else. Flynn locks eyes with you, and this is when you nearly miss the round of applause.

Ioder speaks up again. “Now, everyone, we officially announce the celebrations of this glorious day. Please feel free to explore any location in the castle, so long its doors are open. Our staff is more than happy to assist you. As for the complimentary meals, they are in the gardens. I offer my warmest regards to Princess Estellise, who worked very hard to make this all possible.” Another round of applause happens. Estelle is very embarrassed over the sudden attention.

Though you would have initially taken it as your moment to leave, you instead walk forward. You take off so fast, that Estelle almost misses to follow right by you. There’s so many people, but you need to talk to him.

You finally reach him, and of course he doesn’t look like someone who had nearly flunked his own ordination. “Lady Estellise, Yuri.” He says, and somehow he’s still able to smile.

“Hey, Flynn, what was with that?”

Estelle instantly interjects. “Yuri, now is really not the time!” She’s right, but then...

“Can we go somewhere, to talk?” You stare at Flynn like something is about to happen, like an enemy is about to emerge and strike.

Flynn must be overwhelmed just by how suddenly all this is happening. He turns his head behind him, toward the door of the sword stair, and then looks back at you. He has his answer.

But before he can even say anything, someone else comes in to announce themselves.

“Flynn Scifo, my congratulations.” That’s when you finally see a pair of nobles, finally at Flynn’s side. “We are truly regretful, but we didn’t want the princess and... this person, to just whisk you away for the entire day! Everyone’s dying to talk to you.”

“Yes, my apologies…” Flynn bows.

He looks a bit helpless, so you decide to help him out. “Just go,” You say, surprising both him and Estelle. “We can talk later. Enjoy the party.” You start walking, or maybe it’s Flynn who is getting pulled away.

“Yuri, I’m sorry.” Estelle says, apologetic. “I suppose that was the price for him not being here yesterday.”

“Not much that can be helped with. Let’s just pass the time for now.”

The day ends up long, agonizingly so. As you pass through the hallways, Estelle notes how there are more people present here, not just the ones who were at the ceremony. The newcomers would be the type to be here to look good, you imagine.

Whenever Estelle herself would get pulled aside for conversations of her own, you had the bad luck to exchange insults with a few nobles, who recognized you through your disguise. While they do their best to get under your skin, with things ranging from your origin to your ties to Flynn, you don’t retaliate. Ideally, you wanted to, but after your stunts earlier, you want all this to end sooner.

You couldn’t shake off wanting to see Flynn again, anyway. You know he’s barely managing the day, and the way he did not move earlier kept replaying in your mind, no matter how much you tried not to think about it.

You wonder if you should have pushed harder to talk in private as soon as the ceremony ended, but a voice in you reprimands you for even entertaining such a thought.

In the tail end of the afternoon, you and Estelle make it to the gardens, to grab a bite of some of the efforts from the castle cooks.

“At least this is the only big event I’ll ever have to attend.”

Estelle looks at you curiously. “What about any other big occasion in the future?”

“We’ll get there when those happen. Let me have this for now.” You take a bite out of this amazing pudding cup, and Estelle chuckles.

“I did not think I would need to seek you out again, Yuri Lowell.” Someone suddenly says. You know exactly who this voice belongs to. You open your eyes to peer at her.

“Hey. Did I do something again?”

Sodia pinches the bridge of her nose. “No. Just listen for once. I came here to ask why you haven’t approached the Cap-” she corrects herself, “the Commandant. Are you avoiding him again?”

“Does it look like I am? I’m just waiting for my turn, until he can talk to me.” You don’t want to tell her it would take you one rash decision to go look for him. A question comes to mind, instead. “Did he send you after me himself?”

“No, he did not. But he would mention you whenever I could exchange words with him.” She crosses her arms, very clearly displeased. “Just go find him. You typically always distract him enough to make time for you.”

Flynn’s problem is exactly that he always makes time for you.

You munch on another spoonful of pudding.

“I hope you at least consider what I had to say. Princess Estellise,” she bows to Estelle, “I hope you have a splendid evening.” Estelle offers her a thanks, and Sodia exits the gardens nearly as quickly as she came.

Estelle breaks the silence that was threatening to settle. “Yuri, she is right. You’re leaving tomorrow.”

“You make it sound like I am actively avoiding him.” You rise from where you were sitting. You set the finished pudding aside. “But fine, I’ll get going now. I should at least let him make fun of my get-up.”

You look at her pointedly, and she almost misses the beat to respond. “Oh, don’t worry about leaving me here! See, what if Repede stayed with me?”

You turn to Repede, questioning him on this sudden decision. But he surprises you by walking over to Estelle, staying closer than usual to her. Estelle didn’t expect this herself, because she looks like she’s about to tear up from joy.

“Then I’ll go. I know where he might be.” You get up, and you make an exit from the gardens. You turn back to Estelle, to offer a final wave to her.

It’s still full of people around, but it at least makes you look less suspicious than what you seem. You hope Flynn bothered to eat something today, if he ever made his way to the gardens in the first place.

While wandering, you pass by one of the dining halls at some point. You peek in, just in case.. But you don’t linger for more than a few seconds. You swear you caught a glimpse of Harry and the old man, drinking there, but you have no reason to idle time away any longer than you have.

The throne room by now is nearly entirely vacant. That doesn’t concern you, as  you see that the doors to the Sword stair are open.

The breeze is gentle, even at the top of the capital. The sky is dyed orange, illuminating everything golden. You didn’t realise the sun began setting. Below you, everything is lively, still bustling in its festive activities.

Not that you can hear anything. Only your footsteps break what is otherwise a perfect silence. By the time you reach Flynn, you see him sitting, observing Zaphias. You almost don’t recognize him.

“Hey, did I keep you waiting?”

Flynn spares you a glance. “Yuri…”

He gestures for you to come over, and you comply. You sit next to him. There’s a silence, as you both watch the sky gradually change colors. The gold becomes pink, soon enough.

“Part of me didn’t think I’d see you today.” Flynn says suddenly.

You glance at Flynn’s direction. “Was I not supposed to show up?”

Flynn’s gaze is still fixed at the clouds, which have begun losing their puffy whiteness, letting colors wash over them. The way he’s been sitting isn’t what you’ve come accustomed to, it’s very casual. You look at his legs, nearly entirely wrapped in white armor and black pants.

“I had my own assumptions. Especially after yesterday.” He pauses for a moment, to take a good look at you again. “But you were at the ceremony.” And you are here now. “I want to thank you for coming.”

You’re searching for something in his eyes, but you alone can’t put a name on it.

Thank you for coming. For me.

But he doesn’t say that. Why do you think he would?

You notice how Flynn’s left fist unclenches. Even in the presence of such a view, he still can’t relax. Not that you can blame him, given that you’re pretty sure that “I’m the source of your problems.”

“Now you’re spouting nonsense, you know.” His tone sounds anything but harsh.

“Then was being frozen at the ceremony related to whatever you’re not telling me?”

Before you know it, Flynn’s entirely looked away again, uneasy. Uncomfortable, almost. His eyes reflect the sunset in such a way, that words fail you instantly. You look back to the sky too, letting out another exhale.

Eventually, Flynn starts again. “Seeing you at the ceremony made me very relieved. You even went through all the hassle to look so…”

“Fancy?”

“Maybe that’s not the word for it.” He smiles. “And no, I’m not going to scold you about the stunt you almost tried then.”

“You still bothered to mention it.” You don’t mean to sound bitter, but Flynn still laughs in response. Though, he sounds melancholic.

“I know at least some things won’t change.” He says, quieter. He looks down again, you can tell that he’s trying to push some thoughts deep down, never to come out.

But you don’t want to let him wallow in this any further. There’s been an underlying thing all along, that even you failed to notice. If you leave it for when you can talk to Flynn again, putting off important conversations, and instead keep up whatever narrative your lettered correspondences paint, will he ever be able to say anything?

“Flynn. Mind showing me your new room?”

He agrees to it. Probably because he realised he can’t back out now. Or maybe Sodia was right, and he was waiting all day for you to ask him. Regardless, he offers his hand to yours, and he does not let go of it for the entire way to his room. You don’t make the effort to pull it away, either.

You reach the hallway Estelle told you about, and you’re not surprised that there are no guards here.

“I thought the Commandant’s room would have some security here?”

Flynn’s hand is on the door’s handle. He says it so softly, you almost miss it. “I dismissed them, when I was officially appointed to this room.”

And then, the door is open.

You take it all in.

Somehow, you expected something much more refined. Maybe it was before, but Flynn and Estelle tried to make something out of the otherwise barren state of this room. You can pick out where Estelle intervened, design-wise.

But the first thing you really take note of is the bed itself. You walk over to it, and it doesn’t look any smaller up close. It’s probably the only one that you (and Flynn) would ever see in your lives. How would it feel to sleep on a bed you can’t fill on your own?

You turn to the right side of the room. It seems to have been repurposed to function as Flynn’s personal office. There’s a bookcase here, presumably with everything he would need to do his work. That would spare most visits to any of the libraries, probably.

Turn your head the opposite direction, and you see shelves that hold personal belongings. You recognize a few things from back when you were kids. At the same time, all these items barely take up any space, and most of the shelves have yet to serve their purpose here.

Instead of approaching the few shelves that hold any memories, you make your way to the desk. Clean, spotless. No paperwork out of place.

“How does it feel here?”

“It feels like a Commandant’s bedroom should feel, I think.” If Flynn actually worked on making this room as personal as he could, then he instead made this section of the castle look very unwelcome, and lacking in life.

Your hand glides over the surface of the table. Even the very sensation of it against your fingertips tells you it’s the expensive kind of woodwork.

You look at Flynn.

“I was very happy, when I could travel with you all,” he suddenly admits. “Looking back to those times made me remember that I lack the capability to travel. Not like I used to.”

“It’s not like you are always going to be here. There will be times when you’d need to personally get involved.” Though you recount that Alexei himself did not travel as often either. “And hey, who said you need to stay here all the time?” Especially given that it looks so lonely.

“I can just send other knights to do what I used to do. Or at least, that’s what the council says.” Yesterday’s conversations resurface, but you wait for Flynn to gather his thoughts. “Recently, Raven visited me. He wanted to give me a warning.”

“About what, the council?”

“He saw first-hand how much Alexei was struggling with doing anything. Raven told me about the actions Alexei resorted to doing, out of others’ sights. Because otherwise, the council would...”

You instantly notice how frigid Flynn’s getting. “Hey, come on, didn’t you tell me once that you’re willing to endure their stubbornness? You told me it’s fine.”

“I know what I said! I just…”

“You have the allies needed to help you. You are not fighting on your own. And you do have the authority to oppose them now. Isn’t that enough?”

“No, it’s not. You know that yourself, Yuri.” Flynn steps closer to you, and there’s a certain glint in his eyes that you swear you last saw years ago. “We came to the knights to invoke change, but I didn’t think…”

You grab Flynn’s shoulders. “Didn’t think what?”

He pushes your hands away, and walks toward the window, the one by the shelves.

You find yourself impatient, again. “Don’t tell me you’re listening to what some older people say about you. You’re not going to become like Alexei.”

Flynn continues staring out the window.

You speak louder, to try to get his attention. “If you believe in the people who put their trust in you, then you won’t die without accomplishing nothing.”

“But if I die, no one else can take on the Commandant position like I have, right?”

“What?”

“That’s what you mean, right?” He turns around, and it just now dawns on you just how exhausted Flynn looks.

From the window, you notice that the sun has set.

And Flynn continues, barely containing his voice. You both know no one would hear him here. "I can’t even protect those who matter to me. I can’t exert myself to my limits, I can’t take injuries, even if it’s for the ones I want to protect. Am I expected to just let everything happen by me?”

“Do you even hear what you’re saying? Is this just a fucked up way to tell me that you want to die?!” You don’t realise when you started moving toward Flynn, but soon enough, you’re facing him directly. You’re withholding the urge to grab him again.

“I’m saying that I’m just me, Yuri! I don’t want to be the Commandant behind the desk, overseeing everything! I… I’m not an untouchable beacon. And I’m not a hero to die for.”

Protest rises from deep within you. “Then why do you act like you’re going to barricade yourself here come tomorrow?”

“Because I want to at least work hard enough, to make up for the praise I know I don’t deserve. That I took what was meant for you and Brave Vesperia is already too much for me. You alone said that it doesn’t matter who does good for the people. And I wish it didn’t matter to me, because I just want to do what I can for everyone’s sake.”

Before you can respond, Flynn breathes in, and continues.

“But a lot of people began insisting that my place is not on the battlefield, that I shouldn’t chase some blastia thieves, or personally oversee whether everyone outside Zaphias has housing. That I’ve done enough already, that I don’t need to focus on things a knight should be doing to begin with!”

Flynn rubs at his face, and the gloves seem to irritate him more than help him calm down. He exhales harsher.

“And I miss traveling, Yuri, I miss doing what I have grown accustomed to doing. That’s part of my oath as a knight.” You feel as if Flynn is trying to laugh here, but laughter itself doesn’t come. “Maybe there’s something childish lodged deep inside. I don’t even understand it myself.”

You find yourself grasping to understand.

“I’m regarded as a hero, when I know I am not one. The most of what I’ve done the past few months, is argue with people who think the most vile things about the civilians I swore to protect. But I can’t even protect them directly now. No, I never could.”

He places his hand over his chest. There, his own dormant blastia remains. You look at Flynn’s hand. You can sense the blood trickling down your left.

“Yesterday, I could heal you. I felt like I was doing something for someone, and seeing the result with my own eyes!” The grip over his chest tightens. “But then you said that the empire needs me. Because my purpose lies in whether or not I’m useful enough. And I know that by holding the thoughts I have now that I...”

His shoulders shake, and that is when the weight Flynn Scifo has been holding on his shoulders begins crashing down.

It feels as if some of the weight itself is stuck in your throat, not allowing you to say a word. You’re frozen still, when Flynn, The Commandant, is completely open to any attack. You want to move your hands.

You want him to stop saying things.

“I invited you to come today, because I wanted to see you.” He makes a sound, and dread clutches your pounding heart. “I wanted to see you, to know that I’m not alone. I… I wasn’t even conscious of it.” You can’t bear that he’s still looking at you so softly.

You know you cannot comfort him.

“Yesterday, I thought we were together like old friends, just you and I, Yuri. Not as a Commandant and a civilian.”

“Flynn…” Your hand threatens to move.

“I want to be myself. I need to feel like I’m still me...”

You catch him, before his knees hit the floor. And he holds on to you as he cries, because he needs you.

...

You don’t keep track of time passing. The room eventually is submerged in darkness, all illuminated only by the moonlight through the window. That’s when you take Flynn’s hand, and guide him from the floor to the bed. You help him rid of all the armor on him, but it’s mostly Flynn taking it off, really.

And all that hides under it… is Flynn himself. The same Flynn you saw this morning.

“I bet you can at least breathe for once.” You remark. Flynn chuckles softly.

You try to send him to the bathroom (whose door you didn’t even notice earlier), so he can change into sleepwear. But before Flynn leaves, he walks to the wardrobe instead, and opens it.

“I don’t want to force you to stay.” He sounds hoarse after all the crying, but that doesn’t stop him from talking. “But I know that it’s too late to find Lady Estellise, in order to get your usual clothes back. You’re free to borrow something for tonight, and return it to me later.”

“Sharing things like the old times, huh? You don’t need to be so serious about that.” At least saying that provokes Flynn to smile.

“Still, I wouldn’t know when I’ll see you again. You leave tomorrow-”

“I’m here now. Do you want me to stay here tonight?”

The question surprises him. But maybe deep down, he was hoping to hear it.

You watch him drift off to sleep. You know that you cannot comfort him, but the warmth and clamminess of his hand in yours makes you believe that just being here is enough.

[hopeisour4letteredword]

fine by me if you never leave

Summary: Yuri’s jaw drops. Over the anxious thump thump thump of his heart in his throat, Flynn takes a minute to appreciate that. It’s not often he—or anyone, really—manages to catch Yuri off guard. Even when Yuri is surprised, he hides it well. For Flynn to have startled him into wide eyes, an open mouth, and a faint flush at the tops of his cheeks—

Flynn proposes. Somehow, Yuri didn't see that coming.

Link to AO3 version in the notes.

“Will you marry me?”

Yuri’s jaw drops.

Over the anxious thump thump thump of his heart in his throat, Flynn takes a minute to appreciate that. It’s not often he—or anyone, really—manages to catch Yuri off guard. Even when Yuri is surprised, he hides it well.  For Flynn to have startled him into wide eyes, an open mouth, and a faint flush at the tops of his cheeks—

Well. Flynn must have kept this particular secret better than usual. He really thought Yuri had already guessed his plans.

“Flynn,” Yuri says, hoarsely. “You—are you serious?”

“Very serious,” Flynn says, squeezing Yuri’s hand where he still has it caught in both of his own. They’re standing in the middle of his quarters in the castle. Not the most romantic location for a marriage proposal, but Yuri is private about his love life, so Flynn will just have to live with that. There’s no sense in doing this in a way that makes Yuri uncomfortable.

Yuri takes a deep breath and rubs his free hand over his face. “You’re an idiot.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re the fucking Commandant.”

“So what?” Flynn demands, baffled. Yuri tries to pull his hand away. Flynn holds tight. “We’ve been together for most of our lives. I’ve been with you much longer than I’ve been Commandant.”

“I’m a criminal!”

“You were pardoned! And you were trying to protect people—“

“Like that really makes a difference—“

“Not to mention you saved the world—“

“That was Brave Vesperia as a team—“

“You’re a hero,” Flynn says, low and serious. Ninety-five percent of the time, nobody could complain that Yuri’s self-esteem is too low, but Flynn always seems to trip over the other five percent at the least opportune moments. Somehow, he’s still never prepared for it. “Even if you don’t believe me, or any of your other friends, when we say it. Even if you made some mistakes. You’ve always been ready to protect the people who need it. You’re a hero.”

“Nobody else is going to see it that way,” Yuri mutters. “You’re the Commandant. You can’t marry some fuck-up nobody from the Lower Quarter.”

“I’d like to see anyone try to stop me,” Flynn says. “Besides, I’m a nobody from the Lower Quarter. What else could they expect?”

Yuri rolls his eyes. “I don’t know, literally anyone else? A nice young noble—“

“Oh, please—“

“Someone you helped in another town—“

“You mean someone I knew for maybe a week at most?”

“Another knight—“

“That’s skeevy, do you really think I would do that? There’s the whole power issue—“

“Well, you could have been seeing them before you were Commandant, or even a captain.”

“Except I wasn’t, you stupid asshole,” Flynn says. He drops Yuri’s hand to step in close and prod at his chest with a finger. “Because I was with you. It’s always been you.”

“Yeah, and I’ve always known—“ Yuri abruptly stops himself, shaking his head. “Look, you just—“

“You’ve always known what?”

“Nothing, forget that—“

“No, tell me. Did you—were you not taking this seriously? Has our whole relationship been some kind of long-term joke to you?”

“No! Of course not, don’t be—“

“Then what? What did you know that I didn’t?”

Yuri won’t even look him in the eyes now. He glares down at their boots instead.

“I was always a placeholder,” Yuri says, finally. “I don’t—I never thought I could be the person who would be at your side forever. You can do better, Flynn. Even if you weren’t Commandant. You can have almost anyone. Someone who’s as good and as smart as you are, who takes your work seriously—“

“I don’t want someone who takes my work seriously,” Flynn says. “I want you.”

Yuri still won’t look at him. Flynn reaches up to cradle his face in his hands, leaning their foreheads together. Despite the tension, Yuri presses back against him.

“I’m not going to argue with you about how good and worthy you are,” Flynn says, closing his eyes. The places where he’s touching Yuri are warm and comforting, and he wants to press closer, to increase and expand those places. He feels awfully tired. “I’ve been trying to do that for years, and since we’re having this conversation at all, I know it hasn’t been working. But—Yuri, I don’t want anybody else. I never have, not for keeps.”

“That’s because you’re an idiot,” Yuri says. The insult comes out weaker than it typically does, disarmed of Yuri’s usual sharp wit. “As I said.”

“Even if you won’t marry me, you’re not getting rid of me. Not unless you actually want to.”

“Oh, and you get to be the judge of what I do and don’t want?”

“No,” Flynn says. “You do. You tell me right now that you don’t want me, anymore—I’ll go. Done. That’s it.”

Yuri’s breath stutters.

“Tell me to go and I will,” Flynn says. He tries to keep his voice steady, but it’s hard to stop the tremble when he can feel it in his very core. Leaving Yuri is almost unthinkable. Flynn has never had to live a life without Yuri in it, not permanently. He had a taste after Zaude and he didn’t like it at all. Of course this wouldn’t be half so bad as Zaude, not as long as he knew Yuri was whole and hale, but... “Tell me you don’t want this, want me—you get to do that. But you can’t tell me I’m not supposed to want you. That’s up to me.”

“Typical,” Yuri says. “I’m not allowed to tell you what to do, but you tell me—“

“Do you want me?” Flynn interrupts.

Silence. Yuri exhales a shuddery breath.

“This isn’t a trick question. I just need to know. Do you want me?”

“Yeah, but—“

“So marry me.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It’s exactly that simple. You’re the one over-complicating it.”

“You’re so stubborn.”

“Pot, kettle,” Flynn says. He cracks his eyes open; Yuri’s eyes are closed, his lashes a dark sweep at the top of his cheeks. The curtain of his hair dulls the glare of the afternoon sun through the window so that they’re huddled together in a warm, dim bubble of their own creation. Flynn wants to kiss him so badly it feels like a physical ache. “You don’t—I can’t make you marry me, and I wouldn’t want to if you don’t want to, I just. I don’t understand. And I wish you would explain.”

“I did explain.”

“No, you spouted a lot of nonsense.”

Yuri snorts. “Then I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Well,” Flynn says. “You could always start with ‘yes, Flynn, that was a load of shit and I will marry you.’ That would do nicely. I will also accept ‘I’m not ready yet,’ and ‘I don’t believe in marriage.’”

Yuri sighs. It’s not a big, melodramatic production, or even an exasperated one. Just a quiet little noise that Yuri probably didn’t even mean to make.

“Just… answer one question for me.”

“Anything.”

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why do you want to marry me?”

That’s… fair enough. Flynn slides his hands down from Yuri’s face without breaking contact, trailing them down his body until he can rest them on Yuri’s hips. Again, despite his words, Yuri leans into the touch. Flynn tries to swallow down the tentative hope that wells in his heart. He has to concentrate.

“I want everybody to know how important you are to me,” he eventually says. “I want you to know how important you are to me. I want people to know you have my heart and I have yours, and that’s not going to change for the rest of our lives. I want to switch your bed out for one properly sized for two, so we’re not always so cramped when I stay with you. I want to think of your apartments in Dahngrest as our apartments, and for you to think of my room here as our room, even when we’re apart. I want to officially have joint custody of Repede. I want to know that I’ll be there to see how you look with grey hair—“

“I’ll be a silver fox, obviously,” Yuri says, opening his eyes. His smile is tight and tremulous. Flynn leans in to kiss the corner of his eye, although he knows Yuri well enough to know he won’t cry. Yuri’s eyelashes flutter closed again. “No mysteries there. You don’t need to wait around to know that.”

“Yeah, but I want to anyway,” Flynn murmurs. Since he’s already there, he presses another kiss to the corner of Yuri’s mouth. “I need to see it for myself. And I want to know that you’ll be stuck with my cooking for the rest of our lives—“

“That’s just mean—“

“—That you’ll have to deal with me when I’m a creaky old man in a wheelchair who complains about kids these days—and I want you to get to make fun of people who think you can’t possibly be the Commandant’s husband—“ Flynn catches one of Yuri’s hands in his own and brings it up to his lips, reverently kissing his knuckles. “And for you to know that you always have someplace, someone to come back to even if something happens to Brave Vesperia—and I want you to be legally entitled to all the things that are mine, if anything ever happens to me—“

“Nothing is allowed to happen to you,” Yuri says. He gently tugs his hand out of Flynn’s grip so he can use it to flick Flynn on the nose. “I’ll kick its ass first.”

Knowing Yuri, he just might. “Just in case, though.”

Yuri presses forward until he’s chest to chest with Flynn. Flynn responds by wrapping his arms around Yuri’s back. His next kiss lands on Yuri’s forehead.

“Also,” he says, muffled against Yuri’s skin, “Tax benefits.”

He’s not actually sure how that will work, what with him in the capital of the Empire and Yuri in guild territory, but the joke does its job. Yuri huffs a laugh into Flynn’s neck. “Now you’re talking.”

“Did I answer your question, or should I keep going?” Flynn asks, nosing through Yuri’s hair.

“You can stop,” Yuri says, with enough conviction that Flynn is sure he thoroughly embarrassed Yuri with his sappiness. Well, good. That was the goal.

“Why did you ask?  What did you think I was going to say?”

There’s a long pause before Yuri sighs, properly melodramatic this time, resting his forehead on Flynn’s shoulder.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t—damn, I don’t know. Something about how we’ve been together a long time and we weren’t getting any younger, or it was about time, or—something.”

“I proposed to you because I love you and I want to marry you,” Flynn says, and fancies he can feel Yuri’s skin flush hot where his face touches Flynn’s skin. Ha. He always does get a little flustered when Flynn pulls out the L-word. “Not because I felt obligated.”

“Man, shut up.”

“I love you,” Flynn repeats.

“I said, sh—“

“I love you—“

Yuri jerks his head up, eyes narrowed and a scowl ready, but Flynn kisses him square on the lips before he can say anything. Yuri kisses back, hot and fierce and with more teeth than is strictly necessary.

“Stop it,” Yuri growls, when he breaks away to breathe.

“I love you,” Flynn counters.

“Shut up, Flynn!”

“No, because I—“

“Stop!”

“I love you. So much.”

“You’re impossible.”

Flynn kisses him again instead of answering. Yuri, still too worked up, snarls against his lips and fists his hands in Flynn’s shirt. Flynn does his best to slow the kiss down. Mostly, all he can do is hold on and ride the cresting wave of Yuri’s frustration. The gentle edge of Flynn’s kisses seems to help, though, slowly releasing the tension until their kiss simmers down and turns chaste. Flynn kneads at the small of Yuri’s back with his fingers until Yuri pulls out of the kiss with a full-body shiver and drops his head back down onto Flynn’s shoulder.

“I love you,” Flynn says. He brushes his mouth against the shell of Yuri’s ear. “I love you.”

Yuri groans and burrows his face into Flynn’s neck.

“And I know you love me too,” Flynn adds. “Or I wouldn’t have bothered asking.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Yuri mumbles.

“Didn’t you? You haven’t technically said no yet.”

Yuri pinches him in the vulnerable stretch of his side. Flynn whines, then pitches over sideways onto his bed, dragging Yuri down to the mattress with him.

“GAH! Flynn!”

“Gotcha,” Flynn crows. He attempts to roll over and pin Yuri to the sheets. Yuri uses his momentum against him, rolling them over again so he’s braced over Flynn instead.

“Like I’ve been saying,” Yuri says. “Idiot.”

“Oh no,” Flynn deadpans. He reaches up to wrap his arms around Yuri’s neck at the same time his ankles cross behind Yuri’s knees. Even if he’s on top, Flynn still has him right where he wants him. “What a terrible predicament. Whatever will I—“

Yuri kisses him, firmly. Flynn seems to have successfully bullied the nervous energy out of him, because there’s a remarkable lack of teeth and heat. Intense, yes, thorough, of course, but not urgent. It’s leisurely in a way Flynn doesn’t often get to be while kissing Yuri. He seizes the opportunity greedily. Yuri settles over him with solid, reassuring pressure. By the time they pause, his lips feel bruised.

“I love you, too,” Yuri grits out. Shit. Flynn feels like he’s been kicked in the diaphragm, all the air knocked out of him in a heartbeat. “You stupid, stubborn—Flynn, you’re—you’re incredible. You’re the best man I’ve ever—I don’t fucking understand, you could have anyone.”

“Then there’s nothing stopping me from picking you,” Flynn says. He cranes his neck to plant a sloppy kiss on Yuri’s jaw.

Yuri takes an uneven breath, resting his forehead on the pillow next to Flynn’s head. “…Fine.”

“What?”

“I said fine. I’ll marry you. Okay? If you want a real answer, it’s yes. Are you happy now?”

“Yes,” Flynn says. He jostles Yuri insistently. Yuri makes a noise of complaint, raising himself onto his elbows to glower. Flynn almost smashes their noses together in his rush forward. “Gods, yes, I’m—mmph—so fucking happy, Yuri, Yuri—“

It’s hard to talk and kiss at the same time, but hell if Flynn won’t give it his best effort.

“Never ask me for anything else ever again,” Yuri says, but it does a poor job of concealing the wobble of repressed emotion in his voice. Flynn peppers his face with kisses. Nothing sticks long enough for Yuri to turn his face into it, try as he might. Eventually, he surrenders himself to Flynn’s assault. “Geez, calm down.”

“We’re engaged,” Flynn says, beaming. “We’re going to get married.”

“You’re gonna be insuff—mmm—insufferable about this, aren’t you?”

“I’ve damn well earned it,” Flynn says. Yuri grins back at him, a touch dazed. Flynn could cry from the relief of seeing that smile alone. “I just convinced my childhood sweetheart to marry me. He’s going to be my husband.”

“You’re gross,” Yuri says, flushed a pleasant, rosy pink. Flynn pushes him back to sit on his heels, then topples him over so Flynn can press him into the pillows. Yuri tumbles down willingly. “Oh, now what’re you gonna do with me?”

“I’m going to call you awful mushy pet names while I’ve got you pinned and you can’t hit me for it,” Flynn says. He wrestles Yuri’s wrists down against the sheets. Yuri hollers with outrage and kicks blindly at the back of Flynn’s calf. “Dearest. Honey bunch. Sweetest of hearts. Best beloved. Baby. Love of my life—“

“I’ll kill you,” Yuri swears. There’s no real effort behind his attempts to dislodge Flynn, though. Flynn should know—it isn’t anywhere near this easy to pin Yuri down when they’re sparring.

“No, you won’t,” Flynn says. He kisses the tip of Yuri’s nose. “You love me.”

“And I regret that a little more with every passing second,” Yuri says, slumping back down. “You wouldn’t even use those. You’re the worst.”

“Mm-hm. You’re the best.”

“Still gross.”

Flynn kisses the corner of his mouth. This time he stays put when Yuri tries to turn into it. Yuri makes a soft, satisfied sound against his lips and presses up. When Flynn releases his hands, they don’t move to push him away, just curl over the back of his neck and his shoulder blades.

“Marriage, huh,” Yuri mumbles.

“That is what you agreed to, yes,” Flynn says, carding his fingers through Yuri’s mussed hair.

“You really do wanna be stuck with me for the rest of your life.”

“I do,” Flynn says. “And I want everyone to know it, too.”

Yuri scoffs at him, half-laughter. “You say that like there’s any reason to be possessive. It’s not like you have any competition.”

“It’s not about competition—and anyway, you’ve got your fair share of admirers.” Yuri is strong and beautiful and of course people love him, he’s Yuri. Flynn’s not jealous. That would be stupid. He trusts Yuri. “You pick up a couple more on every job, haven’t you noticed?”

“Judy points them out sometimes,” Yuri says, mildly. “But you still don’t have any competition.”

Flynn opens his mouth to argue some more before the implication of what Yuri is saying sinks in. He closes his mouth and tries not to look too smug. For a guy who claims to hate Flynn’s soppy romantics as much as he does, Yuri sure has it in him to make some strong declarations.

“Still,” he says. He skates a hand up Yuri’s side. Yuri squirms away, ticklish, as best he can within the bracket of Flynn’s arms. “Wouldn’t do to have anybody getting bold ideas.”

“I hope you understand that this is going to do nothing to dissuade Patty,” Yuri says.

“I am unfortunately aware of that.”

“…Oh, hell. We’re gonna have to sort out how the kids fit into the wedding party. Damn, we’re gonna have to tell them we’re getting married.”

“We could always just elope if you prefer,” Flynn says, half-seriously. Maybe it wouldn’t be ideal, but he could live with whatever Yuri wants so long as they wind up married at the end of it.

“Are you joking? Estelle would kill me, as in actually, for real murder me.”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to suffer through letting me show you off a little.”

“I’m gonna be a trophy husband, aren’t I?” Yuri says, more of a statement than a question.

“Are you the trophy husband?” Flynn asks. “Or am I the trophy husband? Or both, in different contexts? You’re well-respected for your work, too, you know.”

“No, sorry, you make more money than I do and I’m the arm candy in this relationship. I’m definitely the trophy husband.”

“There’s an insult in there somewhere that I don’t appreciate.”

“No, you big baby, there’s just a compliment to me in there.”

Flynn considers this for a moment. It’s possible that “considering” it involves blatantly checking Yuri out. Yuri rolls his eyes, trying to hide a pleased smile. “You are awfully easy on the eyes.”

“See, if you opened with smooth lines like that, our conversation earlier would’ve gone much faster.”

“Yuri,” Flynn says, “In the whole history of our friendship, I have never figured out anything that makes you more suspicious of my intentions than unprompted compliments.”

“Well, maybe you should try complimenting me when you don’t have ulterior motives sometime.”

“I do that all the time!”

“Not to my face!”

“When I try to say them to your face, you start arguing with me.”

“Because you have ulterior motives and you make shit up to support them.”

“Oh, this I have to hear,” Flynn says. There’s no sense in touching the lying part. He’ll have the rest of their lives to work on that one now, anyway. “What are my motives?”

“Seduction, first of all,” Yuri says, haughtily.

“Like I have to work for that?” Flynn murmurs, sliding a hand between Yuri’s back and the bed, leveraging Yuri up against him. Yuri shudders, his fingertips digging into Flynn’s back.

“Knock it off—unless you’re willing to put your money where your mouth is.”

“I always am,” Flynn says. His free hand finds Yuri’s; their fingers thread together. “It shall be good practice for our wedding night.”

Yuri turns an interesting shade of red.

There’s not much conversation after that.

[thewolfisawake]

The Tales series if you haven't gotten it already

Favorite character:

Undeniably goes to Yuri and Velvet. What can I say? I’m into the dark-haired protagonists that ‘aren’t like the others.’ I can get onboard with why they come to the conclusions they do even if I don’t think it’s write. With Yuri, I admire the ability to do when others cannot. And can’t deny, he made me laugh the most with his sense of sarcasm and panache. Plus that voice...Troy Baker, they did you dirty. Meanwhile with Velvet I was like ‘yes, let’s be married in this quaint little town together’ in the beginning. She was just cute. Then it became attraction of ‘I don’t give a damn what happens to this world so long as I get what I want’ and ferocity. 

Least Favorite character:

Emeraude. Like what the fuck is your problem lady? You’re getting jealous of a child. Your feelings towards someone should be directed towards that person, not abusing some third-party that doesn’t even understand what you two have going on. 

Cumore. Fuck him too. For a side character that you don’t even really fight, he’s a real ass that his death was catharsis. Pure catharsis. There was no a single moment that he showed any redemption. He was a cruel bastard that held no regard for human life. He was willing to make excuses for anyone under him to get in trouble. He lied to people to enslave them and work them to death. He dragged people into the desert to look for an impossible item and left them without resources to die. Fuck him so much. He might’ve been cartoonishly evil compared to some not nice guys but those actions translate to atrocities. 

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon):

Selfish Coexistence (Basically the Berseria Party) - Their relationships seem so hard to define to me as they all use each other for various reasons. They also seem to develop care through their selfishness and all of the either are like *shrug* guess we’re doing this now or ‘what is this I’m feeling?’ ‘emotions?’ ‘disgusting.’ There’s an understood protection amongst all of them and then a fierce rationalization for their action rather than saying ‘because I like you okay!’ They’re very smart yet they’re all dumbasses and I love them all.

Ludju - You know what’s better than one adorkable dumbass? Two adorkable dumbasses. I like Ludger and Jude’s relation better than any I have unlocked during the story. Jude by nature is very caring but it just is different with Ludger? Main thing I can note is that Jude touches Ludger a lot. Like a firm, ‘I’m right here’ shoulder touch. A nudge in the arm. Catching when about to faint. And I just don’t see Jude do the same with anyone in his party in either game.  I just find their interactions from the extra scenes are really cute.

 Velvet/Niko - “If you were a boy, I think I’d be in love.” Gurl she don’t have to be a boy to kiss fall in love. Shipping a Main Character with an NPC? Is it madness? Absolutely. But I had feelings about that from the very beginning. Like this could’ve been so fucking sweet. Could’ve had it all. And then the Advent happened. 

Alvin/Presa - Oh man. Ooooh man. This was just a curiosity on the way of Tale’s of Xillia’s path. Like it was a lady that lent to Alvin’s skeevy or ladykiller vibe he gave off. And it was like was she just a jilted one-time or something else? And the answer seemed like ‘something else’ but didn’t know what. It was a little ‘wonder how that went...’ Then you do Tales of Xillia 2 and I thought I was wrecked. Because it reframes so much of their interaction to a really sad relationship that fell apart because Alvin was a coward. 

Flynn/Yuri/Judith - Haha! Didn’t expect the end part of this one did you? I think everyone knew I liked Fluri. Like their dynamics are so interesting. But I really do enjoy Judy being involved. I’m really sad that Judy and Flynn don’t get much interaction even in the PS3 version but I don’t find it hard for them to get along. But I do usually see that more times it’s Flynn and Judy dating Yuri and their relationship changes over time.  They can scrap together, they can travel together, and not needing as much talking to get what anyone means. I find it hard to describe this one but I feel it. 

Character I find most attractive:

Yuri and Velvet are like the reflexive thoughts. But I actually really also like Jude and Judy. I mean look at this cute little nerd, he’s adorable! And then there’s hot elf lady that she could kick me in the face and I’d thank her. In general you can probably guess my type from those four.

Character I would marry:

Probably Yuri. I’m sorry that this is my answer to so many but he is like my type to a T and it’s just ruined so many standards for me. Like a funny guy that is good at cooking (and has a sweet tooth!) and can go venturing with? What else is there? I mean yeah there’s the hair and voice but that’s like given. But yeah, I’m a basic bitch with that.

Character I would be best friends with:

Eizen, if that’s a bit surprising. Sure he’s a bit of an edgelord but I feel like I’ve never left it so he’s already doing better than I. But I like the idea of sailing on the ship with him there, probably not gonna be able to let me struggle for that long. He’s funny with a dry sense of humor to me and also he’s a low-key nerd that knows a lot of things and likes finding new and interesting things. So yeah. 

And as much as I give shit about him, I actually think I would be friends with Sorey. He’s the kind of excitable that makes others excited and that’s kind of what I do. So we’d kind of excite each other. And so long as it’s not spelunking, I’m down for going exploring. 

a random thought:

What defenses occur with the end of blastia? Barriers were what repelled monsters from most of the inhabited areas in Terca Lumireis. Dahngrest and Zaphias look to have fortresses that can hold back most land beasts. But there are other places. What stops the monsters now? Will they go towards more mana based works? 

Also, someone also mentioned, does ANYONE know how to do medical work? Like actually patching up injuries? How to care for someone in sickness? Healing artes were what were used! They can’t use blastia anymore! What happens now?

Can there be a history of how things changed from Berseria to Zestiria? Mainly the shifting of how malevolence works from turning people to reflect their sinister nature to straight up monsters with no sense? How the Shepherd thing went to include the malak as much as it does. The change from malak to seraphim. Just...how did we geeeetttttt heeeerrreeeeee.

An unpopular opinion:

I fucking hate that I had to be told from other friends that actually could find the material or read the fucking wiki to understand the dynamics of the Kresnik family. Ludger has a LOT of fucking baggage that we don’t even get to hear anything about! Partially because he’s silent and partially because ‘oh he was young so he conveniently forgot?’ And a lot of it was important to the last half of the story! That’s bullshit! And even further bullshit is that there was no reason they couldn’t have found time to put it in the game but they chose not to. 

Tales can’t make a fun last level to save their lives. I haven’t enjoyed a single final level in any of the games I’ve played. I don’t mind doing puzzles for it but straight up spiraling branches full of dead ends is frustrating. ESPECIALLY FUCK XILLIA 2′s! Randomly generated based off those in the party and then you can’t even see when a path is not truly there so you can follow the path and then all of suddenly blank ground, meaning dead end you have back up and retrace another path. And then like Berseria’s made me feel nauseous from the ‘ethereal’ look it was going for. And just made it hard as fuck to see. And more of this awful tower climbing. I just...mmmmmmm, I will probably always enjoy the game until the final level exists. I swear.

My Canon OTP:

Uuuuuuhhhhhh I don’t think I have one. 

My Non-canon OTP:

Most protags x happiness?

Most Badass Character:

Don Whitehorse. He was like definition of like ‘stubborn old man’ but man was he cool. He was staunch in the honor of the guilds under his control and was proud of what he and other had built up with their own hands. Also you don’t often see a man willing to sacrifice his life to right a wrong done by his own. 

Most Epic Villain:

Gaius. Like me and my friend were like ‘what the fuck’ when we were co-oping Xillia together. Like this was a king that meant business! Mhm. .

Pairing I am not a fan of:

Most of the pairings are fine to me. 

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another):

Sorey. I’m sure I’ve gone on this so many times but I really hated that they kept alluding to him having to make hard decisions but whenever one was brought to him, someone else took it for him. Like if his job is that important and it’s expected to make these choices, THEN LET HIM MAKE THEM. I was so angry over that. I spent the entire game waiting for when they’d do a major point where Sorey had no choice but to step up. 

Favourite Friendship:

Alvin & Elize - I really like how much they have both grown from each other. And how when Alvin broke her trust that he had to live with her mistrust and work to earn it back. Their friendship had uneasiness that seemed hopeful at the end of the first game and turned to just banter and teasing by the second. Growth baby, it’s wonderful.

Character I most identify with:

Mmmmm, probably Ludger. Look at all that debt. Can’t do nothing but cry over it.

Character I wish I could be:

Yeah, no. JRPG rules means everyone has some fucked up shit in their past or coming for them. I’m fine over here.

[ice-cream-beat]

[Vesperia fic] Grey Areas

summary: It’s the first time Flynn’s seen him come out of a confrontation looking worse than the other guy. [Yuri + Flynn, post-game.]

Ao3 version here

/ / / / /

“Guess I should be grateful they didn’t make a spectacle out of it, huh.” The lighthearted tone is, in itself, where the sarcasm lies. The words don’t reflect any pain or anger -- just cold indifference messily overlapped with disdain, but that’s the most dangerous mindset to come out of someone like Yuri Lowell.

Flynn knows it, at least. His frown manages to deepen even after being permanently set for the last few hours, but he doesn’t answer until he’s sat down on the edge of the bed and set the bucket of water on the floor between his feet. “Small mercies.”

Yuri grunts. The lack of a joke, or at least a jab, is telling. He’s sitting on the floor, elbows on the bed and fingers laced behind his head to hold his hair up. His bloody shirt has been tossed aside, stained more with his pride than anything else; peeling it away from his wounds was messy and clearly painful, but as he said, he refused to be a spectacle. More than likely, Flynn knew, he did so to keep anyone from worrying on his wobbly, assisted trek back to the inn.

The urge is there to reprimand him, to snap at him, to insist that he knows better and could have avoided this if he really wanted, but it’s a passing notion that Flynn easily smothers. Even though it would come from genuine concern on his end, Yuri’s been through enough wordy lectures today. Instead, Flynn just dips a rag in the bucket, wrings it out, and gives a brief word of warning before pressing it gently to the top of Yuri’s back, along the first of (too) many bloody lashes.

The muscles in his friend’s shoulders immediately tense, but he doesn’t make a sound. For a minute they sit in silence, until Flynn goes to wet the rag again.

“Really missing those healing artes right about now,” Yuri quips. It’s probably meant as a quip, anyway, but it mostly comes out as a grumble.

Flynn smiles grimly. “This is the easy part,” he reminds him. “Don’t fall apart on me just yet.” Yuri only snorts, but quietly enough that he doesn’t disturb his injuries. Another pause follows, but it’s a thoughtful one from Flynn. He already knows what Yuri will say, but he tries regardless: “I’m sure Lady Estellise would--”

“Forget it.”

“Yuri--”

“You’d really ask a lady to travel across the country just to patch up some idiot’s slap on the wrist? Tsk, Flynn, you’re gonna sully your good ‘Knight in Shining Armor’ name.”

Flynn doesn’t hide the exasperated scowl in his throat. “ ‘Slap on the wrist?’ At least you’re feeling well enough to act tough.”

“Could’ve been worse.” Yuri’s response is surprisingly serious, but his bangs hide his eyes at this height and Flynn can only guess at his expression. “The way I hear it, some people barely leave that chopping block alive.”

That gives Flynn pause. It’s nothing he hasn’t heard, either, but he can connect the dots in Yuri’s train of thought and he doesn’t like where it’s going. The urge to lecture rises again, but he reminds himself Later and after a moment settles for a flat, “...Guild life, huh.”

Yuri catches the undertone. He tilts his head just enough to look at Flynn proper. “Do something wrong, get caught, get punished? Sounds like life to me, yeah.”

Flynn succeeds in holding back a sigh, but it comes through in his tone regardless. “And since when do you take that lying down?”

“Since someone was quick enough to catch me.” Yuri shifts his weight slightly, wincing. “You know… I was thinking before that you sure picked a fine time to visit Dahngrest. But coincidences aren’t really how a Commandant works.”

“...No, they’re not.”

Yuri waits a few seconds for him to expand on that, but to no avail. He gives Flynn as much of a once-over as he can manage in his position, perhaps just now making better sense of his slightly-more-casual state of dress, particularly the lack of his distinguishing armor. He hums in absent amusement. “White knight, indeed.”

“Shut up.” By now the water has turned murky and the rag’s stained beyond repair. A few of the deeper gashes are still bleeding, but not terribly. Crossing the room, Flynn retrieves a pouch and glass bottle and then sits on the floor this time, directly behind Yuri. “So,” he wonders as he twists the cork to open the vodka, “are you going to tell me why you broke the rules and interfered with another guild?”

“You were at that little mockery of a trial, weren’t you?”

“Long enough to tell you were lying through your teeth.”

“Practicing my right to remain silent isn’t lying.”

This time Flynn does sigh, heavily, as he tilts the contents of the pouch carefully into the bottleneck. He’s still a little skeptical of this remedy, but it’s presumably the best local treatment for such wounds. “I know perfectly well that you’re stubborn to a fault--”

“Look who’s talking.”

“--but the only time you’re that quiet is when you’re hiding something.”

“Ha. Nice shot.”

“Who were you covering for, Yuri?” For a long moment the only sound is the quiet swish of liquid as Flynn swirls the bottle, making sure the herbs mix in well with the alcohol. “...Fine, forget who. But can I ask why?” Yuri still doesn’t answer.

Pulling the clean towel from his shoulder, Flynn doubles it over to douse it with the strong-smelling mixture. He moves onto one knee and braces his left arm across Yuri’s shoulders -- not to pin him, but to help absorb some of his movement. “This is going to hurt. Get ready.”

Yuri’s general disposition and high pain threshold are only partially helpful: he goes rigid when the towel’s applied to his back, his jaw setting tightly to strangle his shout into a snarl. Flynn waits for him to ride it out, and then gives him a couple minutes to recover before doing the same to the lower part of his torso.

“Y’know--” Yuri pants, his voice strained, “it’s not so bad -- when I think -- this is all just -- overdue. Kind of a… rite of passage.” Flynn spares him a puzzled glance, wondering if the pain’s really so bad that he’s actually delirious, but Yuri’s dropped his head forward onto the mattress. He chuckles darkly. “Heh… karma catching up to me, I guess… Finally…”

Flynn goes still. As much as he wants to rebuke that, he forces himself to stay silent, for now, and focus on the task at hand. Not until minutes later, after he’s carefully patted Yuri dry as well as he’s able and started wrapping him with bandages, does he speak.

“You know... if you weren’t already miserable, Yuri, I’d kick your ass.”

Yuri snickers skeptically from where he’s still facedown in the bed, but it’s a dead sound.

“It’s one thing if you took the fall for someone because you thought it was the right thing to do. But if you did this thinking you deserved it--” He stops before his voice can get too loud or too hot -- but Yuri says nothing during the pause, gives no indication that his guess is wrong or at least slightly off the mark, and that hurts in more ways than Flynn can count.

So even now, the reality of his past and actions still weigh on Yuri's mind. It's a bitter sort of relief; it's preferable to his feeling nothing at all, Flynn thinks -- total apathy would be the biggest cause for alarm, the most obvious warning that the Yuri he knows isn’t the Yuri he’s known -- but this isn’t good, either.

But then, it’s easy for Flynn to say that one feeling is better than another when he isn’t the one in bloody tatters, or the one bearing that guilt.

(At least, not that kind of guilt. As self-righteous as he figures it probably sounds, he does still carry the dark, what-if thoughts reminding him that he did nothing to help Yuri with that burden.)

His sigh is a gentle one this time. He lightly presses a fist against Yuri’s lower back, away from any risk of agitating a wound, in a gesture meant to ground his thoughts as well as emphasize his presence. “Yuri. The purpose of the law and its sentences isn’t to punish those who do wrong -- it’s to protect those who would suffer because of them. Punishments serve as a deterrent to selfish ways of thinking; they’re a warning to those who would harm others, and a way of changing or removing those who already have, in the best interest of the people at large. Justice is fair, not petty.”

Yuri still doesn’t respond, so Flynn goes on, “You know better than anyone that life isn’t black and white. But going out and looking for punishment over something you can’t change isn’t justice. It’s just trying to make yourself feel better.” His hand falls away and he climbs to his feet. “And it’s a pretty crappy way of doing it.” As tempted as he is to say more, he refrains. Yuri’s already a mess, probably inside as well as out, and there’s no need to pile it on too thick. For now, at least.

He gathers the used supplies and begins cleaning up the small mess. The silence lasts about half a minute.

“...Hey.”

He turns to see Yuri watching him -- still looking beat and exhausted and pretty pathetic, but at least he managed to turn his head. “Do me a favor,” he asks.

“What’s that?”

“I’m too tired to punch you properly, so please, kindly hit your face against my fist and save me the trouble.” When Flynn shoots him a skeptical look, Yuri rolls his face back into the mattress with a mumble. “I hate when you lecture. I especially hate it when you win arguments.”

Flynn’s smile is a wry one. “Someone has to keep your ego in check.”

“Funny.” After another long moment, Yuri looks at him again. “...Look, don’t go blowing this up into a bigger deal than it is. I had a reason for doing what I did. The karma thing… well, it crossed my mind at the time, but it wasn’t the only reason.”

“It shouldn’t be any rea--”

“I know, I know. You’re right,” Yuri interrupts wearily. “I mean, just don’t get it in your head that I’m gonna make a habit out of this. Not enough skin on my back for that.”

Flynn grunts lightly. “As long as you’re aware.”

“Yes, sir.” Yuri’s sarcasm fades as he adds, “...Hey. Thanks, though.”

Now Flynn’s smile is genuine, although still teasing. “For the lecture?”

“Eh. Could’ve been shorter and more eloquent. But I appreciate the effort.”

Shaking his head, Flynn goes to sit down on the bed again. “Right--”

“Agh!”

Flynn’s on his feet again in a heartbeat. “Sorry! I didn’t--”

“Heh. You’re so easy.”

“Dammit, Yuri--”

[fontasticcrablettes]

Wrote this quick, about 2k, Flynn and Estelle suffering.  Written during Nano so I haven’t taken time to edit or polish or anything.  It’s part of a prompt game I’m playing with @flynns-king-kong-dong

Several armed guards accompanied Estelle down the hallway.  Despite the cuffs around her wrists, she held her head high.  She’d been through too much to be paralyzed with fear of some thieves or whoever they were. The building they were in now was old, with rusty brick walls and stone floors.  It must have been sitting empty a few miles away from the road for some time before this band of brigands took it over.  

She and Flynn had been on their way to Dahngrest when the coach was attacked. They had been prepared for monsters, but Flynn hadn’t anticipated such an organized assault by humans within the Empire. Crossbow bolts had pinned them down and made it difficult to defend against the melee fighters.  Estelle had been swarmed by armed men who cut through the knights to reach her, and they’d dragged her off before she could even see how the battle ended.  

With hands tied and a bag over her head, they’d marched her at sword point to wherever they were now.  For the last hour, she’d sat in a room and worried – not about her own fate, but everyone else.  The last glimpse she’d had of the battle had not been going their way and the thought of Flynn being the last man standing, fighting off dozens of bandits in a hopeless attempt to overpower their numbers, made her heart ache.  He had to be ok, she told herself.  After all, he was Flynn.  He could survive anything!

For herself, she wasn’t too worried.  Throughout her entire childhood, she’d been warned that leaving the castle was too dangerous because of the risk of being kidnapped for ransom, and now every horror story told to scare her into submission was coming true. It meant they probably weren’t planning to kill her, though.  They would need her alive to get money from Ioder, which meant she could focus all her fear on Flynn.  

At the end of the hallway, they turned a corner where a man in nicer clothes waited for them.   He smiled at Estelle, who stubbornly glared back at him.  Her hands were behind her back and she knew she didn’t have time to cast without being tackled and stabbed before finishing, but at least she wouldn’t cower in fear.  She was twenty years old now; not a little baby.  

“Good afternoon, Your Highness,” the man said pleasantly.  “You can call me Alram.  I trust you’ve been well taken care of?”

She took in a sharp breath and scowled at him.  “I have not.  But, the Imperial Knights will be here soon, I expect, so it would be wise to let me go.”

“I don’t think we have to worry too much about them,” Alram said. “They’re hardly going to come looking for you if no one reports to the nearest outpost that the caravan was attacked.”

Estelle’s heart throbbed; Flynn.

“But fear not, young miss.  I have no intention of harming you.”  He moved his fingers under her chin and tipped her head back.  “After all, you’ve got that healing magic. Long term damage to you is pretty impossible, no?”

Estelle glared back at him but didn’t dignify him with a response.  

“You see, that magic of yours is the only thing I’m interested in.  For two years, we’ve been scrounging around without blastia, but there you are, throwing magic around like nothing’s changed.” He pulled his hand away from her with a wrinkled nose and wiped his fingers on his shirt.  “Typical royalty – demanding sacrifices from the lower classes but refusing to give up their luxuries themselves.  Disgusting”

“I haven’t done anything like that.”

“Oh, yeah?  My men saw you cast magic this morning during the battle.  So here’s what I want to know: where is your blastia?”

Her eyebrows knit.  “My… blastia?”

“You’ve got one somewhere.  My men didn’t find anything on you when they searched you, so you’ve got some long distance thing set up?  Or did you swallow it?  How are you doing magic?”

Estelle did her best to puff herself up like a bird.  “Why should I tell you? If you had magic, you’d just use it to hurt more people!”

“Tell me how you do magic and you can leave.  That’s all I want from you.”

On one hand, it was a relief to know for sure what they wanted and that she wouldn’t be stuck here until a random was arranged. On the other, she had no way to give them her magic ability because it entirely came down to being born with that power.  “I’m not telling you anything.”  They weren’t going to kill her, she told herself.  They thought she was their single ticket to magical power; they had to keep her alive.  And they said they weren’t going to hurt her because she could just heal herself.  If she told them it was impossible to give them her magical secret, though, they might kill her since she was useless. The best thing to do would be to hold her tongue and wait for a chance to escape or for rescue.  

To her surprise, Alram smiled at her surprise.  “I figured you would say something like that.  So, I decided to get some insurance in case you were unreasonably stubborn.”

He unlocked the door behind him and entered the dimly lit room.  The guards around Estelle pushed her through the doorway.  The room was lit only by gas lamps set in the wall and had no windows to let in natural light.  There was enough, though, to see what was in the centre of the room.

“Flynn!”  

Flynn sat in a wooden chair with his ankles tied to its legs and his wrists to its arms.  His head snapped up and he gave a shout through the strip of cloth gagging him. The fact that he was alive overjoyed her, but the bloody wound visible through the gash in his black shirt just below his right shoulder reeled it in.  At the very least, he hadn’t been killed in the fight.

The guards around her grabbed her shoulders to keep her from running forward while Alram approached Flynn.  Estelle swallowed nervously as Flynn eyed Alram. Stopping next to him, Alram pulled out a knife and grabbed Flynn’s hair with the other hand.  With the knife hovering in front of Flynn’s face, Alram said, “You’ll be pleased to know the Empire doesn’t train lousy knights, at least.  The commandant here put up a good fight and if he hadn’t turned his back on the fight to try to chase after you, he might have been victorious.  Alas, here we are.  I’m given to understand you have a soft spot for the commandant?”  

Alram pulled Flynn’s head back more to look down at his face.  Estelle bit her lip while clenching and unclenching her hands.  Flynn looked more angry than scared, but she surely had enough fear for the both of them.

“I can see why.  He’s got a handsome face.  Since you’re so fond of it, I’ll give you a chance to tell me how you’re using magic before I start messing it up.”

“I just can!” she blurted.  Maybe they’d kill her if she couldn’t help them, but they would kill Flynn if she didn’t talk at all.  “It’s a power I was born with!  I’ve never used blastia!”

The guards snickered and Alram gave her a tired, annoyed expression, and then jerked Flynn’s head to the side.  He positioned the knife against the back of Flynn’s ear and Estelle screamed as he sliced through it.  Her scream was joined by Flynn’s as his ear dropped to the floor and blood ran down the side of his face.  

“I don’t want a bullshit response like that.”  

Alram released Flynn’s head.  Flynn was still taking sharp, heaving breaths interspersed with small moans.  The whole left side of his head was streaked with blood.

“It’s true!”  She struggled against the guards, eyes locked on Flynn.  “Ask anyone!  Ask Flynn! I don’t use blastia!  I’m a Child of the Full Moon!”

“I don’t want your fairy stories,” Alram said as he wiped his bloody knife on Flynn’s shoulder.  “I want a practical explanation of the method you use to perform magic.  The longer you refuse to explain, the worse this afternoon is going go for the commandant here.”

Estelle shook her head.  “I’m telling the truth!  I don’t have any secret you can us, it’s just a power I was born with!  Please let him go.”

Alram moved his knife under Flynn’s neck and Estelle screamed again, terrified he was about to slit Flynn’s throat. Luckily, all he did was cut through his black turtleneck, all the way to the bottom.  He shoved the sides of the shirt back to Flynn’s shoulders, exposing his chest and the nasty wound on his chest.  

“I want an answer, Highness.”

“I can’t, I can’t.”  She was still shaking her head, tears in her eyes.  

Alram slammed his knife into the arm of the chair, not minding that Flynn’s hand was in the way.  The knife punctured straight through his right hand, and blood welled up around the edges.  Flynn’s shout was muffled through the gag, but the way his fingers went taut and than began shaking and trembling proved how much pain he was in.

“Please!”  Estelle knew that even if the gag was off, Flynn wouldn’t beg.  She wondered if he resented her now begging on his behalf, but she couldn’t help it.  “Please, hurt me instead.  Stop hurting him.”

Alram stood behind Flynn, one hand on his shoulder.  Flynn kept glancing from it, to his own bloody hand, and then to Estelle.  His eyes told her not to worry about him and concentrate on saving herself, but ever since she ran away with Yuri, she’d made a habit of ignoring his orders. Then Alram moved his other hand to Flynn’s injury and pressed two fingers against it.  Flynn grunted and flinched, but the bindings on the chair kept him from throwing Alram off.  

“Well, Highness?”  He pressed again, digging his fingers into the fresh wound.  Flynn’s breaths came short and tight, and as Alram pushed deeper, he clenched his eyes closer.  

“Stop!”  It took all five guards working together to hold Estelle back.  Tears streaked her face.  

He pressed his fingers deep into Flynn, wiggling them back and forth as he went. Flynn jerked with every movement, straining against the ropes.  What began as grunts and moans turned into full-blown screaming and his head thrashed against Alram in a last-ditch effort to push him away.  Estelle screamed, too, partially to cover up Flynn’s which put her through such agony.  

“Stop, stop!” Estelle screamed, endlessly shaking her head.  

Alram shouted over Flynn’s screams.  “This will only stop when you tell me what I want to know, Highness!”

“I don’t know!  I don’t have anything to tell you!  P-please believe me!”  She didn’t know what to do.  Alram would only stop when she gave him what he wanted, but she didn’t have it to give. It was only noon; they had the whole day ahead of them.  Flynn would have to suffer for hours and all she could do was watch.  

Alram pulled his fingers out and Flynn slumped against the chair in relief. Blood flowed freely down his chest and dripped to his shoulder from his lost ear.  Alram wiped his bloody fingers on the crook of Flynn’s neck and then looked back to Estelle.  “And here I thought you were fond of the poor commandant.  Are you really going to let him endure all this?”

“N-no,” she said through tears.  “There’s no secret.  There’s no-nothing to tell.  Please let him go….”

“You can’t pretend you have no magical ability.  Now tell me how you do it.”

“I have!  It isn’t something you’ll ever be able to do!”

“Not until your resolve cracks, at least.”  Alram grabbed the knife and pried it out of the wood and Flynn’s hand, jiggling it as he did.  Blood welled up and ran in rivulets down Flynn’s hand.  Alram smashed the handle of the knife into Flynn’s face and Estelle cringed at the crunching sound.  Blood streamed from Flynn’s broken nose down to his lips and soaked into the gag.  

“Stop hurting him!”  

Alram grabbed Flynn’s hair again and pulled his head up, giving Estelle a good look at his bloodied face.  Flynn’s chest heaved, and he struggled to meet Estelle’s eyes.  He had to suck air in past the gag because his nose was too crushed and bloodied to breathe through.  

“Well, Highness?  Want to explain?”

Estelle shook her head and sniffled. She was powerless to end Flynn’s suffering, and if the guards weren’t holding her, she probably would have slumped to her knees already.  

“Hm… maybe I need to change my tactics to get through to you.  Hensen, go get me a crowbar.”

Flynn moaned and one of the guards left the room.  It was going to be a long day.  

[notanothervideogameblog]

Fanfic: Imprints on the Body and Soul

Summary: In a world where every meaningful encounter in your life gives you a Mark, Yuri didn't have many Marks before leaving Zaphias. All the changes he goes through, both good and bad, leave their Marks.

A Tales of Vesperia Soulmark AU. Assumes you know plot details up to the Shrine of Baction.

AO3 Link

Yuri was quite certain that he hated whatever biological or psychological imperative it was that caused Soulmarks to take shape. Whenever a person began to change because of the presence of another person in their life, that person left a Mark on their body. The Marks were like warnings of: "this person could ruin you," but they appeared too late to serve as a proper forewarning to stay away from some people.

The Marks didn't even hold importance. Your oldest, dearest friends wouldn't leave a Mark if they didn't steer you towards a certain path you wouldn't even consider without them. Your dead family who you'd never known would never even get a chance to leave an imprint. Your worst enemy could leave a never-fading Mark on you with sheer cruelty.

Yuri's Marks took the shape of stars. Yuri's first star had been on his right arm, in the dip on his elbow, its color the muted blue of a cadet soldier's uniform. It was fitting, as it had formed when Flynn had spurred Yuri to join the Imperial Knights.

The Mark Flynn left was Yuri's first. It was the first to appear on his skin and it was the first to start fading away when Yuri walked away from the Knights and the corruption.

There hadn't been any new markings on Yuri's body for a while after. Yuri'd become stationary, aimlessly slipping through life and not really grasping at another person. Then he'd met Estelle and together they'd ended up on a journey to save Flynn's life.

Flynn had also given Estelle her first Mark, Yuri would find out one evening when the two didn't have anything better to discuss than their Marks. It had been Estelle who brought the matter up in Quoi Woods while they'd been having a lunch break in the seemingly nonthreatening woods.

Estelle sighed heavily after Yuri's estimation of her as being sheltered. "Fair enough, I suppose," the woman had said sullenly. "I haven't had many chances to gain any Marks. Not enough people have gotten close."

"It's not so rare, being distant," Yuri said easily. "I consider the Lower Quarter my family but I sure don't have Marks from them."

"That's unexpected," Estelle said bluntly and Yuri fell silent, not knowing how to answer. "It's just. You seem so worldly," Estelle hurried to explain, waving her hands while Repede scoffed from somewhere around her knees, tauntingly right outside of petting distance.

Yuri shot the dog a warning look, not about be ridiculed. "Not really," he said to Estelle. "I haven't gone far from Zaphias before and I've been content with my life, so there hasn't been much need to change." It was mostly the truth. He hadn't seen many ways for himself to change, but, he had always felt the need for something to give.

Estelle nodded, like she understood. "I don't really have friends or close mentors or even rivals to drive me to change," she explained and Yuri felt that perhaps she did understand, at least a little. "Flynn was actually my first friend."

"Same," Yuri said with a breathy laugh but Estelle was focusing on removing the glove on her right hand to show a dark blue flower blooming in the middle of her palm. Yuri noted a forming callus in the inner arch of her thumb, the result of gripping a weapon tightly when fighting off monsters. It was an interesting contrast when viewed right next to the little flower.

"The openness symbolised by the open palm," Estelle started to explain, "is essential to trusting friendship." She placed a finger on top of her Mark. "The locations of Soulmarks tell of the lessons they teach," there was something about her voice that made Yuri feel like he was being lectured. "Flynn is the first person I trusted whole-heartedly, and he's a dear friend." Estelle clenched her hand into a fist slowly, closing her fingers over the Mark protectively. "So I want to help him now."

Yuri thought about the faded blue on his arm and frowned. Astute, Estelle didn't ask about it, but she did look like she still wanted to say something. She only picked the topic up again after they'd already spent some time continuing their journey through the woods.

"Flynn was the first who really listened to what I had to say," Estelle told Yuri. "I hadn't realized before how much I'd wanted someone to value my opinions, even a little." Estelle pouted then, a much more playful expression when compared to before. "Flynn doesn't really seem to know what to do after listening, however."

Yuri laughed, glad that this other person who'd been marked by Flynn could see him so clearly. "He doesn't get a lot of things, but he's dependable."

Estelle hummed in agreement, smiling. "I really am glad to be out here," she confessed. "Back in Zaphias, I just drifted through life without really doing much. Maybe out here I can make a difference."

It was a familiar sentiment. Yuri tried not to think back on the endless still days in the Lower Quarter and swung himself over a falled tree trunk. "Let's get going then," he declared, turning to Estelle to offer her a hand over the obstacle. "There's a whole world waiting out there, not just Flynn."

Estelle grinned and grasped his hand, allowing Yuri to heave her up from the ground and over the tree trunk. As they continued on their path to Halure, Yuri thought that there was a light spring to Estelle's step. His knee itched, but it wasn't all that unpleasant and he decided to let it be. The itch didn't really do much more thank make him want to keep moving, anyway.

It would be hours later, while spending the night at Halure, that Yuri would look at his right knee and see his second Mark. Estelle had formed a pink star on his knee somewhere between Zaphias and Halure. She'd been the primary catalyst for Yuri leaving Zaphias. In a way, everything Yuri would experience during said journey could be attributed to meeting Estelle. Yuri decided she deserved her place on his skin.

He also wondered if she'd given Estelle a flower to match the star she'd given him. However, they didn't really talk about markings after that first time, so Yuri never found a good chance to ask.

When the red mark first appeared on his left bicep in Capua Nor, Yuri thought it was a bug bite. It was a dull red, only a touch darker than his skin tone. Only, once it began to darken, Yuri realized that no bug bites took the shape of perfectly symmetrical stars.

The Mark kept darkening and Yuri's prods on it turned into scratches whenever he caught sight of it. Soon enough it had deepened into an unmistakable Soulmark and even the sight of it irritated Yuri. He thought about the injustices in the world, and the Mark darkened.

Somewhere between "You guys would be lost and lonely without me around," and "Do you think you'd wanna maybe start a guild with me?" Yuri obtained another Mark, a yellow star in the palm of his hand that had taken a while to form and had only been unmistakable to Yuri once he'd already decided that he didn't really want to part ways with Karol.

Living in the Lower Quarter, your friends never went far. You didn't have to worry about potentially never seeing them again if you didn't tell them to come over again. The people in the Lower Quarter always knew where everyone was, or at least where they were likely to find someone. Yuri hadn't really ever learned to differentiate between the people he didn't mind, the people he liked, and the people he was happier with than without.

Apparently, Karol fell into the latter category. Yuri didn't want him to vanish into the wide world, hard if not impossible to ever find again. And when he weighed the idea of forming a guild with Karol against returning to the Lower Quarter, the guild sounded much more tempting. Yuri cared about the community he came from, but he knew they'd always be there waiting whenever he got too homesick.

By the time the group had made it to Dahngrest, Yuri could count four Marks on his skin. Flynn's faded Mark on his right arm, Estelle's soft pink on his matching knee, Karol's yellow in the palm of his right hand, and the mysterious red Mark on his left bicep. He'd stopped worrying about it, even though it sometimes rose from the back of his mind when bathing or changing. The Mark that looked and felt dark, but seemed to have no purpose.

Then Barbos flung himself off Ghasfarost, all the while gloating to Yuri about the enemies he would make. "Regret, sorrow, and despair will hound you all the way to hell, and I will be waiting there for you." Those had been the man's last words, and Yuri thought about the star on his arm.

'Enemies, huh,' Yuri mused as he turned away from the edge. 'Sure, I definitely have to worry about those if they keep killing themselves.' Really, Yuri didn't fear the dead, it was the threats still alive that made him worry.

The meaning of the Mark was cemented when its color settled on blood red on the night Yuri realized that the likes of Ragou would never face justice, because justice was tied up by politics. He brought Ragou to justice himself, sword swung by the arm that held the Mark he knew encountering Ragou had created. After all, if people like Ragou didn't exist, Yuri would never need to change into someone ready to do away with them.

After Yuri returned to his lodgings for the night, he thought about the bloody body he'd flung into the river. His right hand went to the red star on his bicep, and scratched at it until the repetitive motion calmed his mind enough to let him sleep.

In the end, each person Yuri killed left their Mark on his skin, dotting his right arm with small, blood red stars that failed to make Yuri feel regret. No, Flynn's accusations, both the ones in his eyes and in his words, did that well enough. There was the first Mark from Ragou, highest up his arm, from blatant murder. There was another slipping lower and to the side from that, for Cumore, whose death Yuri had caused without ever drawing a blade.

Yuri tried not to think too much about his red Marks, but he took comfort in the outline of one large star taking shape on his torso, tucked partially away under his arm. The outline was black, and it had first appeared when Yuri had told Flynn: "I'm going to start up a guild." The star was the size of Yuri's hand pressed up against his side and Yuri decided that he could fit his guild in there, in that single Mark.

The first color to start filling the empty space inside the outline was the hopeful yellow of Karol. Yuri recognized it from the small star of friendship in his left palm that was the exact same color. The second color was Judith's midnight blue. That one took Yuri some time to figure out, because Judith connected with them all in a way that was very wisp-like, slowly building up trust and contentment between them all. Yuri really found out the truth when the group was crossing the Sands of Kogorh for the second time. It was Rita who'd proclaimed loudly that Judith was dark blue, scribbling down notes about Marks and shades of color. Yuri didn't fancy getting burned so he didn't ask, but Karol had always been more ready to risk Rita's wrath.

"How do you know that?" Karol asked suspiciously. "Do you have a Mark from Judith?"

"None of your business!" Rita shrieked and began casting a fire ball, but Karol had already zipped away, moving surprisingly quickly in the desert heat.

Yuri was sure that the only reason Rita wasn't already an expert on Soulmarks was because her Blastia research kept her too busy to have another area of study.

The skin around Yuri's two red Marks was itself reddened, irrirated by Yuri scratching at it absent-mindedly. Yuri refused to accept that the gesture was a sign of any kind of remorse. Still, while the Marks on Yuri's arm maybe failed to bring forth regret, he soon gained two new ones that appeared on the back curve of his right hip, which were another story. One of the stars was a hot-blooded red and the other was a calm green. The two Marks that had taught him betrayal. Knowing the Don and the Duce had taught Yuri about scheming and betrayal, and he did indeed regret how the dishonesty of others had led to their deaths, as well as his own part in said deaths. Those ones Yuri didn't scratch at. He avoided touching them as much as possible, actually.

A literal Mark of backstabbing, even when he hadn't been the target. When the group took off to chase down Judith, Yuri wondered if that Mark that Rita had gotten from Judith had been replaced by one on Rita's back. The girl had started off so suspicious of people, there was no telling how deeply Judith crushing the Fiertia's ceres blastia had hurt her. Yuri didn't have a separate Mark for Judith but he was determined not to let it appear on his back. He would end the Krityan, if she proved to be untrustworthy.

In the end, all of Yuri's mental preparation wasn't needed. Instead, after Judith had finally rejoined them, Yuri pressed a hand to his left side, and felt warmth. His guild was safe and sound.

Despite all of the uncertainty and chance tied to Marks, Yuri felt a resigned certainty when Raven reintroduced himself as 'Schwann Oltorain, First Captain of the Imperial Knights'. He knew he would be leaving the Shrine of Baction with a new Mark, the only variable simply being where it would appear, which cluster of his sorrow it would add to.

The encounter ended in a way that Yuri hadn't guessed in any of the disbelieving considerations he'd had time for with everything happening so fast. The battle was intense and then the shrine was collapsing and finally Raven ended up sacrificing his own life to save those of his teammates, even after he'd betrayed and attacked them. And while Yuri ushered everyone else out ahead of him, he wasn't entirely glad to leave him behind. Not even close.

It was after Ba'ul took to the skies that Yuri carefully separated from the rest of the group. They we all still reeling from recent events, so Yuri had faith that he wouldn't be immediately interrupted, so he found a private nook on board the ship to look over his skin. He needed to find the new Mark he knew for certain had to be there.

Yuri did find a new Mark, but it hadn't ended up on his upper arm or on his back. Instead he found a grey star further down his arm, resting atop the pulse point on his left wrist.

A startled laugh escaped Yuri, prompting a confused sound from the ever-faithful Repede, who'd come after him by then. Yuri cradled his wrist in his right hand and turned to give his best friend a smile, the best one he could manage right now.

"I didn't want him dead." Yuri was admitting it to himself as much as Repede. He really hadn't been certain at some points back there. He sat down, hunched over like he was shielding the proof of his actual feelings. He looked at the Mark, and wondered about the color. It didn't really seem to suit the Raven he'd known.

"I didn't want you dead," Yuri told the Mark, like the one who'd caused it could still hear him from beyond the grave, just through this Mark connecting them. Repede was a warm presence by Yuri's side a moment before the dog pressed up against Yuri, offering silent comfort and support. Yuri let go of his newly marked wrist only long enough to give his friend's ears a grateful scratch.

In the end, Raven hadn't been another lesson in betrayal or vengeance. Encountering him hadn't even really been about justice, although it came close. Yuri rubbed a thumb on the Mark, steely grey, certain and solid. It was mercy, plain and simple. And Yuri thought that perhaps he needed that lesson, at least in the here and now.

[bad0mens]

Title: Displaced (18/29) - Superposition Principle

Pairings: Fluri

Warnings: UA (Universal Alterations - World Switching)

Authors’ Notes: This is going to be a short story set of a currently unplanned length. I have the end of Displaced planned at this time, but we still have a long way to go before that happens. Inspired by this comic by this artist on Pixiv.

I actually finished writing these a while ago so it’s really time that I finish posting them.

Disclaimer: Tales of Vesperia is the property of Namco Bandai.

It seemed as though the endless winter's snow would end and spring come into full bloom before Yuri returned to Zaphias. The days of winter wore on, slower than the burn of the candle that lit his work at night, slower than the movements of the heavens, slower than the eroding of the earth.

Flynn missed Yuri. That wouldn't soon change. Weeks of time stretched out that short farewell at their parting to this moment. The lack of his presence had become easier, at least less of a distraction, but that didn't keep Flynn from wondering how Yuri was doing when the darkness of the night descended and threatened to swallow him in its all encompassing weight. The fact that there had been no word of him was both reassuring and frightening He could have been keeping himself out of trouble, but Yuri thrived on trouble. It was frightening because it felt like the whole word had just forgotten him and moved on like Yuri had never been here, like the months he'd spent had had no impact at all. But the impact was far further reaching than what remained n Flynn's heart.

It was in the swing of his word in the heat of practice and in the words he used to bring change about in the law. It was in every fiber of his being. But Yuri hadn't just changed /him/, he had changed the whole world. Snow felt colder, the rain lonelier, the stars burned brighter, and the sun was warmer. For all that had happened and all that it had hurt, Flynn didn't regret Yuri coming into his life.

Afternoon tea with Ioder kept his mind off of Yuri for a little longer after the meeting with the Council, but when he returned to his silent and empty office, there was nothing else he'd rather think about. He tried to move back into work, at least for a little while. Sodia, thankfully, provided a perfect distraction.

One of the captains he had promoted during the crisis had returned to Zaphias after a lengthy tour of duty and was eager to speak with him.

Captain Chloe Valens had been stationed at the outpost of Capua Nor and Flynn was very interested in seeing how the reconstruction efforts were going there, considering the loss of blastia, and the damage that the late Magistrate Ragou had caused.

Sodia showed her in and then excused herself.

Chloe saluted and he motioned for her to sit, taking a seat on the sofa opposite from her.

"Thank you for meeting with me, sir. I'm sure you've been busy."

"Not at all. I've heard of your work in the field and wanted to hear how our efforts abroad are going."

"Capua Nor is stabilizing finally. It feels like a port town again. Businesses have returned and the population is growing. The citizens say that the current Magistrate is fair and proper." She smiled and eased back against the sofa cushion. "The dock there suffered greatly from a recent storm, but it's being rebuilt and people are moving on without the blastia, although some of them are more accepting of it than others. And the new recruits that you sent me are promising. It's nice to see that they're being properly trained."

"It sounds like things are going well there." That put him at ease.

"Yes, although come spring, we'll need more troops to keep the seafaring monsters where they belong."

"I will do what I can. Thank you for your continued efforts."

"Speaking of monsters, I recently ran into a guild doing work in the area. Brave Vesperia, I believe."

His ears perked up and his mouth dried out.

"They helped push the Lord of the Plains back from the city last week."

"Did they...?" He asked softly.

"They were very helpful. They even volunteered to put part of the wall back together. One of them, a young man with long hair, asked me to give you this." From within her coat, she pulled an envelope, slightly bent and corners crushed, dotted with splotches of ink. She passed it to him across the table and he had to hold him back from snatching it up. He didn't open it yet. He wanted to enjoy its contents alone. But he held it in his hand, brushing his thumb over its heavy paper surface.

"Thank you."

"Not at all, sir. Although playing messenger for a guildsman was a little strange. But after all the help that he and his guild gave us, I couldn't deny the request." She stood, her heels hitting the floor with a click. "My lieutenant filed a full report on the situation there with Sodia. If I may be excused, sir. Unless you have need of something else?"

"No, no. Please. Get some rest before you return to Capua Nor, and, again, thank you for your hard work."

She saluted and slipped out, leaving Flynn with his letter. He was anxious to open it, but sat frozen on the couch staring at it. Yuri had taken the time to write to him, even while off on his own adventures, and although he wished Yuri had just come back to visit, this was something. This was everything. It meant that Yuri hadn't simply forgotten him while being swept up in travel and guild work and healing. It meant that Yuri still thought of him, even if distantly, and that was the world to Flynn.

Perhaps the distance was as hard on him as it was on Flynn, although he doubted that. Maybe it was word of a visit in the near future, or tales of Yuri's travels, or even just word that he was all right. He would welcome any of them and hope for all of them.

He went to rip it open, but it was not to be. From the door, Sodia called to him. Another officer in the field arrived, in fact a pair. Two lieutenants from Aurnion. He put the letter into his breast pocket. It would have to wait until he was done with work.

The lieutenants came with an urgent request for supplies. Sickness was tearing through the ranks and half of the town's regular population. They needed medicine, blankets, and fire logs. While Sodia went to take care of gathering the supplies, the lieutenants huddled on his sofa, chattering on about the cold of the winter there and the influx of monsters nearing the town in search of food. But they also spoke of a similar incident to what Captain Chloe had: a guild had arrived on a ship carried by a dragon and brought enough emergency supplies to tide them over until the lieutenants could make it here, and they had helped drive back the monsters. Flynn knew before they said it that it was Brave Vesperia. They also spoke of a dark haired man with strange mannerisms and speech who was with the guild, and of how well he used a sword.

So Yuri had taken up a sword again. It was promising and surprising. After the incident with Ragou, he had been reluctant to hold a blade, and now he was fighting. He really was healing.

Even after the lieutenants left, more reports filed in, letters mostly, on the state of things in the various towns the knights were stationed in. Not all of them, but most of them had one thing in common: Brave Vesperia and Yuri.

Most of the letters spoke highly of him, although a few of the officers in the field seemed to disapprove of Yuri's way of doing things. He had apparently beaten a knight in a bar brawl in Mantaic, and spent the night in jail for it. There were other things, wonderful things mostly, how he had been seen helping a woman in Rorael fix her roof or other things.

Each report brought the warm swell in his chest for Yuri higher and higher, hotter and brighter, until it felt like a flame burning within him, an all consuming fire that burned away the cold and sadness and the misery. Yuri was going to be fine.

It was late when he was allowed to finally seek the comfort of his bed, no longer so cold and barren. There was still a spot there where Yuri belonged, but it was far less lonely.

He had carried the letter with him all day and finally fell back into his bed, and tore it open. He unfolded the pages of ivory, ink stained paper and settled in to read.

Yuri was capable of reading and writing the common script of Terca Lumireis, but his handwriting was sloppy and his letters badly formed. Flynn didn't care. Yuri had bothered to write to him and according to the progression, it had been over the course of a few weeks, and often in a rush.

Flynn,

I've seen so much of the world, Terca Lumireis, since I left the capital. Flying on Ba'ul is a lot of fun. After leaving Zaphias, we stopped in Halure to see Rita and Estelle. The tree there is huge! Why didn't you take me there? I bet it would be great for climbing. Estelle said that out of winter, it's covered in pink flowers. I can't wait to see it.

The letter detailed all the places Yuri had been and some of the things he'd done, but very few of the things that the knights had reported. Except the bar fight. He described that in excess detail. It looked like Judith and Karol were giving him the full tour. In the margins of the letter, he had made little sketches: the barren tree of Halure, one of Ba'ul, one of a Comrade Crest next to a paragraph where Yuri described being sworn into the guild and being an official member and going to Dahngrest. From the letter, Yuri was now on friendly terms with Raven, although he described him as being 'the worst ninja' and 'fishy' and 'weirdly two faced'.

He wrote of Aurnion, covered in snow in the shade of the mountains and how bright the stars were there. He talked about the pack of Criti and how they had been tough and went on to say:

I've got a pretty cool scar now. Still hurts a bit, but Judith said that it serves me right for being reckless. She tied the bandages super tight and then slapped it. Ow. By the time I'm back, the bandages can come off and I'll show it to you.

Beside this, he had drawn a blobby figure of what Flynn assumed was Yuri and pointed an arrow to where the scar must have been located, on Yuri's right side at his ribs. Flynn would have been worried, and he was a little, but this very letter and its continuance was evidence enough that Yuri was okay.

Page after page was the same, Yuri describing where he had been and the things that had happened there. It was refreshing to see his take on the world, to see things through his eyes, and Flynn couldn't help but wish that he had been the one to show Yuri all those wonderful things.

Hey, Flynn. What are 'blasteeuh'? We keep seeing all these broken machines laying around and whenever I ask about them, they only tell me that they're called 'blasteeuh' and that they don't work anymore. Why? Did something happen to them?

He still hadn't told Yuri about what had happened with the Adephagos. He had been meaning to, but had just never gotten around it it. Yuri deserved to know.

Capua Nor is nice. Fought a big monster here. I think they called him the 'Lord of the Plains'. Oh yeah. Karol's continuing my sword training while I'm away so I can keep fighting monsters. I think I'm doing well, but Judy won't spar with me yet.

I'm hoping the captain here will deliver this for me. It can't hurt to ask her. Oh well, I'm going to go. We're off to Nordopolica next to help a guy named Natz. Karol said there's a big Coliseum there. I'm really excited.

I hope everyone in Zaphias is okay. I'll try to make it back for a visit soon. Repede says hi too. Here's his paw print. I'll see you soon.

-Yuri

Flynn had honestly hoped for a better end to the letter, a more finite promise of a homecoming, but it was enough. Maybe Yuri didn't miss him the way he was missed, and he if he did, he didn't say it, but he had bothered to write in the first place.

He should have set the letter aside and gone to sleep, but he couldn't. Yuri deserved a response, and writing one might help Flynn cope with him being away the way Yuri was coping. So, rather than sleep, he strode to his desk and pulled out a small stack of parchment. Pen in hand, he started to put his thoughts on paper.

Dear Yuri,

I'm glad that you and Repede are having a good time. Give him a scratch behind the ears for me. I enjoyed reading all about your travels and what you've been doing. I hope that you are still having fun in this great big world. I'm glad to hear that you've been continuing your training. We should spar when you come back, and Judith is a formidable foe. She could easily beat me if she ever fought at full force.

As for the blastia, I owe you an explanation that I've been meaning to give you for some time. This is the story of how the world changed only months before your arrival here.

He started it like one of Estellise's childrens' stories. A little childish for Yuri, but it would be easy for him to understand the very complex situation that had occurred and had shaken the foundations of everything that Flynn had once known.

Once upon a time....

[bravewolfvesperia]

Yuri gave a quick "mm" to Flynn and a "be back soon" to Karol, gently closing the door behind them and following after Repede. Seeing Repede take the lead rather than staying beside him at least indicated he was more than ready to go and happy to do so. Most nights were just a regular walk. Even when they were both in the knights, those walks were normal for Repede, whether it was both of them or they alternated. Not being able to do that on any old day made this different for Repede too.

Back then, it was usually with Lambert too. There were times they would all go out and stay out for a good while so Repede could play and get energy out while he was still just a baby. Some days he would be so tired when they finished that either he or Flynn would carry a sleeping baby Repede back. Sometimes Yuri wished he had doted on Repede more during those times, if only because none of them had expected to lose Lambert so soon.

Thinking about it like that, Yuri really didn't care much for talking updates on their lives. For the most part they had gotten a good idea on each other's situation, and even if Flynn would be here for most of the day tomorrow, he didn't want to spend all their time thinking about fixing things. Thinking about making things better. They did that every day, in each other's presence or not. They couldn't exactly play with Repede as if he were a baby still, but maybe the pup would indulge him.

Not only that, but part of him was determined to keep Flynn's brain off of work while he wasn't working. He wasn't sure how close he could consider him to be to Judith, but if he could nab Raven for a while, maybe they could get a game or something going later. When they were all together before, they were too focused on a very specific mission; be it Alexei, Duke or Barbos, they always had their hands full when they were all together. They could spar tomorrow of course, but it was a bit late for that tonight and without lux blastia, it wasn't lit well enough to risk sparring with actual weapons. Maybe once Dahngrest better figured out their lighting for nighttime, but they would have to make do for now.

Other than all of that, well... he was content, at least. Things had mostly calmed down and people were adjusting. For the most part people stayed in line and listened to Harry, and Raven was there to step up if Harry couldn't hold things together - which wasn't specifically his fault, but more that some of the harder headed people didn't want to listen to have to adapt to this new way of life. Jobs seemed to come in pretty often, so sustaining themselves wasn't difficult.

Flynn being here also meant something was working out with the knights. If it were bad enough, he would have to send letters and not show up in person. While that was of course a good sign for both sides, Yuri was bias at the end of the day - that was how he wanted this to go. Typically he vouched for the knights to the other guildsmen, which did sometimes result in annoyance from them... but this wasn't Alexei's personal army anymore. If they weren't worth vouching for, he wouldn't vouch for them.

"So I shouldn't be surprised to see you here in the future, right? If everything is working out, knights showing up here shouldn't be cause for concern." He still remembered how quickly Don had shut down the idea of getting any help from the knights, even if Flynn wasn't there meaning ill. Sure, he'd been pulled along on Alexei's strings at the time, but... all in all, Flynn in particular meant well. Don at least recognized that though and saw through quite a lot. It was unfortunate the man hadn't made it long enough to help them deal with Alexei.

A slightly amused puff of air left him though as he considered Flynn trying to get along with the people here. "I'm not sure the people here are your kind of people, but in time I think they'll at least stop looking at you like you're here on some shady business." They were a rowdy bunch in Dahngrest - different from Nordopolica and perhaps even a tad bit more unhinged (people fighting in the coliseum probably helped cool their heads, honestly). It was nothing like the way the inside of the knights looked. Professionalism was out the window when people weren't on business.

"I'm sure it's difficult showing your face here still with people's perceptions on the knights still being from Alexei's reign as commandant, but I'm glad you showed up." He paused, watching Repede walk with a small bounce in his step. Trying to admit things wasn't a walk in the park - more like a walk through Tarqaron before they'd stopped Duke - but he'd told himself he'd be better about that stuff. His lack of honesty in the past and not being forthright about his feelings made things messy. No more of that. ...Well, a little more of that. He wasn't quite there yet.

"...It's nice to have something familiar around. Dahngrest is definitely suited to me, but it doesn't have the same feeling that we have in the Lower Quarter. When I'm keeping busy I don't really have time to think about it, but when I'm not occupied it's easy to miss it." And you. It's easy to miss you. He wanted to get it out, but it wasn't budging. Just stuck there in his throat, like he was a wild animal that would be spooked by his own words.

When did admitting shit like this get so difficult? It wasn't always... It wasn't always at all.

If Yuri had requested that Flynn stay behind and watch over Karol and his work, he would have done so without question, despite how much he wanted to spend more time with Yuri. He still wanted to talk with his friend, of course, though he still wasn’t entirely sure on what to say. He figured the privacy of a walk would be the perfect chance for the two of them (with Repede, of course) but he knew that even if he stayed behind, they would find a time to talk. 

He also did want to try and spend some time with Karol as well. For a while, when Flynn had joined Brave Vesperia temporarily, Flynn never really got the chance to talk one on one with most of Yuri’s friends. Yuri was always present and while that wasn’t an issue by any means, it definitely felt like he was a tag along rather than part of the group. The party had all experienced so much together and at times, it felt like Flynn was butting into a friend group that he had no business being apart of. 

Estellise tried her best to make him feel included and even Yuri took some time to see how he was doing and it wasn’t as if Flynn had felt unwanted. But it was something that would simply have to develop overtime. Unfortunately, working to save the world did not leave a lot of time for bonding. 

Of course, he was definitely prodded with a lot of curious questions: What did he like to eat? What were his hobbies? What are some stories you have of Yuri when he was a child? How did someone like you become Yuri’s friend? (The last one had Flynn bristle up defensively for a split second until he forced himself to remember that Rita Mordio was just… like that, sometimes.) 

He answered them all as best as he could and even asked about everyone else as well. He got a decent understanding of Yuri’s friends and their personalities though some of them remained a mystery at times. He, at the very least, bonded pretty well with Karol and Patty at least. But kids always seemed to flock to him for some reason, just like they did with Yuri. 

“I would like to talk more with Karol as well but that can be for later, since Repede seems to be demanding my presence.” Flynn admitted as he moved to grab his own boots in order to slip them on. “Aside for the meeting, I’ll be around all day tomorrow as well so maybe we can do something. …Unless you two are busy with guild work, that is. ” Though he wasn’t entirely sure what there was to do in Dahngrest. If they did have guild work to do, Flynn briefly wondered if he would be allowed to offer his assistance. 

…There wasn’t a rule that said the Commandant couldn’t assist a guild, was there? 

As Flynn steps outside with Yuri, he quickly moves to bend down next to Repede so he can give him a good scratch on the neck. “But for now, I’ll spend some time with you and Yuri, right Repede?” He chuckles warmly. “I think Repede also just wanted to spend some time with me, isn’t that right, boy?” 

Repede just sighs through his nose as he allows Flynn to pet him before letting out a small whine. Finally, he gives the man a quick lick to the cheek, earning a surprised but joyful laugh from his blonde owner, before beginning to walk forward to lead the way through the darkened streets of Dahngrest, only taking one look back to make sure that Yuri and Flynn were both following. 

Flynn watched Repede take the lead, letting his eyes trail over the streets of the city. Since there were no longer any Lux Blastia to light up the towns after dark, the world seemed to be a bit darker than it used to be once the sun set. It sometimes made wandering at night a bit more unsettling but it was good to see that even without Lux Blastia to light up the streets, the city was still lit through other means so he didn’t have to worry about any sort of trouble, he hoped.  He left his sword in Yuri’s room, and normally this would cause him to feel uneasy but standing by Yuri and Repede made him feel anything but unsafe. So, with a smile, he turned and held a hand out in a gesture towards Yuri. “Well, shall we go? Seems like Repede is more than happy to lead the way.”

[bravewolfvesperia]

"Well, I'd hope he'd check my room first before panicking. But if he finds out... I guess we just explain it. It won't be the end of the world if he notices. I just don't know when I'll be able to do this again, you know...?" It wasn't like he couldn't take jobs in Zaphias, but until they were more properly established as a guild, he had to take jobs where the money was.

In part, he wanted to wait to tell Karol because the brunet might get excited and start thinking up all sorts of plans before things settled. Most likely, he'd want to see more Flynn more often out of excitement, and it was simply too soon for plans like moving in together. Not that Yuri wouldn't appreciate it, but Karol could get carried away. He didn't want to disappoint him, but Yuri also wanted their own private time to know this sort of thing for a while before anyone else.

Just laying here right now, it was a familiar situation... in a completely different situation. Even Yuri needed time to process and get used to what it meant. There was also the issue with the guilds and empire, and they had a lot of work to do before their relationship went public. Eventually it would, because Yuri wasn't going to wait half his life to treat Flynn like his boyfriend (husband, by then...?) just because they were in a public space. They just... had to get to a point where it wouldn't cause some sort of damage or serious problem on either side.

Despite things improving, it didn't mean everyone in Dahngrest would welcome Flynn. Clearly, if earlier today was anything to go by, there were still people very unaccepting of him just for being a knight. If they knew his position in the knights, they might place blame at his feet for things that happened before he was Commandant. If it was found out that Yuri was in a relationship with that person, it might even affect Brave Vesperia's reputation with other people within the city and possibly even make it more difficult to get jobs.

Those aspects of it were things Yuri already hated, really. Hated a lot. That he had work to do before he could just come out and say he loved someone and have people just move on with their lives and not care. On the other hand though, he wasn't willing to risk both of them dealing with the stress of people finding out, Karol aside, and giving them grief on either side about it. Politics having to be involved in someone's feelings for another person were very, very stupid.

"Still, uh... sorry for making you hold back and all for now. Maybe it's kinda stupid in hindsight... I just... wanna get used to it between us first, before the whole world knows. Before people we know know about it. I don't think a whole lot'll change between us, but for the stuff that will... I want that to stay between us for now." Stuff like... this. Just laying here together. Expressing these feelings more openly and not hesitating with them.

Maybe more than anything else right now though, it was comfortable having Flynn beside him. Facing him, even if it was difficult to see in the dark. Having Flynn nearby was always a comfort, but... Yuri was still trying to come to terms with the fact that they were... sort of? something else now. Maybe it was best not to think about it too much or too hard... They were still the same as they always were. That was why they accepted their feelings to begin with, right? Because they were always like this...

Yuri repositioned himself a bit to get the blankets over himself comfortably. If he was going to stay here for the night, he could at least be comfortable and not sleep lightly and barely comfortable, as if he needed to get up at a moment's notice. If Karol did find out, it really wasn't the worst thing that could happen. It would be much worse to make it seem like he was antsy to hurry and leave so they weren't noticed. There was no need for that, and it would probably just make Flynn feel bad.

Once he was situated, he rested his head back on the pillow and returned his gaze to Flynn. It felt familiar and reminded him of the days when they were kids, when Flynn was cold and would huddle up to him to stay warm. Even though they were in Dahngrest right now and not back home, it felt like... this was how things were supposed to be. Nothing else could possibly be all that bad right now.

"...Night, Flynn."

His words were quiet, but content.

The night had moved on without much of an incident. It turned out that Karol was… a much better artist than Flynn had given him credit for, leaving the blonde rather impressed as they proceeded through the game that he and Yuri had come up with. There were plenty of laughs and Flynn couldn’t help but feel as if he had succeeded in opening up at least a little bit with Karol. And it seemed as if Karol opened up a bit as well! Even after the game, Flynn had quietly requested to see some more doodles that Karol had made and the younger boy was happy to oblige until sleep began to overtake the young boy’s senses. 

It wouldn’t be long after that that Karol was sent to bed with the promise that they could all continue to hang out tomorrow when they were all awake and ready to go and Flynn had decided to turn in soon after. There had been a moment where Flynn looked at Yuri, considered waiting until Karol was gone so he could ask if Yuri wanted to just share his bed instead of the man taking the couch but… the shyness got the better of him. After all, they hadn’t even been together for twenty-four hours yet. That was asking entirely too much from Yuri. No, as much as he wanted to just hold Yuri in his arms for the night, he had to respect the other’s boundaries! 

So, he left it alone and simply wished Yuri a good night, giving him yet another smile before he had retired to bed for the night. And he thought that would be the end of it… except, right when he was on the verge of sleep, he heard his door open and then heard an all-too-familiar call of his name. Instantly, he’s wide awake. 

“Yuri?” Flynn lifts his head, looking over his shoulder as he feels the other move closer before feeling the dip of the bed as Yuri begins to climb in. He tried to ignore the sound of his heart hammering in his chest. “Are you alright…?” 

The man doesn’t get the chance to roll over quite yet as he feels Yuri climb beneath the sheets. It’s nothing like when they were kids, when Yuri would crawl beneath the sheets with him when they were still rather small. Back when Flynn would have sleepless nights, mourning the loss of his mother and in dire need of comfort. As teenagers, they had grown rather accustomed to sharing a smaller bed together. They were both growing, at the time, and while they had to stay rather close to each other, there was still enough room to be comfortable.

They had both grown since they were fifteen. A bed like this was enough to hold one adult man but two were pushing it. And yet, as Flynn felt Yuri slip his arms around his waist and snuggle closer, he couldn’t help but think that sleeping next to Yuri like this…? It was rather perfect in his eyes. 

Still, he wanted to make sure, now more than ever, that Yuri was comfortable. So he carefully maneuvered himself to roll over while in Yuri’s embrace so he could actually face the other in the darkness. He tried to let his eyes adjust so he could watch Yuri’s facial expression, searching for any type of doubt but also… well… his boyfriend’s (His boyfriend!!) expressions were always fun to watch.

“Mm… Are you sure…? What if Karol wakes up in the middle of the night and notices that you’re missing?” Despite his question, he relaxes within Yuri’s embrace, reaching out to brush some of Yuri’s bangs from his face. “Not that I’m complaining, of course… I want to lay with you too. I imagine we won’t get much alone time while I’m here so I just want to be selfish and just be with you for a while…”

He hesitates for just a moment, seeming unsure about pushing boundaries but eventually, he scoots in closer and presses a kiss on Yuri's forehead before smiling gently at the other, unsure if it was seen in the darkness of the room. Then he moves to rest his head against Yuri's forehead with a content sigh.

[bravewolfvesperia]

At least he had heard the words well enough that given a few seconds of Flynn snapping him out of his own thoughts, he had managed to register them. In some way it was probably good that they could lose themselves in their thoughts in each other's presence though. It was comfortable enough to get to that point, so even if it meant having to be pulled out of his thoughts like that, he was... okay with it, anyway.

In response to Flynn checking on him, he looked at him and blinked, then gave a slow nod and looked ahead of them at Repede. "Yeah... I'm fine. Things are just going to be at least a little different now, right? Between us...? At least, how people see us." Even something as simple as holding hands in public would get attention. Flynn had the most important position in the army, so of course anyone he was clearly romantically involved with would garner attention.

Eventually people would stop seeing Yuri as a problem child. Reasons he was starting to get past had been the cause of him effectively lashing out in ways that landed him in jail multiple times. There was also a lot less reason to get his hands dirty with Flynn and Ioder in charge. They were, honestly, the best pair imaginable for Zaphias. There wasn't much need for Yuri to be quite so reckless.

That wasn't to say he wouldn't get into fights as needed, because he knew he would. If someone needed help and there wasn't the time to get authorities, he would just jump in. It wasn't exactly intentional, but... it was more instinct than anything. Nowadays it might have been worse actually because of living in Dahngrest, but... being back in the Lower Quarter did have a sort of magic to it that altered his demeanor whenever he was back in the capitol. It would help a lot with giving Flynn less to worry about.

Maybe it was because of Don's final words, but people in Dahngrest were taking to Yuri better than people in the capitol did. Eventually that would probably even out with the new leaders, but... it also meant Yuri would be... perceived very differently. He wouldn't sacrifice who he or Flynn were in front of people just to appease people in any way, but... all of this still meant being a center of attention Yuri really didn't care to be.

Sometimes that made him miss being kids. Even teenagers. They could just... do whatever and be whoever. Nobody really cared or judged them beyond what they would think of just anyone else. It would have been so much easier if Alexei had stayed the course he supposed used to take. If he had been in charge and had gotten Ioder on the throne during his lifetime. Yuri and Flynn could have carried on as just two normal people.

Even if Flynn joined the knights and stayed there, there would still be significantly less eyes on him. Not that Yuri wasn't happy for him to have come so far. It just... complicated what they always had. Made something like simple gestures more noticeable to the average person. Flynn was... kind of a celebrity in Aurnion too. The thing was, Yuri didn't... mind that? He just... had no idea what it would look like to people to see that Flynn with... some kind of random guy. People would be more likely to understand if that random guy was a childhood friend, but... it still made him wonder.

"Sorry, I don't wanna kill the mood or something. Just consider it thoughts for later. I just..." God, how he was supposed to say this? Nobody but Repede was here with them so nobody else would hear them. Right. Only Flynn would hear him. And only Flynn being around meant he could safely say anything. And he didn't have to put on some bravado for anyone. And he could just be goddamn normal about it. ...Mostly. Even if he had devolved into half a pout. "...went down a mental rabbhithole because I was... thinking of holding hands in public... so... yeah... I guess I'm thinking of holding your hand in the future... in the middle of... holding your hand right now."

Though his eyes were already looking ahead and not at Flynn, he still averted his gaze as if by instinct alone, feeling the heat on his face and left to hope it wasn't showing. Turns out the feelings part was still hard after a few attempts.

“Guardian angel, huh?” Flynn repeated and he couldn’t help but laugh. The way Yuri spoke it, he was obviously teasing the other though Flynn could absolutely hear and feel the warmth behind it. He never considered himself as something so… noble. He knew that he had combat training while the other kids simply did not. That was all. His father had always told him that if he was able to defend himself, he should be able to defend those who could not defend themselves.

Thinking back, that was exactly the type of person he was, even to the very end. Even though the accounts of his death were anything but truthful, Flynn had a feeling that down to his very last breath, his father was thinking of protecting the defenseless. Back then, Flynn felt so bitter about that, believing that he could protect others by following the orders given to him. But as he remembered his childhood, he should have known sooner that he was wrong. After all, he snuck out of the village with the other boys in order to protect them from danger. 

If he hadn't followed Yuri and the others and offered them weapons to defend themselves, they would have died. Plain and simple. 

“I really don’t know if I would describe myself as a guardian angel. Seems like you would fit that role more than me. You always jumped at the chance to help others.” And he still did, in his own way. It was the main reason why Flynn had fallen for the other as hard as he did. Yuri didn’t have a sense of duty behind his actions. He simply just… did it.

“Yeah, I’m hoping spending a little time with all of you during my visit here will help me decide on how I should be acting around Karol. He always seems to act natural to me as it is. So maybe that will help me relax a bit.” And from what he’s seen, it didn’t seem easy for Karol to hate on someone for no reason. He was pretty easy to accept others, that much was clear, even for Flynn. “I’ll figure it out, I promise. Having you there will definitely help me act a little more natural, I think.” 

Flynn fell into thought, trying to plan on ways to get used to Karol and vice versa. One thing that came to mind was the possibility of taking just Karol out somewhere one night. Just he and Flynn so they could bond a bit. Maybe even take Karol out for training. The younger boy was always looking to train more and even when they were traveling, he was always attempting to ask Flynn to train with him.

Of course, Judith, Patty and Estellise were always there as well, eager to try their luck against Flynn’s sword skills. Thinking back on it… Karol had seemed a bit disappointed, hadn’t he? Could it be that he was already trying to reach out and get to know Flynn better…? 

“Hey… do you think that Karol is already trying to reach out and get to know me?” Flynn asked after a few moments of silent thought. As he looked to Yuri, he took note of how the other seemed to have gone silent with thought himself. Something was clearly on his partner’s mind so for now, he dropped his question, tilting his head to show curiosity towards Yuri. “You okay? Is something on your mind?”