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Author's Notes: The moment you've all been (hopefully?) waiting for.
Tales of Vesperia is the property of Namco Bandai.
Travel on Ba'ul during the winter was rough. Flynn had found this out first hand months before. It definitely beat traveling any other way if for no other reason then the expediency of it, especially since the trek to Dahngrest took at least a week any other way. Being frost bitten for a few hours was better than being frozen for a week. Yuri didn't seem to see it that way.
Brave Vesperia had been hired to escort him to Dahngrest for peace discussions with the leader of the Union, Harry Whitehorse. He was grateful for the ride, and spent much of the trip going over his plan between friendly chat with Judith. Yuri took to it more easily. He had made fast friends with both Judith and Karol. The company seemed to be doing him some good.
Winter made him quiet, and it worried Flynn. His mischief was mostly managed and he spent even more time in Flynn's office. His curiosity hadn't dimmed though. He still took opportunities to look over Flynn's shoulder at the map or paperwork and try and read them for himself or ask if he couldn't manage it on his own. He had picked up the alphabet quickly and had made a lot more progress from someone who had been mysteriously separated from his own world than Flynn would have expected. Flynn's annoyance at the constant company /had/ dimmed, burning instead with a growing attachment. He couldn't deny himself the truth any further. He was starting to look at Yuri as more than someone under his guardianship and he was quickly desiring something more out of their relationship. It was crazy, but he had grown quite fond of Yuri's presence in his life. He wasn't the only one. Repede had grown very attached also. The problem he was facing now was how to express said interest. He had resolved to do so, but finding the appropriate moment and words to do that was more of a challenge than he had expected. He was still biding his time.
Dahngrest provided him with both a necessary distraction and also allowed Yuri to see a little more of Terca Lumireis. It was a sight to behold, a city that was almost the polar opposite of Zaphias. The sky was always dusky from the abundant aer that surrounded the city, and the buildings that lined the streets were all red and brown brick with dark tile roofs, the very core architecture different. The social divide here was less obvious also. And while Zaphias was bustling, Dahngrest was /busy/. The noise of the markets ran well into the night. People did business at all hours and the sheer variety of the people who lived and worked here was always astounding. All of these people had left the protection of the Empire for one reason or another, and in spite of the fact that the Empire and the Union were in peace talks, there were still those who disliked the Empire's presence. And right now, that meant /Flynn's/ presence. No one ever approached him directly or ever made a move against him, but the enmity lingering in the air was palpable. Most of the people paid him no mind, and they were allowed to walk freely to the Union headquarters.
He watched out of the corner of his eyes, Yuri's head move to and fro in wonder, eyes trying to examine every nook and cranny that he could. His curiosity was full blown and Flynn had no intention of dampening it. It made him smile too much.
"Well, yer lookin' awful pleased with yerself, Commandant." Raven met them at the entrance to the Union headquarters, his slumping posture and easy twang warm and familiar. Unlike the others, he rarely saw Raven, who spent his time helping to keep the Union together. "I heard from Judith darlin' that you'd be bringin' a friend with ya. I expected it ta be yer lieutenant or the pooch. Who's this kid?"
Yuri smirked and responded without venom. "Hey Flynn, who's this sketchy old man?"
"Old man?" Raven sagged comically.
"You'll deny that, but not the sketchy part?" Yuri chuckled.
"Raven, this is Yuri. Yuri, Raven."
"Pleased ta meet ya."
"Likewise, Old Man."
"Well, Harry's in a meetin' right now but I've got something I'd like to talk ta ya about while we're waiting
"Of course." From the tone of Raven's voice, it was something serious. He was slipping slightly into his Scwhann facade, and that worried Flynn. "Yuri, why don't you ask Karol and Judith to show you around a little? Once I'm finished with business, I'll join you."
"All right. See you in a bit." He shuffled off to join Karol and Judith who were coming up the road.
"Where'd ya pick up a stray like that?"
"It's a long story."
"You'll hafta tell me sometime." He cleared his throat and the colloquial twang in his voice faded when he spoke again. "Harry doesn't know about this just yet, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't bring it up to him. We've had a string of disappearances lately."
"Disappearances?"
"Yeah, mostly drifters and whatnot. I don't think a lot of people have noticed just yet because it's not anyone with a lot of influence or connections."
"What can I do to help?" The idea of disappearances was a chilling thought that brought back a series of memories that he'd rather not deal with, especially while riding on the upbeat mood he was feeling in the wake of his earlier revelations. But his duty as Commandant came first.
"Any way you could station a few extra knights between here and Torim just to keep an eye on things? I've got my network on it too, but a little extra muscle couldn't hurt." There was something in Raven that hated to ask Flynn for help, but he was doing it anyway.
"I will see what I can do." With the troops already thin and low on morale, it was all he could promise. Hopefully it would be enough.
"Thanks."
The peace discussion went smoothly. Harry had grown to be quite reasonable, even if he was still struggling under the weight of the mantle of the Don. Among the subjects discussed were the placement of troops, the situations in Aurnion and Rorael, and the continuing reconstruction efforts. Arrangements that both parties could agree on were reached within a matter of hours, and Flynn was free for the remainder of the afternoon to catch up with Yuri and the others over dinner at the Sagittarius.
Yuri had been talking for a while and Flynn walked in in the middle of the conversation. "-- no really. It turned out perfect."
Flynn slid a chair up and joined them. "So, what are we talking about?"
"Yuri was just telling us about a cake he made," Judith replied, folding her hands under her chin.
"You bake?"
"I'll have you know that I'm a pretty decent cook." He smiled brightly before digging his spoon back into his half eaten parfait. That was a fact that Flynn wouldn't have guessed.
The Krityan waitress came and took his order and returned a moment later with a cup of coffee for him.
"So, how did the talk with Harry go?" Karol asked, and then took a long sip of his juice.
"Very well. Relations between the Union and the Empire are looking better than ever."
"These are peace talks right?" Yuri asked, tilting his head into his hand. "Does that mean that there was a war?"
"Almost," Karol said. "The relationship between the Union here in Dahngrest and the Empire has been sour for a long time, but thanks to Flynn, things are looking up."
Flynn felt his face flush with the warmth of embarrassment. "Not just my effort, but--"
"No need to be so modest, Flynn," Judith added with a sly smile that was much more flirtatious than he ever knew how to handle. "Your efforts are what paved the way for the world we have now. We only tagged along."
"Everyone worked very hard to get us where we are."
"That's really great." Yuri smiled.
"Are there wars where you come from Yuri?"
His smile faded at Karol's question and he dropped his spoon into the empty parfait glass with a short, quiet clang. Flynn didn't like the look in his eyes, the same cold distance from that day after their ride.
"Yeah," he replied, with a croak, the roughness smoothing out as he continued. "There aren't any starts or stops to them. It seems like they just go on forever." He tried to laugh, but it sounded cold and hollow at best. "But there are so many people that things like that don't really effect regular people like me. It's pretty impersonal."
The more and more Flynn heard about Earth, the less and less he liked the idea of it.
The conversation thankfully turned elsewhere, to happier subjects like Brave Vesperia's work and how things were going in Zaphias. It was a welcome change to the heavier subject that he had discussed earlier that day and it seemed to raise Yuri's spirits a little too.
Filled with warmth and food, they headed toward the entrance of the city. Judith and Karol went on ahead to call Ba'ul, leaving Flynn to stand on the bridge that stretched into town, staring out across the river with Yuri at his side. His heart was jumping in his chest from the proximity. His palms itched and in spite of the winter cold, his skin felt burning hot. His stomach churned, the food on top of it doing little to squash his nervousness.
"So, how do you like Dahngrest?" he asked, anything to fill the silence that was going to force the truth out of him.
"It's pretty different from Zaphias... but I like it."
"I'm glad."
"Thanks for bringing me along."
"It-it's nothing. I just thought you might like to see something a little different from the usual."
"I'm glad I got to. This world's so amazing. I've had a lot of fun."
Yuri smiled crookedly at him and his mouth went completely dry. He licked his lips, something he didn't notice himself doing until his tongue slid back into his mouth. He wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer.
Flynn turned his sight back out over the river and tried not to shake with his nervousness. There was no reason for anything in this world to be this hard. But it was. Was here the place? Was now the time? Should he risk it? What if Yuri reacted badly? It was also hard to read him sometimes, and Flynn didn't want to endanger the friendship that had grown between them. Was it worth it?
He had all these questions and no answer, and a single thought: What was the worst that could happen?
He moved, his own body catching him off guard as he pressed close to Yuri. The soft smack of their lips together sent a shiver up his spine and the warmth of it muddled his brain completely. He let it linger for a just a few seconds, before forcing himself backward. His body was reacting even worse than a moment ago and he found himself fumbling for the words to explain his actions to a surprised Yuri.
"I-I find myself... particularly fond of you as of late." His voice stuttered and cracked and made him sound like a completely love struck fool. He was the Commandant, not some schoolboy with his first crush! Why were his words and actions making the opposite appear true?
He waited for a reply, even more nervous than before. Yuri's face flushed slightly, the barest tint of blood in his cheeks. A small smile tugged at his lips and finally broke free.
Flynn stumbled back a step, catching himself against the railing of the bridge as Yuri returned the kiss. The seconds passed like hours with their lips locked, the heat in his face driving off the winter's cold. Yuri finally pulled back, smiling still.
"It's about time. I was getting tired of waiting."