Work Text:
Author's Notes: Have some fluff because that's all that this is.
A month had not dimmed the warmth that Flynn felt in him when he thought about Yuri. In fact, the warmth had only gotten stronger, bright like fire, an encompassing feeling that kept away the winter chill at night. It was a wonderful, pleasant feeling.
Yuri's constant proximity was no longer a source of stress, even though it was still distracting. Just for different reasons. Flynn was able to keep his mind on his work enough to do his job as well as manage to ask for a couple of days off.
He hadn't told Yuri just yet. He didn't intend to until the very last moment. Flynn had already made all the other arrangements. He felt a little bad hiring his friend for part of it, but the members of Brave Vesperia never complained about work, especially when it was easy, and this was probably as easy as it came.
He was already packed. He had been for days. This wasn't going to be his first date with Yuri, but it was going to be their first getaway. Flynn had done as much researching as possible on Earthly courtship rituals. The knowledge had been meager, but it gave him some ideas. Hopefully, they would be well received. After all, Yuri seemed to enjoy almost nothing more than going out and seeing the world. The place Flynn had picked out would be a nice change of pace from where they had gone before, where work inevitably followed. This was going to be purely a pleasure trip.
After getting tired of waiting for Yuri to wake up, Flynn went down to the kitchen and retrieved a tray for Yuri's breakfast. Breakfast in bed was considered both romantic, and was the best way to see that Yuri woke up. Judith and Ba'ul would be arriving any time now and Yuri wasn't even packed.
Cradling the tray in his arm, he knocked on the door and got only a groan as a reply. Some days it was hard to get Yuri out of bed. He knocked again.
"Yuri, it's time to get up."
"Nooooo...."
"I'm coming in."
"Nrnrnrrrr...."
He let himself in anyway. Yuri hid under the covers to escape the light from the world beyond his room, but it was no use. Flynn set the tray down on the nightstand and drew back the curtains, letting in the light of day.
"Time to get up."
He groaned again, pulling the blankets over his head.
"I brought you breakfast."
He still didn't budge.
"If you don't get up, I guess we can't go anywhere."
The covers receded slightly, just enough for Flynn to make out an eyeball peering out out at him. "What?"
"Come on. Eat breakfast, get dressed, get packed. We're going on a a trip."
Yuri threw the blankets off, sitting up to look at Flynn as if not quite believing it. He cocked an eyebrow and titled his head to side-eye Flynn. "Where are we going?"
"If you hurry up and get ready, you'll find out."
Flynn turned and heard Yuri get up behind him. He closed Yuri's bedroom door, convinced that he had spurred him into action. And he was right. A few moments later, Yuri was dressed, his bag packed, if you could call balling up clothing and stuffing it in a bag 'packing', and he was stuffing his face with the remains of his toast when he entered Flynn's state room. He sunk onto the couch across from Flynn and spoke through the crumbs.
"Where're we going?"
"You'll see."
Yuri frowned, but it was annoyed at best.
"Where's your uniform?"
"I won't be needing it."
A loud warble from high above the city barely pierced the window, but it turned their heads to the balcony.
"Well, it looks like our ride is here."
Flynn could barely contain himself as they boarded the Fiertia being hauled by Ba'ul.
Yuri had been guessing at their destination since they left the palace, but hadn't proved right yet. It was pretty amusing, listening to him try. Judith got them on their way, cleverly dodging Yuri's attempts to get an answer out of her. Flynn had used her services and connections extensively in order to secure the getaway and she had sworn herself to secrey, but as they neared, it was hard for Flynn to keep the secret. It didn't matter for too much longer when their destination came into view ad Yuri was left stunned at the bow of the ship.
"What is that?"
Flynn could remember asking the very same question months before when he had first seen this amazing sight. It was one of the many amazing things he had seen on his journey and one of the many he was looking forward to showing Yuri.
"That's Myorzo, the floating city of the Kritya," Flynn finally said, his voice only barely louder than the winds.
"That's a city?!"
"The city is actually inside a creature names Krones. Don't worry, though, It's very safe and comfortable there," Judith replied.
"What sort of creature can house an entire city? It sort of looks like a jellyfish." His eyes were bright and wide and fixed on the translucent blob just ahead.
"Krones is an Entelexeia. One of the last."
"An Entele-wha?”
"I'll explain another day." Flynn dropped his hand on top of Yuri's squeezing gently. the story attached to that word was a heavier tale than Flynn was prepared to deal with now. There was a lot he still needed to tell Yuri, about the past, about the world, about everything, but it could wait for another day. Their purpose here was to relax.
Krones's underbelly opened up and allowed Ba'ul entrance, and they were able to disembark from the Fiertia.
Myorzo looked different from the last time he had been here. Rather than junked blastia lining the foyer before the city gates, many of them had seemingly been repurposed as monuments to that which had helped defeat the Adephagos, that which had caused it in the first place. Yuri marveled at the machines and the Kritya who came to greet them, and almost immediately chose to pay them no mind. They knew Flynn and knew Judith, so they probably assumed the best. Or they had completely forgotten them and didn't care. The Kritya were like that.
The little stone, mushroom shaped houses lined the streets, and Judith led them to the one she had found for their use, before excusing herself. She hadn't intended on staying in the city. She certainly had better things to do.
He gave Yuri a few moments to settle into their quaint little lodge. It was modest, but plenty for just the two of them. They set their packs away and took to the streets.
Flynn had apparently planned this trip at just the right time. Judith had informed him that the Kritya would be celebrating the Winter Moon festival while he was in town, which explained the decorations lining the streets.
"So everyone who lives here is like Judy?"
"In a manner of speaking." Judith was a lot more battle-hungry than the average Krityan, and she found their carefree attitude annoying. Yuri probably just meant that they were Krityan, too. Thankfully, he had since learned no to touch their antenna. "So, what do you want to do first?"
"What is there to do?"
"Let's find out."
And they did. There was more than Flynn had expected: street games and the possibility of racing and carts of local Krityan delicacies. Yuri wanted to be part of all of it.
The street games were designed to be difficult, and he was right there in the thick of it with the children, trying to pop balloons or knock over targets or catch fish. He was pretty good at them, winning several prizes that he passed off to the children who were struggling to win what they wanted. Flynn thought for a moment about trying for himself before Yuri pulled him by the hand into the booth for the ring toss game. Several dozen jugs and bottles of various sizes and colors were set up all along the floor, tightly packed together. The woman running the booth handed them each a fist full of brightly colored rings.
"Good luck." She smiled and stepped back to give them plenty of room.
Yuri closed one eye, the tip of his tongue poking out from between his lips. He leaned back, one of the rings between his thumb and forefinger. Sizing the distance to a thin, blue bottle in the middle, he let it fly. It ricochet between the bottles and missed. He tried again, before nudging Flynn.
"Come on. You should play, too."
With a smile, Flynn aimed his shot and missed too.
"You can do better than that."
"So can you."
"Stacking the odds against me makes this more fun."
"If you say so."
When Yuri's playing turned a little more serious, Flynn noticed it. He had noticed it during their sparring before as well. Much of the time, Yuri sort of play fought and fooled around, but there was a big difference in his skill when he started to take it seriously. It apparently applied to how seriously he played his games.
The prizes they won were little trinkets, colorfully enameled metal charms threaded on thick silken cords. They handed those off just like Yuri had all his others, and they continued their walk about town.
Flynn hadn't noticed at first the easy, comfortable warmth of Yuri's hand in his, but when he did, it tingled like the feeling of a waking limb brought to life and suddenly aware, skin prickling in pins and needles after just that simple touch. He squeezed a little and felt Yuri squeeze back. His heart jumped, settling in his throat.
"So, what prompted this little trip anyway?"
"I just thought that it would be nice for the two of us to get away for a while."
Yuri hummed a little in response and pulled his hand away to Flynn's disappointment.
"Let's go racing."
"All right."
Near the entrance of town, a young boy was running the races, but Yuri seemed to be expecting racing of a different sort than what Flynn expected.
"So what? Cars? Horses? Dogs?"
"All wrong!" The boy said with the biggest grin his small face could managed. "Dragon racing."
"Dragon... racing?"
Flynn let the boy explain. "Yeah. Dragons, like Ba'ul. You rode here on him right? Well, Ehris, Ba'ul friend, decided he wanted to try and beat Ba'ul's high score."
"Dragon racing?" Yuri turned to him, those charcoal eyes shining.
"Do you want to--"
"Yes!" If Yuri had been any more enthusiastic, he might have been screaming.
"All right! The object of the game is to fly through all the rings as fast as possible. If you can beat the Ehris's current time, you get a prize."
"Let's do it!"
"I'll go call Ehris. Wait out in the foyer." The boy jogged off and Flynn and Yuri started toward the town gate.
"You didn't tell me you had dragons."
Flynn couldn't help but chuckle. "Had I known earlier you had such an interest, I would have brought it up."
"This is something that I've only been able to dream of since I was a kid! And here you were holding out on me!"
He had expected an excited reaction, but not those wonderfully wild grey eyes brimming with the energy of an oncoming thunderstorm. He liked those eyes. He wanted to see more of them.
In the foyer, Ehris and the boy were waiting for them. This dragon was smaller than Ba'ul was now, but longer than he had been during his former phase. he was more serpentine in shape, long and thin. His dark purple form was spiked with plates and spines of black and deep, iridescent blue and his eyes bright orange. On his back, there was a long, leather saddle with two metal handles welded to the front of it.
"Driver!" Yuri called, clambering onto the saddle and grabbing the handles.
"Ehris says that he can carry both of you, so hurry up!" The boy said and gave Flynn a playful nudge toward the Entelexeia.
"This is so cool! Freaking dragons!"
The Entelexeia dropped a little to let Flynn slide onto the saddle behind Yuri. He had no handles at this position, but found his arms anchoring at Yuri's waist. Yuri didn't care. His mind was too full of dreams and possibilities. Once Ehris moved, there was nothing on his mind but the thought of flight.
Ehris dropped out of the foyer and into the open sky, lingering beneath Krones for just a moment before slithering forward and away form the safety of the floating city. As far as the eye could see, brightly colored rings hung in the sky, large enough for them to fly through, separated by clouds and the haze of distance.
"Ready to go?!" Yuri shouted. Flynn couldn't tell who the question was directed to, but he and Ehris both answered in turn and they were off.
The winds blew Yuri's long hair into Flynn's face, obstructing his view, and the force of them was strong enough that Flynn had to cling tighter to Yuri as they sped though the rings. He was steering Ehris, or holding on for dear life, and screaming at the tops of his lungs, like a kid who had gotten something far better than he had expected for his birthday. Ehris made warble-like noises in response, and Flynn hoped that he was just as pleased with the speed and number of rings that they were flying through. It was an incredible pace.
The flight ended when Ehris slipped back inside and dropped them off in the foyer again. He passed against Yuri in a playful way and allowed Yuri to pet him before slithering away into the outside. They started back toward the rest of the festivities after that.
"That was awesome! That was a million times better than Christmas!”
"Christmas?" Flynn asked.
Yuri looked at him a little surprised for a second before coming out with an explanation. "Yeah. It's a winter holiday on Earth. You wear stupid sweaters and sing off key and give other people presents and kiss under the mistletoe."
"What's mistletoe?" Why was that the piece that Flynn picked up on?
"It's some weird plant. I've never actually seen it, but if you stand under it, you can't leave until someone kisses you."
How bizarre and potentially awkward. And yet a little intriguing and exciting.
He was pulled back from that thought by Yuri standing in front of him, a small, withering branch of some tree over his head. He stopped moving and was just standing there beneath this branch.
"Well, wanna try it out?"
His heart crept further up his neck, and when he was frozen, unable to make a move for the surprise of it, Yuri leaned in and gave him a quick, chaste kiss on the lips. The pounding in his chest melted back down into place and he returned it quickly. Yuri tossed the branch aside and continued on ahead a few paces with a smile.
Where had the time gone? It was growing late now, the sun well below the horizon. Paper lanterns all over the city were lit, hanging in strands from building to building to light the way. The smell of food wafting through made his stomach growl, and then Yuri's in reply. They headed into the market in search of food. It didn't take long to find something to their liking. After expending all that energy, it was no surprise that Yuri was able to pack away four meat kabobs, two crepes, and a pint of Krityan mead without blinking an eye. Flynn's appetite wasn't quite so voracious, but was just as readily filled.
Even more time had passed by the time the festival was drawing to a close. The moon was high overhead when they trotted, yawning, back to their cottage.
Flynn was surprised how suddenly the warm ache for sleep was taking over. Maybe Yuri hadn't been the only one who had used a lot of energy that day, and the hope of a good night's rest was close and comfortable.
Yuri trudged into the room first while Flynn made sure the lantern was out and everything secure. He followed shortly after, and was met with an unpleasant surprise. How could he have forgotten?
The beds in Myorzo were somewhat notorious. They were huge mats on the floor, piled with silk and velvet pillows and blankets, canopied by long, sheer filmy curtains. They were comfortable enough, maybe a little too comfortable, but the problem was that with their size, it was often a whole family sharing a single bed. In this little lodge that Judith had reserved for them, there was only this one bed, and Yuri was already in it, fluffing pillows and rolling around. For a moment he thought that she had been playing a nasty trick on him, as she was prone to do.
He and Yuri hadn't shared a bed in any context at that point, and the thought made his heart start thundering again, and his face fill up with warmth and his head with silly and inappropriate ideas. They didn't even sleep in the same room, and here they were set up to share a bed.
This was all much too forward for him. There was no way that Yuri wouldn't see this as a blatant advancement in their still budding relationship. Flynn didn't want to push. Even he wasn't ready for things to go there just now.
"What's wrong?" Yuri asked, flopping back into a pile of pillows.
"I-uh-this..." How did he even begin to explain? He was stuck there frozen.
"Well, goodnight." He rolled over and pulled the blanket over himself. In seconds, he was fast asleep.
Stunned and stunned still, Flynn decided that simply crawling into bed was his best option right now, and he did. He needed the sleep, and Yuri didn't seem to be thinking that Flynn was too forward. It took him a little while to relax, a few tosses and turns to get comfortable in that big bed that gave only a few feet of distance between him and Yuri, a few feet that had seemed like miles before.
Yuri was sleeping so soundly. How he was able to always boggled Flynn's mind, but he found comfort in that, and slowly let his own body relax. Yuri really was lovely, although Flynn felt like he would get hit for saying something like that. It was hard not to think that though with only a few feet between them, and Yuri's dark hair spread all over the silken pillows and into his calm face. It was hard not to think about closing the gap between their bodies, about the warmth that would follow the soft press of lips, about steps of their relationship further down the road that they had yet to come to, but at this rate would soon be fast approaching. And with thinking about all those things, it was hard to sleep. But somehow, Flynn managed.