Work Text:
"Somehow, I don't think 'I told you so' will quite cut it here." Yuri says with a sigh at the sight before him.
"Thanks for being so considerate of my feelings." Claude replies sarcastically from the infirmary bed in Abyss. Okay, so he MAY have overdone it while training, and he MAY have made fun of Yuri's comment about paying attention while riding on Wyvern back. Claude is careful, usually, when it comes to flying. He just happened to have gotten caught off guard, lost temporary control of his Wyvern, and fell a few feet from the air onto the ground, cracking a few ribs in the process. That's all.
Still, Ailell would have to freeze over before Claude ever admitted Yuri was right. Yuri presses his fingers to his own forehead. "You're impossible. I don't know why I'm here."
A grin comes to Claude's face. He knows an opportunity to poke fun when he sees one. "Aw, admit it, Yuri-kins, you care about m--ow! Hey!" Yuri doesn't even try to hide the smug look on his face. "You may be worse off than I thought. That was just a light jab."
"Yea, that still hurts." Claude manages to say between gasps of pain.
Yuri crosses his arms and stares intently at the idiot before him. "You're no good to me in this state. Luckily for you, I take care of my people."
"Heh, looks like you're stuck with me." Claude says to the ceiling, trying to get comfortable.
Yuri stands up and walks over to the doorway "Hm. We'll see. I'm going to grab a few supplies from above ground. Try not to miss me too much."
"Oh, don't worry. I won't." Claude spits back despite knowing that Yuri didn't stick around to hear his retort.
He lets out a huff at his luck. At this point, he'll be healing for a month at best. That's a month too long. He needs to recover quickly so he can get back to Almyra. After his disappearing act on the battlefield, Claude gave up his leadership of the Leceister Alliance. Now, he's more like a ghost trying to slip away from Fodlan.
He just so happened to owe the leader of the Ashen Wolves house a quick favor before leaving for good. "That's what I get for being so nice." Claude mutters to himself and closes his eyes. He suddenly notices that, for the first time in a while, things feel quiet and calm. Maybe he can take advantage of this time and get some real sleep for once.
When Claude opens his eyes again, it's dark. Even for Abyss. Someone must have turned the lights off to let him sleep. He tries to observe his surroundings. It's still quiet, but he can feel the presence of someone in the corner of the room.
"Yuri." he says out loud.
"Ah, so you're awake." Yuri's voice calls back.
"You know, watching someone sleep while in complete darkness is kind of creepy." Claude says, trying to get a better look at him. He stops when his ribs begin to protest. He hears Yuri stand up and light a match. Once light comes back into the room, Claude tries to sit up again. "Don't move." Yuri says firmly, pushing him back down. "I dressed your bandages with a strong salve. Let your body heal."
Claude grunts, clearly having a hard time laying in one position. He starts tapping the sides of the bed in an attempt to annoy Yuri more.
"After you heal up, you can leave."
Claude stops instantly, wondering if he heard correctly. "What's that?"
"Your debt to me is paid. I know you have somewhere else to run off to. When you can walk again, you can leave."
Claude’s face turns serious. "I haven't done anything to repay my debt to you."
"Seeing you make a fool of yourself is more than enough for me. When the time comes, I'll give you whatever supplies you need for your journey. In the meantime, for Goddess' sake, just take it easy."
There's a lingering silence between the two as Claude processes Yuri's words. He smirks.
"Don't worry about me. I won't die that easily."
Yuri locks eyes with the ex-alliance leader and returns the smirk. "I’m holding you to that.”