A/N: Just a bit of dialogue between Yuri and Crash about monster movies and what to do when your roommate suddenly decides that he likes you.

This is a set of shorts written to follow up and finish the story started in "Forte" and "Counterpoint." I've had several up in my dreamwidth, and I'll be posting those every other day or so. I just finished up a few for the very end that have not been posted online yet, so the update schedule will slow a bit once I get to those, to allow for plenty of beta/edit time.

Disclaimer: Yuri & Flynn are originally from Tales of Vesperia and do not belong to me.


It was a small miracle that Crash had never put a single cigarette burn on the dingy old futon bed that filled most of a wall in his tiny bedroom. He had his arm stretched out behind Yuri along the back of the frame, a lit cigarette held between two fingers. The rest of him was slumped against the mass of pillows he'd shoved into the corner. His lanky build made him look as if he was about to slide right off onto the floor.

Across the room, a small TV was set up on top of an old wooden dresser decorated with stickers featuring a variety of metal band logos and one incongruous yellow submarine. The TV was hooked up to a PS2, currently playing one of Crash's numerous B-grade monster movie DVDs. The featured creature looked like a reject from a Saturday morning kid's show.

"I can see the strings," Yuri said.

"Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly." Grinning, Crash twiddled the fingers of his free hand and Yuri could practically see the animated arachnid puppeteer he was imitating.

Onscreen, the space invader from Planet X flapped its tentacles through the aid of the wire team manipulating the rubber suit. Yuri was pretty sure he could see their shadows in the shot.

"My roommate has a thing for me," he said.

"Yep." Crash took a drag from his cigarette then draped his arm along the top of the cushion again. "You didn't know?"

"You did?"

Crash just smiled, eyes focused on the movie. He couldn't quite pull off Judy's knowing smirk. His expression always ended up looking more like he was daring someone to call his bluff.

"Run, Hot Bikini Girl." He urged her on lazily as the camera cut to a close-up of the shrieking actress. "They never run. They just stand there screaming until they get captured. Then they scream until they get rescued."

"How'd you know about Flynn?"

"Wasn't hard to figure out. He doesn't like me."

"So?"

"Everyone likes me." He took one last pull off his cigarette, then leaned forward to stub it out in his ashtray.

"Not the manager at the Tea House."

"She likes me."

"She asked me to tell you to quit hanging around outside her restaurant. You scare the customers."

"Do not. They think I'm cute." He grinned briefly. "I hear 'em giggle."

Yuri let the conversation lapse. The space invader had managed to get the heroine wrapped up in several feet of what appeared to be some sort of industrial hose covered in nylon before he spoke up again.

"He said it straight to my face."

"Who said what now?" Crash didn't look away from the movie. He probably wasn't even really listening.

"Flynn. He said…."

He couldn't bring himself to repeat it. After Yuri had caught him talking to Estelle that morning, Flynn had just decided to go all in and ask him out on a date. It had been terrible, like watching a nervous grade schooler confess to his crush. Groaning, Yuri slumped over to lie on his side.

"This is such a pain in the ass," he muttered into the mattress.

"Shut up and watch the flick, then. It's about to get good."

"I need to figure out how to deal with this."

"Punch him."

Yuri laughed. If only it was that simple.

"We should make a movie," Crash suggested. "Punching the monsters always saves the day, and you're good at punching things. You think Judy would agree to be Hot Bikini Girl?"

"Real world problems, Crash."

"I don't know what you want from me, man. You don't wanna punch him, you don't wanna screw him…. If it's such a problem, kick him out."

"He's a good roommate, though."

"'Cept he wants your body."

"Yeah. Shut up."

"Hey, can't fault his taste." He tried to go back to the movie, but apparently Yuri had finally gotten him invested in the discussion. "Why's it bugging you so much?"

"Hell if I know. One day he hates my guts, then the next, he wants to be friends except—oops!—looks like that's not what he wanted after all."

"Not interested in another fuck buddy?"

Yuri rubbed a hand over his face. "Neither is he. Ever hear the phrase: 'blushing like a schoolgirl?'" Crash went ahead and started laughing his short, hyena-bark laugh—the one he used whenever some poor no-name actor got gobbled up in one of his old movies—as Yuri finished indignantly: "He's the only person I've ever seen actually do that!"

"I bet it's just that you didn't see it coming, isn't it? He surprised you, and now you don't know what to do about him."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Settling more comfortably into the pillows, he smiled a little as he turned his attention back to the movie. "You should go make us dinner."

"It's your apartment. You do it."

"Come on. I bought stuff for stir-fry. Vegetables and everything."

"Then go make it."

Crash shoved Yuri's shoulder. "Come oooon. You make veggies taste good."

"What are you, a five year old?" He shoved back.

"My mama worries that I'm not eating right, so I told her I have a pretty little thing who cooks for me."

"Who are you calling little?"

"Have pity." He smirked. "It's either that, or admit you're hiding from your new admirer."

Yuri narrowed his eyes. "I'm not hiding."

"Oh yeah? You've never liked Monster Movie Monday. Either you're here out of the goodness of your heart to see that I eat a balanced dinner, or you're hiding."

He considered Crash and that stupid smirk of his for a moment before getting up off the futon. "You better be glad I'm in the mood for stir-fry."

"I love you, honey." He made mocking kissy noises at Yuri's back.

"Shove it."