A/N: This one was a prompt from elia-aelina on tumblr. =D
Disclaimer: The characters in this story are from Tales of Vesperia and do not belong to me.
Cradling his phone between shoulder and ear, Flynn grabbed his other shoe and pulled it on. "He says he wants to see the elephants."
On the other end, Estelle giggled. 'I would have thought he'd be more interested in the acrobatics or the fire eating.'
"That's Yuri for you." He'd never been to the circus and, when he finally got a chance to go, he was more interested in an animal he could have seen at a zoo than he was in any of the acts.
'Is Karol going with you?'
He hesitated as he stood up from his seat on the edge of his bed. "No. It's just going to be Yuri and me."
There had been an insistent sense of guilt prodding him over the thought of leaving his brother behind, but...there was something he wanted to do, and he couldn't have Karol along for it. At the circus this evening, he planned to tell Yuri that he felt something more than friendship for him. It would be easy. Well, maybe not easy, but it should be simple. 'We've been friends for a long time now, and I think we could—' No. Too much like arguing his case. You couldn't convince someone to have feelings for you, they either did or they didn't. 'Yuri, I like you.' Plain and simple. That was it. Just get the words out and let the panic set in afterward. Flynn rubbed a hand over his face. He wasn't ready for this.
Estelle's voice just barely reached his ear. He'd lowered the phone without realizing it.
"I'm sorry, I missed what you were saying just now."
'Oh. I was... Flynn, are you all right?'
"Yes. I'm sorry, I'm a little distracted. I'm supposed to be leaving to pick him up soon."
'I'll let you finish getting ready, then. Have fun at the circus!'
He smiled as he said good bye, a little embarrassed at the thought, but still looking forward to the evening in an anxious sort of way. He hadn't allowed himself the option of keeping his mouth shut, worried that if he even considered it, he'd lose his nerve. Tonight was his chance. He could do this. He'd known Yuri most of his life. It would be fine.
"Just keep telling yourself that," he said quietly. He needed the reassurance. As well as he knew Yuri, he still couldn't tell if he had a chance. He didn't know if Yuri was even attracted to men, much less him. Sometimes, he wasn't even sure Yuri was attracted to anybody. Well...he would find out soon enough.
Flynn pulled a blue and white windbreaker out of his closet and laid it on the bed next to his keys, wallet, and phone. Absently, he patted down his shirt and pockets as he tried to be sure he wasn't forgetting anything. Ten minutes till he needed to go pick up Yuri. He wiped his palms on his jeans and went to go brush his teeth.
In the bathroom, he checked his reflection. The collar of a black undershirt was just peeking out from beneath a dark blue button down that set off his eyes. His hair was a bit messy, but that was nothing new. He knew he looked good, which helped, but he also knew that Yuri probably wouldn't notice, which didn't. As he reached for his toothbrush, he heard a knock at the front door.
"I got it!" The sound of pounding feet let him track Karol's dash through the house from upstairs. He heard the click of the lock and the opening of the door, followed by his brother's happy shout. "Yuri!"
Wide-eyed, Flynn stuck his head out into the hall, gaping at the stairway. He was early! He was here! He was supposed to have gone home after work and waited for Flynn to pick him up!
In a sudden rush, Flynn ducked back into the bathroom and combed his fingers frantically through his hair, trying to neaten it up. He heard Yuri's voice, the words unintelligible from downstairs, as he chatted with Karol. With a growl at himself, he abandoned his efforts and mussed his hair back into its natural state. Dashing back to his room, he shouted that he would be right down. He shoved his wallet and phone into his pockets, grabbed his jacket and keys, and hurried downstairs.
Standing before the front door at the foot of the stairs, Yuri waved a greeting. A lazy smile curled his lips and a backpack was slumped at his feet—oh hell, he was planning on staying the night...! Flynn felt his plans slipping into chaos as Yuri thoughtlessly reordered events.
"Check it out!" Karol held up a DVD, beaming at Flynn over it. "Invasion of the Extra-Dimensional Lizard Men! Yuri brought it for us to watch!"
"Great."
It didn't bother him to show his lack of enthusiasm over the idea. He'd never been a fan of monster movies like his brother, and mocking them the way Yuri did wasn't his idea of a good time. Of course, if his confession freaked Yuri out and sent him running for the hills, it would be a moot point. That sort of seemed like it would put a damper on movie night. He tried to push the thought away so he could smile for his brother.
"We'll watch it later," he promised. "Yuri and I have to get going."
"Where are you going?" Glancing over his shoulder, he lowered his voice. "Mom's making fish for dinner." The plea for rescue was all too obvious and Flynn couldn't help but wince. Sure enough...
"You should come with us, then. Flynn's taking me to the circus. We'll have carnival food for dinner."
"All right! Let me get my bag!"
...and there went his evening alone with Yuri. Flynn sighed and acknowledged with no small amount of irritation the tiny part of him that was immensely relived at the reprieve. He had a good thing with Yuri. He didn't think that would change if they started dating, but it might if Yuri took his interest the wrong way. The whole situation was too complicated. He wished he could stop thinking about it.
Yuri stepped in close enough that Flynn could feel the autumn chill still rolling off his hoodie. His smile was quizzical. "What's up?" he asked quietly.
"Nothing. I'm just a little distracted." He called up a smile. It would still be a fun evening. Besides, maybe Karol would get distracted with a ride or a show and Flynn would have a chance to slip away with Yuri for a few minutes. Things might still work out the way he'd hoped.
Flynn sent Yuri up to his room to put his backpack away and went to let his mother know that Karol wouldn't be staying home for dinner. When he came back, his little brother and his best friend were ready and waiting for him to take them to the circus.
The fairgrounds were awash in light and noise. People streamed in from the parking lot past the ticket counter at the front gates and trickled back out holding balloons, prizes, or carnival snacks deep fried to a golden brown. At the ticket booth, they were told that the evening show in the big top wouldn't begin for nearly an hour, giving them time to explore some of the other attractions.
The crowd alone was enough to be disorientating by its sheer size and constant movement. Clowns wove through like garish cartoon butterflies, honking their noses and waiving to the guests. Rising above the sea of circus-goers was a huge, red and gold striped tent that had been set up and hung with strings of lights. It lit up wonder in Yuri's face before he caught Flynn staring at him.
"I thought that was just in movies and stuff," he explained with a shrug. He turned away, still grinning, as delighted as Karol, though more reserved in how he showed it. Flynn's brother was hurrying off through the crowd, trying to look in all directions at once to take everything in.
Aside from the big top, there were converted caravan wagons offering amusements and games of chance. Vendors in bright white booths sold snacks and drinks. Stages had been set up to entertain the crowds. On one, a man and a woman were performing feats of strength with old fashioned barbels. A little ways down, a trio of small dogs in tutus were being led through a series of simple tricks. A one-man-band played for a small group and, far enough away that the noise wouldn't be too big of a distraction, a motorcyclist raced in loops inside a spherical steel cage. Rides had been erected toward the back of the fairground. People screamed on the tilt-a-whirl. Multicolored lights flashed on a towering Ferris wheel. There was even some sort of tunnel of love which all three of them shared a laugh over. It was a lot to take in and Flynn collared his brother and stepped out of the flow of traffic to take a look at the brochure he'd been given.
"What should we do first?"
Yuri jabbed a finger at the list of attractions. "Petting zoo!"
Thinking he might take it the wrong way, Flynn bit back a laugh. "I don't think they'll have elephants in the petting zoo."
"They might."
"Let's try some games!"
Leaning in, Yuri ruffled Karol's hair. "Gonna win a prize for a special someone?"
"N-no! That's so lame!" He tried to swat Yuri's hand away without success.
"What? No, it's not. Come on. Between you, me, and Flynn we'll get every prize here."
Perked up by the suggestion and his own natural optimism, Karol stopped trying to fend Yuri off. "You think so?"
"Sure. Team Awesome for the win!" He pumped a fist in the air and Karol followed suit much more enthusiastically.
"Yeah! Team Super Ultra Courageous Braves!"
When both of them looked expectantly at Flynn, he smiled and raised a hand. "Team Courageous Braves."
Yuri snorted. "Traitor." He was grinning as he knocked his knuckles against Flynn's, though, and they followed Karol back into the crowd.
As they walked, Flynn let his brother gain a bit of distance, then asked quietly: "Is there really a special someone?"
In the pause before he answered, Yuri glanced at Flynn and looked quickly away again. "I don't know that much more than you do. Her name's Nan."
Flynn considered that. His brother had a crush on someone, and he'd felt more comfortable talking to Yuri about it than him. Or had Yuri simply found out? Well, Karol had gown up with him around, and he practically considered him a second big brother. It made sense to go to him for advice. Except...Flynn was certain that Yuri didn't have any experience with dating. Which, of course, brought him right back to that daunting question of why Yuri had never gone out with anybody. Realizing that he was getting caught up in his worries again, he sighed and hurried to catch up with Karol.
They went a little further into the fairgrounds before they got to most of the games, and Yuri made a detour on the way to buy a bag of caramel-corn. The snack got passed back and forth among them as they took turns winning prizes. A veteran of many a first person shooter, Karol zeroed in first on shooting gallery games. One booth offered players a chance to shoot moving targets with a cork gun. Had the gun not been mounted to the counter, Flynn wouldn't have been surprised if Yuri had taken a few shots at the harshly sarcastic teenager running the booth. They had better luck at the next game, the object of which was to fire a stream of water into the mouth of a wooden clown face in order to fill and pop the balloon on top. There was a dart game, which none of them were particularly good at, and one where they threw baseballs to knock down stacks of glass jars where all three won prizes. A game of lobbing rubber balls into increasingly smaller bins for better prizes had Yuri supremely frustrated as the balls kept bouncing back out. The price Flynn paid for laughing at him was to be pelted with caramel-corn when they switched off.
The prizes they won, mostly cheap trinkets and small stuffed animals, disappeared into Karol's messenger bag. It was beginning to look just a little bulky when they came across a cleared area between two booths where a woman in a sequined leotard was walking a tightrope for a small crowd. They paused to watch, and Flynn didn't even notice that Yuri had slipped away until his friend returned to shove a dish of fries smothered in chili, cheese, and jalapenos right under his nose. He ate a few, leaving the lion's share to be devoured by Yuri and Karol. They polished off the last of them as the woman came down from the tightrope and took a bow.
"I wonder if that's a fun job," Yuri said quietly as they set off in search for more games.
"You aren't thinking about running off to join the circus, are you?" Though he'd been joking, a sense of unease crept through Flynn's mind when Yuri just laughed shortly and smiled. He was impetuous, but he wouldn't actually try to join a traveling circus. Probably.
"What courses are you taking next semester?" He winced at the obvious change of subject, but Yuri didn't seem to notice. His smile faded, and he kept his eyes averted as they walked along.
"I'm thinking about dropping out."
The admission almost caused Flynn to miss a step. He was reaching for Yuri's arm, ready to argue that he shouldn't give up on getting a degree, when Karol called out to them.
"Guys! Come on! Look at this!"
He'd gotten far ahead and was waving for them to pick up the pace. Yuri found his smile and hurried away from Flynn to see what had him so excited. He hadn't avoided the talk, just postponed it, and Flynn trailed along after him, wondering if the strain of trying to live alone and attend college while supporting himself was finally getting to Yuri. He wondered if there was any way he could help.
The game that had caught Karol's attention was an old high striker, a strength tester where players swung a mallet at a lever in order to try and send a puck high enough to ring the gong at the top. The man running the game looked like he'd just stepped away from a barbershop quartet. He waved his cane and called out over the crowd for volunteers. They stepped up to try their luck. Flynn went first.
The weight of the mallet surprised him and his swing went wide coming down. It hit the target lever on the very edge, and the puck barely made it out of the mid-range section of the tower. Yuri laughed and pushed him lightly aside. He made a show of getting ready to swing, but when he did, the puck still didn't make it all the way to the top, though he came closer than Flynn had.
As he stepped back, a clown rushed out of the crowd behind him. He darted in front of Yuri, startling him, and dropped to one knee, holding out a red silk rose. Karol laughed as Yuri's surprise melted into a bemused smile. He accepted the flower with thanks, and, at that one word in his decidedly masculine voice, the clown drew back, clutching his heart and miming shock and dismay to the laughter of the crowd. He threw a hand over his face in mock despair and fled. Yuri trotted away from the center of attention to rejoin Flynn and Karol.
"Didn't mean to break his heart," he said with a lopsided smile.
He offered up the rose to be added to the cache of prizes, but Karol shrugged off his messenger bag and handed the whole thing over. Yuri cheered him on as he stepped up to take his turn.
"You show that thing, Boss!" Leaning towards Flynn, he said quieter: "He is gonna knock it out of the park."
"You think so?"
Yuri shot him an incredulous look and motioned to the bag. "You ever hefted this thing?"
The bag was much heavier than Flynn had expected. He nearly dropped it when Yuri handed it off. As he settled the strap over his shoulder, the sound of the gong rang out over the crowd, followed by a cheer and applause.
"Yeah! All right Karol!"
For his prize, Karol chose a sleepy-looking crow plush and carried it proudly back. Yuri held open the bag for him and Flynn gratefully passed it back over.
"Good job." Flynn said. Then, because he had to ask: "What do you carry around in there?"
After that, they took a break from the games. Karol led them back to the main concession stand near the front. Dinner consisted of hot dogs and hamburgers, another order of chili cheese fries, chicken wings, soft pretzels, funnel cake, and a couple of deep fried Twinkies for Yuri and Karol. They carried it all to seats at nearby picnic tables, bypassing a little boy and girl crying to their parents about scary clowns. Flynn wondered briefly what sort of parent would take children with a fear of clowns to the circus, then put it out of his mind as he sat down to eat. Karol took a seat across from them and spread out the sides and desserts in the middle to be shared. Feeling like his stomach was going to make him regret it later, Flynn nevertheless had a little of everything except for the Twinkies. He'd drawn a line there, but then Yuri dared him, and Karol double dog dared him, and at that point his honor was at stake and he had to go through with it. He looked dubiously at the golden fried mass of breading and cream on Yuri's plate, then eyed his brother.
"I'll try this if you'll tell me about the girl all those prizes are going to."
Karol blushed bright red, but he nodded. "Deal."
Both Karol and Yuri got entirely too much satisfaction out of watching him endure that bite. There was more substance than should have been possible in the forkful he managed to swallow. It seemed to expand and fill his stomach. He couldn't have managed a bigger taste if he'd tried. He took a long drink of his water to wash the flavor out of his mouth.
The two of them teased him by wolfing down their own Twinkies with a great deal of exaggerated sounds of satisfaction, and Flynn had to force himself to stop watching Yuri lick his fingers clean. He gave Karol his attention, watching him fidget with the strap of his bag as he talked about his friend Nan. Yuri quieted down to listen as well. He'd always been there for Karol, just as he always was for Flynn. He'd practically adopted the Scifos as his family, which was one more reason that Flynn hoped he hadn't misjudged how Yuri might react to his confession. He didn't want to ruin what they had by making him uncomfortable, especially not when he and Yuri wouldn't be the only ones affected.
Karol was so caught up in talking about Nan that he barely noticed Yuri picking away at the funnel cake. He obviously had it bad, and Flynn hoped that the treasure trove of prizes they'd helped him win would impress her. He was anxious to impress her, which worried Flynn a little. It wasn't a bad thing to want to show off a little, so long as he didn't take it too far. He didn't want his brother's self esteem to suffer over a girl who required showy displays of worth.
Again, it was Yuri who came to the rescue, reminding Karol that, out of the three of them, only he had beaten the strength tester. He stretched across the table to ruffle Karol's hair and promised his own sworn account of events should anyone question what had happened.
As they finished eating, Yuri and Flynn continued asking about Nan, about what she liked and what Karol liked about her. When Flynn suggested inviting her home to hang out or study, Yuri volunteered to teach Karol how to cook a simple dinner. The idea sounded enough like a date to make Karol blush again, but he would probably take Yuri up on the offer. Eventually.
When the food was gone, they cleared away their trash and checked the time. It wouldn't be long before the evening show would start, but they still had time for one more game. There was a ring toss booth on the way to the big top, and they stopped to try their luck there. Flynn and Karol both managed to win a couple of small prizes each, but Yuri seemed to be fixated on one particular prize and wasn't having any luck tossing a ring over its pedestal. After fifteen throws, he gave up and buried his frustration just as Karol spotted a group of tumblers on one of the small, outdoor stages. He grabbed Yuri by the hand and dragged him off to watch.
Left behind at the booth, Flynn bought one more set of rings. Lining up his first shot, a shout distracted him and the ring flew wide. It took him three more tries, but he managed to land one over the prize Yuri'd had his eye on. The fifth ring missed its target, but he'd gotten what he wanted. The man running the booth handed over the prize, a brightly-painted wooden elephant key chain, and Flynn tucked it safely into his pocket. He felt a little bit like Karol as he turned to go, and he smiled at the thought that they were behaving a bit like magpies amassing trinkets to impress potential mates. Although, in his case, he knew that, while the key chain wouldn't impress Yuri, it would make him happy. Tracing the shape of the elephant in his pocket, he hurried to catch up.
Standing at the back of the watching crowd, Yuri was easy enough to spot. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his hoodie, and his face was upturned and given a warm cast by the strings of lights that glowed with increasing cheerfulness as the sun set. Though Flynn hadn't called out, Yuri turned suddenly and looked straight at him, a smile on his face. It made Flynn's heart skip a beat. He dashed across the remaining distance to give his pulse an excuse to be racing. It wasn't until he was standing at Yuri's side that he realized his brother was missing.
"Where's Karol?"
"Saw a friend of his from school. He'll meet us at the big top before the show."
Yuri turned back to the performance, but Flynn saw his chance. He'd told himself: no backing down. Now, Karol was occupied, and he had an opportunity to speak with Yuri privately—possibly the only opportunity he would have before they left the circus. He had to take it.
Catching Yuri's sleeve between thumb and index finger, he tugged gently until Yuri turned back to him. Nervousness dried Flynn's throat. He took a steadying breath.
"Will you come with me for a minute?"
"What's up?"
He tugged again, more insistently. "There's something I need to talk to you about." He let go and took a step back. When Yuri moved to follow, he turned around and headed for the fringes of the circus, past the booths and lights, towards the lengthening shadows and what privacy was to be had there.
Away from the crowds, the chill in the air became more apparent. Yuri huddled in his hoodie and kept close. He ducked his head, looking up at Flynn past a fall of dark hair.
"So, what's going on?"
"I..." He felt the words he'd wanted slip away from him. In their place came the explanation, the stalling, but everything else was gone from his mind and he had to say something. "We've been friends for a long time and—"
A panicked shout interrupted him, and both of them whipped around, searching for the source.
"That was Karol." Yuri's voice was tight. He took off running, back toward the chaos of the circus. Flynn was right beside him.
"Which way did he go when you separated?"
"I don't—"
They came to a skidding halt at the edges of the milling crowd, both of them straining to catch a glimpse of Karol. Flynn saw him first.
"There!"
He went tearing through the crowd, aiming for the darkness just beyond the last of the carnival booths where he'd spotted the bright green of Karol's jacket. Three shadowy figures loomed over him. As he got closer, he could see that they wore nightmarish clown masks with ghoulish, blood-soaked grins and dark, empty eyes. These were definitely not circus workers, and he remembered suddenly the sobbing, terrified children from earlier. Karol and his friend Ted were backing away, but the clowns were stepping menacingly closer. One of them was clutching his ribs about where Karol might have landed a punch. They halted only when Flynn came to a stop on one side of Karol and Yuri took up a position on the other.
"Funny," Yuri said. "I don't remember the circus having a house of horrors. You guys don't really fit the theme, here." As he held the clowns' attention, Flynn quietly asked Karol if he was all right.
"They jumped out and scared us," Karol muttered. Ted was still backing closer to the safety of the crowd. People were beginning to stop and stare. It wouldn't be long before someone official was called over to find out what was going on.
"We're just having a little fun," Clown Number One sneered. They were teenagers, Flynn realized. Some bored high schoolers, probably, with nothing better to do.
"Scaring brats," one of them said.
"Jumpy little punks. You shoulda heard this one squeal."
"Oh yeah?" Yuri cracked his knuckles, which was never a good sign. "That doesn't sound like much fun. I can show you fun."
"Yuri," Flynn said warningly. He was scanning the crowd for whatever security would soon be on the way.
"What? I'm just gonna have some fun with these brats." He was grinning, and it was not a friendly expression. "I bet they cry like little babies when they lose."
One of them rushed him with a shout. "Bitch!" He didn't stand a chance. Yuri dodged his swing, winded him with a punch to the gut and swept his feet out from under him. The others were already coming for him, and he stepped forward to meet them.
Watching, Flynn sighed. Yuri took a perverse glee in the fact that, even if a fight started because of him, he was never the one to throw the first punch. He didn't use his martial arts training to start fights, but he had no issues using it to savagely end them. Flynn would have left him to it, except he saw the first boy Yuri had dropped pull a knife as he got to his feet. He was on the teenager in a flash, yanking his arm up behind his back suddenly enough to cause him to drop the knife. He kept his hold even as a pair of uniformed officers shoved through the crowd and hurried forward to break up the last of the fight between Yuri and the other two clowns.
Flynn had never actually been kicked out of anywhere before, but that was what happened after the officers had heard the stories and the manager of the circus had been called over. The teenagers with the clown masks were to be driven home by the police. Their parents would be informed of their actions, though the circus wasn't going to file any charges, despite the fact that the boys had terrified over a dozen children in the hour or so that they'd been wandering around.
Yuri and Flynn were both asked to leave for the evening on the grounds that the circus had a no tolerance policy concerning fighting. The manager escorted them to the exit personally, though Yuri demanded to be allowed to buy a couple of corn dogs. The food was complimentary, though that was the only thanks they got for catching the teenagers who had been scaring the circus's customers. Yuri snacked glumly on his corn dog, though he kept his opinions to himself and didn't complain. Karol did that for them, haranguing the manager between bits of his final circus snack. Flynn refused anything to eat. He'd asked only for a cup of water and some napkins. He let Yuri have the third corn dog and told Karol quietly to leave the manager alone. They had broken policy and needed to leave. It was as simple as that.
Back at the car, Flynn soaked one of the napkins in water and handed it to Yuri. Blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth, and he pressed the damp napkin to his skin as he slumped in the passenger seat.
"Didn't even get to see the elephants," he muttered.
Flynn started the car. The evening hadn't exactly gone the way he'd hoped, either.
"You would have gotten to see them if you hadn't started that fight."
"Hey, I didn't throw the first punch. That was self defense."
"You started it and you know it. Just be grateful that no one has to explain to our mother why Karol and I were escorted out of the circus."
Yuri slumped further in his seat. "They had it coming," he muttered.
"It isn't your place to mete out punishments," Flynn snapped.
"Someone had to keep them there until the cops showed up. They'd have gotten away with it, otherwise!"
"You don't know that. Besides, there were other ways you could have—"
Karol piped up from the backseat. "Guys, don't fight! I've had enough fighting."
All talk subsided. They rode home in silence.
Flynn was not in the mood for movie night when they got back, but Karol made popcorn and Yuri got changed into the gym shorts and tank top he'd be sleeping in, and there was no way Flynn could ditch them to mull over how poorly the evening had gone. He fixed himself a glass of water and grabbed an orange, needing something healthy after all the junk food. In the living room, Karol had taken up the center of the couch, which was probably just as well. While Flynn got the movie set up, Yuri nestled into a corner of the couch. He prodded Karol with his bare feet, grinning and acting like nothing had happened earlier. Maybe he honestly thought he'd done the right thing, or maybe he was just acting to preserve the rest of the evening. At the moment, Flynn was too tired to care. He turned off the lights, sat down, and started the movie.
It was as bad as he'd expected and worse. Yuri and Karol talked most of the way through it, parroting the cheesiest lines and worst deliveries, cracking jokes about the plot, the budget, the costumes—everything. Between them, the popcorn was gone inside of ten minutes and, soon enough, Flynn felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see Yuri's arm stretched out over the back of the couch. He was opening and closing his fingers, begging for a treat, and Flynn rolled his eyes as he passed off a section of orange. He parceled the fruit out between himself, his brother, and Yuri, and went to go grab a second one when they'd finished the first.
As awful as the movie was, by the end of it, Flynn had forgotten his irritation at Yuri. The elephant key chain was still in his pocket, and he'd been fiddling with it since finishing the second orange. He still had to tell Yuri. The only question now was: When?
The credits started rolling and Karol took off for his room, eager to sort through the collection of prizes and work out how he was going to give them to Nan. Belatedly, he shouted his thanks down the stairs, and Flynn shook his head, smiling crookedly.
At some point while he straightened up the living room and cleared away the dishes, Flynn noticed that Yuri had disappeared. Assuming that he'd gone upstairs to help Karol, he went ahead and pulled a pillow and a couple of spare blankets out of the linen closet to make up the couch for Yuri to sleep on. It wasn't terribly late, but the day had been one of the sort that felt as if it had gone on forever. He was ready for a good night's sleep and a fresh start, and he yawned as he headed up to his room to prepare for bed.
As it turned out, Yuri was not in Karol's room. He'd curled up under the covers of Flynn's bed, his back to the door. Pausing just inside his room, Flynn considered the situation for only a moment before realizing that he didn't have much of a choice about how to handle it. Having Yuri share his bed was a guaranteed way to keep him up all night, particularly after the day they'd just had. He leaned over the bed to shake Yuri's shoulder.
"I made up the couch for you."
Yuri groaned and clutched the covers a little tighter. "I'm comfy here."
"Get up, Yuri. I'm not sharing my bed with you. You kick."
"You snore."
"Not the point."
He was quiet for a moment, then: "I won't kick this time."
Flynn rolled his eyes. "I don't care if you kick, because you're going to be sleeping on the couch downstairs."
"What's the big deal?" He was irritated now, enough that Flynn was surprised that he hadn't rolled over to argue.
"Just get up." When Yuri still refused to move, Flynn heaved a sigh. "Fine. You take the bed. I'll go sleep on the couch." He was turning to go when he heard the sound of the covers being shoved back.
"All right. I get it." Yuri pushed past him, heading for the door. "Sorry to freak you out. No homo."
"Yuri...!"
He wasn't listening, though. Flynn could hear him tromp down the stairs and flop onto the couch. He closed his door, shaking his head and wondering how a simple conversation could have gone so completely wrong. What was he supposed to have said? 'Sorry, I can't sleep in the same bed with you because, by the way, I am head over heels for you and would have told you at the circus if you hadn't gotten us kicked out.' That would have gone over real well.
Flynn remembered the elephant key chain as he changed for bed. He fished it out of his pocket and stared at it. Wasn't there some old bit of wisdom that advised people to never go to bed angry? He couldn't leave things as they were. With a sigh, he gathered up his pillow and blankets. Clutching the key chain as he held the bundle to him, he went back downstairs to try and smooth things over.
Yuri had his back to the room, and Flynn hesitated, not sure how to start. Rather than speaking, he began setting up his pallet. Eventually, Yuri was compelled to break the silence.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to sleep down here tonight." Kneeling on the pile of folded blankets that barely softened the hardwood floor, he said quietly: "I didn't mean it like that. Like the way you said it."
"...I know." Yuri sighed. "Long day."
Flynn agreed. He raided the linen closet for more blankets and finally managed to make himself a comfortable enough place to sleep. Sitting there in the dark on his pallet of blankets, he turned the little wooden elephant over and over in his hand. Was now the time to tell him? They were alone. Neither Karol nor his mother was likely to come down and interrupt.
Yuri's voice broke into his thoughts.
"What was it you wanted to tell me earlier?"
"I..." Flynn hesitated, but in the end decided that it wasn't the right time. Not so soon after that argument. "It was nothing. Don't worry about it." He lay down and pulled up the covers. The elephant was a smooth little lump in his hand.
After a few minutes, Yuri spoke up again. "I didn't get to see the elephants."
"No." There were a lot of things they hadn't gotten a chance to do.
"Think they'll let us back in tomorrow?"
"Maybe." He listened to the sound of Yuri shifting on the couch. When he spoke again, his voice wasn't so muted.
"We should go back. I want to see the elephants. And you can tell me whatever it was you wanted to tell me."
For the first time, he wondered if Yuri knew. What if he'd just been waiting for Flynn to speak up? Smiling, he tucked the key chain under his pillow to keep it safe through the night.
"All right," he said. "We'll try again tomorrow."