A/N: Written for a screenshot Suguelya sent me on tumblr. ^^
Disclaimer: The characters and settings in this story are from Tales of Vesperia and do not belong to me.
They were all gathered around a small, low table; Yuri and the people he had come to think of as his family. Karol was to his right, already filling his bowl from the shared feast provided by the staff of Yumanju. Next to him was Raven, praising Judy's beauty and virtues as she poured rice wine into his cup. She ignored his flirting the way she always did, and turned to fill Estelle's cup with the warm drink. Sitting on the princess's other side, Rita bore Judy's mild teasing over having a drink with her usual manner, asking snappishly why she would want to ingest something that pickled people's brains, and shooting a pointed look at Raven who was already pleading for a refill. Judy topped him off, filled up her own cup, and smiled across the table at Yuri, raising the small jug in a silent question. Yuri was stretching across the table for her to pour him a drink when Flynn finally joined them.
The space to Yuri's left was still empty, though whether his friends had left Flynn a place there on purpose or by accident was unclear. Either way, Flynn came around to claim his seat, pausing in the corner where Repede enjoyed his own dinner to give the dog a scratch between the ears. His fingertips barely stirred Yuri's hair as he passed, and he glanced at Yuri as he sat down, smiling. Yuri grinned back.
Flynn didn't look like much of a knight that evening. The youthful cast granted him by his messy hair, sprinkling of freckles, and the little gap between his front teeth was only enhanced by the simple t-shirt and bright red shorts he wore. They'd spent the day cleaning in exchange for room and board, and the clothes were smudged with dust and dirt. In bursts between the aromas of fish and vegetables and the fragrant, warmed wine, Yuri caught whiffs of the sweat of Flynn's skin. A streak of dirt curved around the back of his neck from where he must have rubbed at stiff muscles, but Flynn's hands had since been scrubbed clean. Yuri was surprised that he hadn't bathed and changed before coming to dinner, but glad enough of the chance to see his friend out of uniform for a little longer. Lately, it felt like Flynn's position in the Knights was nothing more than one more wedge being driven between them. At least for tonight, Yuri felt that he could try to set aside that distance between them.
Nostalgia was a subtle magic that wove its way through the evening in the sharing of food and stories and the warmth of companionship and easy laughter. Yuri almost felt like he was back home in the Lower Quarter. Everyone was at their ease. Even no-nonsense Rita smiled more often than not, though it was a lopsided expression and vanished quickly enough when Karol pointed it out. Close at her side, Estelle was practically glowing. Yuri felt a kinship with her in that moment, in the knowledge that she was happy because those around her were happy. She was a kind soul, a miracle in and of herself considering what Yuri had seen of the rest of the Empire's aristocracy.
For all the tales from their pasts being traded, Judy still managed to give away very little of herself. Whether anyone else noticed, Rita at least would stare at her sometimes as she avoided a question. If Rita knew any more than the rest of the group, however, she held her peace and protected the Krityan's privacy.
Raven had grown boisterous as he ate and drank, gesturing boldly as he spoke and tossing back his small cups of rice wine. He looped his arm around Karol's shoulders and offered the boy a drink which Karol refused. Raven was cheerfully insistent, and Yuri ruffled Karol's hair before snatching the cup from Raven's hand and drinking the mouthful himself. Accepting the empty cup back, Raven stared at it in confusion for a moment before declaring that there was nothing like sharing wine with a raven-haired beauty. He toasted Yuri with the empty cup, then turned to Judy for another refill.
Yuri laughed and gave Karol a shove, telling him to pass it on to the old man. Feeling a tickle against the back of his left hand, he looked down to see Flynn's knuckles stroke against his skin. Flynn withdrew his hand before anyone else noticed, and Yuri looked up to see bright blue eyes waiting to meet his, sparkling with good humor. Flynn raised his cup, tilting it ever-so-slightly towards Yuri as he dipped his chin in a tiny nod, then drank. Yuri couldn't help but grin. That competitive streak of his hadn't waned at all, if he even had to offer his own quiet compliments in response to a joke by one of Yuri's companions. Wordless though it had been, the sincere admiration in Flynn's eyes warmed Yuri from the inside, much like the rice wine. He took another drink, savoring the mingling sensations, then had to sit back as Flynn reached past him to snag another helping from the pot with his chopsticks.
"Meet me outside after dinner," Flynn murmured. "I have something for you."
The words were barely audible, and a shiver ran up Yuri's spine as he felt Flynn's breath tickle across his collarbone. No one else had heard, though by the knowing twinkle in Judy's eye, she hadn't missed the look they had exchanged as Flynn had straightened up. Yuri elbowed Flynn in the ribs, setting off a small war of pokes and prods and snorted laughter as they both tried to stuff their faces while being jabbed in the side. Yuri felt like a kid again, side-by-side with his best friend, sharing food and acting up and keeping a secret just because they could, because somehow that made it even more special, something just for the two of them. His thigh was pressed up against Flynn's and, when their battle had ended and he felt the warmth of Flynn's palm settle on his knee, he wished, with the fleeting giddiness of perfect contentment, that the evening could last forever.
Raven was the first to leave the party by way of simply laying back and falling asleep. Karol was thoughtful enough to get up and fetch a blanket to cover him with, but soon enough he was dozing off too, using Raven's stomach as a pillow. Yuri saw to it that Karol had a blanket to keep him warm, even as Repede came over to curl up and sleep tucked in against him and Raven. When he returned to his seat, he noticed that Flynn had slipped away.
Judy stood and stretched. She stepped out onto the veranda and looked up for a moment at the heavens.
"The stars are beautiful here. Would anyone like to join me outside?"
Estelle accepted the invitation gladly, and where the princess went, so followed Rita. In a matter of minutes, everyone was either asleep or engrossed in stargazing. Maybe the girls would notice that Yuri had left, and maybe they wouldn't. The small, silly thrill of sneaking away left him smiling uncontrollably as he picked up his sword and slipped out into the hallway.
Coming into the front hall, Yuri could see Flynn's silhouette against one of the windows beside the entrance. He stepped outside, immediately enveloped by warm, humid air and the shrilling of cicadas and tree frogs. At night, the glow from inside the inn and the brightly painted halls made the frosted windows look like stained glass.
Flynn was waiting for him, eyes turned up to the stars. His gaze, when it fell back down to earth, down to Yuri, still held some of their enduring brightness. He didn't move from his spot, waiting for Yuri to come close, to stand before him so that they were face-to-face, alone in the spill of warm light that held back the evening's blue shadows. Flynn smiled at him, back-lit and beautiful, and Yuri edged closer still.
"So? You said you had something for me?"
He'd half expected a fight. It felt like ages since their interrupted match at the Coliseum, and Yuri could think of few things that made him happier, made him feel more alive than when he was facing Flynn down a length of steel. He was surprised, then, though not unpleasantly so, when Flynn closed the small gap between them and kissed him.
It was a momentary touch, a hint of warmth, a brief tickle of chapped lips. Flynn laughed at Yuri's surprise and reached out to nudge his hand and set his sword swinging at his side.
"You're so predictable."
"Shut up," he grumbled. His eyes slid away from Flynn's. A kiss was nice, but he'd been hoping—
Strong arms wrapped around Yuri's shoulders, drawing him in close. Flynn kissed him for real this time, mouth shaping itself to Yuri's, lips moving soft and sweet so that Yuri couldn't help but return the kiss. It went straight to his head much faster than the wine had. He parted his lips, suddenly parched, and Flynn's tongue slid against his. Yuri had Flynn pinned against the wall, but he himself was held in place by the embrace, by the hands that rubbed his back even as they pulled him closer. The night air pressed in around them, thick as the steam over the hot springs as they breathed in shallow gasps amid the give and take of the kiss. Yuri dug his hands in between Flynn's back and the wall, sliding them down to the dip of his spine to yank him closer. He felt silk slipping over the back of his hand a moment before his sword fell free with a clatter.
The sudden noise interrupted the kiss, and they pulled back just a little, grinning and flushed. Reflexively, Flynn licked his lips. It was all the temptation Yuri needed to dive back into the kiss. The wet smacks and huffs of breath were amplified along with his pulse and nearly drowned out the shrill chorus of night creatures. He felt Flynn's palms curl around the back of his neck, felt callused fingers slip into his hair, felt the sharp jolts as Flynn caught a tangle or the satisfying tug as he dug his fingers against Yuri's scalp and grabbed a fistful of hair. Yuri moaned into the kiss and felt the bandanna he'd tied over his hair fall off as Flynn's touch moved higher.
"My room?" Flynn gasped. He kissed Yuri's chin, forcing his head back as he trailed kisses beneath it.
Yuri shook his head. The walls were too thin, and he wasn't ready to give away this secret yet. He wanted to keep it to himself a little longer, a private fire to warm himself by.
"Hot springs?" Yuri knew it was a bad idea even as he suggested it. Flynn's mouth was hot against his throat, teeth sharp against the base of his neck. It made it hard to think. "There was a glade. Right off the trail..."
Mossy ground, a ring of moonlit sky overhead bordered by the thick growth of spindly trees. Wind across his skin and the smell of earth as Flynn's weight pressed hot against him, inside him. Yuri could practically feel it already, and he pushed away with a gasp, body abuzz with sensation as he tore himself free. Grinning wildly, he reached out and grabbed Flynn's wrist, pulling him away from the amber light of the inn and into the shadows. In the impulse of the moment, moved by delight and the desire to be with Flynn, to feel again that intimacy, those touches that he couldn't imagine receiving from anyone else, Yuri left his sword lying where it had fallen, forgotten.