A/N: Hey everyone! It's Aesanna here. This is my first story, and I ship Yuri x Judith! I originally posted it on my Instagram, but I wanted to post it here too. I feel there's not enough of Yuri x Judith on FanFiction. So... enjoy!
Third Person P.O.V.
"Hehe, okay, thanks Ba'ul." The whale-like Entelexeia made a noise and lifted from the ground, carrying the Fiertia with him as he soon faded far off into the night sky.
Raven gave a tired sigh, yawning like an aged man much older than him, and groaned.
"Let's make camp here – this old man's exhausted."
"Hey, old man." The ebony haired man named Yuri placed a hand on his hip while giving the archer, who had flopped onto the ground, an incredulous look. "You could at least help."
"You young'uns are more capable than us aged folk," he said lazily, waving his hand in the air. Soon, the silent night air was filled with the light snoring of Raven.
Anger marks popped up on Rita's head, obviously more than irritated. "GET UP, YOU USELESS PILE OF BONES!"
"Oof! Hey, watch where you're kickin' that thing, you hit me!"
"I was aiming AT you, idiot!"
Laughing to herself, Judith decided to make herself useful and gather some firewood.
She quietly walked into the forest, making nearly no sound aside from the soft rustling of grass beneath her feet. The loud bickering of her party became more faint by the minute as she trekked farther and farther into the woods, gathering dry sticks and branches along the way.
Judith's arms were full by the time the moon had reached it's highest point in the sky. 'I guess I've wandered off enough... too bad. The quiet here was so refreshing.'
Her long ears suddenly twitched and her eyes widened by just a fraction in surprise as she heard the crunching of leaves behind her, then the sound of a familiar voice as she heard someone mutter a curse.
"It's nice to know you care so much for me, Yuri," she said without turning around.
The long haired swordsman then made an appearance, rubbing the back of his neck and sighing. "Heh, guess I'm found out."
She then looked over her shoulder, her curiosity peaked as to why he followed her. Her face looked indifferent as she stood there, however.
"Let me help you with those." He walked up to the Krityan, taking the majority of the firewood from her arms. His fingers brushed against her as he moved, making her heart beat slightly faster. She froze, confused at why.
She must not've moved for a while, because the next thing Judith knew, Yuri gave her a concerned look.
"Judy, are you feeling alright?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry. Just thinking."
"Thinking about what?"
It was her turn to look concerned at him. He wasn't usually this nosy with people. She always took him as the type to not bother himself with other people's mundane thoughts, such as hers at the moment.
She shrugged, adjusting to the new light weight in her hands. "About things. How Ba'ul is doing, what we're going to do next, the usual." They walked the next few minutes in silence, slowly heading back to camp. Occasionally their shoulders brushed, and she could see Yuri fidget ever so slightly out of the corner of her eye every time.
After a few more minutes, Judith sighed. "Why don't we take a break?" Not waiting for an answer, she set down what little she was carrying, feeling a pathetic yet strange pang of guilt that she had made him hold most of the haul, and sat on the cool grass. Yuri followed suit, placing his pile atop of hers and leaning against a tree behind her.
"Something bothering you, Yuri?" she asked after a few moments of awkward silence.
"Hm?"
Judy looked up at the dark sky, the moon and stars illuminating the land below in a silvery shroud. She spoke softly.
"You seemed off on our way here."
"…"
The woman took the silence as him not wanting to speak.
She found herself slightly saddened, but she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable. "If you don't want to talk-"
"It's not that I don't want to," he cut in. "It's just... hard to put into words."
Relief washed over her. 'If that's all...'
"Okay then." The gently breeze and the chirping of insects took over their brief conversation. Judith felt uncomfortable. She was usually so calm and herself when she was around Yuri, but something this time seemed... different.
She turned around, still sitting down, and looked up at him. He didn't even notice her! He was so quiet, and though his face seemed impenetrable, his eyes betrayed him, showing that he was confused. Time and again, he furrowed his brow.
'It looks like he's in turmoil... but...' She came up with several possibilities of what could be so troubling to Yuri of all people, but none of them seemed very likely.
'Hehe, maybe he's even in love with me!' she mused herself. 'But why do I care so much about what he's thinking right now? I should let him sort this out himself.' Clearly, it was something only he could fix.
Standing up, she brushed herself off. Yuri's eyes snapped open, as if waking from a dream, and looked at her. She looked back, lifting an eyebrow.
"We should be heading back..." She trailed off, her own eyes widening as she felt his lips make contact with her own. It was soft, and her heart began to beat wildly. She felt his hand snake behind her head, holding her, as if he didn't want her to go.
Judith blinked. Her mind shut down. Her heart beat even faster than before, threatening to pop out of her chest.
'So... he...' She halted her broken train of thought. She only tilted her head, and returned the kiss. The Krityan could've sworn she heard Yuri breathe a sigh of relief and happiness through their locked lips, but she only placed her own hands behind his head and deepened the passionate scene.
After what seemed like forever, they drew apart, their lungs burning for air. They stared into each other's eyes, trying to read the other's expression. Yuri's was full of joy and nervousness, Judith's just as happy, but confused.
"Yuri..." she started, heavily breathing. "What..."
He shook his head to stop her. "Judy... I've realized over time how I felt for you. And I just have something to say."
He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. He wasn't good at lovey-dovey feelings, much less confessions – he preferred to distract himself from them with the help of his sword. But he had to do this. 'Now or never...'
"Judy, when you fight, I can't help but stare at you as your graceful foot work and weapon gruesomely decapitates any and all of your enemies, all while having that beautiful smile on your face." Judith couldn't help but give a small giggle at his words, and Yuri gladly took that as a sign to go on.
"Every conversation we had together... the playful flirtatious comments and how we so easily communicate together... it made me think how alike we are and how much I love being around you.
"I love your delicious cooking you make from time to time, and even though you can sometimes mess up," she playfully slapped his wrist at that. "I'll always eat anything that you made, because it'll always be ten times more delicious than anything I've ever tasted, especially Estelle's sandwiches." They both gave hearty laughs at the last part.
"Judy, all in all, I think you're the most beautiful, smart, vicious, sexiest woman I've ever met..." Yuri paused, closing his eyes. He leaned in and whispered in her ear...
"I love you."
At those last three words, Judith suddenly threw her arms around his waist without hesitation, tightly hugging him. She felt his arms wrap around herself, firm and loving.
She had never known what it was like to love someone else, aside from family. Recently, she had been confused every time she thought of him, getting butterflies in her stomach whenever someone mentioned his name. She always felt sad whenever he left to go off by himself, afraid if he never came back. And, strangely enough, always felt this warm feeling in her heart whenever he said her nickname, or whenever they talked to each other.
And now that this had happened...
She nestled her head into his chest, hugging him harder and refusing to let go.
"I love you, too."