Got the gods\goddesses-ToV idea from Alahnore's Vesperian Myths series (AO3), and the inspiring song I wrote this to was Whispers in the Dark by Skillet.
This is written in a series of drabble-esque shorts, but got so big I decided to post them all in one shot with linebreaks to show the scene-shifts. Enjoy!
He'd lived his entire life in darkness, craving and reaching for the light even though it hurt. It wasn't like it could hurt more than his everyday life. Just once, he wanted to rest under the warmth of the sun instead of being locked away in the cold of night like he was. No one ever noticed him amidst the blacker darkness that surrounded him, no one saw, no one cared.
He turns away from the gathering. Ha, and why should they care? I'm nothing. Even in the Divine Courts among the other gods, he is hidden in shadow from all eyes in the room, a tendril of darkness wrapped warningly around his throat. He has no intention of struggling anyway. This was as close as he ever got to the sun; its patron god shining in the room with a golden light that he craves like air. Flynn, god of the Sun and light, stands like a beacon among the other deities, ever-approachable but always unreachable. The bright-haired god's touch would spell death for him; he thinks it might be worth it.
Goddess of Dragons, Judith, is speaking with him, animated and enchanting as such a free spirit would be. Next to her is her Consort, Raven, God of the rest of the flying things. Both have a close relationship with the golden god whose skies they share. Such things weren't for ones like him. He doesn't belong among those shining bodies of freedom and hope and warmth.
No one dares approach the writhing darkness in the corner of the bright palace, the blackness that represents all Darkness, from the physical that cast over the sky at night to the evil that dwells within secret hearts.
And he stands captive in the middle of it all, helpless and unmoving as tentacles roam over his skin. Who is Yuri, minor god of shadows, compared to one of the Great Gods, Adephagos? The humorless laugh is strangled in his throat before it has the chance to reach the sacred air around him.
Before the constraining limb can do any damage, it's gone, and Yuri falls to his knees as his master descendes from the heavens, doubtlessly called by some ill-wishing mortal, the blackness surrounding him fading from the suffocating onyx to a soft pewter of shadows at sunset. It's the first time in a very long time that Yuri has the chance to breathe easily, and he leans back against one of the marble columns of the pantheon, a deceiving smirk on his face as he pushes the feeling of inadequacy and not-belonging down deep. Who knows how many years it will be before he gets the chance grace the Courts again? Even if he's a tainted splotch on the bright white of the hall, he'll savor it while he has the chance.
When one of the younger gods approaches the trio and asks who the blonde is, Yuri can't hold back his laughter because, seriously, who doesn't know who Flynn is? The sound is rusty and harsh coming from his abused throat, and it sets several of the others to tense in discomfort; Judith going so far as to draw her lance as if expecting a fight. Even so, even with so many eyes roaming over the hall, over his patch of darkness, no one looks at him. Except someone does, and he's caught out staring in surprise at sky-eyes that see him.
The irony sets him off again, hands on his knees as he realizes that the one he's always wanted to be close to knows he exists... and is still just as untouchable as he ever was. More-so, actually. The sound cuts off instantly as he feels the approach of his master again, the shadows around him giving in to the deeper darkness that cloaks him and again shrouds the room around him in a dark fog, and he gives the sun god one last look before he's overtaken and suffocating darkness wraps around him once more.
The last thing he does is smile at the confused sun god- because here is the one that gave him the closest thing to comfort he's ever had, and nods his way, sound coming in the barest whisper in the darkness, "Flynn..."
He doesn't know how it's come to this- this weird stalemate he has with the sun god. How many times has it happened now? Adephagos would be called to the Courts more often now, then called away, which would leave Yuri there on his own to be unnoticed. Except he isn't unnoticed. The presence of the other god hurts, but it's nothing he can't take; sunlight is lethal to shadows. They are complete opposites: his hair the color of the sky at the edge between dusk and true night; Flynn's bright as that painful orb of light. Yuri's eyes are like the deepest night; Flynn's the crystal blue color of the clear sky.
Standing on opposite sides of the pillar, his shadows stretched out before him while Flynn's light shines on the other side, it's even more clear: he has no right being this close to the sun god. Every time, Flynn tries to draw him out, to get him to talk, and he doesn't understand why. He doesn't answer either. Flynn never seems to mind, talking to him with a warmth in his voice- everything about him is just so damn warm. For time immemorial, the blonde deity speaks to him like an equal, like he isn't lesser, like he cares; and even if he can't bring himself to speak back, he leans hard against the pillar at his back heated through contact with the light god; imagining Flynn purposefully sharing his own body heat with Yuri to chase away the chill that seems settled in his bones, and he smiles as he watches the darkened sky and waits for it all to end until the next time.
What are years to gods? He would make this sensation last, he would make it carry him through the cold darkness ahead until he could bask in the warmth and welcome that was Flynn once more.
"Why do you talk to me?"
It's the first words he ever says, and it cuts Flynn off mid-sentence, but he doesn't regret it, because his curiosity is too great and he knows Flynn won't even consider it an action needing forgiveness. The other side of the pillar is silent for a while, but he waits patiently.
Eventually, Flynn speaks again, "Because you looked lonely, as lonely as I felt."
"You don't even know my name."
"So tell me."
It takes him time to work up the courage, but why not? What does he risk losing? "...Yuri."
"Yuri." The way Flynn says it is completely different from the way he does and it sends shivers down his spine.
"Flynn." He wonders if he says it right; the warm chuckle from the other side of the pillar tells him that he probably has, and he smiles as he lays his cheek against the marble and says it again, even softer: "Flynn..."
"Yuri."
He turns towards the blonde-haired god with a smile on his lips, Flynn stopping a ways away, just at the edge of painful for him; but he's not worried, because every time they meet, that distance closes just a little bit more. What causes hesitation is the way Flynn stops and gapes at him, and not in that confounded, embarrassed way he had when he'd first seen him face-to-face. "Flynn?"
The sun deity reaches out towards him, pulling back and curling his hand, his face falling, "Your cheek..."
Yuri raises his hand to brush cool fingers over his usually pale cheek, painted night-colors from a fading bruise, and he forgets for a moment that even if they'd been together before now, this is the first time Flynn has ever seen his usual state. "Oh, this? It's nothing."
Flynn's face tightens and he feels like he's just said something wrong, "It's not nothing, Yuri; you're hurt."
He turns away, hurt more emotionally than from the throbbing of his cheek, darkness springing forth to cast his face in shadow, "If you don't like how it looks-"
"When was the last time you had Ambrosia?"
He isn't allowed to partake of the food of the gods; Yuri survives on the prayers and belief offered at his meager temples across the earth below. Instead of answering, he steps back, sinking deeper into the shadows behind him; retreating from Flynn's warmth- no, the heat of his anger. Yuri doesn't want Flynn mad at him, it's bad enough to be on Adephagos' bad side constantly, he never wants to feel that gentle warmth turn scorching.
Flynn takes another step forward and, for the first time in all their meetings, Yuri turns and flees from him.
They're back to talking around the pillar again, and he can practically feel Flynn's sorrow and regret radiate from him like the light he exudes. There's an awkwardness in the air that had never been there before, and he has to break it, because feeling this way around Flynn is just wrong, "Where do you live? When you aren't in the Courts? When you aren't on Earth?"
"The sky. My palace moves across the sky and gives it light."
Well, that's news to him, "Your home is the sun?!"
"Yes. What about you?"
Yuri suddenly doesn't want to talk about it anymore, but he'd started this. "It's dark; there's nothing out there beyond the sky. It's just dark, and cold, and so alone. Just me and the Infinite Darkness." Without even realizing it, a tear trails down his face lands on the floor; a shadowy smudge on the pristine white surface.
"I... I want to talk to you more often. That way neither of us would be so lonely. The times between, it's harder than I thought it'd be."
Well... It'd be risky, and if he were found out, the consequences don't bear thinking about. Worth it. Yuri leans his cheek against the warm pillar, the heat feeling good on the colorful bruise there, "Heed my words, Flynn: wherever there is shadow, you can find me there; my place is in the darkness, where I whisper words no one hears. Listen for me and I will be there, call me and I shall answer." Their talk is cut off with the return of his master.
"Yuri?"
In the endless night surrounding him, the god of shadows smirks, careful not to let his voice travel beyond his own shadows, and he leans against a cool wall of the dark palace, "Flynn... I've missed you."
He gets a chuckle in response, "That's the first time you've ever said you missed me. I miss you, too, Yuri; so much."
"...I'm sorry I ran away from you that one time."
"That? That was forever ago. I shouldn't have pushed you, it was none of my business." Yuri hasn't even opened his mouth to reply when the other goes on, "Actually, that's a lie. I care about you and somebody hurt you; that is my business. But I didn't mean to scare you away; I never want to scare you, Yuri."
Even through the soft smile on his face, he scoffs, "Like I could ever be afraid of you, you've got all the ferocity of a butterfly." It's a lie, they both know it; but Flynn laughs with him anyway.
"Yuri-"
Feeling solid Darkness curl around his ankle, he cuts the other god off, "Sorry, Flynn, I have to go."
"Hey." He smiles at seeing the brightly shining deity before him. Even as Flynn stares in horror at Yuri's limping and the smeared rill of metallic red at the corner of his mouth. Yuri wordlessly lets him wipe off the smudge of blood, even as the heat from his hands feels searing, it's a welcome thing. It's taken them a long time to come to this point, to be able to stand this close, and so long as they're in the shadow of one of the pillars, Yuri can take it.
"Oh, Yuri..."
"'Snot as bad as it looks." So long as one stands back a significant distance, tilts their head just right, and maybe squints their eyes a little bit...
Flynn leans towards him until their foreheads touch, his smile looking pained, "Right." Flynn's eyes keep roaming over him, there isn't an inch of him revealed that isn't marked. Bruises color his pale body like shadows upon his skin. The blond god's breath is hitched, "Yuri..."
At the caring, the pain in that voice, Yuri's mask cracks; tears swimming in his obsidian eyes even as he clings to the carefree smile that's kept him from completely breaking down. It was easy to dismiss it all when he was the only one who knew, to shrug it off as normal, or at least unchangeable; but to see Flynn getting just as upset... Shadowy droplets roll down his cheeks.
Yuri's breath catches when Flynn leans forward and kisses the tears away, and when he pulls back, he takes a deep breath, taking on that shimmery, upper-godly shine, and blows out, Yuri staring in wonder as his darkened teardrops turn to black roses in the air between them, catching on his clothes and in his hair. He breathes in awe as Flynn holds out one last rose and tucks it away behind his ear.
Despite the pain in his face, Yuri can't stop his smile as he leans forward and presses his lips against Flynn's in thanks. Thanks for talking to him from the first, for thinking he was worth it, for wasting a display of divine power just to make him feel better and take his mind from his troubles.
Flynn cradles him close, where he can feel the divine power running through his veins, where he can hear the thrumming of the gentle heart against his chest. They are in the most shadowed part of the grand palace, the only place Yuri can tolerate being held like this when in contact with so much light and warmth. Tanned fingers run through his hair like it's something to be cherished, like Yuri is something to be cherished, and held in Flynn's arms, he feels it.
Yuri can only sigh in contentment at the warmth that Flynn shares with him, sinking into every pore and easing every ache, the touch stings like sunburn against his skin, but that's a small price to pay. Even the blisters he'll have from this encounter later are worth it to feel this safe and precious. He listens calmly to the sound of Flynn's voice as he speaks of the old god of Hunting fading away and young Karol taking over the roll of god of Hunters and Hunting.
Yuri doesn't pay much mind to the politics of the rest of the pantheon; the only gods he's concerned about is the one in his arms and the one that controls his own life. Eventually Flynn realizes he's not really paying attention, "Something on your mind, Yuri?"
He takes a moment, rubbing his face against the divine cloth over Flynn's heart like a cat, "I don't want to go. I don't want to be away from you anymore. I want to see the sun with my own eyes, let the rays heat my skin and warm my body. I'm so tired of the darkness."
Flynn's hold on him tightens, "Someday, I promise. But you can't right now; it'd kill you."
"Worth it if I'm with you."
Flynn's silence makes him think he's said something wrong again until he blatantly changes the subject, and Yuri lets him, "You never said where you actually lived."
He buries his face in Flynn's chest and inhales the scent of home and comfort before he answers, "The dark side of the moon, staring constantly out at empty space and cold darkness." They say nothing more, but the sun god holds him even closer after that.
Yuri's curled up with his knees to his chest, watching the ever-unchanging universe before him, when, for the first time since Creation, something happens. He pushes to his feet, his breath caught in his throat at the sight before him, spreading out and growing, and he steps forward, out from the palace so he can see better all around. In the endless darkness that has always surrounded him, pinpricks of light begin to shine. At first it's just a few, but then there are dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, then numbers beyond counting.
Like millions of fireflies flown too high and getting stuck in the sky. This is... it's beyond words. Uncountable sparks of color light up the black universe like it's never been before, and Yuri can't stop spinning, trying to see them all, even as new ones are born every moment. And directly above him, almost close enough to touch, is the brightest of the new things, a shining, bright, blue-white.
"F-Flynn. S-something..."
From his shadows the warm voice soothes him instantly, "Do you like them?"
"They- what are they?"
"I'm calling them 'stars'. They're for you."
Yuri could not be more shocked in that second if he were robbed of his godhood, "F-for me?"
"If you suffer in darkness, I will be your light. If you falter on your path, I shall guide you. If you walk in shadow, I'll light the night with stars."
And there they were... a million lights in the infinite void, a billion stars to remind him that even apart, he was never alone. Yuri is for a moment struck soundless, "Flynn..." The emotion in his voice makes it crack and he clears his throat before trying again, "Never has a greater gift been given, and never will someone cherish something the way I will what you've done for me here. How long...?"
"Yuri... these are a sign of my feelings, I love you, and they will burn for as long as my love does. You will never be left alone in the darkness again, my love."
There are no words for that, and Yuri doesn't try; he merely sits beneath the open night sky, one knee drawn up, and watches all the shining points in the darkness that had once been his existence.
Yuri laughs- a carefree, joyous sound, at the antics going on down below on the earth in response to his gift. They have already given his favorite one a name: Brave Vesperia, and he quite likes it. Flynn is a presence at his shoulder as he's leaned over the crystalline pool to see all the reactions below. Some, of course, are freaking out, and Yuri rolls his eyes; "One little change in the cosmos, and they're convinced it's the end of the world."
Even Flynn chuckles, hot breath tickling Yuri's ear wonderfully, "You can't really blame them, Yuri."
Without giving on to his intentions, he turns and flings himself at the sun god, Flynn going down under him with a grunt of surprise, "I don't blame them; I blame you."
Flynn's smiling at him with that look again, " 'Blame me', hmm?"
Yuri nods even as he presses them closer together, "Oh, very much so~."
Flynn flips them over, but the yelp that Yuri gives is more pain than surprise and immediately he's lifted from the floor and in Flynn's lap, "What happened? Did I hurt you?"
He waves off the concern, "No, no; I'm fine."
"Must you always lie like that?"
"Must you always worry like that?"
Flynn opens his mouth to snap back when he's distracted by the feeling of wetness against his fingers, "You're bleeding!"
Night-sky eyes unerringly look down at his left side, "Oh, did I open it again?"
"Again?! Yu-"
Yuri claps his hand over Flynn's mouth, "Shh." At first, Yuri wanted anyone to notice him; he'd have preferred Flynn, of course, but he'd have settled for any kind of acknowledgement from anyone. Now that he has the sun god, though, he doesn't want to waste time with others, so the less the others notice him, the more time he gets to spend on Flynn, the happier he is. One of the things he's learned about Flynn is that he hates seeing Yuri hurt, even worse bloodied. So he gives the blond deity a look that settles him down and slowly removes his hand, "It's not blood." Flynn gives him a disbelieving look and opens his mouth to argue when Yuri sweeps in and kisses him into silence again, then the blond can do nothing as Yuri twines his bloodied fingers with his own, "It's not blood. Just... crimson tears."
Flynn swallows hard, but nods. He then proceeds to lie Yuri back on the ground and pull his clothing aside, kissing away the 'tears' like he has before.
Yuri's almost asleep- or unconscious, at any rate, when he hears Flynn's voice from the shadows, "Yuri."
He doesn't think his throat is up for talking, so he hums in acknowledgement.
"I... I want to talk to you about some things. Important things."
He can do nothing but give another hum.
"I- You know I love you, right? More than anything?"
That was an easy one, and he gives an affirming noise.
"I've decided... I'm not letting you go again. I don't like wat-" his voice breaks for a moment, "I can't watch you cry anymore. I'm going to set you free."
The sound he makes is somewhere between amused laughter and stone grating against stone due to the state of his throat.
"Hey! Don- don't laugh! I'm serious, Yuri!"
No matter how much he wants to be with Flynn forever, no matter how much Flynn loves him, the sun deity has no chance of freeing him, Yuri is certain. Even if he wants to, which apparently he does, Flynn can't leave the path his palace set across the sky. For all the mortals envy and worship them, they have so much more freedom. Flynn would never be able to breach the Dark Palace, any more than Yuri would be able to stand in the Sun Palace and feel that warmth. It's a lovely thought, a heart-breaking promise, but it just... is never to be.
But Yuri had long ago accepted his fate, and he's happy to take whatever time with Flynn he can get. He forces his ragged voice past his tattered throat, "N-never told you I loved you b-back, did I? Flynn, my heart has al-always been yours. My lo-love is yours for the taking." His vision is fading too much to even see the stars from where he lays.
"Yuri?"
"..."
"Yuri!"
Time tends to be a funny thing for gods: sometimes the decades and centuries seem to race by, and other times it seems like every minute is a lifetime. Yuri has no idea how long he's been lying bleeding and broken on the black stone of the palace floor, waiting painfully for his life to slip away, convinced he's too far gone for any amount of prayer and faith to fix. And yet all he can think about is Flynn. Every second they'd been together gets its own moment of appreciation and review in his mind. How foolish he was, those first times when they'd met. Doubting Flynn's honesty and motives. If he'd just grabbed hold with both hands then, how many more precious seconds could they have spent in each others' arms?
That time he'd run from the blonde in fear. As if Flynn would ever hurt him... well, or so he knows now. How foolish. So many wasted opportunities. The warmth of Flynn's body, the strength in his arms, the tenderness in his touch; so much left undone, so much more he wanted to do. He doesn't know how long he's been bleeding out, his bare skin painted metallic red, but Flynn's voice has been a constant whisper in the darkness, talking to him the same way he had all those meetings ago, way back at the beginning. It's easy to imagine the freezing stone digging into his back as nothing more a warm pillar that Flynn is on the other side of: within arms' reach.
He lets his mind float away softly on the sound of Flynn's voice, lets himself imagine Flynn there and picking him up, holding him close, holding him safe. The lips that touch his are warm, and he's surprised for a moment, because he doesn't think he has that good an imagination. Opening his midnight eyes, he sees a pair the color of the daylight sky just before a storm, and despite himself, Yuri smiles, like the first time he'd ever been seen by the sun god, his voice a barely-there whisper in the darkness of the palace, "Flynn."
He's placed on something soft- a bed, he thinks. Then Flynn moves back slightly and runs distressed eyes down his ravaged form, and Yuri holds his hand to a sun-kissed cheek to bring that focus back to his face, seeing Flynn's grimace, "I'm so sorry, Yuri."
What else can he do but smile, "You're here." He doesn't care how, but he wishes... "Sorry for my appearance: I was crying again."
The blue fire that he sees jump behind Flynn's eyes surprises him, the fierce, almost-painful kiss even more-so. He feels warmth and heat pour into him behind the love of the embrace, sees the flash of that higher-god shine behind his eyelids. When Flynn pulls back and looks down his body again, there's less damage, and the sun deity takes a deep breath that Yuri's seen only once before, before blowing across his skin and washing him in shimmering power.
Yuri opens his eyes to darkness that he's so familiar with, but at the same time, is something completely different, and he feels stronger than he ever has before. Flowers and petals cling to him like clothing as he gets to his feet, metallic crimson roses covering every inch of his body; every spot where he'd been bathed in his own blood. His bare feet surprisingly don't feel cold against the black marble beneath him, it feels almost warm, actually.
He gets the shock of his life- even more than the stars, when he steps from the palace into mid-day sunlight, the sharp sting of it against his skin tells him it's real, and as he squints up at it, he can see the golden Sun Palace above, lighting up his portion of sky like it never has before. Energy seeps from him to combat the killing light, but he feels more being drained than just what that should cost as he hears a horrid screech some distance away. He takes off at a run across the sun-warmed pale powder, huffing under the strain of a higher opposing force. He hesitates in his sprint, because even one step further will put him on the light side of the moon, where he has never been, never been allowed to go. Then he hears Flynn's voice ahead and throws himself forward without pause.
The scene he comes upon stops him dead, because there amid clouds of rising lunar dust in the burning heat of the sun overhead, Flynn has Adephagos at flaming sword-point. The strongest source of light in the cosmos against the master of darkness, opposing palaces held in place by the power of the struggle. Adephagos, though, has never gotten the conditioning that Yuri's had over the many years with Flynn: he couldn't feel warm and comforted with a slight sting, the overabundance is doing what it does best to darkness; utterly destroying it.
The drain on his energy, Yuri finally sees when he can tear his eyes away from the form of a righteously enraged Flynn, is because his master has run out of options and is playing his last card by protecting himself with the only thing he has left: shadows. Yuri's shadows. The sun is strong and painful against his skin; the effort could kill him. The vengeance Adephagos will seek against Flynn should he fail, though...
Worth it. Gathering everything he has, every scrap of power in his body, Yuri fights against the tug and pulls his shadows. Shadow is not the same thing as darkness. You are not my master any longer! There's an audible snap and he's sent tumbling backwards as the one who's tortured him for time immemorial gives a final cry and dissolves in the rays of warm sunlight saturating the dark side of the moon.
As much as he wants to go with Flynn, to ride in that shining palace as it travels skies divine and mortal, Yuri knows he's not strong enough, and he knows Flynn knows. Flynn doesn't let that stop him from scooping Yuri up in his arms and twirling him around until they're both dizzy. But he does take him back inside the dark palace, though not deep, not enough to cut off the sunlight seeping in through the windows.
It's enough for now, because he's free from the pain he's suffered for so long, and Flynn is here in his arms -or he's in Flynn's; details- in Yuri's own domain. Somehow. Doesn't matter. Except it sort of does when Flynn presses their foreheads together and stares at him with sapphire-sky eyes so full of love... and sorrow. And Yuri feels his heart break inside his chest, just a little, "You can't stay, can you?"
"No."
"How long?"
"Not much longer."
He nods as much as he can pressed together as they are, "How did you even...?"
"I've been changing the course of the sun for a long time now. I promised you I'd set you free. I promised."
Somehow, this shouldn't surprise him. Flynn has always been something else even among the divinity. He'd brought into existence countless new celestial bodies, just to light up the endless night sky for Yuri. He shouldn't be surprised that Flynn had- that Flynn could change the path of the Sun Palace so much to impugn upon his tormentor's territory just to set him free of it. It wasn't Flynn's power that got to him, though, but his heart. To mean so much to someone as Flynn seems to think he means; it's beyond devotion.
He grabs Flynn's face in his hands and has to make sure before they're separated again: "I love you. You know that, right?"
The blond deity's smile is brighter than his palace in that instant, "I know. Your love is mine for the taking, remember?"
"I do." He glances out the window and sees the sun setting, turning back to its god, "Flynn-"
"I know." He says before closing the small distance between their lips and Yuri gives himself over, throwing everything of his love and devotion happiness into the kiss, imprinting himself on Flynn, imprinting Flynn on him. This kiss would be enough- he'll make it enough, to last them however long they're apart this time. If it were an eternity, he's going to make it enough. There is no room between their bodies, the scent of crushed roses, soft sunlight, and cool shadows mingling together. Their hearts beat against each other, their every breath shared.
Then the last of the sunlight leaves the and Yuri is left standing alone in the middle of the black marble palace.
They're kept apart; Flynn is punished for interfering with another god, and Yuri is suddenly busy because he's somehow become the supreme god of night, darkness, and shadows with Adephagos' end. The other gods might have tried to stop it if they'd had any choice in the matter, but gods don't get to pick what they're gods of. The one most suited is the one appointed the task, and if there is none, one is born; that's just the way of things.
So since there's already a minor god with an affinity to all the things left stray in the universe with Adephagos' defeat, Yuri is raised up. None of the others in the pantheon know who he is when he steps from the shadows of the pillar he's spent millennia with Flynn against, and that's fine with him, because he doesn't care if anyone notices him anymore, he already has the heart of the only one that matters. It's only a matter of time until he can see Flynn again, and if there is one thing being a god has taught Yuri, it's patience.
He doesn't care about them in the least, but he needs to make his lines clear, because there is one other thing he's been made god of, "I am Yuri, God of Night, Shadows, Darkness... and Bravery; Consort to Flynn, God of Sun, Light, Honor, and Loyalty."
Yuri smirks as the Goddess Sodia steps up against him; he remembers the Goddess of Military Fealty and Tactics hanging around Flynn before the two of them had met, expecting her to challenge him. He's surprised when she bows her head in respect, then leans in close, "You're the one, aren't you? The one he made those for." She moves an arm to indicate all the stars around them.
Cautiously, he nods, "I am."
"Do you love him back?"
There is no hesitation in his answer, "More than anything." There is no shame in their love, and he's brave enough to stand up for Flynn until the blond god can stand with him again. There are no more questions after that.
Flynn is chomping desperately at the bit, as they say. His punishment is almost over: his term trapped within his own palace until the sun touches the moon again nearly complete. How much has changed? All he has been able to see of his love is the gorgeous nights on earth, the flicker of playful shadows upon the ground when he's overhead, the change in the people of the mortal plane as they bravely push forward with their lives. He's tired of watching, he wants more than anything to touch Yuri, kiss Yuri, make Yuri undeniably his. But probably that will have to wait for the other god to once again become slowly used to the sunlight.
It's saddening, but at the same time, just seeing Yuri with his own eyes for the first time in so long will be enough for him for now.
The moment the 'dawning' sun touches the moon, Flynn is on the surface and racing towards the lunar palace. The entire structure has changed, the black marble replaced with a stone that glitters in the slightest light like stars in the night, sconces on the wall flickering with shadows that cast a dark light and throw everything into a midnight wonder beneath a ceiling that looks like the open sky, a large hole in the ceiling that he notes is probably right beneath where the brightest star in the sky, Brave Vesperia, appears every night.
But right now, the light coming in isn't the cool hue of stars, it's the warm rays of his own celestial object, and standing out in the open, staring up into the sky, is Yuri. Flynn freezes in place, unable to move a single muscle. Pale skin and petals; that's all Flynn can think as he stares at the other god. Black rose petals, metallic hints of other divine flowers like hidden stars, and a red rose behind his ear; then Yuri turns to him, smiles that soft smile, and Flynn is lost.
Seeing him again hurts, in all the very best ways. His hair is still windswept and pale gold, his eyes still the color of a calm blue sky, skin still sunkissed and, as he closes the distance between them and captures Flynn's open mouth in a searing kiss, just as warm as he remembers. There is nothing holding him back now, and he almost knocks the sun god over in his enthusiasm.
Flynn pulls back, staring at him with surprise and joy and just as much love as ever, echoed right back with Yuri's onyx eyes, "I- are you- and you can...?"
There's nothing else to get between them anymore, and he is Flynn's, entwining their fingers and holding them up, "I'm yours now and forever more. Nothing can separate us." Flynn's eyes widen and Yuri tightens his hold, because he's stronger now, found a new strength to draw on and holds their hands out over the floor to show his lover, "I am forever yours, Flynn: the brighter the light, the deeper the shadow."
He doesn't struggle when Flynn crushes him to his body, "Mine for the taking."
He leans to whisper his words into the darkness they make together, "Then take me."
Gods fade from the world when no one else believes in them, even so, they're never truly gone, as all things begin the cycle again.
Flynn pants as he keeps pace with Yuri, their swords ringing against one another time and time again in practice, and eventually, he has to admit it, "Okay, okay! Draw!"
Yuri flops on the training ground next to him under the stars, "Getting soft, Commandant? Maybe you should run a few laps with the rookies."
Before Yuri knows it, Flynn is on top of him, looking not at all as exhausted as just moments ago, "And here I thought you'd think up other ways of improving my stamina..."
Yuri grins up at the blonde, both of them lit only by starlight as the shadows shift and hide parts of their features, "Hey, I'm open to suggestions."
"How about... this one?" Flynn leans in and seals their lips, Yuri humming in appreciation, and the ever-shining starlight above plays over the figures moving together as one on the ground below.