A/N: It seems like I'm always keeping Flynn in the dark, doesn't it? Oh, well. He got mostly pushed out of the main action in the game, too! \(^.^)/

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are from Tales of Vesperia and do not belong to me.

Flynn came to a stop just outside the convenience store and adjusted the strap of his messenger bag as he tried to catch his breath. Although his college wasn't that far from where Yuri worked, it was far enough to make him feel a little foolish for running the distance when Yuri was just leaning against a light post, cool as you please, and smirking.

"Sorry…I'm late…. Lecture ran long."

"Hmm? Your favorite professor doesn't care that he's eating into the next teacher's class time?"

"There are no other classes. It's Friday afternoon. The campus closes early today."

"Yeah, yeah." Yuri pushed away from the light and fell into step beside Flynn as they headed toward the market. "Still pretty rude. Doesn't he realize his students might have plans?"

"We needed the time. There's a lot of material to cover in this class. Oh, I need to stop in at the bookstore."

"Surprise, surprise."

"Shut up. You should be glad one of us has some reading comprehension skills. How did Karol do on that literature test, by the way?"

"Aced it! Thanks for the help."

"Of course." Knowing that broaching the subject once more probably wouldn't earn him a favorable reaction, Flynn nevertheless gave it another try. "You know, you could probably be a lot more help to him yourself if you were taking a few classes."

"You already know what I'm going to say, so why bother bringing it up?"

"Don't you think it would be better in the long run? You could do so much more with your life—"

"Look, Flynn, it's great that you think so highly of me and all, but drop it. It's not gonna happen."

He sped up, leaving Flynn momentarily behind to sigh and wish for the umpteenth time that Yuri wasn't so stubborn about everything. He was letting his pride trip him up, and one day he was going to regret it.

Yuri changed the subject as they walked, talking about some of the customers he'd had to deal with or telling stories about what he and his coworkers got up to during slow stretches. Figuring he'd have other chances to make Yuri understand, Flynn let him talk. He liked listening to Yuri, liked seeing the way his expression changed one moment to the next as he got into what he was talking about. Yuri lit up when he was amused, laughter sparking like heat lightning in his eyes. He carried the conversation right up to the entrance of the bookstore where he hung back as Flynn made to enter.

"Aren't you coming?"

"I'll wait out here."

"All right."

It was a little strange, but Yuri had never been a big reader and he was probably wary of Flynn trying to talk him into higher education again. Shrugging it off, Flynn hurried to find the book he needed and get through the line, not wanting to keep him waiting again. When he left the store, Yuri was standing near the mouth of an alley, scratching below the chin of a large, wolfish dog.

"Did you make a new friend while I was in there?"

He stepped forward slowly, offering a hand palm up for the dog to smell, noting that the animal's left eye was scarred over. Taking the wag of the dog's tail as an invitation, Flynn patted it on the head.

"He's been following me around for a while. I'm thinking about taking him in."

Surprised, Flynn straightened up at that. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"It'll be fine. Repede's a good dog."

"You've named him?"

"Fits, don't you think?" He cocked his head to the side, looking to Repede, even though the question had been for Flynn. Kneeling, he ruffled the dog's fur.

"I suppose so. Are you sure you should bring him home? What if he bites Karol?"

"He won't."

"How can you be sure?"

Yuri smiled up at him. "Same way I know you're a good guy. Don't worry so much."

Obviously, Yuri had made up his mind. There was no arguing with him, particularly not when he was smiling like that.

"If you've decided, why haven't you brought him home yet?"

Smile fading, Yuri turned back to Repede, petting more gently. "Pet deposit's pretty steep. I don't have enough saved up."

Yuri probably hadn't even considered asking his foster parents to overlook the deposit or even just to lower it or allow him to pay in installments. Flynn knew he didn't like having to rely on them for anything, but his job didn't pay enough to support both himself and Karol. The only reason he even stayed in their apartment building was for his brother's sake.

"I can loan you a little," Flynn found himself saying.

"No. I'll handle it." His voice had been harsher than necessary, and he smiled crookedly as he stood, offering a quiet "Thanks" in apology as much as appreciation.

They continued on their way, the next stop before returning home being the grocery store. Flynn noticed Repede shadowing them, but the dog never made any trouble, never snapped at other pedestrians or caught up to beg for food or attention. It was almost as if he was watching over Yuri, and something about that thought was vaguely unsettling. Flynn did his best to stop glancing back over his shoulder and ignore the dog.

At the grocery store, Yuri picked up a few things he needed for that night's dinner. He tried to have at least one meal a day with Karol, and Flynn was a frequent guest, given his lifelong friendship with Yuri and lack of cooking skills. Estelle joined them regularly, as well, and Yuri would joke to her about being worried that living off a steady diet of TV dinners would turn Flynn into a couch potato. The teasing didn't really bother him, not when he was invited over several times a week for good company and a home cooked meal. Any arguments he and Yuri had on those nights were always lighthearted, and Flynn always left feeling full and satisfied in a way that couldn't be attributed simply to the food.

Even with all that, it wasn't until Yuri started changing that Flynn really began to appreciate how much he loved those dinners.

A week after he'd told Flynn about Repede, Yuri got quiet. He withdrew into himself and often got lost in thought. He was uncharacteristically soft-spoken at times, but then at other times, he would snap for no reason. At first, Flynn attributed it to nothing more than too much work and too little sleep, but as a few days passed and Yuri's mood failed to improve, he began to wonder if something else was going on.

Flynn asked about it one evening when Yuri was hanging out with him. They were sitting in Flynn's room. Normally, Yuri would be leaning against the wall next to the window, staring down at the streets below. That evening, he had taken a seat on the bed, his back to the streetlights and constant rush of traffic.

Bothered by how still Yuri was being, by how strange it was to be able to work on an assignment uninterrupted while he was around, Flynn set his pen aside and looked up from his notes.

"Is everything all right?"

Yuri smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah. Why?"

"You've been acting strange lately."

He waved a hand at Flynn. "You're imagining things."

It wasn't his imagination, though. He'd known Yuri almost all his life. Something was going on.

"How are things going with Repede?"

"Not enough yet. Next paycheck should do it. He says he doesn't mind waiting."

"You talk to him?"

That was a new bit of craziness, and Yuri answered Flynn's incredulity with a grin.

"Sure. Most intelligent conversation I get around here."

He was asking for it with that comment, and Flynn was out of his seat in a second, knocking Yuri back on the bed as he tried to get a hold of him. They wrestled, trading insults and laughing, and for a few minutes, Yuri was back to his usual self. He squirmed out of Flynn's grip, time and again, shoving and kicking. Flynn never did pin him down long enough to get an apology for the comment that had set off the tussle, but by the time they broke apart and settled down, it didn't much matter anymore.

Almost two weeks later, Flynn was at Yuri's apartment for dinner when his friend's behavior became even stranger. Helping to clean up after the meal, Flynn carried a stack of dishes into the kitchen where Yuri was scrubbing out a pan in the sink. He had his sleeves shoved up to keep them out of the water, revealing a bandage wrapped tightly around several inches of his forearm. Flynn set the dishes aside, staring at Yuri's arm.

"What happened?"

"Just some roughhousing that got out of hand."

"Repede did that to you?"

Flynn looked around, half expecting the dog to appear at the mention of his name. He'd been afraid that something like that would happen if Yuri took in the stray, but sometimes, there was just no making Yuri see sense.

"No. Repede didn't have anything to do with it. Look, don't worry, okay? I'm fine."

He didn't look fine. Studying the bandage closer, Flynn thought he could see dark splotches of blood that had seeped through the first layers.

"Have you been to a doctor?"

"Drop it."

Flynn had heard that tone too often during the past few weeks. It meant Yuri was done talking, and didn't care if Flynn wasn't. Convinced that he wasn't going to get anything else out of his friend that night, Flynn was surprised when Yuri insisted on going with him as he returned to his own apartment.

It wasn't a long walk. They didn't even have to go outside. Flynn lived three floors up and on the other side of the building. He'd moved in when he started college, eager to be away from his mother and looking forward to living closer to Yuri. Now, he was glad he'd done it, glad that it was so convenient for Yuri to follow him home, because Flynn could see it wouldn't take much for Yuri to decide talking wasn't worth it after all.

They waited for the elevator in silence, though Yuri couldn't seem to hold still. He shifted restlessly, face blank except for the occasional flash of annoyance or anxiety. Flynn tried to wait patiently for him to speak up, but he remained quiet for the short ride up. As he watched Yuri's blurry reflection on the elevator doors, Flynn caught him opening his mouth to talk a few times. In the end, however, he chose not to speak. He held his peace all the way to Flynn's door, and nearly walked off without having said a single word before Flynn grabbed his wrist.

"Wait. Do you want to come in for a bit?"

Although it was the last thing he should have been thinking of, Flynn couldn't help seeing how the gesture and his invitation could be misconstrued as something else entirely. He knew the neighbors gossiped about the two of them almost as much as they gossiped about Yuri and Estelle. Not wanting to give any prying eyes more fodder for the rumor mill, he let go of Yuri's wrist, curling his fingers around the fading warmth.

The smile Yuri gave him was a pale imitation of his usual grins. "Nah. I'd better get back." He turned away and waved over his shoulder. "See you."

Things had only gotten worse since that night. Yuri's behavior became increasingly strange as he drifted away from the people he was closest to in favor of his new, mismatched group of friends. Estelle was the only person out of their little group that Yuri didn't pull away from, and Flynn was almost convinced that was worse. It was one thing for a man to be wandering the streets late at night, but a girl ought to be safe at home.

Flynn didn't understand what either of them was thinking anymore, though he couldn't shake the feeling sometimes that he ought to have the answer. It left him feeling incredibly frustrated and also terribly powerless.