Brave Vesperia, along with Estelle and Rita, decided to indulge in celebrating the anniversary of their triumphant last battle in saving the world from utter destruction by spending a night in Myorzo. It wasn't necessarily the people or the interest of their way of living that made them go there, but more so because it was a city practically in the sky! And seeing how Brave Vesperia is a blastia in the sky it only seemed all the more fitting. They all sat around the room of the house that was left vacant for them in whichever place they found the most comfortable in.
Estelle sat at the table with Rita as Repede laid at their feet wagging his tail happily. Meanwhile Raven occupied the bed by sitting on it criss-crossed and Karol sat on the floor leaning against it. Both Judith and Yuri stayed standing, except Yuri was leaning against the wall.
The princess started off the conversation by asking, "How have all of you been? I want to hear everything!"
Karol was the first to reply "we've been great Estelle! We've finally earned enough money for Brave Vesperia to actually have an HQ! We don't have to depend on Yuri's old room as a mailing address anymore!" he chuckles a bit and scratches the back of his head sheepishly.
"That sounds fantastic!" She smiles, clapping her hands together, agreeing that it was something to be proud of.
"Ba'ul and I have been traveling to promote the guild lately and booking jobs for us all to do." Judith mentions placing a hand on her lengthy chest "It's been quite the traveling! We've come across so many interesting people along the way, it doesn't matter how much you travel you will always find someone new and interesting to talk to!"
"Judith Darl'n at least yer fly'n across the world." Raven says ready to complain about something for sure "I got my hands tied with the gossip between the Empire and the Guilds. Ya never know when something can just come up and tear them both apart. Then we'd have ta go through another war. Not everyone is in agreement with how things are being run between the empire and the guilds."
"Oh? Is your job putting too much stress on your old feeble heart?" Judith teases "Well that's too bad. I was really hoping to listen in on your latest info on the thieves guilds lately. I heard that they stole something rather outrageous this time." she pouts looking away knowing that Raven would fall instantly for that.
"Well…" He comments smiling while he scratches his beard "I mean if ya'd like ta take a walk around town I suppose that a story or two wouldn't hurt."
"Maybe some other time then, I have to visit some clients a little later tonight." And once again the Krytian never fails to disappoint the old man.
Estelle's expression changes from her cheary selt to a disappointed look of concern upon hearing this news. "You're leaving soon?" she asks to ensure for sure that that's what she and Ba'ul were doing.
Judith turned to the princess looking saddened herself "Yep, it was a last minute request that has to do with the Hunting Blades. They wanted us to come up with a way to prevent monsters from coming into the towns while the walls and moats are being built." The Krytian leered over to the old man giving a seductive pout, "It does get lonely though, I wouldn't mind some company."
"Judy Baby, you had me a lonely!" Raven hoots, jumping off the bed overly excited, irritating Rita a bit and earning him an eye roll from the said mage.
Karol only spoke out of curiosity "Is Nan gonna be there? Cause if she is, I'd like to go." The boy made little effort to hide the blush on his cheeks. "I think it's time I should tell her. For real this time."
"Wait I thought you already did." Yuri speaks up a little confused.
"I meant that I should officially ask her to be my girlfriend."
"Well then I suppose it wouldn't hurt if you came along." Judith agreed, causing a disappointed groan from the older man.
"I'm coming too!" Everyone turned their attention to the mage. "I've been needing to observe some monsters to see how they've been doing with a more natural flow of aer. I've gotten news that a lot of the monsters in other continents have calmed down a lot and focus on simply surviving. This could mean that we won't need to build anything unnecessary."
"Well then, how about you two?" The Krytian asked referring to Yuri and Estelle who hadn't said much this entire time.
The princess hesitated but spoke softly either way "I was really looking forward to just relaxing with all of you. I've been so busy that I haven't really had time for fun."
"I kind of wanted to take a break from traveling myself." Yuri says looking over to Judith "Can't you put it off for another time?"
"If I did that I would be letting down our client." Yuri sighs after hearing this and turns to look the other way not bothering to say anything, honestly he just wanted a break for once then this happens; if anything he's pretty upset about it himself. "I know, why don't you two stay here for the night, and take a break together!" Judith says placing a hand on her cheek. "We promise to be back by morning to pick you up!"
Yuri glances at Estelle and then at Judith before looking away again trying not to sound weird "I'm fine with it if Estelle is." Yuri responds and Krytian looks over at the girl who looked a little taken aback by this and nods in agreement.
"Very well then it's settled. We should get going before it gets too late." The tall woman grabs the mage and the old man before anyone could protest with this arrangement and pulls them both out the door, Karol followed closing it behind him.
It was a bit awkward between the two for a moment, before Yuri looked over at Estelle and told her that he was going to go out and make sure that everyone left safely. She took it as an opportunity to change into her nightgown and get ready to go to bed after hopefully having a talk with Yuri about his travels.
When Yuri got back he expected to see Estelle, but he didn't expect to see her the way she was. Although he didn't show it, he was practically hypnotized by how gorgeous she looked in her night wear. She had a small frame, and her proportions were just right, nothing was too big or too small. The white silk material came together in a 'V' upon her chest, showing only a small flirty yet elegant amount of cleavage. Only on top did the fabric cling into her body before loosely hanging from beneath her bust, down to a few inches above her knees, giving off a look of purity and innocence. It didn't help with the white bed sheets, the veils of the canopy hanging above her, and the light of the moon glistening in her direction from the large mirror, it only made her appear all the more angelic.
When she turned to him he could swear his heart stopped, when their eyes met he forgot to breathe, as she moved from her position he wanted to embrace her, then her lips smiled and he had to suppress the urge to kiss her. He was out of it for a moment, and found himself staring a little too long. He turned away knowing that he could feel a small heat developing on his face, and instead he went ahead and got ready for bed as well.
He sets aside his sword and begins to remove his obi followed by his vest, shirt, and boots leaving only his pants on. He then heads over to the bed ready to plop down on the large cushion, only Estelle was looking at him with fearful shocked eyes. If it wasn't for the way she covered her mouth with her hand before reaching out to him and turning him around, he would have been confused. Yuri had scars, too many and Estelle hadn't realized this because they were all on his back. "Yuri…" He closes his eyes in acceptance that Estelle was probably going to question as to why he hadn't said anything. "When did you get these?"
He sighed as he felt her cool hands trace some of the cuts left behind "They're from when you were kidnapped by Alexei. I guess you can say I got a little reckless during battle." He doesn't move as her hands slide down his back, nor when she leans her head against him.
He could just picture her sorrow with the softness in her voice that wavered ever so slightly as she speaks "I could have gotten rid of them of you."
"Nah." He says, sounding pleased with what he had "I like my battle scars." He waits for her to move away from him before he lays on the bed with his hands behind his head and a knee propped up "They remind me of everything we went through."
"They do?" Estelle looked over to him with a questioning glance shyly edging her way to him.
Yuri closes his eyes and gives a slanted grin showing his pride in having them "Yep, they're proof that I worked hard to protect what I care about, so even if you can get rid of them I wouldn't let you!"
Estelle giggles a bit smiling fondly at him before laying down on her side facing Yuri "Thank you. I care about you too." Yuri glances at her for a moment and has to look away because the way she looks is just so enchanting and pure that if he stared too long she would catch him breathless. "Yuri." She calls out for him in her soft tone making it hard for him to breath. "Where did you go while you were traveling?"
"I went to visit the places where I killed those bastards." He sighs and looks up at the canopy "I thought I could use some time to think about why I killed them after I started feeling regret."
"I thought you said you didn't regret what you did because it was for the good of the people." she mentions a bit confused, she shifts to partially sit up and looks down at him only he wished she didn't because it only made his heart hurt.
"I did but…" He became quiet looking at her in the eyes for a moment and he looked away again, unable to say it out loud.
"But?" She inquired, still looking down at him.
He sits up shifting so that he's looking at her face to face, he crosses his legs and rests his head on his hand "Estelle what do you think of when you look at me?" she's taken aback by this and can't help but let a soft pink shade tint her cheeks. "Try getting straight to the point, no mushy stuff."
"Well… um…" She looks over to him embarrassed as she plays with her fingers gingerly thinking of words that describe what she felt. "Well I think of home, safety, and… I-If I'm going to be honest I-I..." taking a breath she holds her hands close to her chest before admitting "When I look at you I fall in love!" She says and it's only a few seconds before she hides her face behind her hands feeling the heat resonate to her cheeks once more. His heart gets caught in his throat as he lets his gaze fall from her, but he doesn't show any signs of being phased. "I'm in love with you Yuri."
Instead of giving an immediate response he looks up and just drops onto the bed again a hand dropping over him to hide his face "You're in love with me." He chuckles pathetically sounding like his voice was about to crack any moment "That's the one thing I didn't want." Hurt by this Estelle looked at him grimacing as she clutched her hands, she could feel her tears welling in her eyes hearing this and all, she wanted to hide. "Now I know I want to take what I did back." He continues as Estelle looks away not wanting to face him at the moment. She found her voice was lost and was unable to say anything "If I hadn't killed them then I'd be sure I would never hurt you, I could promise to always treat you right, but now I wonder if I can really live with this." Upon hearing this Estelle whips her head back to look at him, anger evident in her expression. "One day this might be too much to bear and I might lose control. I'm afraid I might hurt you."
Estelle looked down at her hands now placed on her lap. She thinks about what he says for a moment and responds in the most efficient ways she could think of. "Yuri, look at me." She said sternly but he didn't move. "I said look at me!" All he did was move his head opposite to her making her puff out her cheeks as she gracefully swung a leg over his abdomen and let the weight of her body knock the air out of him.
"What the hell Estelle?" He angrily looks her in the eyes which she responded to pressing his cheeks together with her bare hands to make sure he wouldn't move his head.
"I love you because of who you are and the things you've done." She says straight out finding a new form of courage "I don't care who you've killed because that the cause was to help this world and that's why Ioder and Flynn are proud of you as well. Sure everyone might have not been accepting of it at first, but we all came through with it because we all love you Yuri!" She kept her eyes locked on his even after she loosened the pressure she put on his face "I told you before that I know that if you were to cross swords with me it would be for a reason. You're a man of justice Yuri, not one who seeks evil and without you, I doubt that this world would be the way it is, people would still be suffering, children and adults alike losing their lives over greed and selfishness." The tears she had been so bravely holding back begin to drip onto his face as if cleaning him from his pain and regrets "Don't ever regret the choices you made, because those choices are what saved a lot of lives. You may be blunt, rude, mischievous, a jerk, dense, ruthless, impulsive, and prideful but you're so selfless that none of that really matters. It doesn't matter to me because what I see is someone brave and kind. You have a good heart."
The dark haired man for once allows her to see what he feels in that moment, a look of tenderness makes it to his eyes as he reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear then wipe her tears off her cheeks. "Estelle…" He whispers giving an apologetic smile "What did I do to deserve you? You're too good of a person."
"And so are you." she whispers back her voice giving a soft crack "We balance each other out, that's why even if you can't accept my feelings, I know that I will always- I will always-"
Estelle was silenced with a kiss, and she could swear her heart stopped. He had pushed himself up just enough to reach her. His eyes were closed, his breathing was heavy, and the hold he had on her was strong but still delicate. It took her a moment to realize what was happening before she too shut her eyes and enjoyed the newly shared intimacy. He kept it innocent for her, but she begged for a little more by biting his lip; His hands would wander, but she wouldn't let them stray too far.
They felt like they were practically melting into each other wishing for this moment to last eternally, but needing to restrain the both of them from taking things further than needed. Yuri pulls away and simply gazes into her eyes. She looks back affectionately at the man below and he too decides to show his love and care for the young lady. Laying back down all the way his hand makes it to her head and guides it so that she lays it against his chest where she can hear his heartbeat. He brings his arms around to hold her, and caresses her back softly.
To them this moment is serine, a peace that they yearned for the longest time. Even in the comfortable silence, they don't need words to know that they are each other's balance, they keep each other aligned. This is what makes Yuri realize that she's the one who keeps him sane, that without her he probably wouldn't have lived to see the day. He needs her and wants her in his life, that's why he let down all fronts, all barriers that hid him from her, and in the silence of the room, just when he thought she was about to fall asleep, he whispers to her with his low voice reaching her "I love you." She held her breath finding herself speechless "You're what gives my life a reason to live, so even if I wanted to I can't ever tell you that I don't."
"Then from tonight on we should be together." She says happily closing her eyes.
"After tonight on we should go back to just being traveling companions." He corrected bluntly continuing to look at the veils above them unphased by the situation.
Estelle shifts so that she's leaning over to peer down at his face frowning. "Why can't we be together?"
Yuri looks back at her with no expression and tells her "I don't want you to get hurt because of me."
Which she cleverly retorts with "I'll only be hurt if I'm not with you."
"Flynn and the council won't approve."
"Ioder will."
"Rita would kill me."
"She'll take it out on Karol or Raven."
"Raven will get Jealous."
"You sound proud."
"I'll end up settling down."
"Or I can go with you."
"What about having kids?"
"You want kids?"
"Yeah, at least two."
"Well, we could move to Dahngrest if you'd like? By then I'm sure Ioder can manage without me."
"Better start saving up money for that then."
"A small house would be fine."
"With kids? Nah, we'd need a whole yard!"
"You're really thoughtful aren't you?"
"Any names in mind?"
"How about Ophir? It means gold."
" Ophir it is."
"What about another dog? Repede will get lonely eventually."
"Maybe, we'd have to take it up with him. Although if he's still around when we do have kids I doubt he'd be okay with it."
Before they knew it, Estelle had practically persuaded her way into Yuri's heart. They had planned out years worth of stuff, from their dream home to what they planned to teach their kids. Their conversation got so deep and heated that they almost forgot about sleep till silence settled and they were left with smiles and illusions playing in their minds.
"What if something happened to me?" He asks after a while starting to drift into a slumber state.
"Then I'll head back to the castle, and raise them on my own just the way we plan." She responds reassuringly wrapping her arms around him closing her eyes hearing the rhythmic beating of his heart. "I'd tell them of your adventures and how great of a person you are. I'd remind them of you, and teach them about justice."
"How would you live?" He asked, holding her tightly, not wanting to let her go."
"I will be heart broken, but I know that you would have died for the good of the people and see you in the eyes of our children."
"Would you be able to put up with that?"
"I'm stronger than you think."
"Alright." Just like that they had fallen asleep, holding each other throughout the night no regrets in mind, and no pain to remorse over. Just hope and light for the future that they both hold.
The next morning they woke up beside one another and Estelle continued to feel the need to convince him to be with her. So daringly and promptly she woke him up with a series of kisses, that he found to be arousing with how she bravely trailed down his neck then back to his lips as if it were a normal thing to do between them. A moan came from him as a result and he opened a single eye to peek at her. "You shouldn't do that you know." He says but he goes ignored as she kisses him roughly and deeply. Her biting eventually became accepting, and her hands took no shyness in discovering his body, she especially traced his scars knowing it was sensitive flesh. "You've been reading too many books." He manages to say between kisses and he knows she's listening when she smiles into the kiss. Grabbing her by the waist, he wastes no time in flipping her over and kissing her in a similar way to how she did. "Was it your plan to seduce me?" She giggles as he breathes into her neck playfully teasing her.
Both their hands wander without boundaries, their lips make way to their necks, they press against each other without shame, and just when they were going to take things to a level far more intimate than they had even expected, the door swings open and their heads snap and look to the door. There stood their friends, one smiling, another crying, the youngest looking dazed, and the teenager about to lose her head.
"Oh my."
"Ya'll are grown' up so fast."
"What's going on?"
"I'm going to KILL you!" Rita was about to stomp her way over to massacre Yuri but Karol quickly attempted to drag Rita down by grabbing her by the waist. "Let go of me you little runt!"
"Rita you can't kill Yuri! He's our best fighter!" Karol pleads and ends up getting beat by her instead.
"Rita it's okay!" Estelle says clapping her hands together "After all." Estelle smiles brightly, her face turning pink. "Yuri and I are getting married!" and before they know it the genius mage turns red in embarrassment while the others look over in shock. The princess looked confused at their reactions and Yuri only covered his face with his hand refusing to show the blush making its way to his face. "What?"
END
It's been a few years since I wrote a fic! Hopefully you all enjoy this one if there are still people in this community. Thank you so much for the support! Sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors!