Disclaimer – For more disclaiming, check earlier chapters.
Inspiration – More Pajama stories because I felt like it
A/N – None of the snippets are meant to be inter-connected, so don't worry if things don't entirely mesh from one section to the next. (Though the first two could be inter-connected, which was totally unintentional.)
Around the House
Flynn liked watching Yuri wander around the house in just his pajamas. There was something really nice about that sort of thing. Domestic even.
Not that Flynn intended to ever so much as imply to Yuri that he was being domestic in some way… other than when he was cooking, since that was always hilarious. Flynn didn't want to chance Yuri deciding to stop wearing the night clothes around the house out of pique. (Fortunately, Yuri would never stop cooking, if only because Flynn was so inept whenever he tried to be spontaneous or interesting when he made the meals.)
When Yuri wandered about in just his pajamas, it reminded Flynn that this was their house. Their home together. They could relax and be comfortable here without worrying about what someone else might think. The fabric was softer than Yuri's normal clothes and he seemed… unguarded in some way that he wasn't normally.
"Stop being introspective. You get that look on your face and I have to wonder what mundane thing you're getting all philosophical over this time," Yuri said, making Flynn shift around so that the raven-haired man could move to sit beside him on the couch.
"Pajamas," Flynn declared, earning the hoped for snort of laughter.
On the Couch
"I can't find my stretchy pants. You know, the ones that are super comfy sleep in but aren't technically pajama pants," Yuri complained to Flynn, scowling at the dresser drawer. "I had them last night..."
"I think they're still where we discarded them this morning," Flynn responded thoughtfully. "Draped over the couch. Do you… really need to wear them? I'm sort of thinking they'll just get in the way again."
Yuri snickered in amusement, before standing up to kiss Flynn. "If you think you're being subtle, you're really not," Yuri assured him.
"Oh, I don't know, I think I remember someone who didn't get what our Captain meant by 'the bigger twin' who might have been a little confused..." Flynn yelped and then let out a shriek of laughter as Yuri tackled him to the bed and sent his hands straight to Flynn's weakest spots.
"Tickle war!" Yuri declared, cheerfully taking advantage of how much more ticklish his lover was.
Ungodly Hours of the Night
Stealthily, Yuri sneaked out from under the covers, into his robe, and out of the room. He headed for the kitchen and started up a pot of chamomile tea in hopes that it might help him go to sleep. He'd been trying for hours, laying there with Flynn, but what normally lulled him to sleep – the soft sound of Flynn's breathing and the thumping of Flynn's heart beneath Yuri's ear – was only making him increasingly tense instead.
He'd gotten back from Dahngrest this morning and there was a small box burning a hole in Yuri's travel bag. Metaphorically, anyway, or Flynn might have noticed the flames.
"Something bothering you?" Flynn asked.
Yuri jumped and nearly fell over, whirling around to look at Flynn. "I didn't mean to wake you," he blurted out, heart thudding.
"And I didn't mean to startle you," Flynn replied with an amused smile. "I thought you heard me; I'm sorry."
"No, it's… I was kind of lost in thought."
"I noticed. Making tea?" Flynn asked, settling at the table.
"Chamomile," Yuri agreed, adding more water to the kettle at Flynn's unspoken request. "Really, I'm sorry I woke you..."
"It's fine," Flynn insisted, "I just… don't sleep well without you. Try adding the valerian root; it always helps knock me out when I can't sleep."
Yuri raised an eyebrow, but added some to his tea mix as recommended. "Really can't sleep without me, huh?"
Flynn flushed slightly. "I… it's… your… presence is comforting, that's all."
Laughing softly, Yuri pinched the tea infusers shut and dropped them in the cups to await the hot water. "I usually sleep better with you too, but I guess I'm just a little wound up tonight. Or this morning. What time is it, anyway?"
"Early enough to still be late, and late enough that I'd have a hell of a time staying awake tomorrow morning if I hadn't already taken the day off for your birthday." Flynn paused, then asked, "is this about your birthday?"
"Kind of." Yuri shrugged and settled into the chair beside Flynn's, propping his arm up on the kitchen table. "Remember how I got my birthday?"
"Yeah… it was kind of presumptuous of me, wasn't it?" Flynn smiled self-consciously and Yuri reached out to hold his hand gently.
"A little, yes, but I liked the sentiment. It bothered me when you first brought up birthdays. I didn't know when mine was, so I might as well not have one, and it never struck me as weird until I realized that… being a street kid meant there were a lot of things normal kids had that I didn't. Not just parents or a warm place to sleep or knowing that there are people who care enough to provide for you… but having someone who wanted to celebrate the day you were born because you're precious to them. And then you said that we could celebrate the day we met as my birthday. You were already sharing your dad and your home with me, but that… you wanted to always celebrate the day I came into your life.
"I was so embarrassed when I started crying," Yuri added in an undertone, a little amused that this time Flynn was the one wiping at his eyes.
"You are precious to me," Flynn declared, his grip on Yuri's hand tightening briefly for emphasis.
"I love you too," Yuri responded quietly
They sat there in peaceful silence until the whistling of the teapot interrupted them. Once the water was poured, Yuri set the mugs in front of them on the table and then cradled his, waiting for the tea to finish steeping.
"So you just got lost in thought about when we were kids, or was it something more?" Flynn finally asked.
"Ah… well, Brave Vesperia has been doing really well lately. Karol and I have been thinking of sort of… splitting it into two branches. One branch will do jobs on just this continent and the other will work just Tolbyccia. Judy wants to spend more time with Ba'ul, so we might do a third branch with her in charge, just sort of wandering the world on the Fiertia. We're still ironing out the final details, but it's pretty much set that Karol is going to run the Tolbyccia branch and… I'll be running the Illyccia branch. Since I'll be on just one continent, it means I can be here, in Zaphias with you, more often." He paused, adding, "if we get work in Hypionia or Desier, then I may still get called down there, but it's more likely to fall on Judy and her team."
Flynn lit up with a grin. "I know you'll miss traveling the world all the time, but I love the idea of getting to see you more often." He paused, frowning, "you're not doing this just for me, are you?"
"No." Yuri reached over and swatted Flynn's arm lightly. "Though I can't say you weren't a factor. I love the idea of spending more time with you. I can't say I'll miss long boat rides either; it might be cooler when the boat is flying thanks to a giant feather whale-dragon, but long boat rides are long boat rides and eventually the whole thing gets a little old. There's plenty of work to be had on Tolbyccia alone and… as much as I enjoy traveling, narrowing how far I travel and making Zaphias my home base again has become more and more appealing these last few years.
"I don't want to settle down completely or anything, but I… if I get too far away from here these days, I wind up missing you so much it hurts." Yuri shrugged and tugged lightly on the tea infuser's chain, pretending to be fascinated by the ripples in the tea's surface.
"Like your chest is being crushed because something, maybe something small or silly or stupid, made you think of sharing it with me, only… I'm too far away," Flynn filled in quietly. "I have days like that too. I just want to rush home and tell you about my day, or drag you along to some event, but… we each have our jobs and our lives. We knew the long-distance would be hard on our relationship when we chose to start it, but that doesn't make the days when I miss you any easier."
"Well this should help, at least," Yuri said, relieved to hear that Flynn had those same bad days he did. Much as he disliked it when Flynn suffered, at least this was a shared suffering.
"So, how much more often are we talking about. Once every other month or..."
"Probably more like a week every month at first while I'm training the new team members and then… we'll have a guild house set up in the public quarter and I'll probably spend a lot of time running that. So, in the end, I'll be here more often than not. At least three weeks out of a month..." he trailed off at Flynn's shocked look.
"You are settling down," Flynn accused.
Yuri scowled into his tea and then plucked out the infuser. Scooping some sugar (okay, lots of sugar) into his tea, he grumbled, "I am not turning domestic."
"Yeah, sure you aren't," Flynn drawled dryly. "Is that what's bugging you? Deciding to settle down, by your standards?"
"I… well..." Yuri tried to sip his tea, but it was still too hot. "I was going to ask you something tomorrow -"
"Later today, you mean?" Flynn interjected.
"- but I'll ask now instead," Yuri continued, ignoring the interruption. He got up, crossed over to where his bag was sitting, mostly forgotten, on the floor by the door. Pulling out the box, he went back to the table and sat it in front of Flynn, who stared at it like it was a Fake-Box waiting to attack.
"That is not an encouraging look on your face."
"Sorry. Just… is that what I think it is?"
"What do you think it is?" When Flynn opened his mouth to respond, Yuri interrupted in exasperation. "Just open it."
Flynn opened the box. Inside sat two delicate looking rings made of intertwined silver and everlight. "Oh my..." Flynn carefully lifted one out and examined it closely, his tea utterly forgotten.
"I know we've pretty much already promised each other forever, but… I figure I ought to make an honest man out of you."
There was a mirthful snort as Flynn gave Yuri a very dry look. "You make me honest? Or is it the other way around?"
"I'm the one proposing."
"You haven't actually asked anything yet."
"Flynn Scifo… you are precious to me," Yuri reached out and entwined their fingers together again. "Will you marry me?"
When relating the story later, Flynn insisted that he did not cry.
Dog-Eyed View
Repede liked to teach things to the younger dogs and cats in Zaphias – primarily those in the Lower Quarter. Mostly he taught things like how best to catch pests such as squirrels and where the warmest places in the winter were. But the ones who had pet humans got special classes.
How to take care of your emotionally stunted pets. In return for them feeding, petting, and providing a home, it was important to care for a pet human's emotional state.
When a human is sad, they need to be cuddled. Humans love cuddling, but don't often think to ask for it. Cuddling, however, is guaranteed to boost their emotional wellness. So when a pet human is sad, go sit beside them and curl up next to them, or on their lap if you're small enough to do so. Put your head under their hand to ask for petting, as they find the action as soothing as a dog or cat does. Lick away their tears if they cry.
If a human is too sedate, then demand they get up and go on a walk. Get them to play with you, or go outside the barrier and fight monsters if that's their preferred form of exercise.
However, there are more difficult emotional states to deal with. Obliviousness in the face of a desire to become someone's mate when the attraction is mutual – that's a particularly vexing emotional state, especially when both your pets feel that way towards one another. There are a lot of ways to deal with this problem, however. Tripping them into one another, tangling a leash around their legs, 'accidentally' locking them in a small room together… Repede had a ridiculous number of stories to share with the younger generation of pet owners about the trials and tribulations of setting up human pets to become involved with their mate. It would be so much simpler if humans could smell attraction like a normal animal, but that was just one of many reasons why they were pets and needed cats and dogs to guide them.
Now if only he could train his pets to stop leaving their pajamas all over the house… maybe if he started using them to build a nest, it would get the message across.
100 Degrees
Yuri tried to blink away the fuzziness in his head when he woke up, but there was far too much of it. The room was too bright anyway and, with a groan of frustration, Yuri brought up his hands to cover his eyes.
"Yuri, are you awake?"
Frowning in concentration, Yuri brought his hands down. He sat up on his elbows and studied the blond perched on the edge of his bed (who was, in turn, studying Yuri with a combination of relief and amusement).
"When did you get here?" Yuri asked. This was Dahngrest and Flynn was supposed to be in Zaphias… right?
"I heard you were really sick. Judith and Ba'ul brought me here to see you." Flynn reached out and brushed the back of his hand against Yuri's forehead. "Still feverish," he murmured softly.
"I feel awful," Yuri agreed, closing his eyes and leaning in to Flynn's touch. His hand felt so good…
"I'll bet you do. But better now than before. Your fever was pretty bad when I got here, but it broke late last night. I'd bet you're down around a hundred degrees now. Hopefully you'll be closer to normal this afternoon." Flynn let his hand drop away and Yuri whined in displeasure.
Flopping back onto the bed, Yuri turned towards Flynn and reached out to hold his hand. "Just woke up; why'm I still so tired?" he grumbled, eyes already sliding closed again.
"Because recovering from being sick is tiring," Flynn reassured him. "Get some more rest and, at lunch, I promise you can have soup that Judith has made just for you."
"Judy made it?" Yuri echoed. Flynn replied in the affirmative. "You didn't help at all?"
This time Flynn laughed. "Not at all."
"Okay, then. Sounds good. Stay here with me?"
"For as long as you need me," Flynn promised.
As Yuri fell back into a restful sleep, he whispered, "always need you."