A/N: woot, chapter 3 is up! I hope it will be to your liking. It's almost twice as long as the first two. Hehe... I imagine there won't be any complaints about it. :)
Also, I changed the category of the story. I know I put it in Romance/Humour, because there will be more humour than angst. But as someone pointed out to me, I'll just keep it in the Romance category to prevent confusion. There will be some angst in this story, but nothing alarming. It's not going to be a sob fest.
Thanks again to all my reviewers and to those who put this story on their fav and alert lists. Thank you!
And a special thanks to my beta PeachteaKT for editing the chapter.
Enough with my blabbering; have fun reading!
Fall For You
Act III : Wounds
If there was one word to describe Yuri Lowell, it would be mysterious. No matter how much Flynn hung out with the other male, he just could not understand him. There were many things Yuri kept absolutely secret; his parents, his past, his second job… Flynn was growing curious to know more about Yuri, but he did not ask. He knew it was rude to inquire about someone else's private life. Flynn just hoped Yuri would tell him eventually.
After the night at the movies, Flynn did not dare ask Yuri about the man's identity. He knew he would not get an answer anyway, and he would only risk making the dark haired man upset. It was obvious by the way Yuri acted that night that he was uncomfortable with the idea of Flynn knowing about his second job. Yuri quickly left that night with the older man so that the man would not reveal any more about his secret.
Flynn was worried by this, but he said nothing. He and Yuri were not even friends, so it was none of the blonde boy's business. Still, Flynn wanted to know more about Yuri. He did not know yet if it was out of pure curiosity or because he wanted them to be friends. He guessed it was a mix of the two.
One day in the week after the incident, Flynn was listening distractedly as Yuri and Rita rehearsed on stage. The blonde could not even concentrate on listening as his thoughts swirled in his head. Not being able to take it anymore, Flynn looked at Judith, sitting next to him and reading her own text.
"Judith, do you mind if I ask you a question?" he asked politely. The blue haired girl lifted her head and smiled sweetly at him.
"I don't mind at all. What is it?" she inquired, ever so patiently. Flynn hesitated, but he finally asked what was on his mind.
"Do you know about Yuri's other job? I know he works in a bakery, but he told me he has another job." Judith was surprised by his question at first, but soon enough, her smile turned sly.
"What's this I hear? You're curious about him now?" she taunted. Flynn frowned.
"Not, it's not that," he denied, but he could see Judith was not fooled.
"Okay, I'm a little curious, but more worried. Last week, an older guy went to talk to Yuri. He kind of gave me a bad impression. He mentioned his job, and Yuri left with him in a hurry," Flynn told Judith worriedly. Judith could see Flynn was genuinely worried and bothered by it. She sighed.
"I wish I could help you, Flynn, but I'm afraid he hasn't told anyone about his job. We asked him, but he doesn't want to tell us," she admitted in a saddened tone. Flynn nodded.
"I see. Why though? Is he ashamed of it?" he wondered out loud. Judith looked thoughtful as her eyes fell on Yuri, who was reciting his text on the stage.
"I wonder… I guess the only way for you to find out is to ask him directly," she proposed.
Flynn did not answer. He already knew that he could not ask. It would push Yuri away from him for good, and he did not want that. Not anymore.
"Ugh, I can't think anymore!" Yuri complained. Flynn sighed as an amused smile stretched across his lips.
"I guess this calls for a break, then," he said, putting down his pen.
Yuri stretched as his back was beginning to feel sore. He and Flynn had been working on their assignment in Yuri's apartment for almost two hours straight, and that was more than he could handle. He needed some fresh air. Plus, Yuri was getting hungry. A sudden idea bloomed into his head. Yuri suddenly jumped to his feet.
"Yuri?" Flynn asked with confusion, wondering what the dark haired male was doing. Yuri flashed a beaming smile at Flynn.
"Let's go out! I'll take you somewhere!" he said to the blonde. The latter frowned, but made no movement to follow.
"What's with you? You're all hyper suddenly," Flynn commented on Yuri's strange behavior. Yuri chose not to answer him. Instead, he grabbed the blonde's arm and pulled him to his feet.
"Come on, you said we could take a break, so we'll go out for a while!" he insisted.
Now really curious as to what could cause such a reaction from Yuri, Flynn let himself be pulled to the entrance where they both put on their coats. He figured he would learn soon enough.
Flynn was confused when they stopped in front of the bakery Exquisite Delights.
"This is where you wanted to go? But you work here! What's so exciting about that?" Flynn asked, trying to comprehend. Yuri did not answer and entered the bakery. Flynn followed him in confusion.
When the girl behind the counter recognized Yuri, she smiled warmly at him.
"Yuri! Why am I not surprised to see you here? Oh, you brought a friend this time around?" the girl with the long brown hair asked, looking appreciatively at Flynn. The latter acted as if he did not notice.
Yuri froze at the use of the word "friend". He threw a quick glance a Flynn.
"Yeah. And I thought you had a boyfriend, Ellie," Yuri pointed out with amusement, having noticed the way she was looking at Flynn. Ellie pulled a pouting face, much like Yuri often did.
"Aw, it's a shame. You just want to keep him for yourself, admit it!" she teased Yuri, who smirked when he saw the slight blush that colored Flynn's cheeks at the ambiguous comment the girl made.
"Whatever you say. I'll take the usual," Yuri demanded.
Flynn, who was not hungry, only ordered a coffee. The blonde's eyes widened when he saw what Yuri's usual was. It consisted in a cheese cake, a chocolate ice-cream sundae, brownies and a mug of hot chocolate. Flynn did not comment on this until they were both seated at a table.
"If this is what you "usually" eat, how come you're not fat?" he said, still astonished at what Yuri was about to eat. Yuri only shrugged his shoulders.
"I guess I have a good metabolism," he answered before taking a spoonful of ice cream.
The happiness displayed on his face was so genuine that he looked like a child. It could not be more obvious now that Yuri had a sweet tooth. Working in a bakery was fitting for him, in a way. Flynn was glad he came to know that side of Yuri. He had never seen him so happy before.
Yuri noticed Flynn was staring at him. It made him smirk. Why not play a little? It might be fun to test the blonde's boundaries a little… He took another spoonful of vanilla ice cream and slowly inserted it in his mouth, tasting the sweet flavor as he hummed in contentment. Just like he predicted, Flynn stiffened and his eyes did not leave him for a second. Yuri kept on the show, greatly amused by Flynn's reaction at his little game.
Flynn could not tear his gaze away from the dark haired male as he ate his sundae in a… particular way. Flynn felt his cheeks burn up at the display as his mind could not help wandering in places he did not want it to. What was wrong with him? Flynn had to find something to say as to divert his thoughts from their course.
"So, I'm your friend now?" Flynn asked and watched as Yuri stopped eating and looked at him. He did not answer right away, as he seemed to debate on the question.
"I don't know; is the idea of being friends with me that disturbing?" Yuri teased Flynn with a smirk. The blonde shook his head, an amused smile on his lips.
"I don't know yet; I'm still debating in my head," he answered evasively. Yuri chuckled and went back on savoring the sweets laid out in front of him.
Yuri did not mind not having a clear answer. He himself did not know what to call their strange relationship. They were not exactly friends, in Yuri's opinion, but they did not hate each other anymore either. It was… confusing. Oh well. Yuri did not think it really mattered. He liked spending some time with the blonde, so why try to complicate things?
Ellie and the other employee that worked in the back were secretly observing the two friends as they sat and talked at one of the tables. Ellie elbowed her colleague.
"Look, Yuri's pulling that stunt again," she whispered excitedly. The other employee looked confusedly at the duo as he did not understand.
"What stunt?" he asked in a whisper. Ellie's smile widened.
"He's flirting with the handsome blonde. Look at how he's eating his sweets. And seeing the look on Blondie's face, I'd say he's not totally unaffected. Kyaaa!" she squealed, totally excited by the situation.
The male employee looked at her strangely and sighed. He would never understand that girl's strange fascinations.
Flynn looked over what Yuri and he managed to finish for their assignment.
"We're almost done! We should be able to finish it Saturday," Flynn announced, but he did not know if he was truly glad or not.
After all, it was the main reason he and Yuri saw each other outside of school. Then again, there were always the rehearsals, and Raven wanted them to hang out together. Yuri looked bothered.
"Yeah, about that… Sorry, I can't Saturday. I promised I'd be somewhere," he answered, still as mysterious as ever. Flynn frowned and looked at their schedule.
"That's a problem. We have to finish the assignment by next Monday," he said. Yuri contemplated the idea for a moment, but soon he got an idea.
"Look, how about we split what work we have left in half, and I'll get my part done by Friday?" Yuri suggested. It would leave him two days to finish his part. He would manage somehow, even if he had a loaded schedule.
Flynn nodded. "Okay, let's do that, then," he agreed.
The blonde was tempted to ask Yuri where he was going, but he thought it was probably not his business. He looked at his watch.
"We should go; it's time for rehearsal," he pointed out.
Yuri nodded and they both gathered their things before leaving the library's study room. Once out of the library, they walked together in a comfortable silence for a while before Yuri turned towards Flynn.
"By the way, how is it going? Getting used to this town? You've been here for a little more than a month, right?" he asked. Flynn was surprised that Yuri kept track.
"It's fine. I like this town. I wouldn't mind staying here," he said truthfully.
Flynn had been all around the world. He travelled so much that he did not even remember what it felt like to be home. He never let himself get attached. He thought there was no use, since he would just pack up and leave again. But here… he liked it here. This town felt different somehow. Flynn could get used calling it home.
"Well, you can always stay here, you know," Yuri said without really thinking over his words.
Flynn threw him a surprised look. Yuri felt embarrassed by what he just said. The dark haired male turned his gaze away.
"Well, what I mean is that if your parents leave again, you can stay here if you want. You'll just have to move into an apartment and get a job. Kind of like me. But that's if your parents don't help you with your tuition," he explained.
A smile painted the blonde's lips. He had never really given this a thought. Flynn stayed with his parents because they paid for his studies and for everything he needed. He had never really thought about getting his independence until now and it was Yuri who pointed it out to him. Unbelievable.
"It's a possibility. By the way, were you implying that you would be sad if I left?" Flynn asked with curiosity. He did not expect to see embarrassment wash over Yuri's face.
"Don't go taking your fantasies for reality!" Yuri replied in a not so natural way. Flynn's smile widened.
"It's okay, don't hide it," he replied teasingly. Teasing Yuri was so much fun, he realized. However, it seemed there was a limit to how much teasing Yuri could take.
Flynn saw Yuri getting annoyed, but the dark haired male did not have time to do anything as two feminine arms wrapped around both their shoulders, pressing them against none other than Judith, who was bearing her trademark smile.
"Well, isn't it my two favorite guys! It seems you're getting along better recently," Judith hinted and there was something in her voice that Flynn did not like. Yuri pulled and annoyed face.
"No way! You're just imagining things!" he protested, but Judith knew better. She decided not to comment on it and she smiled inwardly.
She had so much in store for those two. They would never see it coming.
Friday morning, Flynn was on his way to his morning class when a familiar voice called his name. He turned around to see Yuri walking towards him. He was surprised to see him here. Yuri did not have classes Friday mornings. In fact, Flynn remembered Yuri was supposed to work that morning. When Yuri stopped in front of Flynn, the latter immediately saw the tiredness reflected on the dark haired male's face.
"Morning, Yuri. What are you doing here?" he asked with surprise. Yuri handed a pile of papers to Flynn.
"I finished my part for the assignment. Since I walk by the school to go to work, I thought I would give it to you already," he answered. Flynn took Yuri's work.
"Thanks. Are you okay? You look like you didn't sleep that much last night," he asked out of concern. Yuri pulled a tired smile.
"Yeah, well, I didn't sleep at all last night. I finished working late and I spent the rest of the night working on this," he explained. Flynn threw him a disapproving glare.
"Are you serious? That's not good for your health!" Flynn admonished him. Yuri shook his head.
"Yes, mother. Don't worry. I'm going to catch up on my sleep somehow. Maybe in my afternoon class," he said with humor. Flynn sighed.
"I should have known. I was curious though; why do you have two jobs? Isn't working at the bakery enough to cover your living expenses?" Flynn asked and frowned when he saw Yuri's amused expression waver. He did not answer at first.
"It is, but I still need the money," he answered simply. Knowing he would not learn more, Flynn did not inquire more.
"I see. You should still fix that sleeping habit though," he scolded him softly. Yuri shook his head in exasperation.
"Whatever you say, Mom. See you later, Flynn," he said and stifled a yawn as he turned around.
Flynn bid him goodbye too and watched as Yuri walked away from him. He sighed. Yuri was beyond help. But somehow, it made Flynn smile. Who knew he could be so serious, spending the rest of the night working on the assignment instead of sleeping? Yuri never stopped surprising Flynn.
Saturday afternoon, Yuri took the bus to go to the other side of the city. After walking a short distance, he arrived at his destination. Yuri stopped in front of an orphanage. Like every time he visited, memories flooded his mind. The raven haired male never tried to chase them away as they were happy memories.
When Yuri circled the building, he came across the courtyard where the children of the orphanage were playing together. One of the adults recognized him and a warm smile appeared on her face. The old woman quickly closed the distance separating them and pulled Yuri into a tight embrace.
"Oh, Yuri! I'm so glad to see you! You haven't come in a while!" she exclaimed with emotion in her voice. Yuri returned the embrace with no hesitation.
"Hi, Nanny. It's good to see you too," he said with a smile. Yuri adored that woman.
She was the one who took care of him since he first came here. She had the patience of a saint. She never lost her temper despite Yuri's antics. Never.
When they pulled apart, the old woman put a hand on Yuri's cheek and smiled fondly at him.
"Look at you! Every time I see you, I can't help but tell myself that you've grown into a fine young man," she said with a glowing smile.
Yuri was embarrassed by her comments. She was always like that, reminiscing about the past and complimenting him.
"Stop that, Nanny. It's embarrassing," he muttered. The woman took her hand off of his cheek, but her smile did not fade.
"I'm only stating the truth. Do you have a girlfriend yet?" she asked out of curiosity. Yuri shook his head.
"Not yet. I've got other priorities right now," he answered.
Yuri never told her that his preferences lay in the same sex. He did not want to disappoint her, even if he knew that he would have to tell her eventually. Not now. Yuri pulled an envelope out of his coat and offered it to the woman. Her expression saddened.
"Oh, Yuri. I already told you; you don't have to help us. We can manage on our own," she said, hesitant to take the envelope.
Yuri shook his head. He took the old woman's hand and put the envelope containing the money in it.
"Take it. I want to help any way I can. It's not much, but still," he insisted and the woman took the envelope.
"Thank you. Since you're here, do you want to stay a little?" she offered. Yuri nodded.
"Yeah. I wanted to see Karol too. Is he inside?" he asked, looking over the woman's shoulder and into the courtyard. The woman turned around.
"No, he should be outside," she answered, trying to find the young boy. They did not have to search for long.
"Yuri!" an excited voice rang in the air as a young boy with a mop of hazelnut colored hair ran towards them. He jumped at Yuri and hugged him tightly.
"Karol! Hey, long time no see!" Yuri said, happy to see the boy. Karol lifted his eyes to look at Yuri's face. He glared at him and Yuri was taken aback by the change in attitude.
"You're mean, Yuri! You didn't come here for months!" he accused the raven haired male. Yuri drew an apologetic smile as he ruffled the boy's hair.
"Ah, sorry about that. I was a little busy with school and the theatre troupe. But I'm here today, and I got the entire afternoon free," Yuri said gently. Hope shone in Karol's eyes.
"Really? So you'll play with me?" he asked with hope. Yuri laughed and ruffled the brown hair again.
"Of course. Lead the way, Captain Karol!" he said in a serious tone.
Karol did not need to be told twice. He grabbed hold of Yuri's arm and pulled him away and towards the playground. The old woman watched them go with a warm smile on her lips.
The next Monday, Flynn and Yuri handed in their assignment. Since Yuri arrived to class at the last minute, Flynn had no time to talk to him before the end of the class. He went to the back of the class and sighed when he saw Yuri asleep on his desk. It was a wonder to Flynn how someone could fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position, but it was Yuri after all. Nothing about him surprised the blonde anymore. He stopped in front of the dark haired male's desk, and seeing he was not about to wake up, Flynn gently shook his shoulder. Yuri mumbled in his sleep and Flynn shook him harder. That did the trick.
Yuri lifted his head and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. When he recognized Flynn, he smirked sleepily at him.
"Hey, Flynn. What's up?" he asked him in a smug tone. Flynn shook his head.
"You're unbelievable, sleeping in class like that! How do you manage to get your grades?" he asked. Yuri stretched and yawned.
"I don't get good grades, but at least I pass," he answered and slowly gathered his things. Flynn stood there in silence, watching Yuri as he packed his bag and stood up.
Yuri noticed Flynn was staring at him in silence.
"Flynn? Did you have something to ask me or did you only want to stare at me? I know I'm handsome, but still," he joked, which made Flynn snap out of his staring. The blonde blushed.
"Sorry. Um, I wanted to ask you something. Since we don't have any assignments to do together anymore, would you like us to do some study sessions instead? I could help you prepare for your final exams. I know we still have a month, but it never hurts to be prepared," Flynn suggested and not even a second passed before he called himself stupid.
Like Yuri would want to do study sessions! The truth was that Flynn wanted to keep hanging out with Yuri, but he did not want to tell him that. He had warmed up to him and enjoyed his company. Well, not always. There were still some times when they pissed each other off, but it happened less often now.
Yuri threw him a strange look and Flynn thought he would dismiss the idea.
Yuri surprised him yet again when he talked; "Why not? But if we decide to study at your place, I want my revenge on Soul Calibur."
Flynn blinked a couple of times, after what he chuckled. That was Yuri for you.
"I already told you; you can't beat me. I'm just too good," Flynn taunted and a glint of challenge appeared in Yuri's eyes. He punched Flynn's arm.
"We'll see about that," he muttered as he took steps towards the classroom's exit. Flynn followed him, still chuckling at Yuri's antics.
It was now mid-November. The theatre troupe gathered in the amphitheatre after school for the rehearsal, but Raven was late. It was not surprising as there was a bad weather outside. Since Raven did not have any classes to give during the day, he was coming directly from his house. The troupe decided to stay and wait for Raven to show up. Some of them were practicing their texts, but the majority of the students were just talking amongst themselves.
Flynn was talking with Estelle and Rita, but the blonde kept throwing glances in the entrance's direction. He found it strange that Yuri was still not there. Just when he was about to ask Estelle if the dark haired male would be coming, said person entered the amphitheatre. Estelle greeted him happily. It took many seconds for Yuri to be aware of it.
"Oh, Estelle. Hi," he answered with a smile as he joined the trio, but his smile did not reach his eyes.
Flynn frowned. As he studied Yuri's face closer, he noticed his face was drawn and more tired than ever. Something was clearly wrong with him and it bothered Flynn. What was even stranger was that Estelle and Rita did not seem bothered by it, like they were used to it.
Yuri greeted Rita and Flynn and looked around the room.
"Raven isn't here?" he asked while frowning. Rita was the one who answered him distantly, eyes never leaving her book.
"No. He's probably caught in the weather outside." Yuri dropped his bag on the ground and sighed.
"Great. So that means we have nothing to do?" he asked. A scolding look appeared on Estelle's face.
"That's not true. We can always practice our texts," the pink haired girl suggested. By the face Yuri pulled, it was clear that he was not too fond of the idea. Flynn shook his head.
"Estellise is right, you know. We should practice as much as we can," Flynn agreed with his friend.
"I'm just not in the mood," Yuri said tiredly.
There was definitely something wrong with him, Flynn thought. Yuri loved acting, even if the character he had to impersonate was Juliet. Flynn wanted to know what bothered him, but he did not dare ask. He came to learn that asking Yuri too many prying questions was not something the latter particularly liked. Suddenly, a voice resounding from behind them caused them all to turn their attention on the stage.
"You'll definitely like this better, Yuri," Judith said as she emerged from the backstage with a big box full of costumes and accessories. Gauche and Droite followed her, holding similar boxes.
Yuri lifted an eyebrow. "What's all this?" he asked with confusion. Judith and the twins put the boxes on the ground. Everyone approached, intrigued.
"We went backstage and found all these old costumes and accessories. Pretty cool, huh?" Droite said with excitement.
"It might give us something to do until Raven is here," Gauche added.
Flynn thought it was a good idea. It might also help Yuri to forget a little about what was plaguing his mind.
"Great. What do you have in here?" Flynn asked, curious. Judith smiled and began to rummage through the box. Her smile widened after a few seconds.
"There are a lot of interesting things. Like this," she said and pulled something out of the box so quickly that no one had time to see what it was.
Judith quickly put the accessory on Yuri's head. Flynn blinked twice, not sure he was seeing right. After a few seconds, he knew he was not seeing things. Black bunny ears. Everyone looked at Yuri in silence. The latter touched the ears, confused, as he did not see what Judith had put on his head.
A second after, everyone burst out laughing at the sight of Yuri with bunny ears. Well, everyone except Flynn. He stared at the sight displayed in front of him and he could not help but think how cute Yuri was with those on. The thought should have disturbed Flynn, but it did not as he was too busy committing that view to his memory. Yuri frowned, not liking being the cause of the laughter.
"What's on my head? Judy, I swear if you put those damn bunny ears on me again, I'm going to shave your head in your sleep," he muttered darkly. Judith's smile widened.
"Then I better watch out from now on," she answered.
Yuri grabbed a hold of the accessory and removed it. He stared at the ears for a long time.
"Yuri, please, don't remove them! You look so cute with them on!" Estelle squeaked, saying out loud what Flynn was thinking.
Yuri did not even spare a look at Estelle as he took a few steps towards Judith with an evil glint in his eyes. The blue haired woman took a few steps back, never letting go of her smile.
"Judy…" the dark haired male seethed between his teeth. Judith understood it was time to run, and that's what she did.
She ran away towards the backstage. Yuri ran after her, screaming at the woman to come back here so he could begin his 'work'. Everyone laughed at the sight. Flynn smiled. He knew by the smile that graced Yuri's lips that it was only mock anger. Yuri was having fun. That was surely Judith's intention from the start. Flynn had no doubt about that. After having known her for as little as one month, Flynn already knew she was clever.
Flynn squatted in front of one of the boxes.
"So, what do we have in here?" he said with an amused smile.
These boxes were a real gold mine.
When Raven finally arrived at the amphitheatre, he was surprised by the antics of the members of the theatre troupe. They were running around on stage, fighting and laughing like ten years old kids. They were all wearing fuzzy accessories and costumes. Estelle was dressed as a prince and was narrating Flynn and Yuri's epic battle. The blonde male was dressed in an elegant suit from the Victorian era and Yuri wore a devil's outfit. They were clashing with weapons made of foam as their teammates cheered them on.
Judith was engaged in another heated fight, this time with the twins. She was wearing a kimono and was fighting with an umbrella against Gauche and Droite, who fought with rubber kunai as they were dressed as ninjas. Rita was sitting to the side, commenting the fights with fervor. She was not reading a book for once, as her attention was drawn by what was happening on stage. She wore a large hat that almost blocked her eyesight.
Raven approached the stage, his eyes never leaving his students. Estelle was the first to notice the director's arrival.
"Professor Raven!" she exclaimed with surprise.
Everyone stopped what they were doing, and they looked over to where Raven was standing.
Before anyone had time to explain what was happening here, Raven spoke with a voice full of emotion; "Oh, it brings tears to this old man's eyes to see my students have so much fun and getting along so well! Now I'll be able to die without regrets," he exclaimed dramatically. Many sighs were heard.
Yuri rolled his eyes, but he was still amused by his professor's antics. Raven climbed on stage and everyone thought that was their cue to remove their costumes and begin the rehearsal. They were all surprised when they saw Raven rummage into one of the boxes and pull out a really horrible wig. He put it on and earned many laughter directed at his funny appearance.
"What are you waitin' for? You won't let old Raven out of the fun, right? Let's continue!" he exclaimed. He was met by many pleased exclamations. Flynn and Yuri returned their attention to each other as smirks painted their lips.
There were so not going to let the other win this fight.
The next day, as Flynn was sitting in the cafeteria with Judith, Estelle and Yuri, he noticed that the latter was not feeling any better than the day before. The rehearsal the day before seemed to make him forget about what was plaguing him, but now it was back full force. The dark haired male was distractedly eating his food and did not participate in the conversation. Flynn threw him many worried glances, but Yuri's gray eyes never met his.
At some point, Yuri gave up on his lunch and stood up, drawing questioning glances from his friends.
"I'm not feeling well. I think I'll just go home for the day. Can you tell Raven I'll miss the rehearsal?" he asked with a tired voice. Judith smiled softly.
"Of course. Rest well, okay?" she whispered, understanding lingering in her eyes. Yuri nodded and left the cafeteria.
Flynn was really worried by Yuri's behavior. What could have affected him so much that he was not even trying to hide the fact that he was not feeling well? The blonde turned his attention back on the two girls. The way they exchanged glances told him straight away that they knew what was wrong with Yuri.
"What's going on with Yuri? He's been down for two days now and it's not like him," Flynn said, not trying to hide the concern he felt. Estelle's gaze saddened.
"He's always like that this time of the year. Especially since next week is…" she whispered sadly. She did not seem able to continue, so Judith finished for her.
"November the 22nd is the date Yuri's parents died many years ago," the blue haired girl said with sadness.
Flynn was shocked. Yuri's parents… were dead? He had no clue! Yuri never told him anything about it! Then Flynn remembered Yuri's reaction when he asked him if his parents were helping him monetarily. He remembered Yuri was very uncomfortable back then. But why did he not tell him that they had passed away? Flynn would have understood. Then again, maybe Yuri did not tell him because he did not want pity. That, he could understand.
"How?" he asked in a shocked whisper. Judith shook her head.
"We don't know the details apart that they died in a car accident," Judith answered.
Flynn did not know what to say to that. A car accident… Flynn could not even begin to imagine what Yuri must have felt to lose his parents in the blink of an instant. He felt a wave of compassion for Yuri. He could understand he needed solitude and space right now. Flynn would not ask him questions and he would wait for Yuri to come to him if he wanted to talk about it.
Flynn found out in the course of the next week that keeping his resolution was harder than he first thought. The concern he felt for Yuri only grew each passing day. He did not like seeing the ever cheerful and arrogant Yuri in such a depressed state. He barely listened in class and was always spacing out. He also lost some of his appetite. Flynn was finding it hard to take. He almost gave up and told Yuri that he could talk to him if he wanted. But he did no such thing. He had to respect Yuri's decision to go through this ordeal alone.
The 22nd arrived. When Flynn searched for Yuri at lunch time, he noticed he was not there. When he asked Judith and Estelle, they merely told him that Yuri never came to school that day of the year. Of course. It was his parent's anniversary of death. Flynn could understand, but it did not stop the worry that settled tightly in his chest. He did not like the idea of Yuri being alone in his apartment, with memories of that fateful day haunting his mind.
At the end of the day, Flynn walked towards the amphitheatre in a distracted state. He was really not in the mood to go to rehearsal right now. He kept thinking about Yuri the whole day, so much that he forgot to pay attention in most of his classes. He was debating on if he should go see Yuri or not, just to make sure he was okay. The dark haired male would surely be mad at him. Then again, Flynn thought that he could let him be mad at him, just as long as Yuri did not have to go through this alone.
Flynn was so lost in his thoughts that he did not even feel Judith's presence by his side until she had locked their arms together. Flynn jumped out of his skin.
Judith leaned in to whisper in his ear; "I bet you that right now, Yuri is in the town's cemetery." When Judith pulled away, Flynn could tell she was not lying. Judith was smiling, but her smile held a deep sadness.
Flynn stopped walking as he stared at Judith. Why was she telling him this? Judith held his gaze.
"You know, rehearsal will probably be pretty boring for you. Since Yuri is not here and many of your scenes are with him, you'll probably do nothing but listen to the others practicing. You might as well go home," she hinted and winked at Flynn before turning around and walking away from the motionless Flynn.
Judith was undoubtedly telling him to go find Yuri. Should he do it? Flynn bit his bottom lip as he thought about what he should do. Before he knew it, Flynn turned around and walked towards the school's exit. Once outside, he quickly walked the short distance to his house. On the way there, he looked at the graveyard's address on his cell phone. Judith did not tell him which one, but Flynn quickly found out that there was only one cemetery in town. It was behind the church, in the center of town. Flynn decided to borrow one of his parent's cars. It was too far for him to walk there.
The day was not too cold and it was raining instead of snowing despite it being almost wintertime. Flynn hoped Yuri brought an umbrella with him, but knowing him, the blonde was sure he did not have one. When he arrived home, Flynn entered only to drop his bag, take the keys to the Audi Sedan parked in the garage, and an umbrella.
He then left the house and went to the garage. He unlocked the car and climbed inside. Flynn rarely borrowed it, as he did not like to show off and that generally was what people thought when they saw him with the car. Flynn opened the garage's door and started the car. He drove out of the garage and closed the door before heading in the church's direction.
When he reached the church, Flynn parked the car and got out. He opened his umbrella to protect himself from the heavy rain. As he walked towards the graveyard's entrance, Flynn began to doubt Judith. What if she was wrong? Maybe Yuri was not here after all. Well, there was no harm in checking it out now that he was here, right?
Flynn entered the cemetery and walked slowly between the tombs. He was almost in the center of the graveyard, but there were no traces of the dark haired male anywhere. Flynn was about to turn away when he finally spotted a lone and familiar figure, standing in front of a gravestone at the back of the graveyard.
Flynn's gaze saddened and he moved towards Yuri. The latter heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder. His expression told of sadness and longing. Yuri was drenched through. His long hair was down and stuck to his forehead due to the cold rain. Yuri diverted his attention back to the gravestone when Flynn stopped at his side. Flynn extended the umbrella to protect Yuri from the rain too. He doubted it would change anything at that point, but he did not want Yuri's state to worsen.
Yuri drew a sad smile. "Judith told you where to find me, didn't she? She's the only one who knows where I go on this day of each year," he whispered. Flynn nodded.
"Yeah. She told me you'd be here," Flynn confirmed softly. Yuri nodded and silence fell on the two males.
Flynn did not know what to say, so he kept silent. It was not his place to say comforting words. He did not know Yuri's parents, and he certainly was not close enough to Yuri to say the right words. Flynn even doubted there were right words, so he just stared at the names written on the tombstone.
Here lies
Andrew Lowell
1965 – 1998
Keiko Murakami
1970 – 1998
Loving parents, husband and wife
Never to be forgotten
Flynn's mind quickly did the calculations. So Yuri's parents died thirteen years ago, and Yuri was twenty one years old. He was eight years old when they passed away. That must have been a hard blow. Flynn could not comprehend how Yuri felt, as he did not lose anyone important to him. Well, not in that term. It was another reason why he could not comfort Yuri with words.
Flynn looked at Yuri's face. The latter was looking at the gravestone with an expressionless face, but Flynn knew the thoughts were swirling in his mind. He wondered if the raven haired male ever cried. He did not see him like the kind to cry. Just as he was thinking that, Flynn saw a single lone tear escape Yuri's eye and run down his cheek. Flynn was hypnotized by it and he wanted nothing more than to wipe it away; to wipe away the sign of Yuri's agony. The dark haired male was doing a great job hiding what he felt, but that single tear betrayed him. Flynn did not comment on it. He knew he was surely not supposed to notice it.
They stayed in silence for a long while. Flynn knew Yuri needed some time to say whatever he wanted to say to his parents. He would respect that. Only when a violent shiver ran through Yuri's entire body did Flynn talk.
"I should bring you back to your apartment. You'll catch pneumonia if you stay in those wet clothes," Flynn whispered gently.
He put a hand on Yuri's back, probing him to walk away from the tomb. He thought Yuri would protest, but he did no such thing. The raven haired male nodded and let himself be led away from the tomb.
They walked in silence to Flynn's car. Yuri did not even comment on the car, which proved that he was really in a depressed state. Yuri climbed into the passenger seat, and while Flynn started the engine, he leaned his head against the window. He was still shivering, so Flynn drove a little faster than usual. Some time on the way, Yuri turned his head to look at the blonde. He called his name, and the blue pair of eyes shifted to him for a split second, telling him Flynn was listening.
"Thanks. You know, just for being there. You didn't ask annoying questions and I appreciate that," Yuri muttered embarrassingly. Flynn smiled softly.
"It's nothing. I know what it's like not wanting to have prying questions thrown at you. But… if you ever want to talk about it, about anything, I'll be there to listen, Yuri," Flynn offered in a soft voice, fighting against the slight blush that threatened to gain his cheeks at the offer he just made.
He did not even know what pushed him to offer that. He just felt he had to.
Yuri did not answer, but a small smile graced his lips. It was strange. Yuri had other friends who basically proposed the same thing to him, but it did not feel the same. He did not feel like he wanted to confide in them, but with Flynn… The blonde made him want to tell everything, to confide in him all his fears, uncertainties and wounds of the past… It was tempting.
What was it about Flynn that made Yuri want to shed his walls and show him his true self? Yuri did not understand and it scared him. He swore to himself that he would never let someone break him again and if he let Flynn in, the blonde might do some irreparable damage. Was he really ready to take that risk?
They were soon in front of Yuri's apartment. The latter put a hand on the handle of the door. He was about to open it, but he hesitated. Flynn looked at Yuri in confusion, wondering what the problem was. Yuri turned to face Flynn and smiled at him.
"Do… you want to come in? I can at least thank you by offering you some of my homemade hot chocolate," Yuri suggested.
Not even a second after, he wanted to slap himself. This was so not a good idea. Yuri was not in his right mind now. He always felt vulnerable this time of the year, thus the reason why he distanced himself from everyone until he could put his façade back up. Inviting Flynn right now meant that the blonde would see his vulnerable side more than he already did. Well, it was too late now.
Flynn smiled back. "Alright, if you really don't mind. I don't want to impose my presence," Flynn said. Yuri shook his head in exasperation at Flynn's politeness.
"Come on," he probed him, opening the car's door and getting out.
Flynn stopped the car and got out too. He followed Yuri into the building, and up to his apartment. Yuri unlocked it and both males entered the place. They got rid of their wet coats.
"Make yourself at home. I'm going to take a quick shower. I'll be right back," Yuri said as he went to his room to get a change of clothes.
Meanwhile, Flynn sat on the couch. Yuri then went to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
Yuri finished his shower soon after. He put on a pair of comfortable pants and a plain white shirt. Yuri's long, wet hair was free and cascading down his back. Flynn found himself staring at it and thinking the black strands looked soft. Yuri did not notice his staring as he went to the kitchen to prepare the hot chocolate. Not long after, Yuri was sitting at the other end of the couch and both of them had a cup of hot chocolate in their hands.
Flynn took a sip and the incredible flavor invaded his mouth. Flynn turned his face and smiled at Yuri.
"I've never tasted hot chocolate so good before," he complimented Yuri's cooking. The latter chuckled weakly.
"Thank you," he replied. Flynn held the gray gaze.
"I've been wondering for a while now. Why aren't you in a cooking school? You're really talented and you seem to like cooking," Flynn said, his face reflecting his confusion.
Yuri's gaze grew distant, as if he was getting lost in another time.
"It's because of my mom. She was the owner of a little café. Since I was little, I watched her managing the café and I picked up a certain fondness for it. That's why I'm doing a business major. My dream is to open a bakery. It would be my little special place. It would remind me of her in a way," Yuri whispered as a fond smile appeared on his lips. Flynn mirrored his smile.
"It's a wonderful dream," he answered.
Still, he felt a little jealous of Yuri. He knew what he wanted to do in life. Flynn, on the other hand, was only doing what his parents wanted him to do. He had no interest in taking hold of his parent's business, but that was what he would have to do so eventually.
Flynn shook the thoughts away. He was not there to think about that. He wanted to concentrate on Yuri. Flynn looked sadly at the dark haired male.
"I'm really sorry about your parents," he whispered.
Flynn did not wait for an answer. He just wanted Yuri to know how he felt. He knew that it was too much of a touchy subject for Yuri and he understood. Some things were too painful to tell.
Flynn was surprised when Yuri looked straight into his eyes and spoke in a quiet voice filled with pain.
"I was only eight when they died. You know what's funny? They weren't supposed to be on the road that day. I was gone with the rest of my class for a winter trip on a week-end, but there was a snowstorm that day and they cancelled the rest of the trip. My parents came to pick me up. We were on the way back home when it happened. There was a car coming in the opposite direction towards us. It was coming too fast and it got out of control. There was nothing my parents could do to avoid it," Yuri paused and he closed his eyes as the painful memories flew back into his mind.
Flynn felt himself holding his breath as he drank Yuri's words like an insidious poison.
"I remember every detail like it was yesterday. I remember the scream of terror my mom made. I remember the screeching sound of the tires as my dad tried to avoid the car. Then I remember the sound of distorted metal and that of the windows exploding under the impact. And then there was the pain and the cold. The car collided with my dad's head on. After that, there was so much blood, and the scent of it… it was sickening. I was told my parents died on impact, but I survived. I remember the pain crushing my chest as I was stuck in the back of the car. But the worst pain was where a long piece of glass had stabbed my abdomen. That's everything I remember before I woke up in the hospital and I was told that my parents were dead."
Flynn kept silent, too horrified to speak. That was fine, since Yuri was not finished.
"They also told me that they lost me for a short moment in the hospital. As they were operating me, my heart stopped for about thirty seconds. They managed to bring me back though. But there's not a day when I'm not wondering what it would be like if I could trade my life with theirs. They didn't deserve to die that young," Yuri finished sadly. Flynn finally snapped out of his trance.
"Don't say that! You deserve to live as much as they did! And I know what you're thinking, but it's not your fault. They did what they had to do, that's all. It could have happened any time. Don't beat yourself up over this," Flynn said empathetically.
Yuri laughed even as a bitter smile graced his lips.
"It's almost scary how you seem to read my mind. I've told myself this for a long time, but I just can't shake that feeling of guilt. I can't shake the feeling that they would still be alive if it wasn't for having to pick me up that day," Yuri poured out the feelings he kept locked inside all those years.
Somehow, it seemed easy to tell Flynn everything. He could not figure what about the blonde was making it so, but it was refreshing. It felt like some of his pain washed away with the words leaving his lips.
"Then I'll help you. I'll help you in getting rid of this feeling. Whenever you feel like it's your fault, I'll bring some sense back into you," Flynn answered with conviction.
Yuri's eyes widened in surprise. Flynn felt embarrassed by what he just blurted out, but he still held Yuri's gaze. The latter finally dropped his gaze and took a sip of his hot chocolate.
"Thanks," he muttered. Silence fell on them.
Flynn had other questions he wanted to ask Yuri, but he did not know if he should. He decided to ask them in the end. He had the impression that Yuri would not mind them tonight.
"What happened after? I mean, who took you in?" he asked gently. Yuri's gaze darkened and a smile stretched across his lips, forming a strange contrast.
"No one. No member of my family wanted to take a bastard like me in, so I was sent to the orphanage. I lived there until I was seventeen and then I moved into an apartment. That's the story of my life. Pretty exciting, huh?" Yuri said in a sarcastic tone.
Flynn was confused. "What do you mean, a bastard?" he asked. He did not like to hear Yuri address himself as such. Yuri shrugged his shoulders.
"Because that's what I am. You surely read the name of my parents on the tombstone. My dad is from an English family. He married a Japanese woman. My dad's family was not happy with his decision to marry a stranger, furthermore because they thought my mom was leading him away from the family's business, even though it was my dad's personal choice to do so. So when it came to it, not a single one of them wanted to take in a half-breed Japanese. My mom's family is still in Japan, so they too could not take care of me," Yuri explained plainly.
Flynn pulled a disgusted face. "That's sick…" he said. Yuri chuckled.
"Hey, no worries there. The women at the orphanage were all really nice. I don't regret going there," Yuri reassured Flynn. The latter's expression softened after a while.
"You have a lot of baggage, Yuri. Thank you for sharing all this with me," he said with sincerity.
Yuri felt embarrassed by his comment. He turned his head away to try and hide it.
"Well… we're friends, aren't we?" he asked hesitantly and dared to look back into the bewitching blue eyes.
Even though Yuri said that, it did not excuse the fact he opened up to Flynn that way. He never told any of this to Rita, Estelle, Judith, or even Karol. It was only… Flynn.
The blonde could not describe what he felt when Yuri said the word "friend". He felt… giddy, happy. He realized that he himself thought of Yuri that way for a while now. He also realized he was getting attached to him in a way he did not with anyone for a long time now. Flynn smiled.
"Yeah, of course we are," he answered and took a sip of the delicious drink. Yuri managed to quell his embarrassment after a moment.
"What about you, Flynn? Now you know pretty much everything about the life I lived; now it's your turn," he asked, genuinely curious.
Flynn stiffened at the question, but he relaxed after a moment. It was only fair that Yuri wanted to know more about him now. Flynn drew an ironic smile.
"The rumors that reached you about my family are not enough?" he asked. Yuri frowned.
"You know that's not the truth. What people say is a load of crap," he said and Flynn chuckled.
"Okay, I get it. Well, you know who my parents are. They own many five stars hotels all around the world. Since I'm old enough to remember, we've always been moving from place to place. We've never stayed at the same place more than two years. It made having friends really difficult. That's why I… I have trouble letting myself get attached to someone. I figured there was no point to it since I'm just going to leave again," Flynn said sadly.
Yuri stayed silent for a few seconds, taking in Flynn's words. He finally lifted his gaze to meet Flynn's.
"But you did it anyway. I mean… You're not faking being friends with Estelle, Judith, Rita, and…me, are you?" he asked softly. Flynn shook in head.
"No, of course not!" he denied vehemently.
Flynn really was friends with them. He cared about them like he did not care for anyone for a long time, and he did not know what to do. Flynn would not bear to lose people he cared about once again.
Yuri smiled at him. "But that's fine too, you know. You have two choices; either you stay alone to prevent hurting again, or you decide to get close to people and take full advantage of the time you have with them," he whispered while never leaving Flynn's gaze.
Flynn was troubled to hear those words. He never thought about it that way… Maybe it was not so bad letting himself get closer to his friends, and if he had to leave, then he would deal with it in time. Like they say, it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
A question was burning on the tip of Yuri's tongue and he decided to ask it.
"Flynn, do you remember when I first came to your house? You mentioned you were with a girl for two years. What happened?" he asked, curiosity emanating from his voice.
Yuri watched as Flynn became clearly uncomfortable. He thought the blonde would refuse to answer at first. He was glad when he did, for it meant he trusted him enough to tell him, but there was an edge to his voice.
"Four years ago, my parents got a big contract in California. We stayed there for two years, which was a first. I met this one girl and we quickly got together. I loved her so much. After a year and a half, we were engaged. But six months later, my parents said we were moving away again. I wanted to stay there, as we were making plans together, but there was nothing I could do at the time. So we promised to keep in contact and try to see each other as much as we could until we could live together. But not more than a month after, she called me and told me she was breaking up with me. I found out the reason for it later. She had been seeing someone else while we were still together," he whispered darkly.
Yuri did not know what to say to that. He felt bad for Flynn. That was the worst kind of break up. That girl broke his heart and cruelly stepped on it. Yuri understood why it was not easy for Flynn to tell this story. Recalling a broken heart was always hard, Yuri could understand as much.
"I'm sorry about that," he said in a low tone. Flynn dismissed it.
"Don't be. We were just not made to be together, that's all," he answered and smiled at Yuri. The latter sighed before standing up.
"I've had enough of this sob fest. How about I make dinner and you stay after? We could do something less depressing. Unless you don't want to hang out with me," he said teasingly.
Flynn laughed, happy to see Yuri seemed to be better.
"Of course I'll stay. I don't want to miss an opportunity to taste your cooking," he said, not ashamed to compliment Yuri on his skills.
A soft blush painted the raven haired male's cheeks, but he quickly turned around and went to the kitchen to hide it. Flynn saw it, though, and he found it insanely cute. He made a mental note to try his best to see it again.
As Yuri prepared dinner, Flynn was left with his thoughts. He could not believe how close the two of them became in no more than an hour. Flynn could feel the change in Yuri. He could feel their bond growing stronger as they trust each other to the point of revealing some of the painful memories that made them who they were. Flynn was glad for it. He got to know Yuri a bit more, and he did not regret it at all.
Flynn could not tear his gaze away from Yuri's sleeping face. He looked adorable like that, fast asleep and curled against the back of the couch. After dinner, Flynn stayed in Yuri's apartment and they watched some movies in a comfortable silence. In the middle of the second one, Flynn looked at Yuri and found him fast asleep. A soft and fond smile stretched across his lips at the sight. Yuri really trusted Flynn if he was willing to look so vulnerable in his presence. Flynn was glad for it.
The blonde rose from the couch and kneeled in front of Yuri. Bending down, he carefully slipped an arm under Yuri's knees and he wrapped the other around his shoulders. Flynn gently lifted the sleeping male into his arms. Yuri mumbled something in his sleep and cuddled closer to Flynn. The latter's smile widened at that. He pressed Yuri tighter against his chest as he took steps towards Yuri's room. A sweet smell reached his nose; it smelled of vanilla and strawberries. Flynn understood it came from Yuri's hair. It was surely the scent of Yuri's shampoo. It smelled nice.
Flynn entered Yuri's room, which he never did before. The room was small, but it looked comfortable. It was messier than the rest of the apartment, though. Flynn went to the single bed and carefully placed Yuri down on the sheets. Yuri stirred a little and Flynn thought he would wake up, but he did not. Flynn pried the sheets from under Yuri and tucked him under the blankets.
Once he was done, the blonde stared at Yuri's sleeping face again, and then at the long black strands framing that peaceful face and splayed on the pillow. Before he could stop them, Flynn's fingers went to Yuri's hair and softly glided through the black strands. They really are soft, thought Flynn. Yuri's hair slipped through his fingers like water. Flynn could not get enough of that feeling.
Eventually, he reluctantly pulled his fingers away after pushing away a stray strand of hair from Yuri's forehead. He had to stop, or else he might wake Yuri up and the latter needed his sleep. It would also be really awkward if Yuri found him caressing his hair. Flynn smiled softly at his sleeping friend.
"Goodnight, Yuri," he whispered before turning around and leaving the bedroom.
Once in the living room, Flynn thought about leaving and returning home, but somehow he did not want to go back to that empty house. Flynn was sure his parents were not home already, but even if they were, Flynn did not feel like going home and he did not want to leave Yuri alone, for a reason that was still unknown to him. He guessed Yuri would have no complaints if he was to stay the night. Taking out his cell phone, Flynn dialed his home's number. Nobody picked up and the answering machine started. Flynn left a message to his parents, saying that he was spending the night at a friend's place.
When he hung up, Flynn turned off the TV and plopped on the couch. It was comfortable, so he did not mind having to sleep on it. The whole day has been exhausting, so it was not long before Flynn actually fell asleep with a soft smile gracing his lips.
Yuri woke with a start at the piercing sound of the smoke alarm. He jolted in his bed, completely confused and panicked. Yuri jumped out of his bed and hurried towards the kitchen to see the room filled with smoke and a panicked Flynn trying to stop the smoke alarm. Yuri froze in the middle of the living room, thinking he was still asleep. After a while, it was made clear that he was not as Flynn looked at him after having succeeded in stopping the alarm.
"Y-Yuri! I'm sorry I woke you," Flynn stuttered, looking miserable. Yuri's expression stayed indecipherable as he took a few steps forward.
"Okay, I have two questions for you; one, what are you doing here? And two, what the fuck did you do to my kitchen?" Yuri hissed dangerously. Flynn had a nervous smile.
"Hum… Well, you fell asleep last night and I thought you wouldn't mind if I stayed over. And I tried to make breakfast. I wanted to give you a nice surprise," Flynn explained in a miserable way.
Yuri was furious, but he managed to stop himself from yelling at Flynn. Obviously, he had good intentions, but it did not work out.
"Kuso!(1)" Yuri cursed in Japanese, making Flynn jump and look at him with wide eyes.
Did he just talk in Japanese? Then he remembered Yuri's mother was Japanese, so she surely taught him the language. He would learn soon enough that the raven haired male only talked in Japanese when he was greatly annoyed or excited. Right now, he was clearly annoyed and not the other way around.
Yuri walked past Flynn and went into his ruined kitchen. Apparently, Flynn tried to cook something on the stove, but it was so burned that Yuri could not even tell what it originally was. It seemed to have exploded since the atrocious mixture was splattered all over the kitchen. He put the offending food into the sink and opened the window to evacuate the smoke. He then proceeded in trying to salvage what was left of his kitchen.
Flynn made a few steps forward.
"Let me at least help you cl –" he began, but Yuri turned around and glared at him, shutting him up.
"Don't you dare enter the kitchen, Flynn! I'll kick your ass if you do! You did enough damage already! In fact, you can just go ahead and leave my apartment before you do another catastrophic mistake," he seethed.
Flynn found it wise to follow Yuri's advice. He apologized before grabbing his coat and getting out of the apartment.
Yuri looked at the mess and sighed. He could count on Flynn to wake him up in the worst possible fashion. Why was he friends with him again?
The same day that Flynn destroyed his kitchen, Yuri was sitting with Judith and Estelle in the cafeteria at lunch hour. When Flynn arrived to join them, Yuri glared at him, still mad at the stunt the blonde pulled that morning. However, his glare turned into surprise when Flynn presented to him a box full of delicious looking chocolates. Yuri looked at Flynn to see he was still bearing that miserable expression.
"I'm sorry for this morning, Yuri. I really am. I didn't mean to mess up your kitchen," he said and Yuri already felt his anger melt away at the sweet gesture and the face Flynn pulled.
Damn it. How could he resist such an expression? And those chocolates looked delicious… Yuri took them and his expression softened.
"It's okay. You're forgiven. But don't ever go into my kitchen again, do you hear me?" he added with seriousness. Flynn nodded, happy to patch things up with Yuri.
They only realized that they were not alone when Judith whistled. They turned their attention to the girls. Judith was leaning her chin on her palm and was smiling sweetly yet slyly at them. Estelle's face was beet red as she looked everywhere except at them.
"What's this we hear? You were together this morning? I want all the details," the blue haired woman said with excitement. Flynn and Yuri exchanged a gaze that told them exactly what the other was thinking.
They were so screwed.
"That's it for today, folks! But before you go, I have something to tell you," Raven announced after one of the rehearsals.
His students stared at him and waited for him to speak. Raven smiled at his troupe.
"Next week is the last week before Christmas break. That's why the technical team, Yeager and I are organizing a Christmas party next Friday to celebrate! You can bring a friend if you want. We would really like everyone to come," Raven said as he gave everyone a paper with the party's information on them. Yuri looked at it in a bored fashion.
He snorted in annoyance when he read it was a formal party; which meant dresses for the girls and suits for the boys. Yuri did not like that kind of thing. He was tempted not to go, but…
"It looks fun. I think I'll go. Will you go to the party too, Yuri?" Flynn asked him. Without really thinking about it, Yuri shrugged his shoulders.
"Why not? It might not be as boring as it looks," he answered. Flynn chuckled at that. Yuri was exasperated towards himself. He needed only one word from Flynn to make him change his mind. How pathetic.
"Also, there won't be any rehearsals next week. Try to take this free time to study your exams, though I doubt many of you will actually do it. Well, I'll see you all at the party," Raven said, dismissing his students.
Yuri snorted. Yeah, right. Study. As if he would do that.
"Man, why are we studying?" Yuri whined, lying on his back on Flynn's bed.
The blonde sighed. He was sitting on his chair and was holding his notebook, trying to make Yuri study. However, the raven haired male was constantly whining and complaining, and it was starting to get on Flynn's nerves.
"Because, we have an exam tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after…" the blonde said in an impatient tone. Yuri looked pleadingly at Flynn, which was a funny sight since his face was upside down.
"But that's all we've been doing for two weeks! I'm going to go crazy if I don't go out and do something else!" Yuri complained yet again.
Flynn shook his head. Usually, the blonde was able to make Yuri change his mind quite easily, but this time it was not working. Flynn understood now was the time to reveal his hidden weapon. He bought them for an occasion such as this one. Flynn bent down and grabbed a bag lying next to his work desk. He plunged his hand inside. When he pulled it out, he brandished a huge lollipop in front of Yuri's eyes.
The raven haired male widened his eyes at the dreamy sight. He extended a hand and tried to grab it, but Flynn kept it out of his reach. He almost laughed at the desperate expression Yuri pulled.
"Not yet. You'll get it only if you stop complaining and start getting serious," Flynn said and chuckled as Yuri's expression turned to outrage.
"Are you bribing me?" Yuri asked indignantly. Flynn smiled wickedly at that.
"Of course! It works, so why shouldn't I?" he said with amusement. Yuri glared at him, but it did not scare Flynn. He was far too used to it.
"You're one evil bastard," Yuri muttered as he rolled on the bed to lay flat on his stomach.
His resigned expression told Flynn he won and that Yuri would finally get down to business. Flynn kept the lollipop, though. He would give it to Yuri once they were finished.
"Thanks for the compliment. Now, let's get back to work," Flynn said and heard Yuri sigh in response.
One hour after, Flynn closed his notebook.
"We're done! That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Flynn asked a bored looking Yuri.
"If you say so," Yuri muttered and his eyes fell on the lollipop; the cause of his suffering for the last hour. Flynn noticed where Yuri was looking and he chuckled.
"Okay, you can have it now," he said as he threw the lollipop at Yuri.
Flynn missed the evil glint that passed the raven haired male's eyes. If he had, he would know what was coming. Yuri smiled internally. Payback was a bitch. Yuri unwrapped the lollipop and took a first long lick of it. He took his time, savoring it as he licked slowly all around it. He was well aware of what he was doing and what mental images it could bring. Yuri looked at Flynn as he kept on torturing the poor candy. He almost rolled over on the floor laughing hard at the blonde's expression.
As much as he wanted to, Flynn could not tear his gaze away from Yuri as he was savoring his candy in an almost obscene way. Okay, not almost; it was definitely obscene. Flynn never saw someone eat a lollipop like Yuri was doing right now. He could not stop his mind from forming images that were far from being innocent. What was troubling him was that he was not even trying to chase those images away. Yuri purred in pleasure and the sound sent a wave of heat into Flynn's cheeks and to another part of his anatomy that Flynn did not want to think about right now. He had to stop it now or he would go crazy. Flynn did not want to think of Yuri that way, even if the images were rather pleasant. No! Stop thinking!
Flynn cleared his throat and finally managed to turn his face away from the alluring sight.
"Hum, it's getting late. Don't you have to go work?" he asked with a hint of hope in his voice.
Yuri stole a glance at the clock and was disappointed to see Flynn was right. It was so much fun teasing the blonde. He did not want to stop. Flynn could only blame himself for buying a lollipop.
"Oh, I don't want to," he complained. He finally stopped abusing the candy, pitying Flynn a little.
The blonde stole a glance at Yuri and was relieved when he saw the raven haired male stopped his antics. Flynn made an internal note not to buy lollipops again.
"Can you afford to be late? Because if not, you should go now," Flynn said. He was grateful that his voice sounded normal. Yuri sighed and rose from the bed, still not letting go of his lollipop.
"Guess I've got no choice," he said as he grabbed his bag and went for the door. Flynn regained his composure and followed Yuri out of his room and down the stairs.
They were at the base of the stairs when the front door opened, revealing two people who Yuri guessed were Flynn's parents. It was the first time he had ever seen them. The man looked a lot like Flynn, almost like an older version of him. He had the same blonde hair, but his eyes were a shade of darker blue. Flynn's mother had long light brown hair and chocolate eyes. They were wearing expensive clothes. Seeing them, it was no wonder Flynn had good looks.
"Hi, dad, mom. You're home early today," Flynn said with surprise. The woman smiled at her son.
"Yes. We managed to wrap up our work early today. Your father and I wanted to have dinner with you for a change," she said in a guilty tone.
Flynn's father looked curiously at Yuri. The latter felt uncomfortable being scrutinized like that by people that were obviously not from the same caste as him.
"And who's your friend?" he asked in a curious tone. Yuri understood that Flynn did not bring friends to his home often.
"He's Yuri. I've got some classes with him at college," Flynn explained. Yuri smiled at them, uncomfortable as they still stared at him.
"Nice to meet you," he said and thought for a second that they would not answer. Flynn's mother smiled back at him.
"Nice to meet you too. Do you want to stay for dinner?" she asked gently. Yuri was surprised by the invitation. He quickly shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I can't. I have to go work. Thanks for the invitation, though," he said. Flynn's father was the one to answer this time.
"You're welcome. A friend of our son is always welcomed here."
Wow. Flynn had great parents, Yuri realized. That was probably why it affected Flynn so much that they were rarely at home and why he was hesitant to live alone.
Yuri and Flynn resumed their walk to the front door. Once there, Yuri turned towards his friend.
"See you tomorrow at the exam, I guess. By the way, are you still going to the party Friday?" Yuri asked. Flynn chuckled.
"Of course! Now, don't forget to review your notes for the exam, okay?" Flynn said and was rewarded by a sigh from Yuri.
"Yes, mom. I won't forget. See you!" he said as he opened the door and left Flynn's house.
Flynn closed the door and went to the kitchen to sit at the table.
He did not have the time to place one word that Flynn's mother was speaking; "So you have a party Friday night?" she inquired softly as she began to prepare dinner. Flynn nodded.
"Yeah, with the theatre troupe," he answered simply.
Flynn's father was busy undoing his tie. He turned his face towards his son.
"Sounds fun! How about you invite Sarah to the party? I heard she's in town for a week now," he said.
Flynn's expression darkened, but he managed to hide it from his parents. If there was something that irked Flynn to no end, it was his parent's vehement want to match him with girls. He already tried to tell them he did not want a girlfriend, but they still thought it was because Flynn was still hurting over his lost fiancée. They thought that going out with a girl would help Flynn go over his pain.
What they did not understand was that matching him with girls would never work. Flynn felt nothing for them and he was not the kind to get into a relationship when feelings were not involved. Flynn would go out with someone who could make his heart beat like crazy; with someone who could make him smile and laugh like never before; with someone whom Flynn would want to protect forever. He was the one who would have to choose, not his parents.
"Mom, dad, I already told you. I don't want a girlfriend right now," he objected, already tired of this conversation. Flynn's mother smiled softly.
"Then bring her with you as a friend! She surely misses you, darling. You know how fond of you she is, and I guess that you didn't call her once since we moved here, right?" she said in a softly accusing tone.
Flynn felt a little guilty about that. Sarah was a good friend of Flynn's when he was in Washington DC, the city where he lived before moving here. She was really sad when she learned Flynn was moving away. Flynn always knew she held feelings for him and that was probably why he did not call her once since he arrived here. He thought it would be best if they did not see each other anymore, but that did not quell his feeling of guilt now.
That guilt was what pushed his answer to his mother; "Okay, I'll call her and ask her to accompany me," he said half-heartedly.
His parents looked happy by his decision, but Flynn was not. Oh well. It was for one night, right? What harm could it do?
The party Friday night was in the amphitheatre. When Yuri entered, he was impressed by what he saw. Raven, Yeager and the technical team did a really great job in transforming it. The stage was transformed into a dance floor. Many spotlights projected their soft colors onto the walls and floor, giving them a nice effect. Many tables with drinks and food were placed in front of the stage. In the back of the stage, a DJ was installed for the night. An enormous Christmas tree was standing to one side of the stage.
Yuri noticed that many of the troupe's members were already here. From what he could see, Flynn and a few others were the only ones missing. Everyone was dressed elegantly, and so was Yuri. He had put a classic black suit on. He spotted Judith standing near the drinks' table, obviously amused by Raven's lame pick up lines. Yuri shook his head and decided he should rescue her.
He joined the two and slipped an arm around Judith's waist.
"Sorry, Raven, but I'm going to borrow Judith for a dance," he said and was amused by Raven's crestfallen expression. Judith smiled sweetly at her friend.
"I don't remember telling you yes, but since you asked so nicely…" she said teasingly and the two friends left Raven there to go on stage. Raven sighed dramatically.
"Yeah, don't mind me. I swear, youngun's these days…"
Once on the dancing floor, Yuri greeted Estelle who was dancing near them with one of the guys from the troupe. Rita was sitting near the Christmas tree, looking bored. Yuri wondered why she deemed to come. Pushing the thought aside, he looked over his friend as they began to dance to the rhythm of the music.
"You look really good, Judy. It's no wonder Raven was trying to hit on you," he said with amusement.
Judith chose to wear a blue v-neck dress that showed maybe a little too much skin to be called decent. Yuri could see many jealous glances thrown at them as well as some drooling. Oh, if only they knew that no matter how attractive Judith was, Yuri would just not simply fall for her.
Judith laughed. "Thanks. The compliment goes both ways. Hey, look at what Yeager provided for the party," she said as she pointed to another one of the tables.
Installed higher over a table filled with drinks was mistletoe. Oh great. Yuri looked skeptically at Judith.
"That was Yeager's idea? Somehow I would think Raven. It'd give him a good reason to kiss every female that accidently walked under it with him," he said with amusement.
Judith shrugged her shoulders, but she smiled amusedly.
Speaking of Yeager, he was currently dancing with the twins and they seemed to be having the time of their life. Yuri looked over the rest of the people present, wondering why Flynn was not already there. Usually, it was Yuri who always arrived last, not the other way around. Judith noticed Yuri's searching gaze.
"Searching for Flynn, by any chance?" she asked her friend teasingly. Yuri tried to hide his embarrassment at being read so easily.
"No, why would I?" he said defensively. Judith's smile increased, but she said nothing. Her eyes turned towards the entrance and her smile faltered a little.
Intrigued, Yuri turned his face in the same direction and he could not describe what he felt at the sight that greeted his eyes. Flynn was walking towards the stage clad in a white suit. He was handsome. However, he was not alone. Clinging to his arm was a young lady in a beautiful red dress. She had long brown hair and Yuri had to admit that she was beautiful. Who was she? Was she Flynn's girlfriend? The blonde did not tell him that he was going out with someone.
Somehow, the sight hurt Yuri. It hurt him more than he could imagine, but Yuri did not try to understand why. He turned his gaze away and back on Judith, who was looking at him with a saddened expression. Yuri could not bear to see that. He forced himself to smile.
"Well, that's Flynn for you. He barely arrived in town and he already picked up some girl," he commented and did not even realize he said the last words in a harsh tone.
Judith did not comment on it, though. She understood clearly what was happening.
Flynn spotted Yuri and Judith dancing on stage. He decided to go join them. He smiled at Sarah and pulled her to the stage, where they made their way to Yuri and Judith. Yuri tensed when he saw Flynn join them. The blonde smiled at his friends, completely oblivious to Yuri's uneasiness. Yuri smiled back, but it was strained.
He could not stop the words from passing his lips; "Hey Flynn! You didn't waste time, did you?" There was a biting and hurt edge in his voice.
Flynn frowned, not understanding why. Yuri turned his attention back on Judith.
"I'm going to get a drink," he said curtly and left to do just as so.
Flynn looked at Judith, confusion splattered on his face. Judith shook her head, silently telling Flynn that it was not her place to talk.
Yuri stopped in front of the drinks' table. He closed his eyes and tried to regain his composure. What was wrong with him? It wasn't supposed to bother him that much! Flynn had the right to go out with whomever he wanted. So why did it hurt? Flashes of memories passed in front of Yuri's eyes. Memories he would rather forget. Yuri cursed under his breath. Why now?
A voice sounding from behind Yuri had him jump and snap back to the present. He turned around to see Flynn walking towards him with a concerned expression.
"Yuri? Is something wrong?" he asked, worried. Yuri plastered a smile on his face to hide his torments.
"Nah, I'm fine. I just really needed a drink. Are you sure it's okay to leave your partner alone?" he asked, hoping that Flynn would buy his lie. He did not.
"I left her with Judith; there's no worry. Yuri, what's wrong? Don't tell me you're fine, because that's crap," he replied, trying to push Yuri to spill the beans already.
Yuri was about to answer with yet another lie when his eyes were attracted on something that was hanging over them. Mistletoe. Before he could lower his gaze and make as if he did not see it, Flynn followed his gaze and saw it too.
They were locking gazes a second after. Flynn drew a nervous smile. Without him knowing why, his heart began to beat faster in his chest.
"Mistletoe…? I… suppose it means we have to kiss, now, huh?" he whispered.
Yuri did not answer. In fact, he did not even move. His messed up thoughts swirled in his head, screaming in his ears. They seemed to grow even louder when he saw Flynn lean towards him with an embarrassed expression. Yuri realized Flynn was about to kiss him. Not because he wanted to, but because he had to. They were barely an inch apart now, and Yuri still did not move.
Just before their lips could touch, Yuri turned his face away. He did not see Flynn's confused expression.
"Sorry, I gotta go. See you later," Yuri whispered before taking off in the entrance's direction in a hurry.
Flynn was too stunned to move. He tried to comprehend what just happened, and when Yuri's words finally settled in and the blonde could finally move, it was too late.
Yuri was gone.
(1) Kuso: Damn it
A/N: What is wrong with Yuri? You'll find out in the next chapter ~ I'm evil, right? XD
Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter. Please tell me what you think of it! Your reviews always makes me know this story is worth the time spent on it and I read them all with care. I consider every constructive criticism and try to improve the story the best I can.
So, until next time!