A/N: I had a lot of fun writing these. You guys were such great reviewers! I'm happy; it seems like you guys really liked these. Sadly this is the last. Please enjoy!

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Their relationship is less than perfect.

Even to the casual observer, they can hardly be called friends, much less lovers. They fight nearly constantly, and often their relationship could easily be considered abusive, although the abuser differs from day to day. The fights they have always seem to leave at least one of them with blood and bruises on his skin.

It's not a possibility that they'll get into fights for stupid reasons; it's a guarantee.

Yuri can be patient. But when he goes days without any contact with Flynn, he starts to get a bit agitated. He and Repede spend time hunting monsters and chatting with friends (although the dog doesn't really say much), but it's boring without Flynn around.

It's night, and even though Yuri ought to be asleep, he's lying on his back watching the shadows on the ceiling instead when the door opens with a metal gloved hand on the knob.

"Flynn!" Yuri leaps from his bed with the enthusiasm of a puppy whose master has just returned, and Repede follows, his tail wagging as the other man enters. "It's been forever!"

Flynn's eyes are tired but pleased, and he pulls Yuri into his arms for a kiss. "It's been a week. That's hardly forever."

"It felt like longer." Yuri drapes his hands over Flynn's shoulders and leans back a bit to look at him. "I heard you captured that guy. What's his name? The one who killed those two people in that explosion?"

Flynn unhooks Yuri from his shoulders and collapses on the bed, and Yuri leans against the wall, gazing down at the other man with a look of obvious pride. "We did. His name doesn't matter, especially now that he's behind bars."

"How'd you find him? I thought he fled the city."

"We thought so at first too," Flynn says. He lifts himself off the bed with a sore groan and begins to struggle with the removal of his armor, glancing with silently pleading eyes at Yuri. The long haired man copies Flynn's groan mockingly but goes to help him out regardless. "He wasn't actually gone though. Just in hiding." Flynn's sigh of relief when his armor is finally off and only his boots and light underclothes remain is rewarding to Yuri.

"How come I had to find out from someone other than the capturer himself?" Yuri's voice is light, but something behind it suggests more than just curiosity. "I didn't even know what you were doing this past week. I guessed it had something to do with the knights, but I didn't know you were chasing a criminal."

"'Cause I knew you wouldn't be happy," Flynn responds, and Yuri's nose crinkles.

"Why wouldn't I be happy? You did a good job, and I'm proud of you."

Flynn looks up from his seat on Yuri's bed, mid-removal of his boot. "He was a bad person. He killed several people. And you… well, you're you." He does not like where this conversation is headed. Not one bit.

"So?" Yuri doesn't want to be annoyed by the implications, but he is nonetheless. Repede whines at him, and when Yuri doesn't react, the dog makes his getaway, already able to tell what the outcome of the conversation will be. "What does that mean?"

Flynn's eyes are wary despite his exhaustion as he says, "You've been known to kill people you think are guilty of wrongdoings."

"I haven't been wrong yet," Yuri says in a voice quiet enough that anyone besides Flynn would be nervous. But the blonde's expression remains even.

"And you wouldn't technically have been wrong this time. But that's not how it's supposed to be," Flynn argues. "No matter what horrible crimes a person commits, they still have to be tried. You can't just go around killing people. It's not right."

Yuri's laugh is incredulous. "Really? Well given how messed up all of our knights are, I think I'm doing a better job," he growls.

"I'm a knight, Yuri," Flynn reminds him, irritation flavoring his voice now. "In case you've forgotten."

"And I could be a knight. But I'm not. And which one of us is having better luck at changing the world? Oh yeah. Me."

Flynn no longer lies on the bed; he's up and standing, his face inches away from Yuri's, holding eye contact that neither will break. Normally, they would be making out seconds later. But this time, there isn't any intention in either of them to kiss the other. "You are such an asshole," Flynn states matter-of-factly. "I don't understand how the hell Estelle and the others were able to put up with you for so long on your 'save the world' journey. I think I'd kill myself. That is, if you didn't kill me first, given how fond you are of murdering people."

It's the final straw for Yuri, and sparks fly as the two men collide in fists and nails. Their fights aren't often quite so intense or so dirty, but neither is above a crotch shot or a kick in the shins when they're both so angry.

"I hate you," Flynn spits in his face as Yuri holds him captive against the wall by his collar. Blood drips down from a cut on his forehead, and his eye is closed against the sting. Yuri fares no better; a bruise is forming beneath his eye and his nose is off at an odd angle, obviously broken. And that's just their faces.

"I hate you too, Flynn," Yuri hisses back, making his name sound like a much bigger insult than Flynn's "asshole" comment. He kneels to search Flynn's face for some amount of remorse, and upon finding none he releases Flynn, rises with a quiet "tch," and simply leaves, slamming the door behind him.

Flynn sinks into the floor and wipes the blood from his forehead, wincing at the pain. He can't help but wonder, despite his anger, where Yuri will go. This is his room after all.

"It's not healthy to drown your sorrows with alcohol."

Yuri looks up from his drink for the first time that night at the familiar soft and ever-knowing voice. Heads swivel to watch Judith strolls up to the counter of the dimly lit pub, center of attention as always, but Yuri doesn't even feel the men's death glares as she sits next to him. "You and Flynn fought," she says, and it isn't a question. Even without the blood and spreading bruise, she would know.

Yuri nods and takes another gulp of his whiskey. "But we've gotten into plenty of fights. Why would you think I'm drowning any sorrows?" he asks, gazing down at his glass.

Judith leans on the counter and rests her chin in her palm. "Because you always come here after you have a big fight," she answers, and Yuri can't honestly say she's wrong. "What happened this time?"

Yuri isn't really surprised when he starts spilling his guts to the woman. Between the alcohol and the mere fact that it's Judith he's talking to, he feels he has no secrets to hide. Besides, he isn't at fault anyway. The woman listens passively, her face giving nothing away until Yuri is done. When he finishes, she reaches across and takes a swig of his whiskey, and Yuri snatches his back before she has time to down the whole thing. She may be a woman, but she can drink with the best of them, and Yuri is disappointed to see he only has a few sips left in his glass.

"I think you're done drinking for the night," she comments, and once again, it isn't a question or even a suggestion.

"I—"

Judith raises one finger to silence him. "I'm not the best person for relationship advice," she muses quietly, "but I can tell you this. You aren't incorrect to say sometimes, people need to die. The legal system here isn't very good, but Flynn is part of that system. To him, you're insulting everything he works for."

"He's insulting me by saying I'd murder him though," Yuri complains. He's a little shocked to find himself saying that that's the part of the argument which made him so angry, and Judith smiles.

"Yes, but is that really insulting you? He was being rash. He wanted to upset you, and it worked like a charm. Even when you're fighting, the only thing that can really get to you is his safety." She cups his face and brushes her thumb across his cheekbone. To any bystander, it would look like flirting; to Yuri, it's just her way of being comforting. "You and Flynn are so cute together. You need to make up."

Yuri won't agree with her, but if he's honest with himself, he doesn't disagree either.

Flynn, unlike Yuri, seeks someone out to complain to, and since Raven is the first person he comes across, he's the one that gets stuck listening to his problems, seated on a bench in one of the quieter parts of town while Flynn paces and rants.

Karol is with Raven, but it's late, and it's all the kid can do to stay awake. He clutches his bag to his stomach and yawns. "I think…" He pauses as he yawns yet again. "I think what Yuri does is wrong, but I don't think you should be so quick to judge him for it. He has a different way of doing things than you, that's all. You're such good friends. You can't let something like this come between you…"

Karol trails off, his head drooping and his body leaning off to the side, ending up against Raven. "Whoa, don't sleep on me," the man protests, but Karol is already sound asleep. Raven doesn't have the heart to move him; instead, he lifts his hand and brushes a strand of hair from the kid's forehead.

Flynn regards the two with a calmer expression than before. "I know he's right, but I don't understand why Yuri has to be such a dick—"

"Whadaya think I can do about it?" Raven interrupts, and Flynn's face is both confused and slightly offended. "Kid," the older man says and stops. He scratches his head, obviously unsure of how to start. "I've been on both sides of the fence. Sometimes there's just no right or wrong choice, y'know? Just because ya chose to fight with the knights doesn't mean yer right, and just because Yuri chose to turn his back on that life doesn't make him wrong. But the opposite is also true. One thing I've learned through all of this, though, is that if you follow yer heart, you won't go wrong. It's cliché advice, but it's true."

Flynn sighs, his cheeks a bit flushed at having had a lecture from Raven. "I know. I'm sorry."

Raven rises and scoops Karol up in his arms, and the boy shifts a little in his sleep but doesn't wake. "Give an old man some credit! I've been around this long. I know some stuff," Raven brags, and Flynn rolls his eyes. "I'm gonna get Karol back to the inn. He'll break my back if I gotta take him too far." Raven takes a step closer and lowers his voice. "If I were you, I would go see Estelle."

Judith isn't one to stay and chat idly. Once she finishes her part, she takes her leave with a passing suggestion that Yuri visit with Estelle for awhile. He takes her advice, and the guards let him in, albeit unwillingly, upon recognizing him, informing him that Estelle is in her room and she has company despite the late hour. But once he's inside, he only takes a few steps before running into the princess in the hallway.

"Yuri?" Estelle's face goes from happy to concerned within seconds as she takes in Yuri's injuries. "What are you doing here?" She sniffs. "Why do you smell like alcohol? Why are you hurt?" She moves to touch his nose, and as the glow surrounds her body, Yuri grabs her by the wrist.

"One question at a time! And you don't need to heal something small like this," he tells her once he releases her hand, and she reluctantly lowers it and bites her lower lip.

"At least let me put a bandage on it. Please," she adds, and Yuri nods after a few seconds. She leads Yuri through the castle, chattering absentmindedly about everything from literature to the weather, and it's a little bit amazing how she can fit so much into the two minutes it takes to walk back to her room.

Too late, Yuri realizes he should have asked her about her own writing. But then again, given the way it had turned out last time he had done so, with Estelle beginning to cry about having writer's block, maybe it's better this way. He opts for an easier question. "Why were you in the hallway?"

The princess opens her mouth to answer, but she's cut off by a loud voice that is very much Rita's. "Estelle! Are you ever going to get me that book I asked for?"

Estelle's mouth forms an o, and she quickly snaps Yuri's nose back into place, startling him and earning a yelp of pain, before hurrying off down the hall. Yuri touches his nose gingerly. For lack of anything better to do, he pokes his head in Estelle's room and sees Rita sitting on the bed surrounded by books.

"Finally," Rita mutters, holding out her hand without looking up from the open book on her lap. When nothing appears in her palm, she glances up. "Oh. It's Yuri. You look awful."

"Nice to see you too, Rita," Yuri greets, ignoring the comment on the obvious sorry state of his face. He crosses his arms and leans back against the wall. He doesn't bother to ask what she's studying, though it's clear she wants him to, since she would just go on and on about chemical formulas and her research on magic, entirely oblivious to the fact that he wouldn't be absorbing any of it.

Estelle reappears a few moments later and saves Yuri from having to say anything. It's strange, watching Rita's face as Estelle enters the room with her books. If Yuri asked, he knows she'd say she was just excited to get back to her research. The truth, though, is that when her eyes land on the other girl's face, they shine with a bliss that hardly ever shows in her expression, let alone when she's aware of someone else watching her.

Yuri can't help but wonder whether or not Flynn ever looks at him like that.

He shakes himself from his thoughts and realizes Estelle is saying something to him, wondering why he's here. "…I thought maybe we could go for a walk," he suggests, and no matter how clueless Estelle may be at times, even she can catch the hint that he doesn't want to talk around Rita. He likes the mage well enough, but he can already hear what she would tell him and can practically feel the bruises from the inevitable smack with a book when he argued.

But it's worse when they run into Flynn right outside the castle gate.

Estelle is glad to see him at first. But when she notices his equally beat up face, she can easily put two and two together. Both of the men are frozen at the unexpected reunion, and Estelle seizes the opportunity to try to make peace between them despite having no clue as to the reason for the fight.

"Please don't fight again!" are the first words out of her mouth, and Flynn and Yuri both turn to look at her in surprise. "I don't know why you fought, but I'm sure you didn't mean anything you said!" She's vague, but she's honest in wanting them to make up.

Yuri feels guilt set in, and he wraps his arm around Estelle's waist and pulls her back up the steps of the castle. "You're right," he murmurs, opening the door and pushing her inside. "We'll make up. We will. I promise." Estelle opens her mouth and Yuri shakes his head. "You need to get back to Rita. I'm sure she… misses you." Estelle's face turns bright red as Yuri winks, and she heads back down the hall in a huff while Yuri leans against the door with a relieved sigh.

Flynn is still obviously angry, but Yuri is just tired. He marches down the steps and grabs Flynn by the wrist, forcing him to return all the way back to their home with him. This needs to end.

The silence that sets in when the door to the apartment is slammed is deafening, and neither man is much inclined to end it. When Flynn finally does open his mouth, his eyes still alight with anger, Yuri's lips on his quiet him again. "Enough," Yuri growls, and he shoves Flynn roughly onto the bed. Flynn tries to scramble back up, but when Yuri sinks down onto his knees beside him and rests his head on his shoulder, a shock goes through the blonde's body. He punches the back of Yuri's head and neck hard, hard enough to hurt but not seriously injure. "Enough already," Yuri repeats more quietly this time, his whole body seeming to deflate. He's tired; it isn't late anymore but early in the darkest hours of the morning, and he's all filled up on alcohol and emotions.

Flynn won't wrap his arms around the other man, not now, not when he's still mad. But when he hears Yuri breathe a quiet "I'm sorry" into his skin, he does just that. Yuri's arms hang limp at his sides as Flynn places his hands on his cheeks and lifts his head up. The blonde pushes his bangs off his forehead and kisses him gently. "I'm sorry too," he says. Yuri's eyes search his face like they did hours before, and this time, he finds what he's looking for.

Flynn lies down and tugs at Yuri's collar, and Yuri lets him pull the shirt from his shoulders. He shudders as the cold air hits his injuries—Flynn really did a number on him earlier. Flynn flinches as Yuri undoes the clasp on his pants, and Yuri knows he shouldn't be satisfied when he sees the bruise on Flynn's stomach. He is though, unable to help it since it means he wasn't the only one to be injured in their fight. He's still gentle when he slides his fingers across the blotchy skin, his head moving down as his hands move up, and Flynn squirms beneath him, his body still tense with the remnants of anger. Yuri's mouth covers his cock and god, he can't possible be angry when Yuri is so damn good at this sort of thing.

It's shameless, how he thrusts into the other man's mouth, his cock growing harder with each long lick. Yuri's hand works at him too, slicking up and down his shaft and curling around his balls so that Flynn ruts against his palm. However gentle Yuri may be when his hands drift across bruises, Flynn's are quite the opposite, and he digs his nails into Yuri's flesh, leaving little half-moons.

Flynn is far from satisfied by simply fucking Yuri's hand and mouth, and he wants him. Yuri doesn't deny him but lets himself be flipped onto his stomach and be teased, a little, shuddering moan drawn unbidden from his lips when Flynn's fingers enter him. He nearly whines at the feeling but manages to bite it back, his fist turning white as he clenches it against his open mouth. Maybe the knights are good for something after all, he thinks, and when Flynn pulls away with dripping fingers, the emptiness just makes him ache even more, his cock twitching with want.

Flynn relishes the sight—Yuri, face down, ass up. His hand trembles as he guides his cock to Yuri's ass, and when he finally does enter Yuri's whole body seems to close in around him. It's almost too much for him to thrust, but Yuri is so very insistent and his body is so lewd that Flynn appears to have no other choice.

Yuri's eyelids flutter, keeping the tears that spring to his eyes from falling down his flushed cheeks. Flynn is big, and when he starts to slide in and out Yuri gasps. Flynn manages to hit the spot and Yuri can feel his whole body rock with pleasure, over and over and over. He comes moments later, one of his own hands playing around his cock while Flynn continues to send shivers through his body. Flynn takes his sweet time getting himself to that point, and each movement makes Yuri's body feel even more sensitive.

When Flynn finally does come it's with a low groan, and he doesn't bother to pull out. Yuri's fingers tighten on the sheets as the heat fills him up, and he doesn't unclench his fingers until Flynn's cock is gone and the white drips down his thighs. As he rolls onto his back and Flynn plops down next to him, he releases a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

Both satiated, emotions have a chance to set in again.

But it's not anger this time. The only emotions they feel are apprehension and guilt.

Flynn's arm winds hesitantly around Yuri's waist, and when the other man doesn't move, Flynn relaxes and lets his head rest against his bare chest. "I really am sorry," he sighs, and Yuri's body rumbles with a quiet laugh.

"I know. But you're so good at making me feel bad. You act like I feel nothing when I kill people," Yuri murmurs. He takes a deep breath, breathing in the sharp smell of metal and musk of sun from Flynn's hair. "I do, you know. I feel worse when I hurt you, though."

Flynn closes his eyes and rubs his cheek against Yuri's skin. "I didn't mean it when I said I'd kill myself if I were on that journey with you all. I…" Flynn swallows and forces a smile, surprised when it comes more naturally than he had expected. "I didn't mean it when I said I thought you'd kill me either. As if you even could."

Yuri chuckles and smooths Flynn's hair. "You never know." He shifts slightly so he can look at Flynn's eyes, beautiful and blue. "The knights would never have been the right place for me. But they trained you well. I'll admit that much. After all, if they were perfect, there would be nothing left for you to change, right?"

It's Flynn's turn to laugh. "Right," he agrees. Yuri nods, and Flynn's eyes grow gentle. "Go to sleep. It's late." He turns onto his side, and Yuri nuzzles against his back. Not a fan of cuddling. I don't believe that, Yuri.

Flynn doesn't fall asleep as quickly as he pretends to. His breathing calms and grows more rhythmic, and Yuri manages to mistake him for being asleep.

"I love you," Yuri murmurs into the darkness. It's quiet enough that Flynn knows he wasn't really intended to hear it, but it makes his heart beat faster nonetheless. He rolls on top of Yuri, propping his elbows on his chest.

"I love you too, Yuri," he replies with a grin, and Yuri's expression is priceless, a mixture of fear and embarrassment and happiness. Yuri's brain can't form any more words, so he nudges his lips against Flynn's in a soft kiss as a response.

Because when all is said and done, they really do love each other.