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ajremixSome creative license regarding Zaphias's water system, particularly the canal in the Lower Quarter, otherwise this would be taking place in the river outside of Zaphias which just seemed unlikely.
Title: Undertow
Fandom: Tales of Vesperia
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2582
Characters: Flynn, Yuri
Summary: Though Yuri brought up the time Flynn was swept away by a river as a light-hearted story, it hadn't been nearly as amusing at the time.
Flynn gasped for air, kicking wildly to keep his head above water. The river was rough and swift but thankfully not enough that Flynn, being a fairly strong swimmer, thought he was going to drown. Unfortunately it took all his strength to keep it that way, unable to make any progress for the nearest bank. He wasn't even certain when he'd been swept out of Zaphias, only knew that he'd been pulled under for a moment and when he came back up he couldn't see any buildings or even the rings of the barrier.
His arms and legs were beginning to ache and Flynn knew if he didn't do something soon, his strength would give out and there'd be nothing he could do to keep from drowning.
Something flickered on the edge of Flynn's vision, moving crosswise against the current and too deliberate to be part of the rushing water. He managed to keep his head up and water out of his eyes enough to recognize the ragged fin of a merman and for one heart stopping moment, all Flynn could think about was how helpless and vulnerable he was in the water. Then he was overcome by a sudden, hot determination as a thought rushed through his mind: if he could grab the merman, maybe he could get out of the river.
The monster came at him, jaws first, and Flynn held his breath and stopped fighting the current, using instead to twist his body out of the way. His should bumped against the merman's rough side and he made a desperate grab at the creature's arm and missed and grabbed again, catching hold of the hook it held. It used its weapon to pull Flynn in, trying for another bite and Flynn lunged for its arm again. The top of its snout bumped against his chest, lifting him momentarily out of the water and landing on its back. He gripped the dorsal fin tightly and the merman rolled in the water, trying to dislodge him and, when that didn't work, tried scraping its back against the riverbed but Flynn clung too close, its fin dragging into the dirt and rocks. His lungs burning, Flynn kicked his heel into the merman's side, right in the gills as hard as he could and it made a choking sound, writhing for a moment before clawing at the riverbed and dragging itself toward the bank.
Flynn gasped and coughed and his body wanted to drop to the ground but he knew doing so would basically be certain death. The merman let out a wheeze and tried to dig its claws into the leg that had injured its gills but Flynn swung it away and aimed another kick on its opposite side. It faltered again, stumbling further out of the water as it tried to swipe again at determined child clinging to its back. It wasn't able to grab him but it left three bleeding scratches over Flynn's side. He gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the pain.
Distantly he heard a voice say, "The hell? Is that a kid?" But Flynn was too preoccupied trying to survive the merman to give it more than passing acknowledgment. Despite his body's exhaustion and pain as the merman's claws continued to rake over him, desperation kept Flynn clinging to its back, twisting around to keep the monster from getting a grip on him while maintaining his own. It growled, like gurgling water, and Flynn could feel the noise vibrating through its back and it sounded frustrated as it kept trying to grab at him and Flynn could only be thankful its weapon had been lost down the river, otherwise he'd have surely been skewered by now. Which didn't help him get out of this current situation, but minor victories.
"Kid! Get down!"
His eyes snapped open and he saw four armed people charging toward them. Flynn's surprise loosened his grip just enough that the merman tossed him off with a harsh twist before noticing the oncoming rush. It froze for a moment before turning and diving back into the river. The group skidded to a halt, looking down at Flynn in various degrees of disbelief and shock.
"Holy hell, kid- are you okay?"
"Where did you even come from?"
"Damn, that thing got you good." One of the men held out his hand toward Flynn. "Let's get you over to our caravan, okay? We can treat your wounds there."
He coughed and nodded, breath having been knocked out of him when he hit the ground. The man easily picked him up and cradled Flynn between his waist and the crook of his arm. Flynn wanted to say that he could walk but now that the immediate danger had passed, his body was beginning to shake from the adrenaline crash.
The caravan was one large cart hooked up to a couple quietta and on the side was a logo that Flynn recognized as Fortune's Market, the only guild allowed to work inside Zaphias. There the man sat him down on the cart steps and another came up with a canteen and rag. "Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?" He said with a friendly smile. Flynn nodded again and let the man get the work.
He had to take off his shirt so the man to clean the scratches on his back and a woman with a hammer strapped to her back picked it up, frowning as she examined it. "I'd say this is a loss. Pretty sure we got something in the back that might fit ya."
As she began to move off with his shirt, Flynn said, "Um!"
"Hm?"
"I don't have many shirts, could I keep that one, please?" It was bad enough he'd lost one of his shoes in the river.
She and the man taking care of him looked at Flynn like he was crazy. Then their looks intensified and Flynn knew they were examining his threadbare clothing and gaunt figure and he tried not to shrink back. After a moment, the woman sighed and looked away. "I'm no seamstress but I've been known to wield a needle a time or two." Her large arms flexed, showing off a number of scars scattered here and there. "Still gonna find ya something to change into, though. Don't need to be sitting around in sopping wet clothes."
After his wounds had been cleaned, the man pulled an apple gel from a pouch at his waist, piercing the gummy skin so he could rub it directly over Flynn's injuries, the pain dulling to a faint ache and skin beginning to knit itself up. Flynn changed into a shirt donated by the smallest member of the caravan- which still draped over him like a dress -and his clothes were placed on top of the cart with rocks to dry.
"So?" The man that had carried Flynn asked, seemingly the leader of the caravan. "Where'd you come from?"
"Zaphias," Flynn said around a piece of jerky he'd been given.
He whistled. "That's a bit of a ways. How'd you end up all the way out here?"
"I fell into the river." He looked around, trying to find a hint of Zaphias's spire but the caravan was in a bit of a valley. "I don't know how far I went before I grabbed the merman."
Around him, the guildmembers all stopped. "Wait- you grabbed the merman on purpose?"
"Yeah." His teeth clamped down on another bit of jerky, sucking on the taste before chewing it. "I might've gone all the way to the sea otherwise."
"Kid," the woman said, "that thing coulda killed you."
Flynn shrugged. "Least I got outta the water."
They stared at him for a long moment before breaking out into laughter. "Kid... I don't even know what to say. You are something else."
He flushed, pleased but embarrassed. After all, he just wanted to survive.
"Well, lucky for you we're headed to Zaphias ourselves though we're probably not going to make it before they close the gates for the night." The man chuckled, shaking his head. "What's your name, Kid? You got the devil's own luck and I'll bet it'll be interesting to see how you grow up."
He beamed brightly. "Flynn Scifo!"
~*~*~*~
Yuri woke up with a headache, clogged nose, salt on his cheeks and his eyelashes sticking together. He felt, quite frankly, awful. Not just physically but he felt sick in his stomach and his heart. Hanks had taken him in last night after all of Yuri's screaming and struggling made it obvious someone would have to make sure he didn't go running off trying to look for Flynn.
He'd meant to pretend to sleep and wait until Hanks slept himself before sneaking out but, as he lay in the big empty bed that once belonged to Hanks's now-grown-son, Yuri couldn't help the desperate, crushing loneliness that seized him and he'd started to cry. Quietly at first until it grew into great, heaving sobs that left him choking into the pillow, burrowing into the blankets to hide from the world. Yuri had never cried so hard in his life. At least not that he could remember. Not even when Flinath or Charla died, one after the other, but the thought of losing Flynn, one of the few good things in Yuri's life, the only thing Yuri really considered his, felt like the whole world was coming to an end. He'd sobbed even as Hanks gathered him up in his arms and Yuri was equal parts mortified and grateful for the comfort the man offered.
Yuri had fallen into a dreamless sleep and woken up with the sun brightly streaming into the room and Hanks sleeping in an uncomfortable looking position against the headboard. Very carefully, very slowly, Yuri crawled across the bed and quietly lowered himself out. He could hear Hanks's wife bustling about in the kitchen. If he could sneak passed her, he'd be able to go on the search he'd meant to go on last night.
Slowly he eased the front door open just enough to slip through and just as quietly eased it closed. He sat on the front steps to stuff his feet into his boots and laced them just enough so they wouldn't fall off. It must have been mid-morning, the first rush of the day giving way to a steady stream of people moving about and Yuri knew it was only a matter of time before he was noticed.
He made it about two blocks down when he heard, "Yuri? Does Hanks know you're out?"
He ran. More people were calling out his name but Yuri ignored them and kept running. If no one had found Flynn yet, he must have gotten swept out of Zaphias. Yuri didn't know where the canal emptied out but he was sure if he circled the city wall once he was out he'd come across it eventually-
"Yuri!"
He came to such a sudden halt that Yuri tripped over his own feet. He scrambled to his hands and knees, shoving the hair from his face and saw, next to a Fortune's Market cart, Flynn. Something in Yuri's chest twisted and he barely recognized the high pitched whine coming from his own throat and he hurtled himself towards his best friend, all but tackling him in a bear hug and raining kisses on Flynn's face between garbled, unintelligible words.
"Yuri," Flynn wriggled in his grasp, "c'mon!"
"You're okay!" Yuri eventually managed to choke out.
"Yu-ri!" He'd finally managed to get his hands between them, not pushing Yuri back out of reach but far enough that he could give his best friend that ridiculously bright smile Yuri had almost thought he'd never see again. "I'm glad that didn't turn into a big deal."
Yuri reared back and punched him in the face. "You JERK!"
~*~*~*~
Having sent Karol ahead, because no doubt someone would suggest celebrating Flynn's victory, Yuri turned back to Flynn and scowled. "What's with the shit-eating grin?"
Flynn wasn't really grinning, breathing still heavy from his marathon battle, wiping the sweat from his face and neck, his hair even more tousled than ever. But it was all in the eyes, the sharp, knowing look and subtle shift of his lips shaping them just so. "Just thinking of all the details of that story you neglected to mention."
Yuri crossed his arms and tossed his head as if he had no idea what Flynn was talking about. "Everything was the truth."
Flynn shifted his head to the side and Yuri could practically hear him think 'more or less'. Then he looked back Yuri and the specter of that shit-eating grin grew into something a little more prominent. "Perhaps you just 'forgot' about how you cried when I came back?" Yuri tsked- as much as he enjoyed using their shared past to needle Flynn, it was annoying that it went both ways. "Or that you kept kissing me and refused to let me go for more than a minute at a time? And that you made me swear for a week that I'd never leave you behind again?"
"Or the reason why Zaphias has grid iron grates in the canals is because of you?"
"Or that you demanded to bathe with me to make sure I wouldn't fall in the drain."
Yuri scoffed. "You say that like I'd have a problem sharing a bath with you now." Though, from the slide of his gaze, it was obvious that he meant for very different reasons.
To his delight, instead of getting flustered or annoyed, Flynn full on smirked. "Are you that eager to scrub the new champion's back?"
"Old news," Yuri's tone was dismissive even as he pulse kicked up a notch, "I already beat you in Aurnion."
As hard as he fought, as tired as he must have been, between the fire in Flynn's eyes and the color still flushing his cheeks, Yuri knew Flynn's blood was still singing and that, far beyond any of the others, that was Yuri's favorite look on Flynn. The deep, intense gaze, the heat and tension in every strong line of his body, the way he moved so purposeful and wanting with eyes that could only see Yuri.
It never failed to make Yuri want to be wild and reckless in ways that decency laws would absolutely not approve of.
They stood chest to chest and it took far more willpower than Yuri would ever admit to not grab a fistful of Flynn's hair and have him right on the coliseum floor. "Do you really think you'll win a second time?" Flynn asked, anticipation shivering over Yuri's spine.
"Always up for a rematch with you."
Flynn leaned in closer still, lips just a hairsbreadth from brushing against Yuri's. "Then let's see who comes out on top."
~*~*~*~
(optional skit)
Estelle: Natz said he made a reservation for us to celebrate Fynn's win and- hm? Where's Flynn and Yuri?
Karol: I thought they were coming right behind me.
Raven: Oh, I'm sure they are.
Karol: Should I go get them?
Judith: It's fine. No doubt they're celebrating in their own way.
(reaction shots)
Estelle: O-Oh...
Rita: Ugh! I didn't need to know that!
Karol: Huh?
Raven: Well, no sense letting that reservation go to waste. Let's go on ahead.
(all but Karol moves off)
Karol: I don't get it. What are you talking about? Guys? C'mon!
Title: Undertow
Fandom: Tales of Vesperia
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2582
Characters: Flynn, Yuri
Summary: Though Yuri brought up the time Flynn was swept away by a river as a light-hearted story, it hadn't been nearly as amusing at the time.
Flynn gasped for air, kicking wildly to keep his head above water. The river was rough and swift but thankfully not enough that Flynn, being a fairly strong swimmer, thought he was going to drown. Unfortunately it took all his strength to keep it that way, unable to make any progress for the nearest bank. He wasn't even certain when he'd been swept out of Zaphias, only knew that he'd been pulled under for a moment and when he came back up he couldn't see any buildings or even the rings of the barrier.
His arms and legs were beginning to ache and Flynn knew if he didn't do something soon, his strength would give out and there'd be nothing he could do to keep from drowning.
Something flickered on the edge of Flynn's vision, moving crosswise against the current and too deliberate to be part of the rushing water. He managed to keep his head up and water out of his eyes enough to recognize the ragged fin of a merman and for one heart stopping moment, all Flynn could think about was how helpless and vulnerable he was in the water. Then he was overcome by a sudden, hot determination as a thought rushed through his mind: if he could grab the merman, maybe he could get out of the river.
The monster came at him, jaws first, and Flynn held his breath and stopped fighting the current, using instead to twist his body out of the way. His should bumped against the merman's rough side and he made a desperate grab at the creature's arm and missed and grabbed again, catching hold of the hook it held. It used its weapon to pull Flynn in, trying for another bite and Flynn lunged for its arm again. The top of its snout bumped against his chest, lifting him momentarily out of the water and landing on its back. He gripped the dorsal fin tightly and the merman rolled in the water, trying to dislodge him and, when that didn't work, tried scraping its back against the riverbed but Flynn clung too close, its fin dragging into the dirt and rocks. His lungs burning, Flynn kicked his heel into the merman's side, right in the gills as hard as he could and it made a choking sound, writhing for a moment before clawing at the riverbed and dragging itself toward the bank.
Flynn gasped and coughed and his body wanted to drop to the ground but he knew doing so would basically be certain death. The merman let out a wheeze and tried to dig its claws into the leg that had injured its gills but Flynn swung it away and aimed another kick on its opposite side. It faltered again, stumbling further out of the water as it tried to swipe again at determined child clinging to its back. It wasn't able to grab him but it left three bleeding scratches over Flynn's side. He gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the pain.
Distantly he heard a voice say, "The hell? Is that a kid?" But Flynn was too preoccupied trying to survive the merman to give it more than passing acknowledgment. Despite his body's exhaustion and pain as the merman's claws continued to rake over him, desperation kept Flynn clinging to its back, twisting around to keep the monster from getting a grip on him while maintaining his own. It growled, like gurgling water, and Flynn could feel the noise vibrating through its back and it sounded frustrated as it kept trying to grab at him and Flynn could only be thankful its weapon had been lost down the river, otherwise he'd have surely been skewered by now. Which didn't help him get out of this current situation, but minor victories.
"Kid! Get down!"
His eyes snapped open and he saw four armed people charging toward them. Flynn's surprise loosened his grip just enough that the merman tossed him off with a harsh twist before noticing the oncoming rush. It froze for a moment before turning and diving back into the river. The group skidded to a halt, looking down at Flynn in various degrees of disbelief and shock.
"Holy hell, kid- are you okay?"
"Where did you even come from?"
"Damn, that thing got you good." One of the men held out his hand toward Flynn. "Let's get you over to our caravan, okay? We can treat your wounds there."
He coughed and nodded, breath having been knocked out of him when he hit the ground. The man easily picked him up and cradled Flynn between his waist and the crook of his arm. Flynn wanted to say that he could walk but now that the immediate danger had passed, his body was beginning to shake from the adrenaline crash.
The caravan was one large cart hooked up to a couple quietta and on the side was a logo that Flynn recognized as Fortune's Market, the only guild allowed to work inside Zaphias. There the man sat him down on the cart steps and another came up with a canteen and rag. "Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?" He said with a friendly smile. Flynn nodded again and let the man get the work.
He had to take off his shirt so the man to clean the scratches on his back and a woman with a hammer strapped to her back picked it up, frowning as she examined it. "I'd say this is a loss. Pretty sure we got something in the back that might fit ya."
As she began to move off with his shirt, Flynn said, "Um!"
"Hm?"
"I don't have many shirts, could I keep that one, please?" It was bad enough he'd lost one of his shoes in the river.
She and the man taking care of him looked at Flynn like he was crazy. Then their looks intensified and Flynn knew they were examining his threadbare clothing and gaunt figure and he tried not to shrink back. After a moment, the woman sighed and looked away. "I'm no seamstress but I've been known to wield a needle a time or two." Her large arms flexed, showing off a number of scars scattered here and there. "Still gonna find ya something to change into, though. Don't need to be sitting around in sopping wet clothes."
After his wounds had been cleaned, the man pulled an apple gel from a pouch at his waist, piercing the gummy skin so he could rub it directly over Flynn's injuries, the pain dulling to a faint ache and skin beginning to knit itself up. Flynn changed into a shirt donated by the smallest member of the caravan- which still draped over him like a dress -and his clothes were placed on top of the cart with rocks to dry.
"So?" The man that had carried Flynn asked, seemingly the leader of the caravan. "Where'd you come from?"
"Zaphias," Flynn said around a piece of jerky he'd been given.
He whistled. "That's a bit of a ways. How'd you end up all the way out here?"
"I fell into the river." He looked around, trying to find a hint of Zaphias's spire but the caravan was in a bit of a valley. "I don't know how far I went before I grabbed the merman."
Around him, the guildmembers all stopped. "Wait- you grabbed the merman on purpose?"
"Yeah." His teeth clamped down on another bit of jerky, sucking on the taste before chewing it. "I might've gone all the way to the sea otherwise."
"Kid," the woman said, "that thing coulda killed you."
Flynn shrugged. "Least I got outta the water."
They stared at him for a long moment before breaking out into laughter. "Kid... I don't even know what to say. You are something else."
He flushed, pleased but embarrassed. After all, he just wanted to survive.
"Well, lucky for you we're headed to Zaphias ourselves though we're probably not going to make it before they close the gates for the night." The man chuckled, shaking his head. "What's your name, Kid? You got the devil's own luck and I'll bet it'll be interesting to see how you grow up."
He beamed brightly. "Flynn Scifo!"
~*~*~*~
Yuri woke up with a headache, clogged nose, salt on his cheeks and his eyelashes sticking together. He felt, quite frankly, awful. Not just physically but he felt sick in his stomach and his heart. Hanks had taken him in last night after all of Yuri's screaming and struggling made it obvious someone would have to make sure he didn't go running off trying to look for Flynn.
He'd meant to pretend to sleep and wait until Hanks slept himself before sneaking out but, as he lay in the big empty bed that once belonged to Hanks's now-grown-son, Yuri couldn't help the desperate, crushing loneliness that seized him and he'd started to cry. Quietly at first until it grew into great, heaving sobs that left him choking into the pillow, burrowing into the blankets to hide from the world. Yuri had never cried so hard in his life. At least not that he could remember. Not even when Flinath or Charla died, one after the other, but the thought of losing Flynn, one of the few good things in Yuri's life, the only thing Yuri really considered his, felt like the whole world was coming to an end. He'd sobbed even as Hanks gathered him up in his arms and Yuri was equal parts mortified and grateful for the comfort the man offered.
Yuri had fallen into a dreamless sleep and woken up with the sun brightly streaming into the room and Hanks sleeping in an uncomfortable looking position against the headboard. Very carefully, very slowly, Yuri crawled across the bed and quietly lowered himself out. He could hear Hanks's wife bustling about in the kitchen. If he could sneak passed her, he'd be able to go on the search he'd meant to go on last night.
Slowly he eased the front door open just enough to slip through and just as quietly eased it closed. He sat on the front steps to stuff his feet into his boots and laced them just enough so they wouldn't fall off. It must have been mid-morning, the first rush of the day giving way to a steady stream of people moving about and Yuri knew it was only a matter of time before he was noticed.
He made it about two blocks down when he heard, "Yuri? Does Hanks know you're out?"
He ran. More people were calling out his name but Yuri ignored them and kept running. If no one had found Flynn yet, he must have gotten swept out of Zaphias. Yuri didn't know where the canal emptied out but he was sure if he circled the city wall once he was out he'd come across it eventually-
"Yuri!"
He came to such a sudden halt that Yuri tripped over his own feet. He scrambled to his hands and knees, shoving the hair from his face and saw, next to a Fortune's Market cart, Flynn. Something in Yuri's chest twisted and he barely recognized the high pitched whine coming from his own throat and he hurtled himself towards his best friend, all but tackling him in a bear hug and raining kisses on Flynn's face between garbled, unintelligible words.
"Yuri," Flynn wriggled in his grasp, "c'mon!"
"You're okay!" Yuri eventually managed to choke out.
"Yu-ri!" He'd finally managed to get his hands between them, not pushing Yuri back out of reach but far enough that he could give his best friend that ridiculously bright smile Yuri had almost thought he'd never see again. "I'm glad that didn't turn into a big deal."
Yuri reared back and punched him in the face. "You JERK!"
~*~*~*~
Having sent Karol ahead, because no doubt someone would suggest celebrating Flynn's victory, Yuri turned back to Flynn and scowled. "What's with the shit-eating grin?"
Flynn wasn't really grinning, breathing still heavy from his marathon battle, wiping the sweat from his face and neck, his hair even more tousled than ever. But it was all in the eyes, the sharp, knowing look and subtle shift of his lips shaping them just so. "Just thinking of all the details of that story you neglected to mention."
Yuri crossed his arms and tossed his head as if he had no idea what Flynn was talking about. "Everything was the truth."
Flynn shifted his head to the side and Yuri could practically hear him think 'more or less'. Then he looked back Yuri and the specter of that shit-eating grin grew into something a little more prominent. "Perhaps you just 'forgot' about how you cried when I came back?" Yuri tsked- as much as he enjoyed using their shared past to needle Flynn, it was annoying that it went both ways. "Or that you kept kissing me and refused to let me go for more than a minute at a time? And that you made me swear for a week that I'd never leave you behind again?"
"Or the reason why Zaphias has grid iron grates in the canals is because of you?"
"Or that you demanded to bathe with me to make sure I wouldn't fall in the drain."
Yuri scoffed. "You say that like I'd have a problem sharing a bath with you now." Though, from the slide of his gaze, it was obvious that he meant for very different reasons.
To his delight, instead of getting flustered or annoyed, Flynn full on smirked. "Are you that eager to scrub the new champion's back?"
"Old news," Yuri's tone was dismissive even as he pulse kicked up a notch, "I already beat you in Aurnion."
As hard as he fought, as tired as he must have been, between the fire in Flynn's eyes and the color still flushing his cheeks, Yuri knew Flynn's blood was still singing and that, far beyond any of the others, that was Yuri's favorite look on Flynn. The deep, intense gaze, the heat and tension in every strong line of his body, the way he moved so purposeful and wanting with eyes that could only see Yuri.
It never failed to make Yuri want to be wild and reckless in ways that decency laws would absolutely not approve of.
They stood chest to chest and it took far more willpower than Yuri would ever admit to not grab a fistful of Flynn's hair and have him right on the coliseum floor. "Do you really think you'll win a second time?" Flynn asked, anticipation shivering over Yuri's spine.
"Always up for a rematch with you."
Flynn leaned in closer still, lips just a hairsbreadth from brushing against Yuri's. "Then let's see who comes out on top."
~*~*~*~
(optional skit)
Estelle: Natz said he made a reservation for us to celebrate Fynn's win and- hm? Where's Flynn and Yuri?
Karol: I thought they were coming right behind me.
Raven: Oh, I'm sure they are.
Karol: Should I go get them?
Judith: It's fine. No doubt they're celebrating in their own way.
(reaction shots)
Estelle: O-Oh...
Rita: Ugh! I didn't need to know that!
Karol: Huh?
Raven: Well, no sense letting that reservation go to waste. Let's go on ahead.
(all but Karol moves off)
Karol: I don't get it. What are you talking about? Guys? C'mon!
