Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Vesperia, so leave me alone.

A/N: I needed to make a story for ToV and now I've gotten off my lazy butt and done something.

Pairing: Yuri x Flynn

Flynn sighed in relief as he eased his aching body into the hot bath that had been waiting for him. He had been riding for days on end to deliver a message to Dahngrest and then to deliver the Union's responding message back to Zaphias. The blond had not been too happy about that, but it was his duty to his Emperor. That's what he kept telling himself, at any rate.

I hope I locked the door. He thought absently. Yuri had been known to barge into the bathroom on a random search for Flynn. Every time the black-haired man did that, it was usually at a point where the blond was without a towel, shirt, relaxing in the bathtub, taking a shower, brushing his teeth, or a combination of the aforementioned. I swear he does that on purpose.

Another sigh escaped Flynn's lips and he sank further into the water, so that only his head was the only thing above water. His eyes were drooping from fatigue, but he felt no need to get out of the relaxingly hot bath so soon. Instead, Flynn allowed his mind to wander off on the things he had gone through the past week.

It was stressful since it kept raining the entire week. In fact, it was still raining. He wouldn't have minded a warm rain, but it was cold and that made things incredibly uncomfortable. Flynn frowned in disgust as he thought about how muddy the road had been and how abominably cold the rain was.

Eventually, his thoughts turned to Yuri. Flynn's expression always softened when he thought about his childhood friend. That man was brash, slightly insane, and definitely childish. How the two men could stand each other, let alone befriend each other, was beyond anybody's comprehension. Flynn smiled as he remembered the expressions of disbelief when he told others that he and Yuri were the best of friends.

Although, there was one thing about the black-haired man that Flynn couldn't help but be envious of. Yuri was free. There was no way anyone could hope to keep Yuri Lowell in a cage for longer than a second. He hated the feeling of helplessness, but confining him…Flynn shuddered, knowing full well that the man got pretty pissed when he was locked up in a stuffy room (or cell).

The blond closed his eyes. Yuri was The Fool, in a nutshell. Flynn smiled as he remembered telling his friend that he was starting to get interested in Tarot cards. Yuri had been taken completely off guard and it was his expression that had sent the blond into a fit of chuckles (he would NOT admit that he was giggling). Although, Flynn was surprised when the black-haired man had actually gotten him a Tarot deck for his recent birthday.

Then again, Yuri has a way of surprising me at least once or twice a week. The Knight thought, a small smile gracing his lips. It was a knock (more like a kick) on the door that brought Flynn out of his thoughts. The water had turned lukewarm, causing the blond to make a face. He sighed with regret and stood up, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. Flynn unlocked the door, but had no chance to open it before the wooden door flew open. Standing right in front of the blond was Yuri.

Flynn felt a blush creeping up on his cheeks, but he forced it down violently. Yuri had his usual poker face on, but the blond could sense that something was lurking beneath the mask. Fighting his feelings of foreboding, the young Knight gave his friend an annoyed look.

"Yuri. Do you mind allowing me to get dressed before you say whatever you need to say?" the blond asked, his sapphire eyes hardening to a 'I-won't-take-no-for-an-answer.' Yuri simply nodded and stood to the side to allow Flynn entrance to his room. The Knight rummaged through his drawers, looking for something warm and comfortable. He tried not to think about Yuri being in the room, watching the blond get dressed into his nightclothes.

"Okay, I'm decent," Flynn told his friend. He had decided on simply wearing a light blue shirt and matching pants. Both were a little loose, but they were warm and that was all that mattered to the blond. Yuri had been sitting on Flynn's bed the entire time. The blond had made sure that he had his back to the black-haired man, if only to make sure that he wouldn't see the blush that may have dusted his cheeks.

"You were better off shirtless," came the reply. Before the Knight could say anything, Yuri swiftly stood and gave Flynn a chaste kiss square on his lips. He was shocked, to say the least, but it was pleasant. Just as quick as it had come, the kiss ended and Flynn found himself alone in his room. He walked over to the window Yuri had used as his entrance and exit. Flynn simply looked toward the horizon, a small smile on his lips, his fingers lightly brushing where Yuri had kissed him.

Yep. He's The Fool all right. But he's my Fool. Flynn thought before turning from the window. He slipped into his bed and fell into a dreamless sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, a smile still on his face.