[ Yuri feels his skin flushing. The brush of Flynn's fingers on his cheek is intimate in a way he's not used to. Yes, they're having sex now, but that's different. This is soft, gentle, caring, and makes his throat a little dry. Flynn loves him--he said that, that night on the bank of the lake--but it's still a little difficult to comprehend.
He remembers to kiss back at the last moment, his fingers finding Flynn's hip. ]
[ Really nice, he says, in that embarrassed way of his. Flynn laughs against his mouth, pressing back his own jangling nerves, and pulls away with his ears high in the morning sunlight. ]
You really are terrible at getting gifts. Sit—I have breakfast, and coffee.
[ A quip about Flynn's cooking is on his tongue, but he holds it back, for once in his life, because this is so nice. It's nice and quiet and Flynn did this for him. For Yuri, because it's his birthday, and Flynn is his boyfriend, his partner, and if he cooked Yuri something foul, whatever. He still made it, and Yuri... doesn't know what to do with that. His heart feels full in a way that kind of hurts ]
I am not. I like them. [ He mutters, and drops down at the table, shoulders slumping in on themselves ]
[ He's so cute when he's embarrassed like this. Flynn could leave him alone, but he delights in making Yuri look like that, is the problem, so as he brings over the towering parfait and a cup of coffee complete with foam and sweet syrup, he says, ]
If I told you I had more gifts, wouldn't you tell me they were unnecessary and that I shouldn't have wasted my time? Anyway—it was a bit hard to find berries, they're out of season, but I hope this is still good. I followed the recipe exactly.
[ He is about to tell Flynn is it unnecessary, he doesn't need gifts, but then the parfait is set in front of him and his mouth is watering. Somehow, it didn't connect in his head that this might be for him ]
Exactly..? [ He confirms with Flynn, glancing up at him. He doesn't wait, though, picking up his spoon and digging in and
Fuck, it's good. It's good and he lets out a low groan and takes another bite. If this is what 22 is like, maybe that's okay ]
[ Oh thank the Goddess he likes it. Flynn lets out a breath he didn't kno he was holding, cradling another mug close to himself as he settles down across from Yuri. Sunlight lines the edges of his ears, turning the fur brown. He can still see the lines of sleep on Yuri's face. ]
Exactly. I didn't want it to come out wrong, especially today. We haven't gotten to properly celebrate in a long time.
[ A long, long time. The last birthday they had together was when Yuri turned 18, and even then they didn't really take the time to celebrate, instead spending the day helping the lower quarter recover from the first real cold snap of winter, Yuri spent the day cooking soup and Flynn worked to make sure everyone had wood and blankets and that their windows were insulated from the cold.
Flynn did this for him. He turned that focus on Yuri, made him food that's actually good, got him a gift, made him coffee. Kissed him and held him last night, made him feel amazing, loved, adored, in a way Yuri still isn't used to--he holds he never gets used to it. Was that for his birthday, too, he wonders?
He takes a sip of the coffee and feels something in his gut. Something tangled and strange and uncomfortable but good, really good, and he looks up at Flynn and meets his eyes, and is flooded with those feelings that he can't believe are for him.
[ If Yuri weren't holding his gaze, Flynn would probably worry that the coffee was bad, or something, but it's impossible to mistake that sharp-sweet tangle of feelings for anything like that. With his heart in his throat, Flynn rises from his chair again, slips around the table and comes to a halt in front of Yuri. After a moment, he lifts his hand, lets his fingers trail through Yuri's hair, to those soft ears. ]
[ How did he miss those feelings? How could he have thought that Flynn didn't feel the same? It's so obvious, and yet so incredible at the same time. Yuri reaches up and tugs Flynn down to kiss him, soft and slow, Yuri trying to say thank you, I love you, I don't deserve what you're giving me, all through a kiss. ]
[ He does deserve it, though. Yuri deserves slippers and parfaits and more besides: he deserves happiness, and a just world to try to be happy in, and someone to stand by his side no matter what. Flynn would give him a whole new world if he could. He's trying, at home. This is just a tiny part of that, a way to try and show Yuri in as many possible different ways I am so glad you were born.
Flynn lets the kiss linger, lets himself enjoy the taste of coffee and fruit, slips his other hand into Yuri's hair and then gives up and slips onto his lap to get closer, his tail thudding into the table in easy joy. ]
[ He feels it, even if he still doesn't fully believe it. He feels the love, the care, the eagerness in Flynn. He grunts with Flynn's weight on him, his hand coming to his ass, his waist, smiling at the thump of his tail. He's never going to get over that, the happy wagging for him, for Yuri. A purr rumbles low in his own chest, lost in the gentleness of the moment.
He breaks the kiss to rest his face against Flynn's chest, staying close ]
You did good. This actually tastes great.
[ It's hard to admit, but he wants Flynn to know that he appreciates this ]
Actually, [ Flynn repeats in mock-outrage, his voice full of laughter. He bites down on it, grins around it and slings an arm around Yuri's shoulders, presses fingers into his hair. He's sleep-soft and warm with it, and Flynn can't get enough of him. ] There's no need to be mean just because it's your birthday.
Actually I'm glad you're not trying to poison me on my birthday. [ Yuri shoots back, grinning up at him, squeezing Flynn's ass because he can. He wonders, briefly, if Flynn would like being fucked, wonders what it would feel like, if Flynn would trust him with that. Heat does its best to shoot through him, but his body is still tired from last night, even if it makes a valiant effort, his hips nudging against Flynn. ]
[ A little bit of matching heat flares in Flynn's eyes: he's still tired from last night, too, but it's hard to mistake the intent there, hard not to feel the little spark of feeling under his skin, jumping along his nerves. He pushes back just a bit into Yuri's palm, biting down on a grin. ]
If I was really trying to poison you, wouldn't I want you to eat the whole thing?
Maybe you changed your mind. Decided I'm more fun alive. [ He teases, grinning up at Flynn. He's 22 now. It's strange to think, but it also doesn't really matter much. He's the same as he was a day ago, the same as he was when he came back from being home, except... also not. Also, he knows Flynn loves him, now, and that shifted something inside of him. And Flynn did this, for him, and he can't quite get a handle on that.
Instead, he leans in to kiss him again, the only way he knows how to say thank you ]
[ Flynn tells him later, when he's cleaned up the kitchen and Yuri's empty parfait glass, and stoked the fire in the living room for him and then stretched out on top of him in his dog form while Yuri dozed. Flynn has put all his homework and his projects aside, dedicated today to Yuri alone, and that means following Yuri's whims even when they lead to napping. A hot cup of tea, spiced and sweet, steams on the table beside the couch. Flynn's nose is shoved into Yuri's collarbone. ]
More birthday things, when you want them. We'll need to leave fairly soon.
[ Sleeping with a dog on him is one of Yuri's greatest pleasures in life. That dog being his hot boyfriend is something he's still not totally used to, but he pets Flynn idly, half-asleep, until Flynn's voice rouses him ]
More..? Flynn, this is already great.
[ More than he's ever gotten, before. More than the usual single, thoughtful gift Flynn would buy him back him. Better than the much nicer gift Flynn got him last year because Flynn couldn't actually get time off, and they weren't really talking much. But Flynn got him a gift anyway. He really should have known, that Flynn felt some kind of way about him, then. ]
[ I have a lot to make up for, Flynn doesn't say. He sort of figures Yuri might get that, and if he doesn't, well, that's alright. You don't make up for bad birthdays by telling someone you're making up for it. You act, especially with Yuri, who respects actions so much more than words.
Actions and, hopefully, a re-do of some things. Flynn's nerves don't show nearly as well when he's a dog, which is a blessing. He pushes his nose against Yuri's jaw and huffs. There's one way to get Yuri to agree to excess, and that's to trick him into it. ]
We don't have to visit the hot springs, then. If you're content with things now.
[ Yuri laughs at the cold nose against his face, pushing at Flynn without really meaning it. He would be content to stay here all day, but-- ]
Hot springs? Oh. I forgot there were hot springs. [ Did he even know? He really should explore more...
He grins at Flynn, and manages to get dressed for the cold, out the door with Flynn, Repede deciding to stay right where he is in front of the fire. At least he can keep Raven company. ]
[ Flynn has shifted back to himself, his ears squashed flat under a hat and a scarf pulled around his throat as he turns to lock the door behind them. ]
I'd forgotten there were hot springs, too—did you know you can get a whole pool to yourself, if you want? They're on the cliffs, with a view of the whole of Wintermute. I hope we see the lights.
Sounds fancy. [ Yuri's inherent distaste for people spending money on him is roaring up, but also--it sounds nice. Really nice. Maybe he can pay for it. He has enough spoons. ] It's been kinda pretty here. It's almost nice, when it's not... [ last month, with the trial, and the dying ]
Actively trying to kill us? Yes. Very nice if not for that.
[ Flynn doesn't mean to be quite so dry about it but he really hasn't forgiven Thirteen for the multiple successful attempts on their lives, or for bringing Yuri back at the precise moment she did. He hesitates, and then offers an arm to Yuri, because it's too cold to have their hands out. ]
It almost starts to seem like the kind of nice designed to keep people from noticing things.
He's getting into conspiracies now. [ Yuri laughs, and for once he takes Flynn's arm, because he wants to be close and Flynn is doing all of this for him, and he loves him. He stays close to Flynn's side ]
Might be something to it. Seems like she wants to torment us every few months, and everything else is pretty okay. Except, I guess there was that time I was kidnapped three times in a row...
[ Flynn snorts, his breath coming up in a short, sharp puff. ]
How do you forget about getting repeatedly kidnapped? It's burned into my mind, what those things did to you! I don't know why they were so intent on getting your clothes off—or, well.
[ His cheeks flood with color, which Flynn is going to blame on the cold. ]
[ Yuri shoots him a look. He hadn't quite put together the pieces, that Flynn saw him like that, body nearly bare. Oh, that flush is cute, and fun... ]
They wanted you to have a show. Show you what you were missing.
[ The confidence to tease Flynn about his attraction to Yuri is new, and Yuri gets giddy with it, pressing in closer. ]
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He remembers to kiss back at the last moment, his fingers finding Flynn's hip. ]
Uh. Thanks. They're... really nice.
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You really are terrible at getting gifts. Sit—I have breakfast, and coffee.
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I am not. I like them. [ He mutters, and drops down at the table, shoulders slumping in on themselves ]
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If I told you I had more gifts, wouldn't you tell me they were unnecessary and that I shouldn't have wasted my time? Anyway—it was a bit hard to find berries, they're out of season, but I hope this is still good. I followed the recipe exactly.
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Exactly..? [ He confirms with Flynn, glancing up at him. He doesn't wait, though, picking up his spoon and digging in and
Fuck, it's good. It's good and he lets out a low groan and takes another bite. If this is what 22 is like, maybe that's okay ]
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Exactly. I didn't want it to come out wrong, especially today. We haven't gotten to properly celebrate in a long time.
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Flynn did this for him. He turned that focus on Yuri, made him food that's actually good, got him a gift, made him coffee. Kissed him and held him last night, made him feel amazing, loved, adored, in a way Yuri still isn't used to--he holds he never gets used to it. Was that for his birthday, too, he wonders?
He takes a sip of the coffee and feels something in his gut. Something tangled and strange and uncomfortable but good, really good, and he looks up at Flynn and meets his eyes, and is flooded with those feelings that he can't believe are for him.
Hoarsely, he says: ] C'mere.
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Happy birthday, Yuri.
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Flynn lets the kiss linger, lets himself enjoy the taste of coffee and fruit, slips his other hand into Yuri's hair and then gives up and slips onto his lap to get closer, his tail thudding into the table in easy joy. ]
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He breaks the kiss to rest his face against Flynn's chest, staying close ]
You did good. This actually tastes great.
[ It's hard to admit, but he wants Flynn to know that he appreciates this ]
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If I was really trying to poison you, wouldn't I want you to eat the whole thing?
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Instead, he leans in to kiss him again, the only way he knows how to say thank you ]
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[ Flynn tells him later, when he's cleaned up the kitchen and Yuri's empty parfait glass, and stoked the fire in the living room for him and then stretched out on top of him in his dog form while Yuri dozed. Flynn has put all his homework and his projects aside, dedicated today to Yuri alone, and that means following Yuri's whims even when they lead to napping. A hot cup of tea, spiced and sweet, steams on the table beside the couch. Flynn's nose is shoved into Yuri's collarbone. ]
More birthday things, when you want them. We'll need to leave fairly soon.
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More..? Flynn, this is already great.
[ More than he's ever gotten, before. More than the usual single, thoughtful gift Flynn would buy him back him. Better than the much nicer gift Flynn got him last year because Flynn couldn't actually get time off, and they weren't really talking much. But Flynn got him a gift anyway. He really should have known, that Flynn felt some kind of way about him, then. ]
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Actions and, hopefully, a re-do of some things. Flynn's nerves don't show nearly as well when he's a dog, which is a blessing. He pushes his nose against Yuri's jaw and huffs. There's one way to get Yuri to agree to excess, and that's to trick him into it. ]
We don't have to visit the hot springs, then. If you're content with things now.
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Hot springs? Oh. I forgot there were hot springs. [ Did he even know? He really should explore more...
He grins at Flynn, and manages to get dressed for the cold, out the door with Flynn, Repede deciding to stay right where he is in front of the fire. At least he can keep Raven company. ]
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I'd forgotten there were hot springs, too—did you know you can get a whole pool to yourself, if you want? They're on the cliffs, with a view of the whole of Wintermute. I hope we see the lights.
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[ Flynn doesn't mean to be quite so dry about it but he really hasn't forgiven Thirteen for the multiple successful attempts on their lives, or for bringing Yuri back at the precise moment she did. He hesitates, and then offers an arm to Yuri, because it's too cold to have their hands out. ]
It almost starts to seem like the kind of nice designed to keep people from noticing things.
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Might be something to it. Seems like she wants to torment us every few months, and everything else is pretty okay. Except, I guess there was that time I was kidnapped three times in a row...
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How do you forget about getting repeatedly kidnapped? It's burned into my mind, what those things did to you! I don't know why they were so intent on getting your clothes off—or, well.
[ His cheeks flood with color, which Flynn is going to blame on the cold. ]
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They wanted you to have a show. Show you what you were missing.
[ The confidence to tease Flynn about his attraction to Yuri is new, and Yuri gets giddy with it, pressing in closer. ]
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