Title: Enough
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Hopes
Characters/Pairing: Yuri Leclerc/Ashe Ubert, OCs are mentioned
Rating: PG-16
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine
Warnings: Spoilers for Scarlet Blaze. OCs die. Violence. Some not-so-subtle mentioning of sexuality. Ashe drops a F bomb.
Notes: Takes place post-Scarlet Blaze. The Mockingbirds are no longer stationed in Abyss. Now they're a mercenary group.
--
When Ashe awoke, the first thing he was aware of was the throbbing pain in his hips and thighs. Then he sensed the multiple sore points on his neck. Still groggy, he reached to the other side of the bed. He felt only cool sheets.
Damn it, Yuri. Ashe managed to sit up, glaring blearily at the mess of what had been their clothes. Their lovemaking a few hours ago hadn’t been about pleasure so much as it was about reassuring themselves that they were still alive. The Mockingbirds had won their latest territorial dispute with the Scorpions, but just barely. Their latest leader was taller than Dedue, corpse-pale and muttering strange words under his breath as he prepared to clip the Savage Mockingbird’s wings—at least, that had been his plan until Ashe shot him through the throat. He didn’t like fighting, but this man had killed Albert (one of Yuri’s oldest recruits) without batting an eyelash. He was about to kill Yuri, and then everyone else. There was no other way.
Once the leader was dead, the group dispersed. That was when Ashe and Yuri had discovered that Maya had also died while protecting one of the younger birds.
Everyone worked automatically after that. Guards remained just in case the Scorpions returned. Yuri informed Albert’s wife and Maya’s parents. He was the empathetic yet calm leader during it all, but Ashe felt him trembling when he put a hand on Yuri’s back as he spoke. Then they came home. They ate jerky and drank mead because it was easier than cooking. Then they had sex so intense that they would forget what had happened for a bit. At least, that had been the plan.
Ashe frowned at what remained of their clothing. They’d been so desperate to feel something that wasn’t regret, Ashe had begged Yuri to just cut his clothes away with his dagger rather than struggle with buttons and buckles. Yuri had granted his request. He wasn’t going to shame past Ashe’s actions, but this would make approaching Yuri difficult. He had other clothes, but they were currently with the washing girl. She would drop them off tomorrow, but Ashe needed to look decent now.
He noticed Yuri’s long, very dramatic cloak hanging on a hook. Knowing how much it meant to Yuri, Ashe had taken it off gently when they stepped inside.
He wrapped the cloak around his body and slipped on his boots. Silently thankful that it was too dark to be seen, he went off in the direction of the makeshift building that served as Yuri’s office.
--
“Ashe.” Yuri was clad in a white linen shirt and black trousers. He slammed a book shut. “You’ll catch a cold dressed like that.”
“I don’t think I will.” He rearranged the cloak a bit before sitting down on a barrel. “This cloak of yours is pretty warm. I might get one of my own.”
Yuri almost smiled at that. Then his expression grew dark as his fingers traced lettering on the book’s cover. “I’m sorry for leaving the bed. I needed to write their names down.”
“I know. But I also know that Albert and Maya wouldn’t want you to lose yourself in grief.”
“And what of his wife and her parents?”
“They don’t blame you,” Ashe reminded him. “In fact, Flora repeated it so it would ‘get into your thick head.’” When Yuri glared at him, he added, “Her words, not mine.” Flora’s eyes had been red from crying, but there was warmth in her voice when she spoke to him. Even in her lowest moments, she kept her chin up. Ashe could see why Albert had fallen for her. “And Maya’s parents took comfort in that she died saving someone else.”
“A heroic death.” Yuri’s voice oozed sarcasm. “Dying in some dark alley for a villain. So I can make some glib remark about how dying is a risk we take in our line of work or whatever.”
“She died for Belinda, not you,” Ashe snapped. He was doing his best, but fuck, this was hurting him as well. He had been teaching Maya to cook and nerded out about the Luna Knight with Albert. They had been his friends, too. And Yuri—
Yuri’s eyes were red, mascara blotted under his eyes. His cheeks were blotchy. His hair was a tangled mess post-sex and a failed attempt at sleep. To the outside world, he was the Savage Mockingbird. The Lord of the Underworld. He killed with a dazzling smile on his face. He was the man that changed the world rather than numbly accepting it. But in this room, with Ashe? He was nothing more than a young man that couldn’t even accept that people would be willing to die for his cause.
So, Ashe took a deep breath. If he wanted to help Yuri, getting upset was the last thing to do. “Moving on after someone dies isn’t dishonoring their memory. It’s what you must do so you don’t get lost in grief. Take it from someone who lost his parents.” And then his friends when he realized that he couldn’t bear to lose an adopted father.
Ashe hadn’t mentioned the last part, but it must have been reflected in his face since Yuri held out his arms. Ashe gave him a look, but he sat in Yuri’s lap regardless. Yuri rested his chin on Ashe’s head. He took selfish comfort in Yuri’s heartbeat. “So, are we still fighting?”
Yuri let out a soft laugh, ruffling Ashe’s hair. “I hope not. I’ve had a lousy enough day as it is.”
He made a sound of agreement as he snuggled into Yuri. “I do want you to remember them. But I also want you to stay alive. You can’t do that if you’re obsessed with the dead.”
“I know. And I won’t,” Yuri promised him. “It’s hard, though.”
“Tell me about it.”
“You should, actually.” Yuri kissed Ashe’s hair. “You’ve worked so hard keeping the Savage Mockingbird from being a self-absorbed ass tonight, but the Mockingbird’s Shadow deserves to process what happened, too.”
Now Ashe made a disagreeable sound. “Is that my nickname?”
“Yep.” He could hear the smirk in Yuri’s voice.
Ashe closed his eyes. “Ugh. Tell them I only answer to the name ‘Arrow of Justice.’”
“… Of course that’s what you want to be called,” Yuri chuckled. “But I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t love cornball lines like that.” Yuri carded his fingers through his hair. Ashe closed his eyes, losing himself in the gentle sensation as he clung to Yuri’s shirt. He granted himself the luxury of pretending the outside world didn’t exist, that he was just curled up with his boyfriend on a cold night.
“I process stuff by trying to be useful,” he finally said.
“In that case, you should go back to bed,” Yuri replied. “That way, you’re rested for a day full of good deeds tomorrow.”
But you’d still be here, alone. “Tell you what. I’ll go back to bed if you come with me.”
Yuri helped Ashe up, taking his hand.
This wasn’t going to bring back Albert or Maya. Nothing would. All they could do was honor their memories by making sure the tiny village the Mockingbirds had been paid to protect would be safe from the Scorpions. That would be enough.