Title: Sensitive Information
Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses
Characters/Pairing: Yuri/Ashe, Hapi, Balthus, Abyss Keeper
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine
Warnings: Mentions canonical familial death/canonical character death. Ashe thinks Yuri died for a few minutes, but DON'T WORRY, Yuri is okay!
Notes: Post-war but the lord that won is left intentionally vague. Written for hc_bingo, the prompt is "presumed dead."

“Thank you for telling me.” Ashe’s voice was raw, but he had calmed down as much as one could in these situations. “I apologize for losing my temper earlier.”

“I get it,” Abyss Keeper assured him. “I cried my eyes out when I found out Mr. Backup… passed on. I’ll leave you alone so you can grieve.”

“Not yet.” He took a deep breath. Experience had taught him that he needed to remain calm, even if his chest hurt so much that it was hard to breathe. “Yuri is—was a public figure. We’re going to need to talk to the Wolves, not to mention the Mockingbirds. We also need to inform his mother and figure out a way to send her money now that Yuri is gone…” His body went cold when he realized the problem. He knew everyone in Yuri’s gang. But he didn’t know anything about Yuri’s mother. No one did—she was secreted away somewhere so Yuri’s enemies couldn’t get to her. With no address or description, he couldn’t send her money or call for a doctor. He wouldn’t know If she needed a doctor. She wouldn’t even know why her son had stopped writing to her—Goddess, this was so unfair—

“Or you could let her very much alive son handle it like he always does,” Yuri said with a mirthful wave, Hapi close behind him. “Aw, you two missed me? How very sweet.”

Ashe wasn’t entirely sure what happened after that. He thought he heard Abyss Keeper screaming about a ghost. He was more concerned with his vision going black for a second. He lurched forward, trying to find something to keep him steady, and was thankful for whoever caught him before he fell on his face.

Yuri’s laughter was every bit as rich as he remembered. “I have that effect on people.” There was a pause. “Um, why aren’t you laughing at that with me?”

“Honestly, Yuri-bird.” Somewhere, Hapi was scolding Yuri. “You know Freckles is terrified of ghosts. Not to mention he was probably super upset when he thought you were dead. Add in the shock of seeing you not dead, and you made him faint for real. Congrats, Mr. Boyfriend of the Year.”

“Hey.” Any mirth in Yuri’s voice was gone, replaced by genuine concern. “You with me, Ashe?”

“I’m with you,” he managed as his vision returned. He looked at Yuri, concerned and beautiful and alive. “But how did you survive that? The report said that the rival gang was the size of a small army.”

Hapi shrugged. “I let out a few sighs, and they were suddenly more concerned about the monsters attacking them. Go figure.”

Feeling more grounded, Ashe smiled at Hapi as he placed a hand on Yuri’s back. “Thanks. And next time, I’m going with you.”

Yuri frowned. “There were a lot of mages, and you don’t handle magic attacks well.”

“Next time, I’m going with you.” The only reason he had stayed was to make sure food was distributed equally to the orphans of Abyss. That was an important job, but his sister was old enough to handle it, not to mention she was always complaining about having nothing to do in the afternoons since Constance only taught her magic at night. If anything, Sophia (who was always in a rush to grow up) would be thrilled that she was being trusted with such a responsibility. Ashe’s throat felt tight so he gave up on talking and buried his face in Yuri’s shoulder, hugging him tightly.

“Whelp, that’s our cue to leave,” Hapi said to Abyss Keeper. “Feel free to rip each other’s clothes off so you can get started on the ‘I’m so glad you survived’ sex.”

--

To their credit, they did not rip each other’s clothes off immediately. First, they went back to their tiny apartment located on the edge of Abyss so Ashe could collect himself and Yuri could wash his face and change. After that came a discussion about dinner. Ashe offered to cook, but Yuri reminded him about the day they’d endured and recommended going to the inn, even if the chef was a joke (Yuri’s words, not Ashe’s). Balthus was there, so Ashe listened to him and Yuri argue about who would win in the next arena fight.

When Yuri left to pay the bill, Balthus kindly asked how Ashe was holding up after the fright of his life. Ashe made sure he seemed especially vulnerable when he confessed that it had been so, so scary… which meant Balthus was more than willing to try to console him by answering his questions. Don’t worry, buddy. Yuri’s a smart guy. He’s had a plan for a real long time to make sure his mom’s okay in a worst-case scenario. Um, I might have said too much. At that point, Ashe had to resort to more morally dubious tactics, but this was important. After getting the information he needed, he went home with Yuri.

Then they ripped each other’s clothes off.

--

“Exquisite.” Yuri’s fingers playing with his hair was the most soothing feeling in the world. “Maybe I should almost get killed more often if the sex is always gonna be this good.”

It was tempting to just lie there on Yuri’s chest and let him quip while he fell asleep to the sound of his lover’s heartbeat, but… “Yuri.” He pulled himself into a sitting position. “I was scared when I thought you had died.”

Yuri smiled up at Ashe, hand carding through his hair again. “Sorry. I wish I could say it won’t happen again, but sometimes it’s the only way you can help people.”

Ashe shook his head. “No, I was fine about that.” When Yuri raised an eyebrow, he quickly added, “Sorry. What I meant was I’ve lost a lot of people in my life, so I’ve learned the only thing you can do in these situations is to keep going. I was gutted when Abyss Keeper told me the news, and I would have mourned you for the rest of my days, but I would have kept going. I was scared because I didn’t know how I was going to take care of your mother if you were gone. I don’t know where she lives or her name, or your real name—”

“Ashe.” Yuri spoke in a whisper, but his tone was steely. “None of that is your responsibility.”

“Maybe not at first,” Ashe conceded. He traced the outline of Yuri’s bare shoulder. “But if we are going to make this work, I need to know more about you. I don’t expect the Lord of the Underworld to share all his secrets, of course. But if something did happen to you, I wouldn’t feel right unless I helped to make sure your affairs were in order and that your mother was safe. And let’s be real, Balthus is a good friend, but he could never afford to look after your gang and your mother.”

As Ashe anticipated, Yuri did not react well to that. He sat up, glowering at Ashe. “How do you know that?”

“Because Balthus realizes that you’ll need more help for something like this.” Ashe smiled guiltily. “Sorry, but you know what it’s like to get information out of you. And Balthus only told me that there’s a letter he and the other Wolves are supposed to open if you die… and only after I bribed him.” He ignored Yuri’s comment about doe-eyed knights who weren’t nearly as innocent as they looked. “I think your plan is good. It keeps your mother hidden away while making sure she’s cared for. But what’s the point of loving you if I can’t do something as simple as help care for your family if the worst happens?”

Yuri blinked at him, mouth slightly open, body language indicating that he finally understood. Then he smirked. “Cornball.” Still, he kissed Ashe tenderly. “I’m sorry. It’s just you have two siblings to care for, so I didn’t want to—”

“Burden me,” Ashe finished for him. “But Sophia and Duran are almost grown. I wouldn’t be offering if I wasn’t certain that I could provide for all three of them.” Taking care of the people of Abyss was never going to make him rich. But he didn’t want to be rich; he just wanted to protect people and support his loved ones. And that was something that he was fully confident that he could do. “Protecting those I care for isn’t just about pointing an arrow at people. It’s making sure that if… something bad happens, they don’t need to worry about the people they’ll leave behind.”

Yuri rested his face in his hand. “You’re not going to give up on this, are you?”

“Not when it’s you.”

“All right, all right,” Yuri huffed dramatically. “First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll show you where the letter is hidden. Don’t you dare open it unless I actually die.”

“Understood.” Ashe didn’t resist as Yuri pushed him back onto the mattress. He never could resist Yuri at all, really.

Yuri hovered over Ashe, purple hair cascading over his bare shoulders. Just like the first time Ashe saw him like this, he was amazed how someone could be so delicate and strong in equal measure. “Anything else you would like to know?”

He was so shocked that Yuri was volunteering information that he wasn’t sure what to say. But after taking a moment, he decided he might as well ask what he had always wanted to know. “What would I have to do for you to tell me your real name?”

Yuri chuckled wickedly. “That is some highly sensitive information, friend. If I ever told you, I might have to drag you down to the underworld with me to make sure it stays secret.”

“You do realize I already live here with you, right?”

“Ugh. You’re no fun at all.” But that didn’t stop Yuri from claiming Ashe’s mouth.