"The Warmth of Spring" (FE: Three Hopes fic)

Title: The Warmth of Spring
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Hopes
Fire Emblem: Three Hopes Characters/Pairing: Ashe Ubert/Yuri Leclerc. Background Mercedes/Sylvain. Background Dimitri/Hapi.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine
Warnings: Parental death, canon character death, power imbalances in relationships?
Notes: I know that this is not the first Hades/Persephone AsheYuri AU. Still, I hope this is unique enough to entertain. Written for spook_me 2023.

Yuri was quite aware of what the Nabataens were saying behind his back. All the ‘concerned queries’ to Seteth that he was too young to assume the role of Aubin, the guardian of the underworld. He was too recently deceased and would be too soft with the naughtier of the children (they meant humans). His mother was still among the living. None of them hated Yuri, of course. The previous Aubin had chosen him as his successor, and of course, they felt such pity and empathy for the hapless, luckless child. They were merely concerned. After all, he was one of their precious children. Their precious property, Yuri mused bitterly. A reflection of their values and desires—an assurance that they were still relevant for future generations. If it weren’t for Seteth (who despite his prissy nature was an honest man) ensuring that his mother was spending her final years in comfort, he would have run off to explore the afterlife ages ago.

So, he would prove them all wrong tonight by successfully completing his first mission as the god of death. He would demonstrate through his actions that the elder—Aubin—had made the right choice in choosing a young mortal for his successor. Yes, he was ten, but he was hardly a child.

Yuri took in the sight before him. He stood in front of a small cottage. There was a sign that Yuri suspected read that it was a restaurant, but it was hard to tell with the QUARANTINE signs plastered over it. The illness that had taken so many lives—Yuri’s included—had yet to burn out. After he proved himself with this mission, Yuri was going to be a busy young man.

Locks and walls meant nothing to the newest harbinger of souls—and even before then, Yuri had known his way around a lock. He entered what had been a kitchen and dining area, once upon a time. Now, it was nothing but barren cupboards and furniture in various phases of being torn apart for firewood. Yuri curtailed his curiosity and headed upstairs, checking each room. The first one had two toddlers curled up in a dilapidated bed, sharing one thin quilt. It was hard to ignore them. His mother had always told him the Goddess wanted to help others. But right now, all he could do was breathe a sigh of relief that he was not here to collect them.

He found his charges in the master bedroom. The bodies of a woman and her husband were arranged in their coffins, ready for the funeral. Yuri frowned. Typical Church politics. Make sure you have the appearances of compassion to prepare for a funeral while the couple’s children freeze. His ‘fellow’ Nabataens would sigh and perhaps even weep if he told them, but not much else. And why would they? They benefited too much from the system to want to change it. Yuri held out his hand so he could at least take the couple to the afterlife and they could be with the Goddess… but they resisted. Yuri could overwhelm them, of course, but that would be rude. Not to mention he was a little curious to know what would stop someone from accepting paradise.

He heard a small sniffle. Yuri turned around and was greeted by a boy with pale skin and silver-white hair. If it weren’t for the sniffling, Yuri would have assumed he was a ghost (as the god of death, he knew for a fact that ghosts did not sniffle). It was a bad idea… but Seteth wasn’t here to scold him. Besides, Yuri knew what it felt like to be powerless when those you loved suffered. So, he made himself visible and sat before his new friend. “Hey, there.”

The boy looked up—and squeaked. “A-are you a ghost?!”

Yuri shook his head. “No. Merely a friend.” Those were not lies. However, he could not tell this lad that he was Aubin or even his new name of Yuri Leclerc that he was given when he was chosen to ascend. But he still had the name his mother gave him. “Call me Regulus. Or Reg,” he added because while he did not hate his name, he still felt it was a little too fancy for someone like him.

“Reg,” the boy said slowly before his eyes widened with alarm. “You need to get out of here. My parents died from the plague, we—”

“Easy, friend,” Yuri assured him. “I caught it ages ago, so I’m immune.” Technically this was true. Yuri had simply deleted the part where he had also died from it. He supposed that at this point, the boy and his younger siblings had been ill but unlike their parents, had survived. “I’m sorry that your parents are dead. But you know that they would want you to keep going, right?” He’d said the same words to his mother before he ascended—or in his case descended into the underworld. Please keep going, Mom.

“I know. I just don’t know how,” the boy confessed. “I spent the last of our gold on the funeral.” Yuri’s blood boiled at those words. So, the Church was charging children to bury their parents now? Yet he remained silent since the boy was still talking, speaking with the frantic tone of someone who’s kept things bottled up for far too long. “We have no family. The local Churches are full. I’ve looked for work, but no one will hire me. I’ve even begged, but no one will even look at me.” He sniffled once more. “I wish—I wish—”

“I know,” Yuri finished for him. “You wish your parents were still alive because all of this sucks and it’s scary. But they’re dead and you’re going to have to do things you don’t want to do to survive.” He regretted those words. Anyone in the throes of grieving would understandably lash out.

Yet the boy nodded as he wiped away his tears. “Yeah.” He looked away. “I, um, may have had to pick some pockets to buy some bread for my siblings.”

Yuri nodded. “I know this sounds weird, but good for you.” And it was a good thing Seteth was not here, because he added, “I’ll help.”

“Thanks, Reg,” the boy said, making eye contact again. Then he held out his hand. “With all this going on, I forgot to give you my name. I’m Ashe Ubert.”

Yuri took it gladly. “It’s an honor to meet you, Ashe.” He noted that now the two spirits moved on—ah, of course. They had been worried for their children. But now they had been assured that their son would protect the babies and could join the Goddess with no regrets. Yuri took that as a sign that he had made the correct choice.

Admittedly, Yuri’s skills mostly involved the dead. However, he knew a few tricks concerning manipulating mortals. He alerted Ashe where some of the nobles who were so old they were half-dead slept, so it was easy to raid their coffers. He never killed anyone, but he would give people a little health scare just as Ashe picked their pockets.

“Stop hurting people just so we can get away,” Ashe informed him curtly one night after the babies were asleep.

Yuri eyed him primly. “I’d like to hear your proof for these alleged crimes, friend.”

Ashe frowned. “It’s more of a feeling.”

“Surely a smart young man like yourself knows that you can’t convict someone without proof—”

“A feeling, and you’re also always conveniently making sure we go to homes where people are ill.” Ashe frowned again, but there was no sternness in his expression. Merely guilt. “Reg, I already feel bad about… what I have to do. The last thing I want to do is steal from sick people. Besides,” he said as he sheathed a knife, “I’m good enough now that I can steal from pretty much anyone I want.”

“I don’t think it’s wrong to steal from shitty nobles—especially since they still have more than enough gold to afford the finest doctors in the world. But if that’s how you feel, that’s how you feel,” Yuri said with a shrug. He hid his panic as something occurred to him. “Do you know how I did it?”

Ashe shook his head.

“… Do you want to know?”

“Only if you want to tell me.” Ashe gave him a small smile. “I understand needing to keep a secret.” Neither one of them had told his siblings how he came home with so much money and gold. They were too young to wonder about such things. All they knew was that they were staying in clean inns and had food to eat now. “But that’s another reason you need to stop, Reg. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”

Ugh. What an annoyingly pure-hearted guy. Ashe should have become a knight and not a thief. Still, Yuri smiled back. “How could someone as sweet as yours truly get in trouble?”

Yuri wouldn’t mention it since Ashe still felt guilty about it, one year later, but he was a sight to behold, sneaking in and out of the most secure manors with no one the wiser. Yuri wished that he had survived his illness—then he and Ashe could have lived their lives as cool pickpockets. Then again, he probably never would have met Ashe if he had not died and become Aubin.

So, okay, things weren’t perfect. But helping Ashe and his siblings made Yuri feel less helpless. And Ashe calling him Reg like his mother and the elder would made him feel less apart from the world. It… it warmed him up inside.

“You can never meet that boy again,” Seteth intoned, towering over Yuri.

Yuri did his best to play it cool. “I have no idea who you’re talking about, Lord Cichol.”

“Oh, don’t Lord Cichol me!” Seteth took a breath, aware that he’d let his emotions get the better of him. “Yuri, I know that you’re meeting a boy. You’re not as tricky as you think you are.”

Okay, well, if there was no reason to hide it anymore… “So what if I am? I’m still performing my duties. And he needs me, Seteth. When his parents died, he had no one to turn to.”

Seteth frowned. “There are numerous Churches in the Kingdom. I should know; I founded most of them myself.”

Yuri scoffed. “Well, you’re doing a shitty job of upkeep. Did you know that the Church is charging kids to pay for their parents’ funerals now?”

Seteth’s expression darkened, and then he closed his eyes. Yuri had been around him long enough to know that he was employing his mystic sight, one of the many gifts he possessed as the Eyes of the Goddess. When he opened them again, his expression darkened further. “I must visit a very specific revelation upon my bishops in the Kingdom. All at the same time.”

“Good for you. I’m still going to see Ashe.”

“Yuri,” Seteth said. The previous sternness in his tone was gone, which bothered Yuri. This wasn’t just dragon bluster anymore. Seteth had sincere reasons for his order. “You are young, barely a newborn by Nabataen standards. I know that the need for connection, especially with a human roughly your age, is strong. But we keep our distance for a reason.” When Yuri scoffed again, Seteth merely put a hand on his shoulder. “Yuri, Rhea has heard rumors that Aubin has been granting a mortal special favors.”

… His heart would have skipped a beat if it still worked. “I. But. Seteth, you can’t.” Any charm or fancy words or even righteous fury was suddenly gone, replaced by a freezing sensation all over his body. If Rhea knew the truth, she’d cast him out—and probably doom his mother, Ashe, and his siblings to the void just to drive the knife into the icy wound. The Immaculate One loved all… all who obeyed her. He couldn’t let this come to light—but he couldn’t leave Ashe. Ashe was his best friend. The one reason he didn’t feel lonely anymore, he—

Seteth knelt down, wiping away Yuri’s tears with a handkerchief. Yuri felt too crummy to bat him away. “I know it’s difficult to bid farewell to loved ones when one ascends. But Yuri, you’re already in peril simply for requesting to see your mother sometimes. This boy would be too much for Rhea to permit. I’m sorry, but this is the only way you can help him now.”

“… Okay,” Yuri said, hating himself with every syllable. “But what about Ashe? I can’t just leave him alone to fend for himself.”

Seteth nodded, then stood again. He turned his back to Yuri. “Well, I’m distracted by that table in Aubin’s throne room. It would be a shame if he performed one last favor for someone while I wasn’t looking, meaning that all I have concerning his subterfuge is speculation, meaning that Aubin can stay on his throne.”

Yuri vanished immediately.

A notoriously light sleeper, Lonatao Gaspard rose when he heard a sound. He put on his slippers, lit a candle, and headed to the hallway. It wasn’t a robber—the footfalls were too light. Christophe was at the Academy. So, who could it be?

Lonato was greeted by a child smirking at him. “It’s rough out there for kids these days. They have to steal to survive.” Then the child vanished into the shadows.

“Wait!” If there was a suffering child in his castle, Lonato would aid them. As someone who had risen through the ranks due to skill rather than name, he was acutely aware of the commoners’ struggle, even after the plague had subsided. He hurried to what Christophe jokingly referred to as “the dragon den.” Lonato’s hobby involved collecting books in the hopes of one day founding a library in his territory. Since books were valuable, he kept them in his coffers.

He could not suppress a smile as he spotted the young thief studying Loog and the Maiden of the Wind intensely. He reminded him so much of Christophe at that age… if the lad was an orphan, Lonato resolved to adopt him and any other siblings. He’d missed having kids in the house.

“It’s done,” Yuri said dully as he appeared before Seteth. “Luckily for us, we decided to steal from one of the few good nobles in the Kingdom tonight.” Lonato would love Ashe for his kindness—and be impressed by his speed and dexterity. Ashe would forget him in the rush of being adopted and learning to become a knight. But he and his siblings would be safe.

Seteth’s features were somber. “I know this is difficult, but you made the correct choice.”

Dragons did age, albeit at a much slower rate than humans. However, Seteth had assured him that Yuri would age by human standards until he reached maturity. Sure enough, he had, he noted as he caught a glimpse in a nearby mirror. Still, it was weird that he now looked twenty-one and Flayn was as youthful as ever. Oh, well. He wondered what Ashe would say about that—Yuri frowned. There was no point in focusing on him anymore. They’d known each other for a year. That was it. That was less than a blink in Nabataen time. Ashe had already forgotten him; he’d join the Goddess in a few decades. Yuri couldn’t risk seeing him again. His mother mattered way more than Yuri’s happiness.

… He had been happy with Ashe. So happy. Now he was just cold all the time.

Well, he was feeling crummy now. May as well make himself feel even crummier with a quick visit to the void.

The void was where the irredeemable sinners went after meeting their fate. Yuri had been surprised in his youth when he was informed that this duty was handled by Rhea, not Aubin. He suspected this was because Rhea would compel them to leap off a cliff rather than simply banish them. Seiros did like her dramatics. Still, he felt some responsibility to see them off, even if they were scoundrels… wait. He recognized Lonato’s spectral form. Without thinking, he moved, trying to stop him before it was too late—but Lonato was already gone.

“Okay, calm down,” Yuri told himself. “Just because Lonato was here doesn’t mean that—”

Ashe’s older, ghostly form lurched past him, eyes glassy.

He knew the consequences if Rhea ever discovered this. But he also knew that there was no way Ashe could have done anything to warrant this end. With no hesitation, he plucked Ashe out of the masses. As Yuri predicted, he struggled, Rhea’s command to fall into the void overwhelming any sense of self.

“Let me go,” Ashe mumbled. “I wanna be with my father. I wanna be with Christophe.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s not happening. Sleep for now,” he commanded, thankful when Ashe slumped in his arms. And with that, the god of death whisked him off to the underworld.

Yuri was very good at making plans quickly. After escaping to the underworld, he wrapped Ashe in his cloak to obscure his features. He also cast a quick glamour so no one would recognize him as damned. After that, he vanished them to his private manor—the one he went to when he conducted his most complicated schemes or entertained his mother. He didn’t even have any servants there. He flew up the stairs and to the guest room, placing Ashe on the bed and tucking him in for good measure. After that… he had nothing. For now. With time, he would find a way to keep Ashe and not risk Rhea’s wrath.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said to Ashe and definitely not himself, slouching down in a nearby chair. “I’ll help you through this.”

“Don’t,” Ashe mumbled, eyelids twitching. “Don’t get in trouble because of me.”

Yuri stilled. Seteth had said that Ashe would forget him. “… Ashe?”

Ashe’s eyes opened and he gazed upon Yuri for a moment that felt like forever. There was no confusion, no ire. Just the quiet realization that he was reunited with his long-lost friend. “Reg,” he breathed.

Then he sat up, alert. “Lonato?!” He turned his attention to Yuri. “Reg, please, tell me where he is.”

Yuri took Ashe by the shoulders, gently forcing him to stay seated. “I’m sorry. He went where we cannot follow.”

The tears came quickly. Ashe made no attempt to stop them. “Damn it,” he whispered bitterly. “I couldn’t save him.”

Yuri debated telling Ashe that he had also been a casualty in whatever battle had taken his adopted father. He wanted to give him a break, but Ashe needed to know. “I should tell you something else. It’s not going to be easy to hear.”

“Don’t worry.” Ashe looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. “I know that I’m dead.”

… Okay. “Um, how?”

“My last memory is Thunderbrand Catherine sticking a sword in my gut. I don’t think even the best healers could bring me back from that.” He started to cry again. “I was scared... but happy. I thought that Lonato could escape while I distracted Catherine.”

Yuri brushed away Ashe’s tears. “He wanted to avenge you. Anyone who knew you would love you too much to leave you unavenged. Either that or maybe he was that desperate to save you.”

“I wish he hadn’t,” Ashe murmured as he closed his eyes in grief. “Now there’s no one to protect my siblings.”

“I’ll protect them,” Yuri immediately swore. “Don’t worry, they’ll live long, happy lives.”

Gently, Ashe placed his hand over Yuri’s, which still cupped his cheek. “You’ve always been there for us, like magic. You were there right after I woke up from a wound that should killed me. Not to mention your hands are freezing cold.” Ashe opened his eyes. “What didn’t you tell me you were Aubin when we were kids, Reg?”

Yuri let out a breath. “Where do I even begin? I guess I could tell you that I wasn’t supposed to talk to mortals in the first place—which is true, but not the whole story. I could also tell you that I didn’t want to scare the kid who was stuck with his two dead parents for the night. Which is also true, but not the whole story. I just.” Why was it so hard to talk to one mortal? He wasn’t even alive anymore. “I had recently passed myself and was on my first night on the job as the god of death. I never would have admitted it back then, but I was terrified I’d fuck it up and my mom would lose all the favors the Nabataens granted her when I agreed to ascend. But helping you made me feel better. And you thinking I was just a kid about your age made me feel normal.” He had needed that.

“I never would have thought any differently of you, Reg. But I do understand the need for secrets.” He frowned slightly. “Speaking of, I suppose I should tell you that I’m dead because my House waged war on Seiros.”

“Hunh.”

Ashe’s frown deepened. “You are surprisingly calm for a god who was just told by a damned soul that he willingly committed heresy.”

“Trust me, friend, Nabataens are way pettier than the Church would have you believe. I’m surprised you humans don’t try to kill us more often. Let me guess: Seiros had someone in your House killed and Lonato wanted revenge?”

Ashe nodded. “My adopted older brother, Christophe. I don’t like violence, but the Church wouldn’t even return his body for burial.” He huffed gently. “Well, I guess they got their way. I have to move forward, whether I want to or not. Hey, Reg?”

“Already on it,” Yuri assured him. “I can’t visit them personally like I used to. The Eyes of the Goddess are annoyingly sharp. However, I have already given a nudge to the priest in the Church they’re staying to act as their guardian.” Mercedes was kind—but also smart and shrewder than she looked. She would make a wonderful guardian for the kids. He summoned a ‘mirror’ with a wave of his hand. Sure enough, Mercie was already comforting them both, treats at hand while she wiped away their tears.

Ashe let out a strangled sob. Yuri was about to ask if he needed to put the image away—but then Ashe grabbed him in a hug, and the warmth of that nearly overwhelmed Yuri. “Thank you, Regulus. For everything.”

The rest of Ashe’s first night in the underworld had involved Yuri offering him simple food (bread, cheese, warm milk) and watching helplessly as Ashe cried every now and then. But morning eventually ‘dawned’ in the underworld, which left a question of what to do next. Yuri had sinned against Seiros’s judgment in kidnapping Ashe. And even if Ashe ‘escaped,’ he would be swallowed into oblivion. So, sending him off to paradise with his parents or living in the mortal world as a ghost were both out (Ashe seemed relieved that the latter wasn’t an option). He didn’t like the idea of shutting Ashe away in his manor, but right now there seemed to be no other choice.

“Don’t worry about me,” Ashe assured him. “That library of yours will keep me busy for ages.”

And that was what their afterlives involved after that conversation. Yuri would complete his duties as the god of death and then come home to Ashe. Judging how Ashe would have a book or three under his arm when he greeted Yuri, he was taking advantage of the library. He also busied himself in the kitchen, making simple yet delicious meals that warmed Yuri up every time. It wasn’t long until he was packing Yuri small lunches before ‘work.’ The manor was immaculate. Sometimes, after a long day, Yuri and Ashe would sit by the fire while Ashe read aloud. Yuri fell asleep more than once to Ashe’s voice—and always woke up safely tucked away in his bed.

“I don’t want you to feel like you’re obligated to do this,” Yuri said one night after Ashe finished a chapter. “I saved you because I wanted to. Not because I needed a companion or anything.”

“I know,” Ashe promised. “But frankly, I think you need at least a friend. I’ve peeked out windows and I have yet to see even one soul.”

Yuri nodded. “The underworld is a passageway. I guide souls to purgatory or paradise depending on the lives they’ve led. I have a few servants and even comrades, but our duties keep us apart mostly. Seiros handles, well, you know.”

“She’s not very good at it,” Ashe said bluntly. “Lonato wasn’t an angel, but he didn’t deserve oblivion for what happened.”

“I know. But if she knows that you’re here, you’ll suffer the same fate.”

Ashe made a frustrated sound, putting away the book. “It seems unfair. You became a god, Reg. One would think you’d gain some agency over your life.”

“One would think. But honestly, I’m more trapped now than when I was mortal.”

“Hm. Is that why your documents refer to you as Yuri Leclerc or Aubin rather than Regulus?”

So Ashe was looking at all sorts of books. Not that Yuri minded. Everything here was Ashe’s as well. “Yep. You’re supposed to assume a new name to signify your ‘rebirth’ or whatever.”

Ashe eyed him levelly. “I know you don’t like pity, Reg. But… well, I was damned, but at least I got to keep my identity.”

“I guess we’re both stuck here, hunh?”

“Yeah.” Ashe patted his lap. “Come here, if you want.”

Curiosity mixed with a little something else led to Yuri placing his head in Ashe’s lap. Gently, Ashe played with his hair. Yuri relaxed into the sensation—at least, he did until Ashe made a pained sound. “You all right there, friend?”

“Yes,” Ashe said without missing a beat. “I just had an odd feeling. Anyways, Reg, you’re correct. We are stuck here. And it’s not easy, knowing I ‘survived’ when Lonato did not. But Reg, you saved me—and I had to honor you risking everything for me and my siblings. But it’s more than that. I like making you happy.”

Yuri sat up. “I’m the lord of the underworld. I don’t need to be happy.” He didn’t deserve it.

Ashe cupped his chin. “Maybe not, but it can’t hurt.”

The kiss was simple.

When Ashe pulled away, he said, “Well, there’s one soul here—that giant wolf monster. He doesn’t seem to want to cause trouble, though. To be honest, I’d wave to him if I wasn’t supposed to stay put.”

“Ah,” Yuri said with a smile. “You’ve seen Hapi’s hound, Cerberus. She’s here on a fairly regular basis. You’ll see her and her pooch more often.”

“Oh, so there is someone else here!” Ashe brightened. “Ugh, I wish I could meet her.”

Yuri frowned thoughtfully. “Give me time to come up with something.”

“I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“Hey. You made me feel less lonely. Let me do the same.”

“Yo,” Hapi said as she entered the drawing room. “I finally get to meet your new beau, Yuri-bird. Consider me hyped.”

“He won’t disappoint,” Yuri assured Hapi. “Allow me to introduce a spirit of springtime and innocence that I seduced to the underworld. His name is Persephone.” Gods could have lovers. Just not mortal ones. Ashe was already a spirit, so all they had to do was make up some lore. It wasn’t so much about not trusting Hapi. He did. To be honest, she would probably help him and Ashe with their scheme to stay together just to give the metaphorical middle finger to Rhea. However, Yuri did not want to risk anyone else just for his own happiness—even his mother was unaware of Ashe.

Ashe blushed slightly. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Hapi plopped down on the couch. “Whatever is baking in the kitchen smells amazing.”

“Oh, I made muffins.” Ashe sat down next to her. “Yuri and I are working on finishing The Luna Knight. Would you like to join us?”

Hapi frowned. “I’m not too big on knights.”

“I love them, but I can see why,” Ashe said. “But I promise, this story isn’t just about abstract ideas of justice. In fact,” and Yuri was shocked to see Ashe wink at her, “it’d make a libertine blush.”

Hapi perked up a little. “Really?”

“How do you think I seduced Yuri?” Ashe snerked. “Never listen to him about anything. He claims he whisked me off, but he was such a gentleman at first. I had to prove to him that I can be naughty when needed.”

“Okay, let’s give this Luna Knight a chance. But I want extra muffins, too.”

Once Hapi left, Yuri repeated, “‘How do you think I seduced Yuri?’”

Ashe laughed. “Hey, you were the one who suggested that we ham it up so she doesn’t suspect anything. It’s kind of weird that I ‘live’ in a world where seducing a spirit is more normal than wanting to help someone, though.”

“It is,” Yuri conceded, kissing Ashe’s cheek. “And if it weren’t for dragon god logic, we could have told her everything. I trust her, but that’s about it.” He thought for a moment. “Well, and my mother, but…”

“You’d be risking too much if she knew about me.” Ashe gave him a lingering kiss on the mouth. “I understand. And I’ll make myself scarce when she visits you like I always do.”

“Thank you,” Yuri breathed before wrapping an arm around Ashe’s waist. “So, do you want to show me how you seduced me? You know, just in case Hapi comes back and wants details.”

Ashe chuckled, a raspy, deep sound that never failed to make Yuri feel warm all over. Then he kissed Yuri.

Then he guided Yuri to their bedroom.

Yuri awoke to that same pained sound Ashe had made that warm, sleepy evening when they had first kissed. Ashe was still asleep, but judging from the sounds he was making, it was hardly a peaceful one. “Hey.” Yuri pulled Ashe to him. “I’m right here.”

Ashe blinked at Yuri, looking like he was hurting, but then he managed a grin. “Ah, waking up to the god of death. What a comforting sight.”

Yuri thwacked his arm gently. “You didn’t seem to mind it last night.”

“Fair.” Ashe stared at the ceiling. “I was having a dream.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yeah, but it’s not going to make a lot of sense.” He closed his eyes, doing his best to remember images that were already fading. “I was in bed—at home. I could tell because sunlight was streaming in. And my sister was crying, because someone was in trouble. So, I told her to get Reg, since he always helps us, but I couldn’t talk. I got out of bed and grabbed her shoulders, but my hand… it just went right through her, like I was, well, a ghost. I called to you again, then her, but no one heard me.”

Yuri kissed his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not. But I guess the dream reminded me that I miss her and my brother. And the sunshine. Not to mention flowers and fields.”

“Well, maybe I could figure something out so you can—”

“Reg, we’re pushing it already with inviting Hapi over. You’re already putting yourself in danger over someone like me.” Ashe traced his jawline. “You know every bad thing I’ve done,” he breathed. “You know things I never told even Lonato. Yet you still love me.” He kissed Regulus deeply. “Maybe one day, I’ll know everything about you.”

“Good luck with that, friend.” If it were ‘daytime,’ Yuri would have infused that remark with a streak of snark. But post-lovemaking and nightmares, he was too tired to pretend he wasn’t vulnerable right now. “I’ve pretended to be so many different people in my life and afterlife, I’m not sure if I know who I am anymore.”

“Hm.” Ashe rested his head on Yuri’s bare chest. “Well, we have eternity to figure that out.”

“Oh my Goddess, I can’t.” Ashe hid his face in his hands, although he didn’t flee from Yuri’s lap. “It’s too embarrassing.”

“How? You feed me by hand all the time. It’s one of your favorite methods of foreplay,” Yuri countered.

“Yes, but you’re literally a god. You’re gorgeous, regal, and deserve to have someone feed you by hand!” Ashe huffed in frustration. “I’m just a former thief.”

“You’re a former thief that makes the underworld bearable.” Yuri kissed Ashe’s neck, noting the pleased sound Ashe made. “Let me worship you for a change, got it?”

“Well, maybe just this once,” Ashe finally relented as he ate the grape Yuri offered him. “I still feel like it should be the other way around.”

Yuri winked. It was good to see Ashe truly relax. That dream a few nights ago had rattled him more than Ashe would admit. “Maybe next time.”

“So, that’s why you kidnapped an innocent young man. To brainwash him into bowing at your feet.” The woman, dressed in battle regalia, stood before them, her voice oozing contempt.

“Seiros,” Yuri breathed. Time for his scheme. “Please, allow me to introduce Perseph—”

“Silence!” Seiros’s gaze was as cold as the priests that had shunned his mother when she unsuccessfully begged for medicine to save her son. “Aubin, I will not permit you to corrupt one of my most innocent children. That is an unforgivable sin.”

“Wait, hold on,” Ashe said tentatively. “I was damned. Shouldn’t you want to send me to oblivion?”

“Oh, you poor thing,” Seiros said ‘sweetly.’ “You truly are as innocent as your siblings claimed. Fear not. I will protect you as I protect all of my precious ones.” Seiros began to ascend back into the heavens. Yuri grabbed onto Ashe, but Seiros was the Voice of the Goddess. No one could resist her, no matter how hard Yuri pulled or screamed Ashe’s name as Seiros grabbed him in her arms.

“Reg!” Ashe struggled against Seiros, but if the god of death could not stop her, then a ghost had no chance. Instead, he let out a loud whistle.

Then they were both gone.

And Yuri was alone.

Again.

He was so cold. So cold. Seiros’s fury had doused the hearth, chilled the blankets, froze the doors to the kitchen and library. He reached out, desperate for warmth… and found the sun. The fields. The flowers. All the things Ashe had loved. He didn’t have Ashe’s warmth anymore, so he sucked the vibrancy out of it all, out of the heavens themselves, to try to stave off the chill of death.

“Hey. Wake up.”

He was outside. Hapi and Cerberus, panting heavily, stood in front of him.

“Freckles and I have chatted sometimes after you invited me over,” Hapi explained. “He and Berry really hit it off. He even taught Berry to come to his whistle. I thought it was silly, but now it might be our only way to stave off eternal winter.”

“… What?” Why did his voice sound so rough?

Hapi’s features softened in sympathy, which was never a good sign. “Yuri-bird, you’ve been in some weird trance for a week. Freckles managed to sneak off a letter to me to look for you. It’s really weird since you’re not the god of harvest, but you’ve made everything cold and barren topside.”

“Good.”

“Are you joking? Look, I’m pissed off at Seiros and the Goddess even more than usual myself right now. But there are innocent people up there.”

“Anyone who appeases those monsters is not innocent—”

“Stop that, right now,” Hapi said firmly. “You love the Goddess and so does your mother. I’m not letting you lose your humanity over this. Freckles would never forgive me. So knock it off, or Berry and I won’t offer you a ride to the heavens.”

“… Fine,” he managed, somehow. But Goddess. “It hurts.”

“I know,” Hapi said sadly. “But we’re getting him back.”

Yuri was thankful that Hapi held him up as they made their way to the throne of the Nabataens, shimmering in its cool radiance. The chill of the room compelled Yuri to siphon even more warmth into his body, but it wasn’t enough. Anything that wasn’t Ashe could never be enough.

“Aubin, Timotheos,” Flayn said formally. She did her very best to smile. “I don’t suppose you have come up with a charming nickname for myself since we last met, Timotheus?”

“Yeah, I don’t give nicknames to assholes that kidnap my friends,” Hapi replied matter-of-factly.

Flayn’s face fell. “I promise that I will speak to Seiros about her actions. However, please understand that Ashe does not belong in the underworld.”

“Please,” because Yuri was not beyond begging. “I need to see him. I need to know he’s okay. I love him.”

Flayn gasped. “Oh, my. This complicates things even further.”

“Complicates, perhaps, but cannot change the outcome,” Seteth said as he strode into the throne room. “Aubin, you’re still young. There are things you do not understand.”

A tiny flicker of anger gave Yuri the energy he needed to snarl, “Don’t you dare give me that bull. I am not your innocent, and I am not your property to mold into a mirror of yourself so you can pretend the world isn’t changing.”

Seteth’s expression was neutral. “I’m sorry. I misspoke. I meant that you are young and that it’s difficult, even for an experienced god of the dead, to tell the difference between death and close to death—especially if it is someone you love.”

“You speak as if you have personal experience there. Too bad we don’t have time to explore that,” Hapi noted. “Go on.”

“Ashe was struck down by Thunderbrand Catherine. However, after murdering the majority of House Gaspard, she was consumed by guilt—and rushed Ashe to the greatest healer in the kingdom while he was drawing his final breath. Mercedes has kept him alive, but he slumbers and cannot awaken.” Seteth’s face now looked pained.

Flayn placed a hand on his arm. “We do not agree with Seiros’s methods. Indeed, we believe that she should have explained the matter to you both. However, her… her past has led her to trust few, if any others.”

“I regret this with every fiber of my being, Regulus,” Seteth whispered. “But the living cannot be with the dead. You have to let him go.”

Hapi grumbled something about how it was a bad idea to let a misanthrope be the spiritual leader of the continent. Yuri didn’t care as he pushed Hapi away, and then collapsed. Ashe was still alive. He would go back to his family—and live happily, and of course go to paradise. After meeting Ashe, the Nabataens would know how kind he was and spare him Lonato’s fare. He was never coming back.

Yuri would be alone and cold forever.

The lock had been complicated. It had taken Ashe three days to study it, then four days to pick it. In the meantime, he had struck up a conversation with the messenger of the gods—someone who had forgotten his name due to his long life but guarded the heavens with a smile—to send Hapi a letter explaining where he was. The whistle to Cerberus would have alerted her that he and Yuri were in danger. However, she needed to know the specifics. He had a sinking feeling that Yuri would not be able to tell her.

He smiled when the lock came undone, but that was it. There was no time for celebration. Not until he was free. There were no guards—the Nabataens had been that trusting of their lock and that assured their prisoner was a naive innocent who would cower until he knew his fate. Well, they had underestimated a man in love. Shame on them.

I don’t understand. I was already damned. Why not just send me to the void? Why all these theatrics? Why does Seiros suddenly want to protect me or whatever when she damned in the first place?

Ashe kept moving, sticking to the shadows. He didn’t have time to wonder until he was free, either. He was heading down a long hallway with windows, which usually promised an exit. Then he heard a weak, chilly choked sob, and his heart sank.

He opened a window, snuck to the source of the sob, and saw Reg freezing to death while the two that had restrained him were panicking since gods were not supposed to die this way. Hapi didn’t look much better.

“Reg,” Ashe breathed.

Flayn gasped again. “But you were locked in the guest room!”

“Yeah, I’m pretty good at getting around locks,” Ashe explained as he knelt before Regulus, taking him in his arms. “Hey. Hey, I’m here.”

The shivering did not stop, but it subsided. Ashe took that as a good sign. “Now, c’mon, Reg. Look at me.” Reg did so, violet eyes unfocused. “… Ashe?”

“Yep, it’s me. And just in case you needed another hint—you have to return warmth to the world. Please. For your mother, my siblings, and so many others.”

“Okay. For them. And for you.” Ashe had no idea how to discern how Reg had completed his task, but judging from Flayn’s sigh of relief, he had done so.

“You two truly are in love,” Seteth mused to himself. “I wish we could do something for you both.”

“Can’t you, though?” Ashe wasn’t angry. To be honest, much of his rage had died when Catherine had struck him with her sword. Things like honor and glory just didn’t quite have the same weight (although he still respected aspects of those terms) when you have lost most of your family to them. It just made little sense to him. “Seiros is already breaking her own rules by claiming I’m innocent instead of damned.”

Seteth looked guilty. He’d looked guilty ever since he’d locked Ashe away. “You were never dead in the first place. We made a grievous error when we assumed you had perished… and I apologize for Seiros damning you. You never should have betrayed the goddess, but you have redeemed yourself today.”

“Verily,” Flayn chirped.

Gee, thanks, that makes getting kidnapped and Reg dying worth it. But Ashe kept that snark to himself since he had a plan to keep Reg from dying. “I know that the gods are bound by rules. Perhaps even more rules than mortals. However, surely there has to be something we can do.” Reg had fallen asleep in his arms. The poor thing. Had he gotten any rest at all while they were separated? “I can’t doom the world to eternal winter, but I damn well know that I can’t return to the living without knowing that Regulus—Aubin— will be okay.” He took a deep breath. The Nabataens were not going to like this. However, he would not deterred. “And since I, a living mortal, ate the food of the underworld, that means I have ascended, correct?” That’s what Reg’s books said, at least.

Seteth facepalmed. “Heavens help us, he’s a god now.”

“Yes, Father,” Flayn noted with a smile. “However, this means he can now bargain with us as an equal. And I, for one, am willing to hear him out.”

Seteth smiled back. “So am I.”

“Wow, Yuri-bird really was a novice when it comes to god of the dead stuff. Luckily for us, Fishy Flayn, Freckles has skills,” Hapi said to the goddess of healing, who squeaked with delight at finally getting one of Hapi’s famous nicknames.

Flayn collected herself. “I am in full agreement, Timo—I mean, Hapi!”

Ashe awoke to the sunshine on his face. When he opened his eyes, his sister (clad in a clean dress and hair neatly combed) gazed at him with wide eyes. “Ashe?”

“Yeah,” he said, reaching out to tousle her hair. “It’s me, Sophia.”

Sophia bawled even as she grabbed their brother Duran (also bawling) and their caregiver Mercedes (who thankfully, was a much-needed pair of dry eyes in the house, since Ashe was tearing up as well). After the hugs, Mercedes sat down to explain things. Duran and Sophia nestled themselves in Ashe’s arms as she spoke, fast asleep.

“A knight of Seiros begged me to heal you—and to not mention it to anyone.” Mercedes sighed softly. “It’s not the first time a soldier has felt guilt about killing someone, so I didn’t think much of it.”

“Thanks,” Ashe said. “You must have been exhausted from all this work.”

“It wasn’t easy, but I don’t mind. I like helping people. And my husband, Sylvain, has helped me so much.” She waved at a man counting out supplies in the front yard. Sylvain waved back. “He’s watched you when I needed to rest or run out for supplies. Which is how I met your siblings.” She frowned as she stroked Duran’s hair. “They were terrified of anything Church-related. I think they only accepted me because I could bake them snacks.”

“My family’s history with the Church is complicated,” Ashe explained. “Um, I am grateful that you saved my life, but I’m wondering how it worked. My wound was mortal, after all.”

“For a long time, all I could do was keep your body alive. But then I met a priest of a different faith this afternoon. Whatever god she prayed to, they must have been listening intensely. Oh, you should meet her. Hapi?”

“Yo,” Hapi said as she sauntered in with… the king?! Dressed in plain clothes? Perhaps Ashe was still dead. “I met Didi outside.” She gave him a wink. “He’s the one who’s been helping Cathy pay for your recovery. What a nice guy. It almost makes me not hate chivalry.”

King Dimitri blushed, then cleared his throat. “Ashe, what happened to you and Lonato was part of frankly, a political mess. I am not planning to break ties with the Central Church anytime soon, but I do think we need a stronger sense of unity in our land. I know it’s possibly too much to ask, but would you be willing to become the new Lord Gaspard?”

“I am, on one condition.”

It was a cold morning, but the sun shining on the snow promised an early spring. Ashe rubbed his hands together, looking forward to cocoa in front of a fire with the new Luna Knight book he had in his bag.

“Hey, there.” Regulus stood before him, clad in mourning black and blood red. The god of death in all his fearsome power. Ashe beamed and grabbed him in a hug.

“I missed you so much, Reg!”

“Not as much as I missed you.” Reg pointed to the barren trees. “See that? My sadness did that.”

“You are dramatic, but that’s why I love you.” Ashe kissed his cheek. “How are things with the Nabataens.”

“Flayn’s proven to be a good counterbalance against Rhea and her father. She’s still traditional, but she’s sensible. She’s the one who said I could call myself Regulus again.”

“And made it so that the god of spring can be with the god of death in the warmer months.” That’s how the story went, at least. Persephone, the god of spring, had seen the god of death’s sorrow slowly killing him, so he descended to the underworld and seduced him. However, a spirit stole him away. Aubin’s sorrow was so intense it nearly doomed the world. Persephone escaped and returned, but his bargain with his captors meant he had to stay with the living for four months of every year. This explained the bitterness of winter—Aubin missed his love. Or so the stories went. The part of Ashe staying with Reg in the underworld for spring, summer, and autumn, leaving only when it was winter was true. In those months, he checked on his siblings, chatted with Sylvain and Mercedes, watched as King Dimitri awkwardly flirted with Hapi, and ruled Gaspard. He was always lonely but took an odd comfort in the chill. Reg’s loneliness mirrored his… and the eventual thawing of spring reminded him that they would be reunited soon.

Ashe kissed him as the breeze offered just a hint of spring.

Final Notes: I think this is the longest AsheYuri fic I’ve written so far. Wild. :o Berry is Hapi’s nickname for Cerberus. Also, if you’re wondering if the “Ashe and Yuri read books by the fire” was stolen from the 1991 Beauty and the Beast, you are correct. That whole move is an AsheYuri fic (ignore that it came out decades before Three Houses or Three Hopes). I have tried, multiple times, to write an AsheYuri Beauty and the Beast AU, but it’s just Ashe as Belle and Yuri as the Beast, line for line. XD

(The messenger, of course, is Gatekeeper.)