Title: Gentle Reminders
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Characters/Pairings: Ashe/Yuri
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Allusions to past sexual abuse, drugging

Prompt: I don't mind how the hurt/comfort is done, whether it's battle injury etc. One of them takes care of the other and is hesitant to progress anything until the other just demands they fuck. Praise kink is a must. You can go heavy into d/s or make it undertones, whichever works best with your style. If you decide to write this, thank you! And I hope you have fun

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He knew something was wrong the moment Yuri came back from his mission, from the uncertainty of his gait and the way he kept his eyes towards the floor. He clutched his right arm with his left hand, and until he finally pulled it away Ashe feared he'd been hurt.

"Do I need to ask how it went?"

"I got it done, if that's what you're asking," Yuri said quietly. "Things...didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped in the interim." He pushed his hand through his mussed hair and sat heavily down on Ashe's bed. He didn't say anything for a few minutes, only sighed, head buried in his hands, and Ashe sat beside him. Yuri's missions often took him to the more unsavory parts of Fodlan, and he could always tell when that place happened to be in either Faerghus or Varley territory.

By now, Ashe knew enough of Yuri's past that he didn't need to ask why. But Yuri was reluctant to volunteer more information than he already had and Ashe didn't want to seem nosy. Hearing what Yuri had gone through in his youth was more than he could bear, and he could only imagine how painful it was for Yuri to even remember it, much less talk about it. So on nights like this, Ashe sat quietly beside him, offering a hand for Yuri to hold if he wanted it and listening if he decided to talk.

"I ran into an old accquaintance of mine," Yuri finally said. "He offered to buy me a drink." Ashe shivered. Yuri had recounted two men buying him drinks in the past; one had expected his body in return and the other had simply drugged him.

"How angry did he get when you said no?"

"Didn't even bother. I got the hell out of there without answering, then I tricked him into thinking I'd gone another way in case he decided to follow me," Yuri muttered. "Luckily this was after I finished the mission, and the bastard's got shit for night vision and sense of direction."

He felt better knowing Yuri could easily escape such situations, but the fact that he'd been in any danger in the first placed bothered Ashe. And it was clear Yuri hated that he'd had to see the bastard at all.

"You've gotta expect this sort of thing when you've done what I did back then," Yuri said with a shrug. "The important thing is I can defend myself. That I've got a place to return to and people looking after me so I don't have to do it again." But his tone betrayed his words, and Ashe wished he knew what to say. He always did at at these moments.

Instead, he took Yuri's hands in his own and stroked his palms, laced their fingers together and squeezed gently. It's okay. I'm here. He won't come after you and if he does, I won't hesitate to stop him. Little by little, he felt Yuri's pulse slow down to normal, the tension leaving his body.

"You're hurt," Ashe said after a long silence, noticing the tears in Yuri's clothing and the angry red lines showing through. "Let me take care of that."

"It's just a scratch," Yuri said, but didn't make any move to stop Ashe undressing him. By now Ashe was used to the scars littering his lover's skin, even the ones he'd almost wept upon learning where they'd come from. Thankfully, the wound on his left arm was barely more than a scratch, and only one other fresh cut accompanied it. Ashe took his time, applying healing salve and wrapping the bandages, resisting the urge to kiss certain scars on Yuri's sides and back.

"There. Good as new." He went to pick up Yuri's clothes, but was stopped. "Hm?"

"It's not like I've never been naked with you before," Yuri said. "In fact, you're more than a little overdressed, Ashe. Maybe you better let me level the playing field." Ashe's heart skipped a beat and his pants tightened as they always did when Yuri got that familiar glint in his eye; even with his scars and the bandages wrapped around his bicep and his ankle he was hard to resist. From the first day they'd met he'd found Yuri good-looking and he'd only become more beautiful over time, so much that it had taken Ashe time not to feel plain in comparison.

But he might still be shaken after tonight. Nothing happened, but seeing that man again...

He let Yuri undress him, moving in to caress his face only for Yuri to grab his wrist and pull him close, bringing their lips together. Ashe hesitantly kissed back, pulling away after only a moment, and Yuri frowned.

"What's wrong? You're usually more eager than this."

"You're hurt," Ashe said. "And not just the scratches, either, I don't..." He swallowed. "What you mentioned earlier, how you looked coming in, I don't know if I should..." Yuri's frown deepened, his hand moving from Ashe's wrist to his forearm to his bicep, squeezing firmly.

"I'm not going to break from one little encounter, Sparrow," he said. "And I know you want this, too, so stop holding back." He pulled Ashe onto his lap; their erections brushed against each other and the groan escaped Ashe before he could stifle it.

"I do want you," he murmured, "I could never not want you."

"Then take me." Yuri kissed him again, and Ashe let any further scraps of protest die as he kissed back more eagerly this time. Yuri's fingers caught in his hair, and Ashe slowly and tenderly caressed his scarred back, moving slowly against him. When he lowered Yuri against the pillow, he broke the kiss and began to work his way down. With every touch, every kiss, he felt his lover begin to relax even more.

"You're beautiful," Ashe said quietly as he came to a scar on Yuri's chest, brushing his lips against it. "You're perfect." Yuri's breath hitched, his hand reaching for Ashe's and squeezing tightly.

"I'm not...but tell me again? Please?" One thing Ashe had learned almost immediately after they became lovers was that Yuri craved praise, and after some of the experiences he'd had he didn't blame him. Frankly, after that, he deserved all the praise he could get.

"You're perfect," Ashe repeated, kissing another scar, "even with all of these-no, because of them." The ghost of a bruise along his ribcage. Count Varley deserves to burn for what he did to you. Pink crescent shapes in a telltale pattern along his left thigh, another telltale pattern of marks along his hip. They're the filthy ones for treating you so poorly when you were just doing what you needed to survive.

"Again," Yuri gasped, tensing slightly when Ashe's fingers stroked his hip. "Please..."

"You have such a nice voice," Ashe whispered, "especially right now. Let me hear more of you." He kissed Yuri's shoulder, along his collarbone and chest, savoring the sound of Yuri's moans and sighs. "Yes, like that." He let go of Yuri's hand, tracing the underside of his wrist. He had no right to use you like that, to take your mother hostage for his own sick need to raise the dead.

"Tell me I deserve to be loved. Tell me I'm not filthy." Ashe lifted his head; Yuri's gaze was intense and lustful mixed with a subtle sadness. He kissed Yuri's lips softly, lingeringly, stroking his cheek.

"I love you." Another kiss, this time to his forehead. "I love you. You've never been filthy, especially not to me. You deserve everything good in this world after all you've been through." He kissed Yuri's cheeks, the tip of his nose, then finally his lips again. His hand slid lower, caressing Yuri's thigh, lingering on another set of crescent-shaped bumps. "You're amazing."

"Heh..." Yuri nipped at his lower lip. "You really know how to lay it on thick. And you know what that does to me." Yuri grabbed the leftover salve and shoved it into his hand. "Don't take too long getting me ready," he whispered, and Ashe slid two fingers inside him and worked as quickly as he could. By now his cock was throbbing almost painfully, slicking himself up without going off was a challenge and soon he was thrusting upwards into Yuri. Claiming him, Yuri's lips crushed against his again as they moved, Ashe's thrusts deep and slow.

Yuri was by no means made of paper when it came to his past, and Ashe knew he could easily kill anyone who crossed him. He was proud of what he did outside the battle for a new Fodlan, what he'd been doing since he landed in the Abyss. He was one of the strongest people Ashe knew.

But he was still only human, and still someone Ashe loved deeply and wished hadn't had to suffer so badly at all. But I can't rewrite the past, so let me make up for it by reminding you of how amazing you are. How much I love you.

So he kept moving, faster, deeper, harder until the sticky heat of Yuri's release splashed between them. Ashe held tightly to him as his vision burst into light and he crested as well, not stopping his thrusts until they both eventually began to come down.

Yuri's hold slowly loosened, and he smiled down at Ashe, eyes soft and satiated.

"You're perfect." Ashe laughed softly, carefully pulling out as Yuri shifted and pulled him onto his lap.

"Not perfect. Just a fledgling knight who loves the most amazing person in the world," he murmured. Yuri snorted.

"You can give it a rest now, I'm feeling better." Ashe shook his head.

"I love you. That means I can tell you how wonderful you are no matter how you're feeling," he said. "Those are the rules." Yuri smiled, rolling his eyes and lying back, Ashe sprawled happily against him.

"Well, I guess it can't hurt to follow the rules this once."

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