He awakens to find Ashe at his bedside, and to discover the war is over.
You can rest now.
Takes place during a Golden Ending AU because this is the final chapter and I can.
He wakes up indoors, or at least he thinks it's indoors. He doesn't hear footsteps or wind rustling through trees. In fact, he doesn't hear anything. But as soon as his vision clears he does see someone next to his bed...no, not just someone. He'd know those freckles anywhere.
"Hey." Ashe smiles. "We did it, Yuri." And everything comes rushing back. The surprise attack on Abyss while the three armies were distracted with talking Lady Rhea into surrendering, his people being hurt and captured, his mother taken hostage, Abysskeeper nearly dying only for some guy he knew to save his ass at the cost of his own life. Chasing Those Who Slither in the Dark into a forest to spare the Abyss any further damage only for half their battalions to be wiped out.
Shielding his friends from a blast of dark magic.
He'd stayed on his feet just long enough to reach the leader only for Thales to teleport away.
"Where am I?"
"In the infirmary," Ashe says quietly. "It's over, Yuri. They cornered Thales and put an end to him once and for all, we got the monastery back." How long has he been out? He reaches up to feel his face, and Ashe chuckles. "It's only been a day."
"My mother, my people..."
"They're okay. Everyone's okay." Ashe strokes his face, and Yuri's eyes fill with tears upon realizing just how good that feels. Not like Ashe has never touched him before, in all senses, but at the moment he just wants more of it.
"It's really over, huh." He manages a little smile. "How long have you been sitting there?"
"Since you collapsed. I knew you'd wake up, of course, Manuela said it wasn't a fatal blow and you were just really tired...I mean, she did have to make sure all the dark magic was out of your system, of course," Ashe says. "But everything's going to be okay. Those Who Slither in the Dark are gone, Abyss survived, your mother's okay..." He smiles. "You can rest now."
All his life he's had to live hand to mouth, stay one step ahead of everyone and everything. Selling himself to get by, letting Count Rowe use him as he saw fit just to get his foot in the door at the Officers Academy, risking his neck to provide for his people. How many times had he almost died or been captured or worse?
You can rest now.
The war's over. There's still a lot of work to do, but he wants to trust in the new system Emperor Edelgard plans to build, King Dimitri's reforms, and King Claude's dismantling of Fodlan's barriers.
A world where people like him and his mother don't have to remain hidden in the shadows or sell themselves just to put food on the table. I'm proud of what I do, he's said in the past, but he's never taken a moment to consider what life would be like if he didn't need to do such things.
It's so much. Too much, it's the first glimpse of real sunlight after spending his life in the shadows and it's almost blinding.
Ashe sits down on the bed next to him, and Yuri slumps against his chest as the tears he's held back for who knows how long finally spill over. Ashe gathers him close, running his fingers through his hair, whispering reassurances to him.
It's warm, safe. Like Ashe always has been, ever since they were young, and even more so as the war went on and Yuri eventually did find his deeds weighing on him. Ashe was always there to offer his shoulder, a meal kept warm when he couldn't eat dinner with the others, a kiss, and sometimes more if he could tell they both needed it.
And Ashe is still here. I won't turn my back on you, even if I don't agree with what you're doing I'll always protect you I just want you to be safe, okay?. Every touch is a reminder, a gentle affirmation of Ashe's love.
"It's okay, Yuri. Everything's going to be okay."
"Hey." Yuri looks up, smiling through his tears. "You can call me by my name now." Ashe blinks.
"You sure about that?"
"Positive." He only gives that name to people he trusts with all his heart, even the Ashen Wolves only learned it just recently. Ashe is someone he could have told long ago, when they were kids, and felt okay about it.
Ashe smiles, fingertips wiping away his tears.
"All right...Regulus."
All the walls he's built up over the years crumble, and for once he welcomes the feeling with open arms.