Why Brother?by Vanessa S. Quest
As per the norm of Shin Makoku, at least what Yuri considered the norm for when he was there, Gunter was hounding him to study, while Gwendel would bellow at him to learn to sign the legislation, Yozak was off about to do… whatever he did and Yuri was sure dressing in drag would be involved. Conrad would be his perfect self, Yuri's salvation, and Wolfram…
Yuri glanced at the blond as he emitted a lethal aura. Challenging anything to even brush past him, or speak to him, or ignore him, anything that could justify his flying of the handle.
Wolfram would be that. Yuri just laughed and scratched the back of his head. He really wished Conrad would come to his rescue by now.
Conrad seemed content on abandoning Yuri to this fate, today. Yuri sighed as he was forced to be more productive than he could remember. The black-haired teen stretched his arms back before finally hitting his limit. He got out of the chair, "Wolfram, what's bothering you?"
He couldn't believe it. He was so bored of doing paperwork he'd prefer Wolfram's lashing out then deal with the other headache. At least, after that Wolfram would quit brooding, right?
"Nothing is bothering me! I'm fine. I just have to watch out for my wimp fiancé!"
Yuri's neck flinched back, reflexively. What the…? Yuri shook his head, "From what? I don't think paperwork will really bore me to death. Though it has been trying…" Yuri eyed the pile suspiciously.
"I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you!" Wolfram shot off.
"What?" Yuri wondered just how, technically, that would work. After all, here he is, the king and, he shuttered, fiancé. "You're obviously upset, if Anissina's demonic-device-aura-borealis-kun was here I'm sure you'd see the cloud of doom surrounding you."
"Shut up, you cheating wimp!"
"…Huh? Cheating? I haven't even spoken to anyone…"
"Once a cheating wimp, always a cheating wimp!"
Yuri sighed, if Wolfram wasn't even going to make sense… Yuri walked back over to his chair before sitting back down.
"Don't walk away from me when we're talking!" Wolfram hissed with his fists clenched.
"Saying you're now acting jealous over literally nothing… I'm just going to go back to my paperwork. At least I can justify responses to it."
"Aha! Justify- that means you have been cheating on me! With who! It's that Caloria woman, isn't it!"
"…Lady Flynn?!" Yuri shook his head, "You're… completely irrational. No, I'm not cheating on you with her- or anyone for that matter."
"You were thinking about it, you have a guilty conscience. I can tell. I'll figure out who it is, and when I do… I'll…"
"Wolfram, I'm not cheating on you… why am I even humoring you… you know we're not ever getting married, don't you?"
Wolfram's aura went three shades darker black than Yuri's hair, "If I can't have you in life, we could just make a pact-suicide."
Yuri's eyes went wide, "…Have you lost your mind? Who says something like that! How can you technically threaten to kill me? I'm the maoh." He shook his head, no, Wolfram was really out of it, and scary. He really wished Conrad would rescue him, this time he was starting to actually think of that as a real threat. The blond might really have snapped, given what he had to start with it wasn't that unlikely of a scenario.
The blond took out his sword, "We could fall on the sword together. It's manly, I know you're a wimp but wouldn't you want to die with honor?"
"…I wouldn't want to die." Yuri mentioned, "Now put that away, you're taking this way too far. Besides, I'm not cheating on you."
Wolfram pushed his sword back into the holster, "If it isn't Lady Flynn… it isn't a pretty boy is it?!"
Yuri smacked his head into the table, this really was ridiculous. "Wolfram, you know you're the most beautiful boy…" Yuri sighed, "Anyways, I'm not into guys."
"Says my fiancé."
Yuri leaned his head back to groan. Where was Conrad, already? He was sending out his no really, help me vibes, didn't Conrad have some sort of Yuri-sense? Like Spiderman or something?
Wolfram walked up to Yuri, bringing their faces dangerously close.
"What are you doing, Wolfram?" Yuri felt nervous with the blond's eyelashes now almost touching his face, the two separated by two centimeters, tops.
"I know you like me."
Yuri rolled his eyes, "Yeah, not like that though!"
"Oh really? And how do you know what like that is, mister I haven't done anything with anyone? Shall we try it?"
Before the black-eyed teen could understand just what Wolfram meant, the blond's lips were crushing his own, shocking him. He kicked back on the chair trying to pull back. With the luck that Yuri had grown accustom to, over the past 15 Earth years, the chair's back legs dug in, sending the front two tipping back, he landed with a loud clatter, Wolfram bowing down over him, lips still locked.
Yuri's hands found his shoulders and pushed him back.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Yuri panted the blond smirked before licking his own lips.
"Tasty meal."
Yuri's skin paled, making the contrast between his dark features stand out all the more. Yuri pushed himself to his feet before Wolfram could get any funny ideas. He backed to the door, one hand groping the air to find the handle.
To Yuri's surprise, his hand made contact with something, but… that something, though doorknob height was fleshy, and not that 'knob-like' so much as it was rod-like… Yuri's face turned red as he whipped around, hands flying up to above his shoulders.
"I didn't mean to … Conrad I'm so sorry!" Yuri realized at the scent of leather and horses, and the brief glimpse of browns that he had just given Conrad a proper grope, gods, Conrad was really… well… the impressive perfection that was Conrad held up there, too.
Yuri's flush was quickly replaced by a fervent blush that reached his ears.
"Weller-kyou! How dare you hit on my fiancé?!" Wolfram started in, glaring at Conrad, who was quickly looking back and forth between the two.
The tipped over chair the source of the loud thump he had heard, Conrad put both his hands on Yuri's shoulders. "Yuri-heika are you alright?"
Yuri found it hard to look Conrad in the eyes after… that… he was so mortified he wanted to cry! Or crawl under a rock.
"It's Yuri. You'd think the person who named me would remember it." He quickly hid behind Conrad, "Do something about your brother! He just launched himself at me. He's gone crazy, talking about running me through then kissing me and pinning me to the ground…"
Conrad's eyes widened at that last part before returning to normal size, "Wolfram is that…?"
"Of course it's true, we're engaged, it's only natural that we would fool around!"
Conrad could feel Yuri shudder behind him in displeasure, "You're a guy! How is that natural at all?!" Yuri found bravery, behind Conrad the invincible.
The brunette relaxed his poise he realized this was an awkward position, more than Yuri even knew.
And why, oh why was this twenty times more awkward than what Yuri had even interpreted it from groping his manhood? Because today had been the day Wolfram had confronted him and seriously asked if he had feelings for Yuri and what those feelings were. Conrad had decided to be honest, probably as a result of drinking last night with Yozak. He was proud about just how trashed he had gotten, and with all the 'talking' in drunk-speak about feelings and emotions and honesty… in other words his drunk-moment rolled over to a sober-moment.
That never boded well.
"If it's so unnatural, just why are you groping him, huh you cheater?" Wolfram accused.
"That was an accident… I was going for the door… I'm so sorry Conrad…" Yuri's blush made his ears burn.
"And now? As you're pressing into his back? Real convincing argument for your virtue, Yuri." Wolfram spat.
Yuri's eyes went wide, he looked at his own body language; he kind of really was doing that, wasn't he? "Conrad doesn't count! He's Conrad! That's a complete exception to the rule! He's perfect so he can't be faulted for stuff." Yuri nodded his head, that conclusion was one-hundred-percent accurate without any bias, whatsoever, sure, right. He could feel the cold sweat forming on the back of his neck, this was so awkward.
"Oh? Good to know. You hear that you filthy half-blood, the cheater seems to think of you like that too." His hand grabbed for his blade.
"Wolfram what do you think you're doing!" Conrad snapped out in a very authoritative tone, which only slightly fazed the blond.
Conrad pulled Yuri out of the room, pulling him toward the courtyard.
The blond really had lost it if he was drawing his own blade against either of them. To draw it against Yuri meant treason, to draw it against Conrad meant failure and utter defeat, and to draw it on Yuri in FRONT of Conrad, well, that was pushing that brotherly bond a bit tauter than it was willing to go.
By time the pair had stopped running, Yuri's head was spinning, this was ridiculous. This made no sense, and what did Wolfram mean too?!
He decided to recant his previous sentiment of the day being normal. This was far more bizarre than the usual.
Wolfram approached, one hand aglow, the other holding his drawn blade.
Yuri didn't have much time to understand or even process what was going on, he summoned a water dragon using his maryoki, not sure how long his personal concentration would be able to keep out the water-beast as himself.
"Yuri please stand aside." Conrad's one arm pressed to Yuri suggesting the direction of his movements, as the youth staggered back a few paces, Gwendel approached, hearing the commotion.
His hand was up to his twitching eyebrow before he could put his other on Yuri's shoulder, pulling him from the warzone. "Put that away." Gwendel stated to Yuri, which made the onyx-featured teenager confused.
"What? But he's using…"
"Think of that as a handicap, he is fighting Conrad, after all."
Upon Gunter's approach, as destructive a wake as a tornado with the way his limbs flailed, Gwendel let out a slightly frustrated sigh. "Gunter, please go retrieve our mother while I mediate."
Yuri turned to look at Gwendel in complete disbelief. How was pulling Yuri to the side considered mediation between brothers?!
Gwendel seemed to catch onto Yuri's own confusion. "Conrad isn't fighting to protect your safety right now. That means he isn't going for the throat."
Yuri blinked, well, that did make sense… but still! "But Wolfram's…"
"Being hot-headed." Yuri gasped at Yozak's sudden appearance, the red-head had been in the tree watching them, not to Yuri's surprise, he was doing so in frills. "Ah, Captain, I'm cheering for you! Win over Heika's heart!"
Conrad shot Yozak a sideward glance, conveying that the subject wasn't for open discussion at the moment.
Yozak put his hand over his mouth, "Oh, my mistake."
Wolfram launched himself forward, Conrad's keen sword blocking and adding his own attacks, though it was clear to anyone who had ever gone through a teaching-round with Conrad that he was taking this down to Wolfram's level. He was playing down so the youngest of three could lash out that aggression, blow by blow.
The clashing sounds of metal continued for a solid twelve minutes before Cheri approached, silently. Standing behind Gwendel, she just watched as the situation unfolded. A soft smile graced her lips, a knowing smile.
Her long manicured fingernails came into Yuri's view, on his shoulder, he turned to face her, "Cheri-sama! Shouldn't you stop this?"
"Oh Heika…" She winked at him, "Conrad has this under control. It should be done soon."
Yuri sighed, more questions were building in his head than he knew what to do with.
Conrad knocked the blade from Wolfram's grasp in a powerful downward slice. Wolfram grabbed his stinging hand then targeted it at Conrad.
"WOLFRAM! What do you think you're doing?! Conrad doesn't have maryoki!" Yuri shouted from the sidelines, apparent to everyone watching, Wolfram's maryoki fizzled, he rushed Conrad before punching him. Conrad stabbed his sword into the ground, allowing the fight to move in this direction.
Wolfram began banging his fists into Conrad's chest, burying his face there. "Why! Why brother? Why would you steal him away? It's not fair!"
Conrad's arm relaxed before both his hands found Wolfram's shoulders. Cheri touched Gwendel's shoulder, "We should leave them for now."
Nodding, Gwendel turned to leave, slowly everyone filtered out, Yozak doing the favor of pulling Yuri over to the garden to chat.
Wolfram pulled back to glare at Conrad. "I know it was an accident, that he didn't want to, but still… he was my fiancé! It's because he's Julia isn't it?!"
Conrad shook his head, "He isn't Julia. But I do love him, as much if not more than I loved her. I know you were concerned about that. You were worried I only loved him superficially. There are things about him that no one else will ever understand except for me, though. You're a good person for being so concerned about him, but now you have to do what's best for him."
"…"
"…You tried, didn't you? When you kissed him, it wasn't what you thought it would be. He didn't return it, now did he?"
Wolfram hung his head.
"I'm sorry, but that can't be changed. And if he can't love you, forcing anything would only make your friendship suffer. So, step back and let me step in. You know as well as I do that he has feelings for me as well, even if he's unaware of it himself."
"…I know…" Wolfram wiped at his watering eyes, "You suck though, stupid half-blood older brother."
Conrad laughed at his kid brother, the blond could really be adorable, between being a complete brat, of course.
.-.-.-.
Yozak smirked as he looked at Yuri, "So, how was your day?"
Yuri blushed remembering the unwanted kiss and then the grope, the grope he couldn't really think of as such an unpleasant experience.
"You love him, don't you?"
"No! I don't like Wolfram like that!"
Yozak scratched under his nose, "And the captain? How do you feel about him?"
"Well… Conrad… he's Conrad. He's perfect, and awesome."
"That would be how you think about him, but how do you feel, boyo? You love him, don't you?"
Yuri turned bright red, eyes went wide. He hung his head, not sure if he was ashamed of himself, or just really confused. He tried to shake the cobwebs out of his head, to clear up some fog, anything to get more into focus to think about this rationally.
"You want to spend all of your time with him."
Yuri nodded.
"You always think about him and how he thinks, and how he thinks of you."
Again, Yuri nodded in agreement to Yozak's comments.
"You want him to feel proud of you, and to return your own feelings."
Yuri nodded.
"He won't though, not your feelings. That's because he isn't confused about his own. He knows what he would expect and want. Yuri-heika, you're in love with him. He loves you too."
Yuri's head shot up to look at Yozak, "R… Really?"
Yozak smiled knowingly. "I'm his best friend, I get to know stuff like that. Plus, as an adult, I've gotten to drink myself under the table with him. Tch, that took some doing though last night let me tell you. Woo, we took out half that bar's inventory."
Conrad knocked on Yozak's head as he approached Yuri, "We? I seem to recall knocking back about an eighth of that inventory. Lush."
Yozak smirked, rubbing his head he let out a friendly grumble, tears welled in the side of his eyes as he did, the tears looked more like those from someone yawning then any from pain.
"Well, I'll leave you two to chat. I know you have something to talk about." He gave Conrad a fierce look that said not to waste that investment of liquor, after all, Yozak did only wish the best for his friend and his romantic endeavors.
"Conrad… do you like me?" Yuri asked, as Yozak had only half-slunk off. Yozak chose that as the cue to run for higher grounds after remembering he left a dress somewhere, sure- that would be his excuse come tomorrow, well, if Conrad seemed upset, which he highly doubted.
"Of course, you're a king like no other, kind and…"
Yuri's hands bawled the fabric of his pants, "I don't mean like-like I mean love-like!"
Conrad's voice faltered, Yozak sure had a big mouth, but then again so did Wolfram. The sad thing was Wolfram had been trying to hide it from Yuri, afraid the teen would jump ships in a heart-beat.
"Yes, Yuri. I do love you very much."
Yuri blushed, "But this is where you say like a friend or like a brother… isn't it?"
Conrad turned his head to the side, scratching his ear with his opposing hand, "That would make it less complicated, but that would be a lie to say that, Yuri. I do love you, romantically. However, I do not know your feelings and do not wish to push anything onto you that you aren't willing."
Yuri blushed, looking to the ground. "I… I love you too, Conrad."
Conrad smiled, "I'm glad."
Yuri turned to face Conrad, he arched his chin upward, standing on his toes he grabbed Conrad's shirt to help pull him the rest of the height difference up to kiss the dreamy brunette.
Conrad leaned his neck downward to deepen the kiss, a hand catching the back of Yuri's neck, his other arm locked behind his narrowed back at the waist.
"I love you."
Yuri thought of what Yozak had mentioned, about expectations. His eyes glanced at Conrad's body before casting upon the enchanting brown eyes, hungry for more. He didn't understand, suddenly what he had groped was all he could think of, there was so much of Conrad's body that he had seen, but it wasn't familiar. He wanted to know it more intimately, much more intimately.
"W… Would you… want to… have… with me…" Yuri's eyes were darting to their corners, as if trying to find somewhere he could mask his own embarrassment from, "…to have s… to have se… to have se… would you want to have sex with me?"
Conrad's eyes widened, before his cheeks blushed slightly, "I would, but I don't think that would be appropriate as of right now."
Yuri looked at him in confusion.
"Yuri, would you go out with me?"
Yuri nodded fervently, "Isn't that much obvious?!" He blushed.
"You're so cute." Conrad put his thumb over Yuri's bottom lip.
"You're so perfect." Yuri countered.
"Just for you."
-The End.-