* italic - thoughts

* taichou – captain

In The Soul Within

Yuuri stared at the tiger-bear soft plushy specially made by Gwendal. He glanced to the side and saw the heart-shaped cotton filled pillow sewed by Gunter. Wolfram presented him with some cookies he baked, although over toasted, Yuri was happy. Next he smiled at the enormous card Greta created together with one quarter of the population's signature in Shin Makoku. The room was accompanied by a sweet scent of flowers, arranged for him for his seventeenth birthday by Lady Cheri. But all of these are incomparable with the knitted winter scarf he was holding tight in his hands. The gift from Conrad. He inhaled the fade scent remained in the scarf; the fade smell of his knight. His eyes brings itself shut, enjoying the comfortable sensation, the addictive smell of Conrad.

He knitted the scarf. He did this for me. Just for me…

A smile carved on his face, so wide that he couldn't control. He jumped onto his cozy bed, bringing along the scarf with him, the fabric wrapped around his neck. He smiled again. This truly is his best birthday ever.

Conrad…

Yuuri drifted to dreamland, bringing Conrad along, together in his dreams, with his fingers clenched tightly on his best present, as if showing off the gift, saying 'it belongs to me'.

"Thank you, Conrad! I love it, it's beautiful!"

"Hmmph, you wimp...! What is so special about Weller-kyou's present? I used my hands, MY OWN HANDS to bake those cookies for you!" Wolfram specified the word 'hands' while showing his reddish flesh, the burn marks.

"Thank you, Wolfram, it looks…" Yuuri tried to think of a word, "…interesting." He concluded. "I'll eat it later."

"Thank you, everyone," Yuuri smiled his angelic smile, "but if you all would excuse me, I think I'll appreciate some private time for myself in my room," Yuuri then proceeded to leave the hall.

"Thank you again, Conrad." He winked.

Conrad smiled. He had always wanted to give Yuuri a present and he was glad that Yuuri liked it. Beforehand, he was worried and stressed up, wondering whether Yuuri will like his present or not, trying to figure out a way to explain how inexperienced he is in the knitting profession but his prepared speech wasn't needed. Apparently Yuuri liked his present. And he was very glad, very happy.

He had never felt this sweet before.

"Taichou, I think you're in love," Yosak once said. "You look like all those maids in the castle, so eager to see His Majesty, you know?"

In love? Is it even possible?

With Yuri's position so high, no noble, how could he even compare himself, this filthy little half-breed with the Maou? He shaked his head. The important point is... Yuuri liked the scarf and nothing is more important than that. Problems solved.

He rests his back onto his bed, the image of Yuuri smiling keep replaying in his mind. He smiled and closed his eyes. He terribly needs a nap before starting his patrolling around the castle. But with Yuuri's smile, the smile just for him, his felt his body recharged and energized. The amount of energy obtained from the magical smile is enough to keep him awake for a few nights.

"Conrad, don't you think the sky looks pretty? The population of stars in Shin Makoku is amazing! I've never seen such a beautiful sky in my past seventeen years of life," Yuuri commented.

Sure enough, the stars twinkled brightly hanging on the dark blue-reddish sky; with the silver moonlight reflected by the sun was such a calming and peaceful sight. Not to mention having Yuuri sitting side by side, half his body weight leaning on him, head on Conrad's shoulder, eyes closed, feeling the cool night breeze.

"Yuuri, is there anything I can help?" Conrad started the conversation after a few moments. "Did Wolfram accidentally kicked you out of bed again, having you to sneak into my room in the middle of the night? The funnier part is, we're…" Conrad tried to search for the appropriate word, "enjoying the… the… nature." 'Or more precisely we're sitting down here on my balcony looking at stars, just like what lovers would do,' Conrad added mentally.

"Nothing. Just… lend me your shoulders."

Conrad smiled. "As long as you need it, my shoulder will always be there for you."

And then he realized what he'd said. My shoulder will always be there for you. Did he over step his boundaries? "Yuuri," he tried to explain, not wanting to cause any misunderstanding, "what I meant was---"

"Conrad, I might need you to lend me your ears as well."

Conrad was confused. "Yuuri?"

Yuuri stiffen his position. Come on, Yuuri, you can do it. Tell him, it's now or never. Yuuri assured himself again and again.

"Conrad, l-listen carefully." He closed his eyes. "Since the day I met you, since the moment you've rescued me in the human village, since the day you said you'd pay loyalty to me, that your hands, your body and your soul belongs to me, I—I had fall for you. Romantically, not godfatherly."

Conrad strained his ears to ensure he'd heard every word clearly. But his brain couldn't seem to process the correct meaning of Yuuri's confession. "Yuuri, fall for me as in---"

"As in 'I love you unconditionally', 'I want to stay with you for the rest of my life' and 'you're the most important man, besides my father in my dictionary'."

Conrad hesitated, "But Yuuri—"

"I know what I'm saying, Conrad," his face turning crimson as seconds passes, "I wasn't being impetuous; I'd decided to confess since a long time back, but," his voice almost inaudible, "I was afraid if I would rejected or I'd disgust you." Yuuri's expressions now determined, he continued persistently, "but I've decided to pursue my dream of living together as one with you, so I'd take the initiative to tell you how I feel. And Conrad, I want to know what you feel about me. It's, it's alright if you don't fell the same; I just want to know your answer."

Conrad felt paralyzed. He knew if he confessed his true feeling to Yuuri, there isn't a possible turn back. But he wanted to be selfish. At least, just this once.

"Yuuri," Conrad touched Yuuri's rozy cheeks, "you had intruded my life, filled my dreams with your warm and kind smiles, giving me encouragement in whatever I do, and what impact do you think you would have on me? My love to you is eternal, Yuuri, as long as I'm still alive, or even after death, my heart belongs entirely to you, my one and only. Like wild primroses, my love blooms unconditionally every second, every minute."

Yuuri was on the verge of tears when Conrad finished his well-spoken confession. He couldn't believe what he'd heard. Conrad, despite being his paragon and loyal knight, he too felt romantically in love with him. This in no doubt his best year of life. First the knitted scarf and now the confession.

"Conrad, I might need to lend your lips as well."

Conrad burst out laughing. "Do you want the free gift, then, Yuuri?"

"Huh? What free gift?"

Conrad leaned in towards Yuuri. "When you ask for the lips, you have the tongue as well, they come together," he whispered seductively.

Yuuri didn't have a chance to response; Conrad darted and kissed Yuuri lightly on the lips, teasing him, making him longing, wanting more of his taste, the texture of his soft, addictive lips. Yuuri grabbed a handful of Conrad's hair, pulling him down and captured him tightly. "I want my free gift."

Conrad, nevertheless smirked, and kissed Yuuri tenderly, his tongue dipping on his lover's lips, begging for entrance, which Yuuri complied, allowing Conrad to taste every inch and angle of his fiery hot cavern, he sucked gently around Conrad's teasing and expertised tongue, moaning softly.

Conrad broke the kiss, leaving Yuuri gasping softly for air. He smiled his gentle smile and pulled Yuuri in a tight embrace. He kissed Yuuri's scalp, whispered the special three words softly, tenderly. Hardly audible, but he was sure Yuuri heard those words clear enough. That was how the two love birds spent their first official romantic night together, witnessed by the full moon, accompanied by the twinkling stars.

TBC

A/N: Read and Review..? (: