Boy, am I being efficient these days, with all these Conyuu fanfics rolling out of me. I was kind of hesitant to upload this one, because I think I could've made the story clearer by elaborating more, but I ended up deciding to post it anyways since its more "romantic" to leave things to the imagination.
Happy Thanksgiving guys, hope you all have a good one! Stuff yourselves full of turkey and mashed potatoes for me alright :D
"She was a beloved woman."
Conrad didn't reply because it wasn't a question, rather a statement.
Slowly, a sad little smile spread onto his face.
"What a woman she must've been. For a man like Adalbert to love her, and for a man like you to want her."
Conrad stirred at the comment, but made no move to retort, as his words held no bitterness; it was merely tinged with sorrow and sadness. The scene made Conrad's heart break.
The soldier wanted to walk up to the window ledge where Yuuri was sitting, and to pull him into an embrace and whisper words of reassurance next to his ear. He wanted to tell his king that he's loved by everyone too, and that he was a fool if he didn't see it. He wanted to tell the king that though Julia might've been something more than just a friend at some point in his life- in a past rather left forgotten, he has never loved anyone as much as he's loved Yuuri.
He wanted to tell him that in no lifetimes, would he ever exchange Yuuri's life for Julia. He wanted to say that he'd do anything for the young king, if only he wished it. The soldier wanted to desperately wipe off the look on the teenager's face. His expression wasn't one that should be clouded with pain and doubt, but one that should display happiness and showed anyone who looked upon it a world of endless possibilites. The soldier loved it most when his king had a countenance that wondrously betrayed his own youthful innocence.
Alas, the soldier did none of those things, for his tongue turned leaden; the words were stuck in his throat, and his limbs were seemingly bolted to the ground. There was an unmistakable fear in the protector that if he did what his heart truly yearned to do, the words wouldn't stop flowing from his mouth until there were finally no words left to be said. There'd be no feelings nor any thoughts left un-conveyed, and that was what frightened him the most; that his king would realize from those thoughts, from those words, what place he truly held in the knight's heart, and would distance himself from Conrad.
Unfortunately, try as Conrad might, the soldier couldn't just stand there and watch Yuuri- watch the most precious thing that's ever happened in his life, slowly let his light burn out. The light that the soldier himself so dearly clung to. Just as Conrad began to open his mouth, the young maou's facial expression changed, seemingly stopping whatever he was thinking about. He gave his protector a rueful grin.
Conrad gave the teenager a smile of his own, while noticing that Yuuri's cheeks were slightly tinted with a shade of pink, obviously embarrassed by his previous statement.
"Aha… What was I saying… Don't think too much about it Conrad! Just my usual nonsense.. Anyways what time is it? I'm starving"
The young maou jumped off the window ledge and strode towards the wooden door, leaving the knight to stare at the view of the stars that illuminated the night sky. Off by a beat of the heart, and yet again the ghost of his words danced on the tip of his tongue. The soldier shoved them back down, hoping that someday, he'd be able to forget about it all together. To forget about the way the king's hair shone in reflection to the pale moonlight, and how his usual curious obsidian eyes were clouded gray. He bid to forget the way Yuuri's hair- ruffled and wild, gently fell over his face, and the way that he stared so longingly towards the moon and stars, as if he wished that they'd take him into the night sky and disappear forever.
Unfortunately, Conrad knew that this moment; a tiny piece in the vastness of his long life, was one he'd never be able to forget, and his heart ached. It ached for his king, for himself, and for all the words left unsaid.
Yuuri poked his head into the doorway again, showing soft black bangs that brushed his forehead. "Conrad! Hurry up, what's taking so long? I'm hungry"
The corners of the protector's mouth turned upwards, and soon a grin formed on the soldier's handsome face. He gave a hearty chuckle, one that revealed none of his previous thoughts.
"I'll be right there heika"
"Don't take too long. Also it's Yuuri!"
"Sorry, Yuri." The teenager nodded, seemingly satisfied with his knight's answer, and made his way towards the dinning hall.
Maybe, just maybe, staying like this a little longer wouldn't be so bad.
The soldier turned on his heels and left the room of a girl who once broke his heart and a world of undiscovered possibilities.