Pairing : ConYuu.
Disclaimer : ...mine? I wish...
Author's note : We so need more ConYuu goodness in this world. Comments and constructive criticism always welcome! This is my very first fanfiction ever in the entire history of my life.
All day Conrad kept a close watch on Yuuri. Not that he didn't normally keep a close watch on Yuuri but this deserved a special mention. Yuuri had been acting odd all week. Different from his usual "I'm-in-trouble-but-I-don't-want-to-worry-you-so-I'm-keeping-it-a-secret" kind of odd, or even his "I-know-something-you-don't-but-I'm-not-telling" kind of odd. Yuuri was bad at keeping secrets from Conrad. Or rather Conrad was good at reading Yuuri, so when something like this happened it worried Conrad.
He was not alone in noticing the sudden strange behaviour of Yuuri's. Günter has taken to fluttering around Yuuri like some strange, white butterfly, asking after Yuuri's health every 5 seconds and running around performing errands not asked of him during the 4 seconds in between. Wolfram has taken his yelling up to a whole new (sound) level yet to be seen (or heard of) in Shin Makoku, a natural reflex action to cover his concern over Yuuri's well-being. Gwendel, being Gwendel, acted as if he didn't care but if one looked closely enough, the number of wrinkles on his forehead seemed to have multiplied.
Conrad was sure he was guilty of acting the same as the rest of them, turning themselves inside-out over concern for Yuuri's health. And they were not the only ones. Gisella, Dorcas, the maids and even the gardeners felt concerned on the sudden change in Yuuri's behaviour and part of Conrad's daily routine now included getting way-laid by concerned staff asking him about their precious Heika.
"Conrad-dono," a soft-spoken voice interrupted his train of thought. For a second, Conrad wasn't sure who was calling his name. Upon remembering the events of the past week, he made sure to school his features into the smile that has never failed him before to prevent the surprise from showing.
"Yes, Heika. How may I help you?" enquired Conrad. The Yuuri before this past week would have replied with a "It's not Heika, it's Yuuri. You should know it, nazukeoya." But then again, the Yuuri before this past week would have never called him Conrad-dono.
The new Yuuri however, smiled calmly and replied in an equally calm manner, "Your mother was looking for you. She has asked for you to meet her in Gwendel-dono's study."
"Of course, Heika. I thank you for your trouble. Are you headed somewhere? May I escort you there?" asked Conrad, ever protective over Yuuri's safety.
"It is not necessary for you to accompany me, Conrad-dono. I am headed to the library and I am perfectly capable of going there on my own," smiled Yuuri.
"I…see. Günter will be meeting Heika there for your lessons, I presume?" pressed Conrad, trying hard not to look like as though he was fishing for more information.
"No, Günter-dono is also with Cecilia-sama and Gwendel-dono. I am merely headed to the library to read up a little more on what Günter-dono mentioned during lessons today," explained Yuuri.
"Ah…well then…I shall go join them in Gwendel's study. I wish you a good day then, Heika," Conrad managed to get the sentence out coherently, even though his brain was screaming "Yuuri? Study? Shin-ou save us, the end of the world is near!"
"Yes, I wish you a good day too Conrad-dono," Yuuri gave one last calm smile before continuing on his way, leaving Conrad behind to stare at his back. After one last look at Yuuri's disappearing back and closing his open mouth shut, Conrad shook his head and walked towards Gwendel's study.
Soon he was in front of the brown oak doors of Gwendel's study. He raised his hand to knock but before he could do that, the door creaked open and a pair of hands reached out, dragged him in and slammed the door behind him.
Once inside, Conrad saw that the pair of hands belonged to his mother and that all of his brothers, Günter and Anissina were in the room as well.
"Good, the last person has arrived. We can now start the meeting," said Gwendel, gesturing Conrad to one of the two empty armchairs arranged in a semi-circle around Gwendel's desk.
"Mou, Conrad. You're late!" pouted Cherie-sama, tugging Conrad by his sleeves towards one of the armchairs.
"Hmph," was all that Wolfram said, while crossing his arms.
"I apologize for my being late but…may I ask, what is the agenda for this meeting?"asked Conrad, feeling lost. First Yuuri, now this. Was he losing touch with reality?
"It's a meeting about Heika!" proclaimed Günter.
"Meeting about Heika? What about Heika?" asked Conrad, feeling more and more like Alice down the rabbit hole, a book he once read when he was on earth.
"Geez, don't you care about the way Yuuri's been acting recently? He's all polite," Wolfram spat out the word like it an evil that must be erased from the face of existence.
"True. Although politeness isn't a bad thing, but we feel in Heika's case it is an exception. He has not been himself lately. The sudden change in behaviour has caused alarm among everyone who loves and cares for Heika. We need to find out why his behaviour has suddenly changed and whether it is a good thing or not," stated Anissina. "And for this purpose I have invented Hear-The-Cry-Of-My-Heart-Version-2-kun! It's a new and improved version of Hear-The-Cry-Of-My-Heart-kun, also known as a translation device. All you have to do is put it on and you can dig out the deepest, darkest secrets of anyone," proclaimed Anissina, producing a small, velvet box from somewhere behind her with a flourish.
"Ooooh…you have the greatest naming sense ever, Anissina! So, what is it? Let us see!" cried Cherie, while Gwendel rolled his eyes behind their backs. Discretely, of course. He didn't want to become the next test dummy of the invention.
"Ah, someone who appreciates the finer things in life! Feast your eyes on Hear-The-Cry-Of-My-Heart-Version-2-kun!" Anissina opened the velvet box with a flourish. Inside the box was a thin, engraved silver ring.
"…it's a ring," pointed out Wolfram.
"Of course it's a ring. I aim for aestheticism as well as functionality. Now, to test it out. Who will do the honor of being the first person to try out my invention?" asked Anissina, looking around at the (small) crowd. Everyone looked at each other and tried to back away as inconspicuously as possible.
"Ahahaha…would you look at the time? I have to leave for my lesson with Heika," laughed Günter nervously, backing away towards the door.
He soon found out that it was the wrong thing to do as Anissina spun around and pinned him to the ground in terror of the glint in her eyes.
"Now, now Günter, we can't leave until we have reached a conclusion. Since you volunteered, ("I most certainly did not!" cried Günter) you shall do the honors," said Anissina, advancing on Günter like a lion stalking its prey. Everyone else heaved a sigh of relief, grateful it wasn't them and praying for the (relative) safe return of Günter.
Once Günter was seated in his armchair and stopped looking for escape routes (his long hair, of which he was proud of, held captive in one of Anissina's hand with the other hand holding a pair of scissors may have played a large partin being the reason why), they were ready to begin the experiment.
"Okay, this is how Hear-The-Cry-Of-My-Heart-Version-2-kun works. First, you have to wear the ring on the ring finger of your left hand. Next, put your left hand over the other persons' heart. Anything that comes out of the other persons' mouth will be the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth. Best of all, you don't even need to have maryoku to make it work. Since it's small it doesn't need much maryoku to run so I've installed a small, rechargeable, built-in maryoku-powered battery into it," Anissina beamed, obviously proud of her latest invention.
"Okay! So who's gonna be the one to get Heika to spill the beans?" asked Cherie, clearly anticipating the moment.
"Oh, me, me! Pick me! Let me be the one whom Heika entrusts his secrets to!" cried Günter, from his armchair. Everyone took one look at him and the response was an immediate and loud "No!"
"Why not? I'll use it well!" sulked Günter.
"Because you'll 'use it well' by asking Yuuri stupid questions like 'Do I look good in this pose or this pose?' or 'Would you prefer me in this red dress or this pink one?'" answered Wolfram on behalf of everyone.
Wolfram had grown up a lot over these past few years. Even though he still had his infamous temper, but from time to time mature thoughts would come from him. But then again, everyone had changed, thought Conrad to himself. Yuuri's kingship had brought nothing but peace and joy to a kingdom once filled with tyranny and war. Yuuri himself had touched the hearts of many and changed them for the better, including himself. Conrad can't imagine the life he would be leading now if it wasn't for Yuuri's presence. Yuuri was everything Conrad dreamed of, and more.
While Conrad was musing to himself, the argument over who was to approach Yuuri had reached its conclusion. Jolted from his musings by the sudden silence, Conrad looked up. Everyone looked back with satisfied smirks on their faces.
"Then it's decided! Conrad will be the one!" cried Cherie, throwing her arms around her second son.
"I beg your pardon? Me? Why me?" but Conrad's question was lost amidst the loud chatter that followed that proclamation.
"That's a great idea Ce! You don't have to worry about the ring not fitting your finger, Conrad. I've made it into a self-adjusting ring; it will fit on anyone's finger," Anissina assured a Conrad who really didn't want nor needed to know that. He just wanted the answer to the question he asked.
"Make sure you do a good job so that I can sleep again," said Gwendel, which was a testament to the fact that he trusted his brother enough to reveal his weakness.
"Maybe I'll get to see something good now," Wolfram said drily, and refused to comment whatsoever on his statement.
"Well, if it's Conrad then I give up my right to be the one whom Heika spills his deepest secrets to," Günter said, with the air of someone giving up gracefully.
With all that said and done, Conrad found himself with the ring on his finger and himself being bundled out of the room and into the corridor, ending with the door being shut in his face.
Conrad stared at the now shut door. He gave himself a pinch. Ouch, that hurt so this definitely couldn't be a dream. He had never felt so out of touch with reality before. Usually, he had a finger in every pie, so to speak, and nothing got past him without notice. Now, he had an odd feeling that everyone knew something he didn't. And he didn't like the feeling of being kept out of the loop one bit.
With the responsibility of finding out what happened to Yuuri placed in his hands, Conrad headed to the library where Yuuri said he was going to be. On arrival, Conrad pushed the oak door open the stepped inside. The library was big and spacious, with lots of sunshine and air. He found Yuuri napping on top of an open book. Now this was more like the Yuuri he knew.
"Heika, wake up," Conrad gently shook Yuuri.
"Huh, what? I wasn't sleeping, I swear! I was-Oh, it's you, Conrad. I-I mean, good day Conrad-dono, what brings you to the library on this fine morning?" amended Yuuri.
Conrad gave Yuuri a puzzled look. Oh well, he was going to find out sooner or later anyway.
"Heika, I'm going to have to do something you might find weird but please believe me when I say it's for your own good," said Conrad.
Yuuri nodded. "All right, I believe you. Go ahead."
"All right, Heika. I'm going to put my hand over your heart," said Conrad, while placing his left hand with the ring over Yuuri's chest. Yuuri flushed bright red at the action but did not say anything otherwise. Conrad filed this away as another question to be answered.
Conrad decided to start with an easy question. "Heika, were you really studying just now?"
"Don't call me Heika. It's Yuu-ri, nazukeoya. I really tried to study but it was really, really hard! The weather was perfect for a mid-morning nap," Yuuri rattled out. Then he realized what he just said. Yuuri's eyes grew as big as Wolfram's mouth when he's yelling and he quickly clapped his hands over his mouth.
"Conrad! What did you just do!" screeched Yuuri, flapping his hands before retracting them and clapping them over his mouth again.
"It is an invention of Anissina's. It works similarly to a truth potion. We were worried over the way you have been acting recently so Anissina invented it and they voted for me to be the one to ask you…" the rest of what Conrad intended to say faded away when he saw the hurt look on Yuuri's face.
"You know I would never lie to you. All you had to do is ask. You don't trust me enough to tell you the truth even when you ask me directly?" asked Yuuri, his dark eyes shimmering with the start of tears.
"No…no! Or course not Yuuri. Forgive me, I didn't think. I'm truly, truly sorry. Please forgive me, I did not mean to doubt you," apologized Conrad, desperately wanting to wipe the hurt look from Yuuri's face.
Yuuri took a step back, away from Conrad. Conrad watched him step back, wanting to hold him, do anything to make him stay. He felt his world crumble, at the look of shattered dreams in Yuuri's eyes.
"Please, Yuuri. Don't go. Stay," words spilled out of Conrad's mouth without first asking permission from his brain. Yuuri stopped and stared straight into Conrad's eyes. Conrad tried to hold his gaze, so open and trusting, much like their owner. Finally, Yuuri sighed and stepped back towards Conrad, holding both of Conrad's hands in his as he did so.
Yuuri lifted Conrad's left hand and replaced it over his heart. "I understand why you all have been worried. The truth is, I thought that…IthoughtthatthatwouldbethepersonalitythatConradisattractedtosoIactedthatway," everything came out in one breath.
"I beg your pardon?" Conrad thought his ears had malfunctioned.
"Arrrgghh! Don't make me say something so embarrassing twice! I thought that you liked people with that kind of personality since Julia-san was like that so I acted like her. I did a lot of research on how she behaved, you know. Took me a week to get all of the facts straight. Günter would be over the moon if I showed the same dedication to my lessons," huffed Yuuri, looking away the whole while.
"You acted oddly because you thought I liked that type of personality…why?"asked Conrad.
"To get you to like me of course! Why else? Geez, Conrad, get with the agenda already. And it's like as in really, really like, in case you're wondering," Yuuri still looked out the window, really interested in the butterfly floating past at that particular moment.
There was a long silence. Then the library was filled with deep laughter. Yuuri looked at Conrad in surprise. Conrad was…laughing? And not just plain laughter, but the deep, belly-aching kind which had Conrad holding the nearest chair for support.
"Hey, what was so funny about my love declaration? It took a lot of guts to finally spill it out you know," Yuuri half-pouted. He couldn't really get angry with Conrad, and a joyfully laughing Conrad at that.
"My dear, dear Yuuri, you didn't have to go through all that trouble. I love you just the way you are," Conrad said, wiping the last of the tears from his eyes.
"Huh? What? Wait, did you just say…?" gaped Yuuri, at a loss for words.
Conrad smiled. He took off the ring from his left ring finger and slid it on Yuuri's left ring finger. He then placed Yuuri's hand over his own heart and covered it with his own hands.
"I love you, Shibuya Yuuri. I've loved you for a very long time. I did not say anything, not even after you broke off your engagement to Wolfram a few years back because I wasn't sure you'd feel the same way and I didn't want to burden you. You are my everything. Without you, I would be nothing. You are indeed the sun, my sun," Conrad declared, making sure that he said everything slowly and clearly so that Yuuri could hear it.
Yuuri opened and closed his mouth a few times. He opened it one final time and then closed it with a snap. Conrad waited for it.
"So everything I've done is for nothing?" screeched Yuuri.
"I wouldn't say nothing, Hei-ka. We're here, together, and I've just confessed my love to the one person I cherish above all else, in this world or any other. So, what would your Majesty's reply be?" grinned Conrad, still holding Yuuri's hand tightly.
Yuuri blushed and ducked his head. Then he lifted his head and graced Conrad with the most beautiful smile Conrad had ever seen and eyes full of love.
"I love you, Conrad Weller. I've loved you from the first time we met, and perhaps even before that. You comforted me, encouraged me, protected me and made me laugh. You are my everything. Without you, I would not be the person I am today," Yuuri solemnly declared. Then Yuuri grinned mischeviously. "Did you know, Conrad, if a couple exchanged love vows in the library while holding hands, it can be considered as a marriage ceremony."
"Oh really, Heika. Now in which of the thousands of constitutions that we have was that particular law in?" enquired Conrad, smiling.
"Well, if it isn't written anywhere then I'll make it a new law," laughed Yuuri, feeling lighter than a balloon, now that his wish had come true.
"Then you might want to add this as the bonding ceremony," said Conrad before he leaned down and captured Yuuri's lips in a kiss, sealing their sacred vows.
-Owari-
OMAKE
The 321st "How To Get Conrad and Yuuri Together…Finally" Meeting
Anissina : This better work! The last time, I threw a naked and wet Yuuri at Conrad – and the man didn't even blink!
Günter : What? Impossible! Heikaaaa (nosebleeds all over the minutes of the meeting)
Wolfram : Aniue, it's all your fault! Conrad must have followed your habit of suppressing all your feelings!
Gwendel : …
Wolfram : See!
Cherie : Conrad and Yuuri sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!
First comes love, then comes marriage,
Then comes a baby (with a rubber duckie) in a carriage!
Kyaaaa Kawaii! (blinks) I'm going to be a grandmother!
Oh my, I'm still too young and beautiful to be a grandmother!
Wolfram : Hahaue… (sweatdrops)
Meanwhile, in the library…
Conrad : (sneezes violently)
Yuuri : Conrad? Are you feeling cold? Should I get you a blanket or…?
Conrad : I'm all right, Yuuri. Perhaps someone is talking about me…
Yuuri : Well, if that's the case, I'm sure it's nothing but good things. (uke-sparkles)
Conrad : Thank you for your support, Yuuri. Now, shall we pick up from where we left off…? (smirks)