Title: Realizations

Author: Littlestkitten (saratu on lj)

Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou

Pairing: Conrad/Yuuri, onesided Wolfram/Yuuri

Rating: PG

Word Count: 1,318

Notes: Written for wingslapped who requested Wolfram following Yuuri around for a day to try and catch him cheating. Instead he sees the differences between how Yuuri treats him and how he treats Conrad.

Wolfram knew he shouldn't be following Yuuri around. It was an invasion of privacy, and really, he had other duties that he should be attending to. But he just knew that his fiancé was cheating on him. He couldn't prove it of course; Yuuri was just too good at hiding his tracks. But why would Yuuri be so indifferent to him if he didn't love someone else? Wolfram knew that Yuuri liked him, at least as a friend, and he'd heard Yuuri call him pretty. So why wouldn't Yuuri be with him? Wolfram had made sure to let the king know he was willing. And Yuuri's shyness couldn't explain away everything. They hadn't even kissed yet!

So Wolfram had decided to follow the young king. Yuuri had to slip up sometime. He would end up showing his extra regard to whoever his lover was at some point in the day. And if he didn't catch him the first day than he'd just have to follow (not stalk) him again tomorrow. His resolve firm, Wolfram went to find his errant fiancé.

In hindsight, he probably should have asked a maid to wake him that morning instead of sleeping in till his usual time. Yuuri was already dressed and half way through his morning run with Conrart by the time Wolfram had caught up to him. Not that trailing him during this time would help Wolfram discover anything he didn't already know. The king's friendship with the half-human was notorious and many people talked of it.

But he had to make sure that the run wasn't just a cover for Yuuri to meet some woman (the cheater!) in private. No tryst was uncovered that morning, however, and the only thing Wolfram discovered was that Yuuri was even more familiar with Conrart than he'd previously thought. Trust the naïve king to show such blatant disregard for the customs that designated proper behavior between king and subject.

After a few stretches, Yuuri returned to his (their) room to change into his uniform. He once again showed is lack of decorum by joking with Conrart and walking way too close the whole way. Wolfram wanted to interrupt and insist that they act more proper but knew that it would ruin his plan if he let Yuuri know he was following him.

Breakfast was next and Wolfram, after making sure that was where the king was truly heading, took a short cut to the dining hall. He had just seated himself when Yuuri and Conrart entered. The meal answered no questions and only reminded Wolfram how pushy and dramatic Gunter could be about their king.

Yuuri was whisked off to lessons with Wolfram following discretely behind. Wolfram soon had a new understanding about why Yuuri was always trying to escape from Gunter and the long lectures he was forced to sit through. Wolfram had never remembered history being this boring and couldn't understand how Gunter could sound so excited about some long dead king signing proclamations. He was saved from death by boredom when Conrart appeared with two of those mitt thingies. Yuuri looked so excited that Wolfram rethought learning the game. Surely throwing a ball back and forth couldn't be that much fun.

He followed them down to their practice field and settled in behind a tree to watch. The two went through the boring motions of throwing the ball back and forth for about ten minutes. Wolfram was starting to get bored and wondered if it was worth it to be doing this. But before he could decide to leave, Yuuri called for a break and walked over to Conrart.

Wolfram was instantly on alert. Maybe this was when his fiancé would sneak away for his clandestine meetings with his secret lover. He was so busy searching for that imaginary person that he almost missed it. Yuuri, the klutz that he was, tripped and fell into Conrart's arms. The boy blushed before glancing at the soldier. Yuuri looked up at Conrart with a look of such unguarded fondness that Wolfram was almost embarrassed to witness such an intimate moment. The young king soon jerked away though and laughed nervously as he went to grab his bat.

It suddenly all became clear to Wolfram. The smiles, the gentle touches, and the way Yuuri was always looking for Conrart, even if he didn't realize he was doing it. Yuuri wasn't having an affair with some stable hand or a maid; he was sleeping with Wolfram's own brother! Or they at least regarded each other in that way. The betrayal felt worse than Wolfram had imagined possible. He made his way back to the castle. There was no point in torturing himself by watching their easy affection. He had seen enough.

Wolfram had been a mess the rest of the day. He could hardly eat and even painting didn't relieve his uneasiness. He couldn't understand how they could do this to him. The idea of Yuuri cheating on him had been horrible enough, but with his own brother? They could at least have the decency not to make so obvious.

At first he had decided to ignore it, Yuuri was engaged to him and once they were married he was sure his brother at least would put an end to the affair. Conrart was too noble to continue something like this with a married man. Although, that hadn't stopped him from doing something with an engaged man. And suddenly Wolfram couldn't let it go. Talking to Yuuri wouldn't accomplish anything, but talking to Conrart might. So Wolfram went to find him.

"How could you? He's my fiancé. How could you do this to me?" He burst out as soon as he and Conrart were alone together. His brother looked uneasy but didn't insult him by pretending not to understand.

"I assure you, Wolfram, there is nothing between me and Heika."

And Wolfram knew the real truth then. It was easy to read the pain in Conrart's eyes, the indecision, and the guilt. There wasn't anything between them. Yuuri was completely oblivious to the way he acted and to the signals he was giving. And Conrart would never push him, especially not while Wolfram was engaged to him. As much as Conrart loved their king, he would never come between him and Wolfram, never attempt have the engagement broken. Conrart was once again living through a situation where the person he loved was in engaged to someone else. And he was too dutiful to do anything about it, just like last time.

Wolfram pitied his own situation but at least he had an excuse to be with Yuuri. He could freely call him by name and insist on sharing a bed. Conrart had no such excuse and was too aware of correct decorum to try to take liberties. This couldn't go on. Somebody would end up with their heart broken, and Conrart was too selfless to allow that person be Wolfram. He would smile on their wedding day and congratulate them without ever feeling resentment toward his younger brother.

If what he had seen today was typical, then he knew that Yuuri loved his brother too, even if he didn't realize it yet. He had always fought against the engagement and Wolfram had always assumed it really was just prejudice. That if he showed Yuuri how much he loved him then the king would eventually come around. But what if it wasn't just the society that Yuuri had been raised in? If Yuuri truly loved someone else, could he knowingly stand in the way? Could he let both Yuuri and Conrart suffer because of his own selfishness? A loveless marriage also wasn't something Wolfram wanted, for either of them. Something would have to be done. Someone's heart would have to end up broke. And Wolfram had a feeling it would be his.