Disclaimer: Dont own, however i do own the story i just wrote! muahahahahahaha!...yes...
A/N- my first attempt at this pairing, but i love Yozak, so i had to write it! plus theres really not enough stories for these two out there! anywho read and review!!!
Not Exactly Once Upon A Time
Conrad strolled through the gardens in front of Blood Pledge Castle, head tilted towards the sky, the sun warming his face. For once, Yurri and Wolfram did not seem to be fighting, the castle unusually peaceful because of this. They were rather cute to watch, he decided, as they slept curled up together underneath a shady tree. Perhaps Yurri had finally accepted the engagement? He certainly hoped so; he could see how much it hurt his younger brother to not have Yurri's love returned to him.
Up in a second floor window he could see Gwendal hunched over his desk, Gunter running a hand up and down his back, soothingly. You would think that the two would make a strange pair, but he could not think of anything more…natural then their relationship- no matter how hard they tried to hide it from the others.
Lady Anissa was currently away from the castle, which would account for the sudden lull everyone seemed to be going through. It seemed quiet, too quiet without her there to drag them off to test one of her latest inventions or on the odd occasion creating a large explosion in one of the rooms. They all missed her of course and he could feel the strange calmness around him, seeping into him, creating a twisting in his stomach as though something were about to happen.
However what Conrad really missed, was his friend. Yozak was off infiltrating another country to gain intelligence on their movements for Gwendal. Normally he did not worry too much about the red haired man, as he had proven hundreds of times over that he could, in fact take care of himself, but right now he would have been much happier to have the other man next to him. It made him restless.
Conrad had thought his feelings for his friend had been well hidden, but when both Wolfram and Gunter had approached him about it, (it had been rather embarrassing when his mother had decided to give him advice) it had become clear that perhaps the only one that did not know he was in love with Yozak, was the spy himself. Or maybe that was wishful thinking, as Yozak had been trained to pick up on what others were not saying…no, he would stick to the hopeful if not naïve theory that his friend did not know.
"Captain! Captain! Come quickly!" A lone soldier appeared from around the corner, gesturing franticly.
Hand on his sword, he ran after the man, realizing they were heading for the front gates. A worn out horse was being led off to the stables. He knew whose horse it was, praying that he was wrong. Still a distance away a prone figure was being lifted onto a stretcher, surrounded by palace guards. A flash of bright orange hair caught his attention through the mass of people. No!
The brown haired man put on a burst of speed, quickly passing the soldier that had summoned him, and physically pushing his way to the front of the crowd.
Yozak's limp form was hefted onto the stretcher, carried by two of Gwendal's soldiers.
"Yoz…" He gripped his friends pale hand briefly, before nodding for them to hurry and get him to the infirmary. His first instinct was to follow then, but Gisela would not let anyone until she had checked him over, so instead he turned, intent on getting answers.
"What happened?"
"When his horse showed up at the gate, he was unconscious on its back. That's when we sent for you, sir." He nodded, knowing they would not know anything else until Yozak woke up, and he had given Gisela enough time. So turning, he took off, not quite running, but very nearly, towards Gisela's office.
"He'll be fine captain, as far as I can tell he was drugged with something or another. It may take awhile but once he wakes, I will be able to clear it from his system." Conrad nodded, taking a seat in the wooden chair next to the bed.
"Do you know when he'll wake up?" Yurri asked, worriedly, hand-clasping Wolframs.
"Could be anytime." Gisela replied, gathering up her tools. "But it would be best for someone to stay with him until he does."
"I will." Conrad stated, without looking up. He shifted in the hard chair, settling himself in, for however long he would need to wait to see those blue eyes again.
"I'll be back to check in on Yozak in around an hour, come and get me if you notice that something is wrong." Gisela left the room, leaving the occupants to brood silently. Gunter in the end was the one to break the silence.
"Heika, we should continue with your lessons for today."
"Um, we can't because, uh-" He stuttered, attempting to come up with an excuse to get out of his lessons.
"I'm helping the wimp with his swords work." Wolfram snapped, tearing his eyes away from the figure in the bed to drag his fiancé out of the room. Gwendal and Gunter followed soon after, leaving Conrad alone with his thoughts.
Yozak appeared peaceful, aside from the obvious being unconscious; the only other visible sign of a fight was a bruise on his arm and a cut on his forehead that had been attended to. He hesitantly grasped one of the red heads pale hands in his own, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest, letting it reassure him.
What happened? How had he been drugged? Out of all the years Conrad had known the other man; he had never once allowed himself to be given anything that could hamper the mission.
"Yoz…what happened?" The man in question grunted lightly, eyes fluttering. "Yozak?" Conrad dropped his hand, leaning over the bed as the red haired man slowly opened his eyes, wincing at the light.
"Co-" He cleared his throat, gratefully accepting the glass of water Conrad presented him, draining most of it before attempting to continue. "Conrad?"
The brown haired man shook his head, sitting on the edge of the bed as Yozak closed his eyes, resting back against the pillows.
"Gisela says that you were drugged." Bleary blue eyes focused on him, staring intently. "What is it?" He asked, confused.
"I love my captain." The red haired man sighed, dreamily, reaching out and grasping his friend's hand.
"What?" Conrad's eyes widened comically, surprise evident on his face. Yozak pulled him forwards suddenly, so he was resting awkwardly draped over the strong body below him. "Yozak, I need to get Gisela- there's something wrong with you." He tried to pull away, but the arms tightened around his waist holding him in place.
"Nothing wrong with me, Wellar." Yozak sighed contentedly, nuzzling his neck.
Conrad's mouth went dry as the hands slid lower, settling nicely at the base of his spine. He held back a moan as his friends hips ground up against his own, trying to keep his arousal in check, the drugs were doing something to his friend, and this was no time to give way to his fantasies. He was trained better than that.
"Yozak, stop- do you know what the drugs were supposed to do?" Kisses were placed along his jaw, as he tilted his head, without realizing it, to give more access.
"Nope." The redhead hummed happily sucking lightly on the other mans neck. Brown eyes fluttered shut at the feelings washing over him. He was fighting a losing battle, mind going blank as long legs wrapped around his waist pulling their pelvises together.
"Yoz…" A moan escaped his lips, suddenly pulled into a heated kiss. They shouldn't be doing this. Not now. "I have to find Gisela." He panted, finally managing to tear himself away, moving away from the bed.
His friend pouted up at him and it took all his will power not to go back over there. Instead he straightened out his clothes as best he could, fixing his hair so he appeared presentable.
"Conrad…" The redhead whined as Conrad turned, hand resting on the doorknob. "I love you." He froze, the words reverberating through him. Yozak was drugged. He couldn't possibly mean…
"If you truly mean it," he began, voice echoing in the silent room. "Then tell me when you are well." Breathing deeply, he opened the door, careful not to look back as he walked briskly down the corridor in search of their medic.
"He appears to be fine now. Although he is sleeping again, possibly caused by the drug leaving his system." Gisela closed the door softly, so as not to wake her patient. Conrad glared at the wooden door as though it had the power to remove the poison from his friend and refused to do so. "You said he was acting strange when he woke?"
The brown haired captain nodded, gaze turning to the medic. "He was not acting like himself. He…said some things that Yozak would not normally have said."
"From what I can tell, it should be almost completely gone from his system by now. I do have some theories about what the drug could have been." This caught the captain's attention. "It could have specifically targeted his emotions, which would have revealed him as a spy on his mission, although it could have been any number other things as well."
He nodded as Gisela bowed, making her way quickly away from the room. Hesitantly he reached out, opening the door. Mid-afternoon light filtered in through the windows, as he stepped into the room, pausing at the door.
Yozak lay in the bed, blanket resting on his hips, red hair even brighter against the white pillows. He tore his gaze away, moving around the room in an attempt to dispel the restlessness that seemed to have claimed him again.
Earlier…what Yozak had said…he couldn't have been telling the truth, could he? No, he dismissed the idea as foolish hope. It was the drugs. Even if Gisela had said…had said that it could have been specifically targeting his emotions.
No, it was ridiculous. He had known Yozak for years, decades, and he would not get his hopes up.
"Captain…?" Conrad started, turning quickly towards the bed to find clear blue eyes staring up at him in confusion.
"Yoz…how are you feeling?" He perched on the edge of the mattress, wary that the man would act as he had before.
"Tired. What happened?" So he didn't appear to remember. It was probably better that way. Conrad smiled lightly, the sparkle not quite reaching his eyes.
"You were drugged while on a mission for Gwendal. Do you remember anything?" Yozak shook his head, eyes drifting closed. "Sleep for now. You can speak to Gwendal later."
Giving in to the urge, he brushed some stray hair from his friends face, exiting the room quickly.
He wasn't necessarily hiding; he was just avoiding the castle. The gardens proved to be the perfect place to do so, he decided, lounging, long legs stretched out behind one of the hedge walls.
It wasn't that he wasn't glad that Yozak had been given a clean bill of health; it just hurt to have had something that he had wanted for so long dangled in front of him like that. Which was why he was taking a break from training Yurri and his duties in the castle.
It was also where the red-haired man managed to track him down.
"You're avoiding me." Conrad glanced up at him, not entirely surprised that it was Yozak that managed to find him.
"Yoz…"
"I want to know why, and no lies Wellar, you know you can't lie to me." His friend had a point there. There was the rare exception when Yozak didn't look too deeply into what he was saying that he was able to get away with not telling him the truth, but at the moment it didn't appear that it would be that easy.
"I'm just getting some fresh air." Yozak crouched down next to him, before leaning back against the same hedge.
"I think Wolfram would agree that three days is a long time to just be getting 'fresh air'." Blue eyes glared at him when he refused to make eye contact.
"I've been thinking." He sighed quietly.
"About?" It would have been too easy for his friend to just drop the topic. But nothing with his friend was ever easy. It was probably why they had lasted this long. He didn't reply, tilting his head back to look at the sky. "This is about what I said, isn't it?"
Wide brown eyes met mischievous blue, the shock evident in them.
"What?"
"The other day, you told me that if I meant it, to tell you when I was well." The red head grinned, nudging the other with his shoulder. "Well captain, I don't think I could be much better."
"Yoz…" Conrad trailed off as lips met his sparking something that had been unspoken between the two for so long. He groaned into the kiss, the feeling of the other man pressed up against him overriding his senses.
"You know, I meant what I said." They pulled back when it became apparent that they would need to breathe. "I love you. I have for a long time."
Conrad pulled Yozak against him, wrapping his arms around the bulkier frame. He had to be dreaming, life only turned out this way in the fairy tales Yurri told Greta.
"I love you too." But perhaps the stories had some truth to them, even in the smallest sense of the word. It was no child's tale, however when Gwendal left the gardens thoroughly embarrassed after he accidentally walked in on them a little while later.