✥ Two ✥

Game Plan

"What are we supposed to do?" Yuuri asked anxiously. He and Wolfram were sitting at the kitchen table along with Shori, Miko, and Yuuri's father, Shouma. " There's no way to contact the others from this side, so how are we going to get back?"

Wolfram rested a reassuring hand on his fiancé's shoulder. "Don't worry, Yuuri. The best thing to do is wait it out, and if the problem is truly severe, I'm sure my brothers will figure out a way to get us back to the Demon Kingdom, so there's no need to panic."

"Yes, but how long will that be?" Yuuri nervously tugged a hand through his hair. "We don't know how severe this is, and who knows how long it will take for the portal to be active again. We could be stuck here for weeks, or even months! What would happen to the kingdom if we were away for that long?"

"Yuuri, take a deep breath," Wolfram said calmly. "This is not something we need to freak out about. I'm sure the portal will be fixed in no time. And no matter how long we may be gone, you know Conrart and Gwendal will take good care of the Demon Kingdom in your absence. Have a little faith."

Yuuri took a deep breath and sank back in his chair, closing his eyes with a sigh. "You're right." He breathed in deeply again before sitting back up and opening his eyes. "You're right," he repeated as if to reassure himself. "I'm sure everything will be fine, so in the meantime, let's figure out a game plan."

"I've got an idea!" Miko piped up cheerfully, raising a hand. "Wolf-chan can sleep in your room, Yuuri, and we can get him some clothes, and we can check the pool every day to see if the portal is back up!" She clasped her hands together with a smile. "How does that sound?"

"If it's the best plan we've got, then..." Yuuri wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of sharing a bed with Wolfram for the unforeseeable future until the portal turned back on. But what other options did he have? It was really the only option, so... He sighed and nodded once. "Let's do it."

Miko executed the first stage of her plan by taking Wolfram out shopping and, of course, she dragged Yuuri along. Currently, they were wandering around the mall, ducking in and out of stores, trying to find Wolfram some fitting clothes. So far, the lord had turned down everything, much to Yuuri's annoyance.

"Ooh, how about this one!" Miko exclaimed, ducking into a department store, towing Wolfram along beside her, with Yuuri tailing them, a bored expression on his face. He absolutely hated shopping for clothes, which is why he had his mother buy them for him. It may have seemed childish, but if Yuuri could avoid setting foot inside a clothing store, he would.

And yet, here he was. Inside a clothing store. Yay.

Miko dragged Wolfram over to a rack and starting sorting through the shirts hanging there, every once in a while pointing to one and asking Wolfram if he liked it, or saying something like, "Oh, Wolf-chan, this one would look just so cute on you!"

Yuuri was considering drowning himself in the mall's fountain when Wolfram stopped Miko in her shuffling and reached over to extract a shirt. Relieved that he had finally picked at least one, and a little curious as to what had finally drawn his eye, Yuuri poked his head forward to see what it looked like. He immediately fell backward in shock seeing that it was a black t-shirt with a little white cat on it. He— He can't be serious...

"I like this one," Wolfram proclaimed, handing it to Miko and digging through the rack himself. "Are there more like it? I shall take all of them."

Glancing back and forth between Wolfram and Miko, Yuuri gulped nervously. She'll say something to him, surely... But Miko only pouted and shook her head. "Wolf-chan, you can't buy the same shirt over and over! But if you like cats, we can find different cat shirts for you!"

He gaped in disbelief as Wolfram nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, let's find them!"

"But... I didn't even know he liked cats..." Yuuri muttered to himself as his mother and Wolfram skipped off to find more shirts. With a sigh, he followed after them, praying to any god that would listen for them to finish their shopping before he dropped dead of old age.

After dinner later that evening, Yuuri sat cross-legged on his bed, watching as Wolfram put away his new clothes, smiling to himself, seemingly without a care in the world. Yuuri found it somewhat endearing that the boy could forget his troubles so easily. And plus... He flushed as the blond held a cat t-shirt up to his chest with a smile before placing it in the drawer with all the others. It's kind of cute that Wolfram likes cats so much...

What am I saying?! Yuuri straightened, slapping his cheeks a few times. He's not cute! Not cute at all!

Not seeming to notice Yuuri's antics, Wolfram placed the last t-shirt in the drawer and closed it, placing his hands on his hips with an accomplished smile. "Finished!" Turning, he frowned noticing Yuuri staring at him with his hands resting on his reddening cheeks. "Yuuri, what's wrong?"

"W-What?" Yuuri cleared his throat and jerked his hands away from his face with a nervous laugh. "Oh, n-nothing. I'm fine! Just tired, that's all."

"Oh, alright then. You should get to sleep." Bending down to pick up the discarded plastic store bags, Wolfram moved past Yuuri to throw them away. He tried not to watch him and forced himself to look away, coughing awkwardly. "Um, yeah. I'll... go change."

Yuuri got up and grabbed a set of pajamas before letting himself into the hallway. He was on his way to the bathroom when he overheard his mother's voice and paused, cocking his head to the side to listen. "Honey, I'm worried about Yuu-chan."

The voice that answered belonged to his father. "Miko, don't worry. He's a tough boy. I know he can handle it."

"I know, I know, you're right. But it's not just Yuuri I'm worried about. Wolfram is here too, and he's only been to Earth a few times. I don't know if he can handle the stress of not knowing when he'll be able to return home, or if he even can."

"Don't worry, darling," his father replied. "Yuuri will take care of him. And I'm sure we'll figure something out."

Miko sighed. "You're right. Thank you, Shouma."

Yuuri smiled and let himself into the bathroom to change. As long as there was some hope, even the tiniest bit, he was sure they would get home safely. He had faith, and maybe that wasn't always the wisest decision, but it was all there was, and he would believe in it.

After changing, when he got back to his room, Yuuri paused seeing Wolfram lying in his bed, already fast asleep. He was curled up, his knees to his chest, wearing a set of black cat pajamas. With a fond smile, Yuuri turned off the light, crawled in beside him, and closed his eyes.

In the morning, Yuuri woke with an elbow pressing into his side and a leg thrown across his waist. He grimaced in annoyance, already knowing who the limbs belonged to, and opened his eyes to glare down at a sleeping Wolfram. His mouth was open and his eyelids kept twitching as if he were dreaming.

Yuuri let out an annoyed huff and poked Wolfram on the cheek. "Hey! Hey, Wolfram! Wake up!"

The blond sniffled and yawned, moving his elbow to throw his arm across Yuuri's chest. "Tch. You've got to be kidding me..." he muttered irritably. "Wolfram! Wolfram, come on! Wake up!" He shook him by the shoulders. "Geez, you really are a heavy sleeper."

With one final poke in the side, Wolfram blinked his eyes open with a wide yawn. He looked up at Yuuri, rubbing his eyes. "Yuri? Wha's going on?" he mumbled, still half-asleep. Yuuri stiffened, feeling a flush creep up his neck. Cute... Even he had to admit, Wolfram was too adorable like this.

Sitting up, the blond stretched his arms above his head, letting out another long yawn. "Yuuri?" he repeated, blinking over at him with wide blue eyes. "What time is it?"

"Uh— Um..." Yuuri jolted upright, blinking repeatedly and trying to clear his head. "Um, I don't know. It's morning." He coughed and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, pushing himself to his feet and padding over to his closet. He started rifling through for a pair of clothes while Wolfram got out of bed and walked over to the dresser. Yuuri could hear him open a drawer and start sorting through it.

He pulled out an outfit and turned to Wolfram, who was holding up a white t-shirt that said 'You gotta be kitten me right meow'. Yuuri rolled his eyes. "You know, I had no clue you liked cats, Wolfram. I didn't exactly peg you as the animal-loving type."

The boy puffed out his cheeks with a flush, hugging the shirt to his chest. "They're cute..."

"Whatever you say." Yuuri shook his head with a small smile before ducking into the hallway.

After they had both changed, the boys headed downstairs to find Miko setting breakfast out on the table. Shori had yet to arrive, and Yuuri's father had already left for work. "Oh, Wolf-chan, Yuu-chan! Good morning!" She smiled at them as she set a pitcher of orange juice on the table. "Come sit!"

Yuuri fell into a chair with a smile. "Thanks, Mom."

"Call me Mama!" Miko insisted, setting down the final dish. "Now, you two start eating. I'll go get Sho-chan." She walked down the hall, leaving Wolfram and Yuuri alone at the table. Yuuri scooped up some eggs and grabbed a sausage and a piece of toast. Wolfram hesitantly copied him, and the two began eating in silence.

Yuuri couldn't help glancing over at the blond, his mother's words from last night flashing through his head. It's not just Yuuri I'm worried about. Wolfram is here too, and he's only been to Earth a few times. I don't know if he can handle the stress of not knowing when he'll be able to return home, or if he even can. He pursed his lips and took a sip of his orange juice. Of course, he was worried about Wolfram. But he trusted him.

Wolfram was a strong person. He could take care of himself. But still... Even if he didn't say it or show it often, Yuuri cared about Wolfram. And he couldn't help but worry about him. Before he could further brood over it, however, Miko was back, but Sho wasn't with her. Instead, she was holding something behind her back, barely containing her excitement.

"Yuu-chan, Wolf-chan, I have a surprise for you!"

Yuuri was immediately suspicious. "What is it?" he asked, eyeing her warily as she moved closer, still wearing an excited smile. "Tada!" she squealed, brandishing a white paper bag and setting it on the table in front of them. Yuuri and Wolfram shared a confused look. "Um..." Yuuri scratched his eyebrow nervously. "What is it?"

"Well..." Miko reached into the bag with a smile. "The thing is, since I wasn't sure how long Wolf-chan would be stuck here, I thought it might be a good idea if..." She pulled out a stack of clothes and slid them over to Wolfram. "I enrolled Wolfram at your school!"

Yuuri choked on his own breath. "Wh— You did what?! Mom!"

"Oh, relax, Yuu-chan," Miko said with a light laugh, waving a hand dismissively. "We can't have Wolfram at home all day while you're off at school, can we? The poor boy would be bored out of his mind! So... I enrolled him at your school. I told them he was a foreign exchange student staying with us, so he's in all your classes, too! Everything is all set up!"

"You can't be serious," Yuuri groaned, resting his head in his hands. "Mom, there's absolutely no way Wolfram can go to my school!"

"And just why not?" It was Wolfram who spoke, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at Yuuri.

Yuuri blanched. "Well— You— I mean—" He grimaced and sunk lower in his chair. He let out a long sigh. "Fine," he muttered dejectedly. "I guess it's fine..."

"Good!" Miko exclaimed happily. "Then starting tomorrow, Wolf-chan will accompany you to school! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"