✥ Three ✥
Wolfram's First Day
"Alright, I'm ready to go." Hearing his fiancé's voice, Yuuri looked up from his spot at the table where he was blearily chugging down a glass of orange juice. He stared at the blond blankly for a second before his tired brain caught up with his eyes. "Wolfram, you can't bring your sword to school!"
Wolfram placed a hand on his sword as if to protect it, wearing a defensive look. "And just why not? I need this sword in order to protect you, Yuuri. What if something tries to attack you?"
Yuuri pinched the bridge of his nose in mild irritation. Wolfram," he sighed out, "nothing will try to attack me. Really." At the blond's disbelieving huff, Yuuri rolled his eyes. "I promise. Earth isn't like Shin Makoku. There's nothing here that's after me. You don't have to protect me here."
"I have to protect you everywhere," Wolfram mumbled, collapsing into a chair beside him, arms crossed. Yuuri shot him a surprised glance, and the blond reddened, glancing away with an annoyed huff. "Without me, you'd probably get killed drinking milk, you wimp."
Yuuri shot him a glare, the moment gone. "Wolfram, you're not bringing the sword, and that is final."
Wolfram huffed. "Fine." He picked up a fork and started eating angrily. "I'm starting to really dislike being stuck in this universe."
"Trust me," Yuuri sighed, picking up a piece of toast, "I know."
"You ride this... this contraption to school every day?" Wolfram was speaking, of course, of Yuuri's bike (apparently they didn't have them in Shin Makoku). The blond seemed intrigued by the simple object and was circling it with curious emerald eyes. "It doesn't seem very safe."
"Of course it's safe," Yuuri said, rolling his eyes. He gently nudged Wolfram aside and got on the bike, kicking up the stand with ease. "Now get on. We'll be late if we don't leave now."
"How... do I get on?" Wolfram asked, eyeing the bike in confusion. Yuuri sighed and gestured at the area behind him that Wolfram could perch on. "Sit here, but be careful. It's pretty small. You might have to hold on to me to avoid falling off while we're moving."
Wolfram's brows furrowed, but he tried nonetheless. Pulling himself carefully onto the back portion of the bike, he adjusted his position, fitting surprisingly well into the small spot. Not wanting to waste another second, Yuuri kicked off, speeding down the street. Wolfram let out a screech and grabbed him around the middle, nearly strangling him. "TOO FAST, TOO FAST, TOO FAST!"
Yuuri laughed. "Relax, Wolf. It's not dangerous, so try to have fun!"
The blond said nothing in return, his grip tightening even further. Yuuri laughed and sped up again, cutting through a side-street and bringing the bike into a slow glide as they came up to the school. Wolfram seemed relieved by this, lessening his death-grip on Yuuri and letting out the breath he'd been holding. Yuuri coasted up to the bike-rack, coming to a smooth stop directly in one of the spots.
"Wolfram, we stopped moving," he said, noting that the blond had yet to let go of him.
Without saying anything, Wolfram nodded and unsteadily got off the bike, his body visibly shaking, reminding Yuuri of a newborn deer. He felt a little bad about going so fast now, but oh well. He'd go slower on the way home. Kicking down the bike stand, sliding off and retrieving his bag from the front basket.
He had noticed that they'd started getting curious looks—no doubt because of Wolfram—and Yuuri shifted uncomfortably and grabbed his hand reflexively, towing him towards the entrance. "C'mon, this way. We have to stop at the office first, and then my homeroom class."
"Oh... Okay." Wolfram picked up his pace to try and keep up with the speed he was being dragged at. "But... what exactly is a 'homeroom'?"
"Class, this is our new foreign exchange student, Wolfram!" Yuuri's teacher sounded oddly excited saying this, and Wolfram seemed uncomfortable as the entire class stared at him. "He'll be staying here with Yuuri for a few weeks. I want you all to make him feel welcome."
There was a chorus of assent from the class, and Yuuri let out a relieved sigh when the teacher ordered for everyone to take their seats, and instructed Wolfram to sit beside Yuuri in the back. Wolfram sank hesitantly into the proffered chair, keeping his eyes trained on the desk, fidgeting nervously as everyone continued to stare at him. Yuuri chuckled softly and turned his attention to the front. Poor Wolfram. I wonder how well he'll adapt to school.
Poor Wolfram. I wonder how well he'll adapt to school. He snickered just thinking of it. This'll be fun to see.
At lunch, people crowded around Wolfram, talking a mile a minute.
"Your name's Wolfram, right?"
"Where are you from?"
"How old are you?"
"Is this your first time visiting Japan?"
"Do you like it here?"
"Wow, your hair's so pretty!"
Normally, Wolfram would be annoyed by this, but he just seemed uncomfortable, fidgeting nervously and stammering out half-answers to questions, barely able to keep up with the rapid conversation. Yuuri, however, was growing increasingly annoyed. He wasn't sure why, but everyone crowding around them was starting to piss him off. Why were all the girls batting their eyelashes like that? Couldn't they see they were making Wolfram uncomfortable?
Yuuri's fists clenched in annoyance, but luckily, a voice parted the crowd. "Hey, scatter!"
The crowd shuffled back and dispersed as a group of three boys walked up, hands in their pockets, posture slouched, wearing carefree smiles. Yuuri gulped. These three were known for causing trouble, and he'd seen them messing with the younger kids. They were already the type of guy he didn't like, and having them around made him uneasy. Wolfram, however, wasn't aware of any of this, and he stood to speak to them, his usual scowl once again gracing his features now that the crowd had dispersed. "Who are you?"
The boys stopped in front of them, the leader crossing his arms with a smirk that made Yuuri nervous. He stood up, wavering behind Wolfram warily. "Your Japanese is pretty good for a foreigner. What's your name again? Wolfram?" The boy—Yuuri vaguely recalled his name being Ryota—gave Wolfram a once-over. "Why are you wearing a boy's uniform?"
"I'm a boy," Wolfram said confusedly. Yuuri grimaced and face-palmed. This wasn't going to go anywhere good; he could tell.
"You sure?" This once-over was slower, more deliberate, and made Yuuri's skin crawl.
Wolfram scoffed, not seeming to be getting the same vibes Yuuri was. "Of course I'm sure." He crossed his arms, scowl deepening. "Who are you, anyway?"
"The name's Ryota." He winked, causing Yuuri to stiffen slightly in disbelief. Did Ryota seriously think Wolfram was a girl? I mean, sure, Yuuri could admit he had a few feminine qualities, but he was still obviously a guy. He was still trying to piece everything together when Wolfram responded. "Ryota. I am pleased to meet you." He was about to bow, but Yuuri quickly nudged him hard in the leg, shaking his head frantically.
The lord straightened again, shooting him a glare, but Yuuri didn't care. Nobody was this polite; if he bowed it would only add to the weirdness. Ryota eyed them both with a note of curiosity but said nothing about the near-slip-up. "Well, Wolfram, lunch is almost over." He gave them a lazy half-wave and spun on his heel, shooting a smirk back over his shoulder. "See you around."
Yuuri's lips pursed as another jolt of irritation sparked through him. As soon as Ryota was gone, he turned to Wolfram with an exasperated look. "Wolfram, what the heck?!" The blond shot him a blank look as he sat back down on the bench. "What? What did I do?"
"First of all, that guy's trouble! You need to be more careful when talking to people. At least try to get a feel for them first. And you're being too polite! And there's no nobility here, so try to lay off the bowing and cordiality."
Wolfram scoffed, crossing his arms with an annoyed look. "Yuuri, you're being paranoid. He seemed perfectly normal to me. Besides, I do evaluate people before speaking to them. I deemed him unthreatening." He shot the Demon King a sly glance. "I don't suppose you would be jealous, Yuuri?"
It was Yuuri's turn to scoff. "What? Jealous? Of him? No way!" He waved a hand dismissively. "Don't be ridiculous." He stood and pointed towards the door. "Come on, let's go inside. Lunch is almost over." He walked quickly towards the school, trying to ignore the feeling of unease still lingering in his gut. No matter what Wolfram said, he could tell... Those guys were going to be trouble.
"So, you made it through your first day. How do you feel?" Yuuri and Wolfram were walking out of the school along with the hundreds of other students, heading towards the bike rack. Yuuri was the one asking the question, directing it over his shoulder at Wolfram, who was lagging behind him, reading a book they'd gotten from English that day, which he was intrigued with.
"Hmm?" He glanced up for a split second before turning to the page again. "I feel fine. School is much more interesting than I thought it would be."
Yuuri laughed. "Glad one of us thinks so." They had reached the bike rack by then, and Yuuri climbed on, waiting as Wolfram settled behind him. "Put that book away. If you drop it while we're riding, I'm not stopping for it."
Wolfram sighed. "Fine." He bookmarked his page and handed it up to Yuuri, who placed it in his bike's basket before kicking up the stand and getting ready to kick off. Before he could, he caught sight of Ryota and his friends across the yard. Their eyes met, and the boy smirked and started towards them. Yuuri narrowed his eyes. "Wolfram, hold on tight." He kicked off and sped towards the exit, neatly cutting the corner, making it safely away from the school.
Wolfram gave a cry of complaint and grabbed him from behind, nearly falling off the bike. "Yuuri! What was that for?! Don't be so reckless!"
"Ha." He laughed, though it wasn't very convincing. "Sorry. I'm just hungry." They lapsed into silence, and Yuuri's eyes remained focused on the road, that uneasy feeling still lingering in his chest.
After dinner that night, Yuuri stayed up late working on homework at the kitchen table, while Wolfram went to bed ahead of him. In fact, everyone went to bed before him. By the time he had finished, the house was as dark as the night outside, and he felt his way up the black stairs, letting himself into his room, being careful not to make noise.
He paused in the doorway, eyes falling on the bed. Wolfram lay curled up on his side there, his face illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window. His face was peaceful, his mouth slightly open as he let out soft breaths. He had kicked the blankets away, as he always did, and lay in just his cat pajamas, bare feet pale against the dark blue sheets.
Yuuri didn't think he'd ever seen him look so at peace. He felt himself smile, and carefully slipped into bed, not even caring when Wolfram immediately latched onto him. He may have even—although he would never admit this—wrapped his arms around the blond, just this once.
This was nice, just the two of them, alone in the silent night, moonlight painting them silver. While Wolfram was her with him, he was safe, and Yuuri felt himself growing tired, feeling the warmth of another body against his. Though he would die of embarrassment if anyone ever knew of this, right now, he didn't care.
The future was still uncertain for them. Maybe the portal would be fixed; maybe it wouldn't. They couldn't know for sure. But no matter what happened, there was one sure thing in the chaos, and that was Wolfram. However scared Yuuri was, Wolfram's fear was two times worse. He was stuck in a strange land, with the possibility looming over his head that he would never be able to return home. It must've been terrifying.
And yet he looked so carefree. Yuuri could hardly believe it.
But whatever the case, he knew he had one thing he would do no matter what, and that was keep him safe. If Ryota caused trouble, he would protect Wolfram. If the portal wouldn't open again, he'd protect Wolfram. If anything happened, he'd protect Wolfram. No matter what, he'd protect Wolfram.
Though he may not have liked to wear his emotions on his sleeve, the boy was important to him. He grew too attached too quickly, as his mother always said, and this was especially true in Wolfram's case. So, though he may not have ever said it out loud, his silent vow that night was to protect him, no matter the cost.
Wolfram was the one sure thing he had, and he wouldn't let him go anytime soon.
A/N: Aww, fluff at the end there :3 I hope you guys liked the chapter. As some of you are probably predicting, this Ryota character will be causing some trouble in the future, but it's nothing our boys can't handle ;) Anyways, if you're enjoying the story, remember to follow and favorite, and leave suggestions, comments, and corrections down in the review section.
