Final installment, finally! I can't believe it's taken me this long. Hope you all enjoy it, and as always, I don't own the characters, just what I do to them.
After all that had happened, the group made plans to stay on earth for several days. Yuri wanted to really show Gwendal around his home town and do all of the "earth things" that he could think of doing. He made a mental list of things like go to a baseball game, have an all-American dinner of burgers, fries, and shakes, go to a mall. Yuri even wanted to take Gwendal to a zoo and show him all the adorable animals there. It would be a cute overload for the general, but Yuri knew he'd love it.
"Yu-chan, I found you!" his mother called from the other side of the room. "Breakfast is ready, traditional American-style: bacon, eggs, pancakes, hash browns, biscuits, coffee, and chocolate milk. I hope you and your friends are hungry. There's a lot of food!"
It was the morning after they arrived. Conrad and Yozak had returned sometime during the night and crashed on the fold-out couch together. Both men had been up for probably at least an hour or so. Conrad wanted to go for a walk with Yozak to show him around. Yuri smiled at the thought. He knew they both loved each other, but was still pretty sure that neither of them had confessed. Maybe it was time for him to play matchmaker for Yozak...
"Yuri!"
"Coming, Mama. Sorry, I was just thinking about stuff."
He made his way into the kitchen. Conrad and Yozak slipped in the back door and sat together on one side of the table. Gunter sat at the far end. Gwendal walked in behind Yuri and gave him a hug from behind. Yuri smiled and turned, returning Gwendal's hug. Yozak's whistle broke the two apart.
"All right you two, there's time enough for that later. Right now I just want you all to enjoy breakfast. Dig in!"
"Thank you Jennifer-san for making all this food." Gwendal gave a slight bow before moving to sit down while holding Yuri's hand.
"Oh, Gwennie, you can call me Mama. You're marrying my baby!"
Gwendal blushed with an eye twitch and muttered, "okay, Mama."
"There, isn't that better!"
Yozak chuckled outright, Conrad covered a cough behind a napkin, and Gunter would have looking like he was choking if it wasn't for the sparkle in his eyes. Gwendal glared at him. Was his best friend going to laugh at him too? He opened his mouth to make a comment, but Yuri's father came in at that moment.
"Wow, Honey. This looks amazing! I could smell it from my office."
Jennifer beamed and sat down, passing food out to everyone. "I just thought that while Yuri was here with everybody, I'd try to feed them as many different things as possible. We might even start a fire and roast weenies and marshmallows while you guys are here!"
The demons exchanged confused glances, and Shoma rolled his eyes. "Do you guys know what she is talking about?" They all shook their heads. "Weenies is another word for hot dogs. They're processed meat parts shoved into a tube. They're really great when you roast them over a fire. Marshmallows are a sugary bit of fluffiness. If we're doing marshmallows, we might as well go all the way and make smores."
Jennifer squealed. "Oooo! I love those! You squish a toasted marshmallow in between two pieces of graham cracker and a square of chocolate. Or two squares of chocolate!"
Gunter was the first to speak up. "I am sure we will all love these weenies and smores that you have mentioned. It sounds like a wonderful way to gather friends together and get to know each other. Is there anything that we can do to help prepare for such an event?"
"You can go with me to the grocery store to pick everything up. Oh, you guys will just love grocery shopping. There are like hundreds of different types of hot dogs to get!"
Yozak swallowed a lump of eggs. "Hundreds? How many different ways can you stuff processed meat into a tube?"
Yuri was getting into the conversation. A cookout sounded like a wonderful idea. "Well, you can get beef, pork, chicken, or turkey hot dogs. You can get sausages, bratwurst. Some have cheese, some have spices in them for a nice fiery kick. I happen to really like the cheese bratwurst. You should get some when you go shopping."
Conversation continued on throughout the rest of breakfast. When everyone was finished, Gunter, Conrad, and Yozak offered to help clean up. Jennifer started to refuse their help since they were guests, but Gunter pointed out, while trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile, that since they didn't have a ton of time on earth, she should get to the wedding preparations. It would be nice to chisel out as many details as possible. Jennifer agreed with a giggle and grabbed Yuri and Gwendal by the hands, leaving the three men alone in the kitchen. Gunter turned to the younger two as they started clearing the dishes.
"So, now that Yuri and Gwendal are all set, what about you guys?"
"What do you mean?" they said in unison.
"What do I mean? Well, you boys have been the best of friends for as long as I can remember. You've been there to comfort each other through terrible times, you've saved each others lives more times that even I can count. What's keeping you guys from getting married as well?"
Conrad's hands stilled on the plates he had been stacking. Why hadn't they gotten married? It wasn't as if they didn't have feelings for each other, not to mention all the times they had slept together. That hadn't been only for comfort, right? There had been some passion and real love in that. He looked over at Yozak, who seemed to be having the same train of thought. Yozak looked at his captain, his face turning almost as red as his hair. Sure he loved the captain. They'd had some amazing times together, but he was just some half-human, low-born nobody.
"Ooo-kay. You guys need to talk. I will finish cleaning up. It's the least I can do." Gunter took the dishes away from Conrad and set them in the sink before shooing the men out the back door. "Don't come back until you've figured out, at least in some part, what you two mean to each other."
The younger men exchanged a look and walked out the back door, keeping enough distance between them that they didn't touch. Gunter turned back around and started cleaning all the dishes. Two weddings! He'd have his hands full.
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Conrad knew Yozak would follow him without question, so he made his way to Yuri's favorite park down the street. They both sat down on a park bench next to the baseball fields. Silence loomed for several minutes. Neither one knew what to say or even how to start the conversation. A ball bounced to a stop at their feet and a little boy ran over.
"Wow, mister! Are you a superhero?"
Yozak looked at Conrad, confused. "What's a superhero?"
The boy was shocked. "You know, do you have super powers? Your arms are huge! You could probably lift my dad's truck!"
Conrad laughed. "He probably could at that. He isn't a superhero, but he is a body guard for a dear friend of mine. In order to keep my friend safe, he keeps himself in very good shape."
The boy's mother ran over. "I'm so sorry! I hope my son wasn't bothering you. He's just a chatty little guy. Doesn't know a stranger."
Conrad laughed again. "It's no problem. He's very cute."
The two men watched as the mother gathered up her son and his ball. For once in his life, Yozak was embarrassed about his muscles. He only had on a tank top and shorts, so quite a bit of him felt very exposed. Yozak glanced at Conrad, who was looking at him curiously. He wanted to say something, but for some reason, the usually quick with a word spy found himself at a loss for words. Conrad reached over and laid a hand on Yozak's bicep. Yozak almost shuddered at the contact. Conrad finally broke the silence.
"You know, it is odd that we haven't married."
"Is it?"
"Well, yes. Gunter was right. We've been best friends almost as far back as I can remember. You've always had my back without me even asking for it. Not to mention the couple of times we've each had our hearts broken, and that dark period I had when Julia died, we were there to comfort each other." Conrad took a deep breath, not quite believing what he was about to say. "I really enjoyed those times together. I've honestly never enjoyed that quite as much as when I'm with you. I," he took a deep breath, "I love you, Yozak- what? What's with that look?"
"Captain, I know we've been there for each other and all, but wasn't that because we were friends and soldiers? I mean, I fell in love with you a long time ago and would do anything for you, but I'm just some low class nothing and you're the son of the former Maoh."
Yozak started to say more, but Conrad covered his mouth with a kiss. The spy was startled at first. Conrad scooted closer and ran his fingers up and down Yozak's arm. As the kiss went on, Yozak started to relax and even reached up to play with Conrad's hair. When the two finally broke apart, both were breathless.
"Now, what were you saying?"
Yozak looked at the ground, still slightly embarrassed. "I was just saying that since we're from different classes, people might frown on us getting together officially."
"Who cares? My mother is the former Maoh, and we're sworn to protect the current Maoh. As long as we have the blessing from both to go ahead with this, we don't really need to worry about what anyone else thinks."
Conrad stood and knelt in front of Yozak. "So in the earth tradition. Yozak Gurrier, I love you like I have loved nobody else. I want you by my side for the rest of our lives and beyond, not just as brothers in arms or friends, but as my husband. Will you accept my hand in marriage."
"I... just don't know, Captain. That's a lot to take in." Conrad's heart plummeted. "Do you mind if I walk back to Heika's house alone so I can think things through? Your presence makes it hard to think."
Conrad swallowed a lump in his throat and stood. "Sure, Yozak. I don't want you to do anything that you are uncomfortable with. I'll see you at Yuri's house."
Yozak watched Conrad walk away and wanted to slap himself. Why couldn't he have just said yes?
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Back at Yuri's house, Gwendal was ready to punch through a wall. Traditional earth weddings were just as bad as the weddings in Shin Makoku. There was so much to plan for and purchase. To top it all off, they'd have to figure out a way to get everything over there without destroying it in the water. He sat on the couch with Yuri, holding his hand and trying to keep from screaming. His eye had started twitching about an hour ago. The headache started just a few minutes ago.
Gunter came swishing in with a smile. He had finished the cleanup ages ago and had since been helping Jennifer with all the wedding plans.
"Gentlemen, we have a very important thing to discuss with you." The two on the couch looked at each other in concern. "Now, in Shin Makoku, one person can wear a wedding dress while the other wears a suit, but both can wear a suit if you want. What do you think?"
"I think we'll both wear suits, though Gwendal might look sexy in one of those frilly, silky wedding dresses."
Gwendal shot him a death glare. His eye twitched even more. "I do not think that we can easily find a wedding dress that would fit me. They are made for people of a smaller stature. We would have to get something custom made and that would take a lot of money and time and-"
Yuri kissed him to shut him up. "I was just kidding, Gwen." He looked over at Gunter. "Tell my mother NO wedding dresses. We'll both wear suits. Oh, and before you ask, white suits would be fantastic."
Gunter nodded, Yuri having addressed his next question, and left the pair on the couch. Gwendal tugged on Yuri until the younger man was straddling his lap. Yuri threw his arms around Gwendal's neck and gave him a huge hug before leaning in for a kiss.
"I know this is stressing you out. I'm sorry my mother gets so excited about things like this."
"It's not a problem. I'm just not used to being the center of attention and it really is wearing on me."
"Well, I tell you what. Tonight, we can lock my bedroom door. I can strip you down and massage your back. If you want, we can maybe have some fun."
Gwendal flipped them so that he pinned Yuri to the couch. "That would be nice," he managed between kisses. He buried his face in the side of Yuri's neck. Yuri squirmed. That was one of his most sensitive spots and Gwendal knew it. He wanted to run his hands through Gwendal's hair, since he was letting it hang free while on earth, but his hands were captured and held down. Both men were starting to wish that it was tonight already, when the front door slammed open.
Yozak came in with an odd look on his face, then he noticed the pair on the couch and smiled. "Ah, was I interrupting something?"
Yuri laughed breathlessly. "Well, we weren't going to be able to do much here, with my mother running around the house like a crazy person. Is something wrong, Yozak?"
Yozak's eyes dropped to the floor. Gwendal and Yuri sat up on the couch and the spy sat down next to them. Nobody said anything for a long while. The couple had never seen Yozak look anything but suave and confident. Yuri put an arm around Yozak's shoulders and the older man seemed to sink down into the couch.
"You can talk to me. What's going on? Where's Conrad? Gunter said that the two of you went out for a walk. He seemed kind of excited."
"The Captain's not back yet? He left the park before I did."
"Why?"
"He proposed, on one knee and everything. I, uh, told him I'd think about it."
"WHAT? Why did you have to think about it. You two would be perfect for each other. I can't believe you didn't say yes."
"I'm not good enough for him. And before you say anything, it's not false modesty. I can be a very vain person, but that's only for show. I don't deserve to be with someone as wonderful as him."
"Yozak, you're the greatest spy, friend, companion... I can't even put all of it into words. You and my brother deserve each other. He loves you and the only way I will stand against this marriage is if you don't share his love in return."
"Yeah, Yozak. I love you both equally. I've kinda adopted you as my other unofficial godparent. If you marry Conrad, it'll be official. I want you to be happy as much as I want him to be happy. I hope this has helped make your decision the right one."
Yozak looked at the other two men. Yuri-heika's godparent. That was a sacred title, reserved only for those very close to the person involved. Gwendal gave his approval as well. Just knowing that both men wanted him to be with Conrad, Yozak made his mind up.
"General, Heika, I do love Conrad. With all my heart. I know I'm not good enough for him, but you guys seem to think otherwise. I didn't think you both would approve. Well, he said you'd be okay with us being together. I guess I just needed to hear it from your own mouth. Thanks, kiddo. When he gets back, I'll remedy the situation."
"What do you plan to do?"
"Heh, you'll see. This'll be a showdown for the history books."
Gwendal frowned in confusion. Yuri smiled, having an idea of what Yozak could be planning. Yozak stood with a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye. He stuck a hand out to Yuri, pulling the young king into his arms in a great big bear hug. Gwendal rolled his eyes and stood as well.
"Well, kiddo, I need to do some shopping it looks like. Know where I can get-" he leaned forward and whispered his idea into Yuri's ear. He knew Gwendal would have an even bigger headache than before if he knew the plan.
"Oh, yeah. There's a shop downtown that would be perfect for this! Come on, I'll get Mom's keys and we can go. You want to go as well, Gwendal?"
The general shook his head. "No, you guys go have fun. I'll stay here and wait for Conrad and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
Jennifer and Gunter popped into the room as soon as the other two left and each grabbed one of Gwendal's arms. They dragged him into the downstairs office to help with some of the wedding plans. Poor Gwendal just wanted to bang his head against a wall and wake up when it was all over..
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A few hours later, dinner was ready. Conrad had finally returned after Yuri and Yozak had gotten back from their shopping trip and sequestered themselves in Yuri's room. Everyone was curious as to why the two of them were being so secretive, but no one said anything to Conrad. He looked like he had lost his best friend and simply dropped into a chair at the table without saying a word.
Gunter helped Jennifer set the table. Shoma and Shori arrived and sat down as well. There was a commotion out in the hallway. The group in the kitchen could hear shuffling, giggling, and muttered curses. After a long, ominous pause, Yuri popped in and sat down at the table next to Gwendal. From his spot, he could see both Conrad and the doorway from the hall. This was going to be good.
"Yuri, were is Yozak?" Gunter asked with some concern.
"Oh he'll be in, in a minute." Yuri smirked at Conrad, though the older man didn't even seem to notice.
Everyone started dishing out food. Conversation was pleasant. A few times, people tried to pull Conrad into the chatting, but he'd give a one word response and go back to picking at his food. Suddenly all talking ceased. The entire table, save for Conrad whose back was to the door, stared in shocked silence. Yuri smiled, waiting for the showdown to begin.
Shoma cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable and unsure of what to say. "Uh, Mr. Gurrier, you look, uh, nice."
Conrad's hand stilled. He knew that something was off behind him. The looks on pretty much everyone's faces gave that away. He was almost afraid to turn around, but before he had to make that decision, Yozak moved over to the table. Conrad glanced up and back to his plate. Then his eyes shot to Yozak. He slowly stood from the table, running his eyes up and down the redhead in front of him. Yozak stood there and let his captain take it all in with his usual confident smile.
The whole ensemble had come together perfectly. The guy at the department store was as fashion savvy as they come and fixed Yozak up in no time. The spy's hair had been pulled back into a gorgeous emerald clip. He had just enough silver eye shadow to make his eyes pop. The dress was a slinky, sparkly, off the shoulder number that had a slit high enough to almost be obscene. They had searched high and low and had finally found a pair of silver high heels big enough to fit Yozak. Even Yuri had to admit, with the smile on his face and the love in his eyes, Yozak looked pretty damn gorgeous. Gwendal cleared his throat so break up the silence.
"So, are you two going to just stand there?"
That seemed to shock the standing pair out of their own little world. Conrad reached over to touch Yozak on the cheek.
"You look great, Yozak. Amazing."
Yozak took a step back. "Ah, ah, Captain. If you touch me, I may not be able to get through what I have to say." He looked around at the occupants of the room, flashing all of them a sexy smile before turning back to Conrad. "You, Sir, have always been there for me. You've had my back and saved my life more than I'd care to admit. I really do love you with my entire being. With that being said..."
Yozak reached his right hand up and slapped Conrad hard on his left cheek. The normally calm and steady captain stood there for a second, his jaw hanging open. His hand shook as he reached up and touched his cheek.
"I thought you were going to say no," he whispered.
"What, say no to you? The boy-o over there made it clear that I had to say yes. Even someone like me deserves to be happy, I guess."
Conrad grinned and yanked Yozak into a hug, kissing him passionately. The table erupted in applause. When the newly engaged pair finally came up for air, Conrad sat at the table and pulled Yozak down onto his lap. He didn't want to be away from him any more than was necessary. Dinner went on, more joyful than before. Gunter and Jennifer grinned at each other and started up a conversation about how to change the wedding they had been planning into a double ceremony.
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A few weeks later:
Conrad and Yozak had decided to elope. They had waited long enough to be together and really didn't need a huge ceremony. Both stood over to one side of the reception hall, holding hands and keeping their ever vigilant watch over the king. Gwendal, who was standing with Yuri, looked over at them and flashed one of his rare smiles. He leaned down and whispered something to Yuri, who then looked over at his two godfathers and nodded. They excused themselves from the group they were talking to and made their way over.
"Your majesty, the wedding was beautiful."
Yuri scowled. "Seriously, Yozak. You're my godfather now too. You have to start calling me Yuri."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Yuri." Yozak flashed a smile at the newly weds. "I'm surprised that you guys haven't ditched the reception yet. We were thinking about it here in a little bit."
Yuri grinned at them. "Oh we wanted to make sure and talk to everyone that made the effort to come to the wedding. There will be time for that later. Why don't you guys go on ahead to your room? I have plenty of guards here and besides, I'm married to the general. I think I'll be safe."
Gwendal dropped an arm protectively around Yuri and smiled again before leaning down to kiss his husband. Yozak and Conrad exchanged looks and told the other pair goodbye. Yuri was in good hands. They didn't need to worry. The newly weds came up for air in time to see the other pair leaving the reception, arms locked around each other. Gwendal led Yuri out to the balcony. They sat, enjoying the beautiful night air.
"Gwendal, are you truly happy that you married me?"
"What? Of course. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I mean, I don't know. I guess I'm still a bit insecure. I mean, you could have had Anissina, or Gunter, or anyone for that matter."
"I'm not in love with just anyone. I'm in love with you. You make me a better person just by being around you."
Yuri smiled and leaned in for a kiss. Gwendal swept Yuri up into his arms. The other two were right. It was time to ditch the reception and get on with other, more entertaining, things.
