Chapter 10

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"Just another day…or two, she says," Wolfram grumbled to himself bitterly. He'd just returned from the bath. He had a white towel lying limply over his hair and his thick bathrobe on, given to him by Miko San (and he had to remember to start calling her that from now on instead of "Mama"). His heart lightened a little, remembering the excited look on her face as he carefully peeled back the bright blue colored wrapping paper. It was during his visit at New Year's and the celebrations were going on in the living room—television blaring, Yuuri's father munching on something with the TV remote in hand, Greta in the kitchen stirring soba with chopsticks, Murata offering a cup of punch while talking Shori's ear off, Yuuri wearing that 'barely-controlled-panic' smile as he watched his fiancé dig through layers of white tissue paper in the long, oversized box. A family. That's what they were in that moment…but no more.

The blond rubbed the towel on his head to dry his hair. Thinking about all of this right now was a pointless matter; a waste of time.

Wolfram readjusted the small wooden bucket that contained his soap, shampoo, and other toiletries. He shifted the container to his left hand, rummaged around inside for the spare key to Gwendal's room, pushed it in the lock, and was about to open the door when he heard a familiar "Wolfram."

The blond turned to the sound of his name. It was Yuuri.

Damn.

Wolfram's eyes hardened a little at the sight, but he told himself that this was going to happen as long as he stayed in Blood Pledge Castle. So, he had better get used to it. "Heika, this is a surprise." Wolfram pulled the key out of the lock and turned fully to face Yuuri. The blond bowed politely, damp towel hanging from his head like a veil.

Yuuri shifted his feet, glad that the blond seemed to be in a better mood. "Wolfram," the double black said with his hand behind his head, remembering how he'd woken up with Wolfram in his arms earlier that day, "you don't have to be so formal. It's bad enough that I have Conrad doing that."

The blond sighed to himself and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "It is my duty as a soldier and as a member of the nobility to see that our monarch is treated with the utmost respect." Wolfram took the towel from his head and draped it over his left arm. It was feeling cold. Then again, his heart did, too. "I must model the behavior that I will demand from others."

Yuuri put a friendly hand on Wolfram's forearm. "You can loosen up," he said brightly. "It's okay."

"As you say," Wolfram responded. It was followed by a short bow of submission.

It was the same, stiff way that Wolfram treated inflexible foreign dignitaries—and they both knew it.

Feeling the growing uncomfortable aura between them, the double black glanced at the door. "So, umm… You're rooming with Gwendal?" It was a stupid thing to say. He knew it. Yuuri had learned of Wolfram's new sleeping arrangements from Conrad. But, at the moment, this gave them something to talk about and he hoped that it would be the opening to a far better, and much more meaningful, conversation.

"My old room," Wolfram began, "is…occupied."

Curious, Yuuri scratched the side of his cheek at "occupied."

"Anissina was given permission by Mother to use my room to store failed experiments." He gave a frustrated "humph" and rested a hand on his hip. "Unfortunately, with all of the work she's been doing on the antidote, there's been no time to empty the room. And none of the maids can do it."

"Too dangerous to go in, huh?" Though, the way Yuuri said it, it was more of a statement of fact than a question.

"That part is certain." He shifted his weight a little. As much as he owed his lift to Gissela and Anissina, he still wanted his room back—a sanctuary from all of his troubles.

Yuuri raked his fingers through his raven hair. His face tinted pink as he said, "Well, you could always…"

"No…thank you," Wolfram interrupted.

That part surprised Yuuri. He had hoped that Wolfram would agree to it. A part of him wanted his best friend—to both lie back in bed and discuss the day before falling asleep. It was a part of his routine and, oddly enough, a comfort to hear an unbiased opinion of what he'd done and what he'd failed to do.

"Gwendal has a spare room," the blond clarified, seeing that Yuuri was taken aback at his abruptness. Wolfram quietly chastised himself for interrupting a king—even a wimpy one. It was rude, no matter how you looked at it.

"So, you…"

"I'll be fine, Heika. But it was kind of you to offer."

Wolfram smiled but the eyes were dull and the body leaned for the door, telling the double black that he would be more than happy to be dismissed.

"Oh…okay, then." He forced a smile on his face to answer Wolfram's. "I'll see you at breakfast, then."

Wolfram nodded at that. "I'll look forward to it because, last month, I bought a coral clasp for Greta's new cape. It just arrived and I wanted to give it to her."

"I'm sure she'll love it!"

Words of praise. The blond's smile was real, truly joyous this time. "Yes," Wolfram said with pride, "and I had it carved in the shape of a rose. It's absolutely beautiful." He gestured with his hands the size and design. Yuuri used his imagination to "see" what it was and enjoyed the company, the warmth that his words had given him.

Then, Yuuri understood that not all of his bonds with Wolfram had been cut by Shinou's declaration. They still had Greta. Their love for her was an eternal, unbreakable tie. Relief flooded him at the thought. And while he would never use Greta to worm his way back into Wolfram's life, he knew that he didn't have to feel alone. And he would make certain that Wolfram didn't feel alone, either.

"Heika? Is everything okay?" Emerald eyes held growing concern. Yuuri had spaced out and seemed unresponsive.

"Oh…I'm…I'm fine…" he said, coming back to himself. Then, the "heika" registered in his mind. So, he decided to go along with it. The results might be interesting. "I'm perfectly fine… Lord von Bielefeld."

He saw it—the eyes. Just for a second, there was a spark of pain from using the formal name. And, in that instance, he knew that Yuu had not replaced him in his heart. Yuuri still had a chance. Yes, a chance. And, he would take it or risk losing it all forever.

Remembering his lessons so far, Yuuri stepped forward towards Wolfram.

Lesson One was "Talk to him." I did that. We spoke about Greta. Lesson Two was "Express concern when needed."

Yuuri leaned close to Wolfram's ear as though telling a secret. Initially, Yuuri was a little nervous. However, he noticed that close contact made Wolfram's face flush with heat. And the clear droplets of water from his hair left cool drizzles down to his chin that were not brushed away. They dripped down, making a soft patting sound on the floor.

"I think you should go inside and dry off before you catch cold."

Wolfram's eyes flashed in Yuuri's direction with annoyance, but the pinkish cheeks still remained. The blond ignored what he was feeling because he had the overwhelming need to tell his maou off. Definitely. That was all he was feeling—really, it was. He just wanted to tell Yuuri off in the worst way. But, that wouldn't be right. No, not right at all. Manners were necessary.

"Heika, thank you for your concerns, however…"

"However," Yuuri interrupted. Now, he decided, it was Wolfram's turn to be cut off. See how he likes it. "I saw you limping today. And then you fell when you finished…dancing…" The double black got closer, still speaking in the shell-like ear but not touching. "…And you were limping again just now down the hallway…"

The blond shivered, feeling Yuuri's breath against him. Yuuri withheld a smile. "You're wet and it's a drafty evening in the castle."

Wolfram frowned at that. He wasn't a little kid and he didn't need his ex-fiancé to tell him what to do. "I just explained that I'm fine." The blond tightened his belt, straightened up to his full height, and did his best to ignore the strange nervousness that was coming out of nowhere.

He turned his head for a quick peek at the double black and thought that, possibly, all of these unsettled feelings were stemming from Yuuri. Or, to be more precise, the way Yuuri was looking at him.

Lesson Three…coming up… But, I'm kind of nervous about it…

Yuuri glanced both ways casually, making sure no gossipy maids were around, before taking action.

"Is there a problem, Heika?" He's doing it again. He's thinking about something else and totally ignoring the fact that I'm standing here. That's got to be it. "If there is something I…"

A warm hand stroked Wolfram's left cheek and all thoughts fled. The blond stared fixedly, lips parted.

"Bed…Lord von Bielefeld."

Wolfram's mind couldn't wrap around that last statement from Yuuri. "Wha-?"

Yuuri smiled inwardly.

"What part of 'going to bed' was unclear to you…Lord von Bielefeld?"

Wolfram blinked at that and felt the hand still stroking his cheek. Then, it dawned on him. The words "…you fell when you finished…dancing…" and this sudden affection from out of nowhere. This couldn't be Yuuri. This had to be Yuu playing a childish trick on him—flirting—just like he did when they "danced" earlier on. All this double black had to do was change his hair and speech a little.

Oh, so that's it! With a devious smirk, Wolfram decided that two could play this game.

"I accept your terms."

Terms? Eh? What is he saying? Yuuri hid his confusion. But it was hard.

Wolfram stepped away from him, pressed the key into the lock, and gave the door a solid push to get in. Before Yuuri knew what was happening, Wolfram had him by the hand. He guided Yuuri inside Gwendal's rooms (something he'd never seen before and found most intriguing). Then, before taking in the pattern of the rug, he felt himself unceremoniously "yanked" to the left and into a bedroom.

Wolfram shut the door while hiding an inward glow of victory. He'd done it!

Wide, onyx eyes searched the room. It held a menagerie of giant, hand knitted stuffed animals mixed in with the smaller ones he was used to seeing around the castle. Yuuri picked up one from the floor that seemed to be a dog or, maybe, a yellow cucumber with floppy, almost nondescript "leaf-like" appendages. He looked up again, chin practically pointing to the ceiling. "I had no idea…" I mean, I had no idea he could make any this big…let alone an army of them!

The silent, wondrous moment told Wolfram all he needed to know. It confirmed it. This had to be Yuu. And, if so, Wolfram was going to enjoy it—thoroughly. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Yuuri?" He smiled demurely.

"Yes?"

There was a slight hesitation. "I…I hate sleeping alone, Yuuri." His head was tilted down towards the floor as he turned away. "Stay with me?" The blond allowed his body the luxury of limping and, with great relief, it did so as he approached the closet to get his night clothes.

The double black's head shot up at that. "Eh? Well… I mean, I…Uh…I uh…"

Wolfram pulled out the standard military issue white nightshirt. It had long, narrow sleeves, a broad collar, and, like all sleepwear, it was tailored to fall loosely down to his ankles.

"Where's the…" Where's the pink gown that you usually wear? Why this? "I mean…"

Wolfram forced a frown onto his beautiful face as he unbuttoned his shirt. "It's what all soldiers wear…even Conrad. You know that."

"I…do?" Yuuri had the sudden mental picture of Conrad wearing a larger version of the white nightshirt. It just didn't seem to fit. And that thought haunted him until he had the flash of imagination of Gwendal wearing it. But that was going too far. He groaned and Wolfram continued to disrobe. One boot and then the other.

Like a flag, the gown fluttered slightly as the fabric brushed against the bishonen's body. "I don't wear pajamas…ever." There was a lustful tone to Wolfram's voice, but he was snickering on this inside. This was just too good. Wolfram limped in Yuuri's direction. "So, will you stay with me?" he repeated, eyes glowing in anticipation.

"I…uh…"

Yuuri watched as the hesitation made Wolfram's expression grow hard, demanding an answer without words. The blond was mad…maybe. But there was something else, too.

Wolfram shook his head. "My apologies, Heika. It was an unreasonable request and the maids would gossip in the morning. Soon, the whole castle would hear of it." Wolfram limped to the door. "I'll see you out."

"No, no…that's not it at all!" Yuuri raised his palms defensively in Wolfram's direction. "It's just that…" Think! Think! Think! I'm not ready for this…not at all. I mean, we've slept together, but Wolfram seems to have something else in mind. He started to breathe hard. "It's just that…I don't have anything to sleep in, you know?"

Wolfram nodded at that. Good one, Yuu! But I'm ready for that, too. He limped back to the closet and began searching inside with "I think I have something you could borrow."

Yuuri sweatdropped. The double black's eyes widened at the ex-prince when the realization struck his thick as molasses brain. Oh, no! Not the pink nightie! Not the pink! Everything will all go up in smoke if he brings that one out, because I won't wear it…ever!

"Tada!" Wolfram said happily with a similar white nightshirt on a hanger. "We're about the same size. And I have a lot of these."

Yuuri's face fell at that. "Really? A lot? I thought that…well…"

"Thought?" The blond turned his head cutely to one side, confused.

"Yes, I mean…"

Wolfram quirked a grin at him. "I'm not the one who wears pajamas. You do."

Yuuri's expression changed in an instant with the realization. "Oh, yes…that's right."

'Oh, that's right?' Sheesh, Yuu. Do your homework a little bit better before you start to impersonate the wimp.

Wolfram took the gown off the hanger and offered it up. "If it's good enough for your soldiers, then it should be good enough for you…for one night at least."

Yuuri nodded at that and began to undress. Immediately, the blond turned his back and walked to the window to give him privacy. He only pulled the curtain away a little so that he could see outside. Some part of him ached for the real Yuuri and even his old life back. Maybe, one sided love was better than nothing at all. Then, his memories of the mirror, of Shinou,, and what he had to do filled his mind again. No, letting go of all emotional attachments would be the best for everyone. He knew full well that the pain of losing him would be temporary and everyone would go on with their lives because that was the nature of being alive. Only the dead stayed the same—with their stone monuments holding little more than their names, dates of birth, and dates of death.

"Wolfram?" A warm hand on the shoulder followed the words.

"Hm?" He turned to glance over his right shoulder. Yuuri was standing there in the white nightshirt. "It looks good on you."

Yuuri grinned sheepishly at the sincere complement. "Gee…thanks."

Okay, now… Lesson Three! Gotta work on this one…

Wolfram's emerald eyes widened when he felt Yuuri take his hand. He was being guided to the bed. The double black pulled the covers back and made a hand gesture towards one side. "I believe you would prefer this side."

Wolfram smiled knowingly. "You guessed right" and got in, pulling the hem of his gown down around his legs. The material had a way of crawling up in his sleep which was why the blond wasn't fond of wearing the garment in the first place.

The bed dipped and Yuuri got in on the other side. "Thanks for asking me to stay," he said, rolling onto his side to get a better look at his bedmate. "Do you want me to blow out the candles?"

Okay, now… Time's up, 'Yuuri!'

In the next second, Yuuri found himself shoved flat on his back with Wolfram on top of him. The blond was straddling his waist, which brought the nightshirt up past his thighs, and leaning over—lips close to his ear. "Where is it?!"

"Eh?!" The double black could feel his heart suddenly hammering in his chest.

"I know it's got to be here somewhere!" He searched.

Yuuri squirmed under Wolfram's weight and found that his body quite enjoyed it. He blushed a deep, tomato red. This was not happening! It couldn't be!

"You'd never cut it off!" Fingers were threading themselves in his hair.

Onyx eyes shot open. "Cut it…off?! He arched his back after a fingertip brushed against his scalp. It was just his body's reaction, he told himself, and nothing more. But, he couldn't deny the sensation of Wolfram's hot breath huffing against his cheek as the blond struggled against him—searching his hair, neck, and collar—heated hands, fingers searching all over him.

It felt really good. Yuuri's body begged to either submit to this or arch again in pleasure.

"Damn it!" With frustration, Wolfram pushed back Yuuri's shoulders into the bed. "Where's that extra long rattail of a braid that you have, Yuu?"

Black eyes bugged at him. "You think I'm…Yuu?!"

Wolfram folded his arms against his chest. "Of course! But, I didn't think you'd go so far as to cut that piece of hair off just to pretend to be Yuuri so that you could be with me."

"What?!" He couldn't believe it.

Green eyes held fire in them now. "It won't work, Yuu! It just won't." He leaned in. "It was stupid to do this with your hair when I could see right through everything you've done tonight." He touched the black hair and let the strands fall between his fingers. "The real Yuuri doesn't love me and would never act this way." He motioned to the closed door where, beyond, he was sure Yuuri was off somewhere flirting with everyone who came across his path. The idea of that coupled with what he was going through now made Wolfram shake with anger, not able to stop it. "You were a fool to even try to trick me. And, as for my heart? To win is to lose. And if you want my personal opinion on the matter of love and sex…" He wiggled his hips against the double black provocatively. "There's no such thing as love…only desire. And when that fire dies, all you'll be left with will be burn scars. And being a fire wielder, I should know."

Yuuri gaped. Did Wolfram really believe what he was saying?

"Listen, Yuu," he gritted out as he crawled off the double black, "find some pretty face that likes you, some mindless doll who will put up with everything and will give in to anything that you want. Then, when it's over, you won't feel a thing." Hearing himself, he added, "I guess I'm not so different from Wolfgang after all."

There! He'd said it. Maybe, Yuu would be humiliated and would go back to his room now. Wolfram got up. He was going to show this changeling what the other side of the door looked like. But, it was more than that. Wolfram had other problems—such as being wide awake now thanks to venting his spleen. The blond just knew that he'd never get any sleep tonight. To help kill time, he had the briefest of thoughts about raiding his brother's liquor cabinet.

"I'm not Yuu," Yuuri admitted, straightening up and leaning against the headboard.

"Excuse me?" Wolfram turned back.

Yuuri shrugged. "I'm…I'm not Yuu. I really am Yuuri."

Wolfram, disagreeing, shook his head. He could feel himself reaching a new level of anger that required throwing things against a wall. What was Yuu trying to do? The façade didn't work. He'd just told him that.

"No, seriously… Tomorrow, at breakfast, you'll see that he still has that long braid."

The blond froze.

"In fact," Yuuri went on, "he's probably still in the kitchen having a snack with Wolfgang and Kenneth. Or, at the least, the three of them were doing that when I stopped by a half hour ago."

Wolfram's jaw dropped at the exact same moment he plopped himself down at the foot of the bed. "You're really…" he pointed.

"Yeah."

"Seriously…?"

It got him a stiff nod and the blond, seeing it, put his palms over his face. The idiot in this situation was, in fact, himself. "Damn" was whispered harshly.

Yuuri smiled a little at that. "Would you have preferred Yuu?" he asked seriously.

"No," Wolfram answered quickly. It was his heart speaking before his pride could grasp the situation and hide the word.

Arms wrapped around Wolfram's shoulders and pulled him in. Wolfram took a sudden, surprised breath. His head was on Yuuri's shoulder now, and he was seated in the double black's lap.

"This is brave…even for you, Yuuri."

The arms tightened. "You remembered my name. I'm glad."

That got him a satisfied chuckle with a slightly sexy edge. It was weird, but in a good way.

"So, should I take your advice and find a 'mindless doll' who will agree to anything that I want?"

Yuuri's shoulder could feel the weight of the blond's head. He'd relaxed into him, exhausted. "I…don't know."

Yuuri leaned his head against Wolfram's, rocking him a little. "Yes, you do."

"Seriously, I don't know anything anymore." Wolfram closed his eyes to block everything else out. Only the warm arms mattered. Only right now mattered. "And, when this is all over…"

The double black's face grew determined. "You'll still be here with me."

Shinou returned. The mirror returned. The dusty room full of old pieces of other times returned. To shut the images in his head out, to push them into a dark corner where the future couldn't touch him, the blond buried his face into the side of Yuuri's neck. "So sure?" Wolfram's tone was grave.

"Yeah," Yuuri said. "Yeah, I am."

The door to the bedroom opened with a shaft of light forcing its way in.

"Wolfram? Are you asleep? Wolf-"

Gwendal looked at the bed. The sight took his breath away. "What the…!" He smacked his hand across his eyes.

Wolfram was sleeping on his left side, snuggled into the blankets with an arm draped across his chest. Lying next to him was Yuuri who wore a tired but contented smile.

Side by side.

Both wearing the stiff, military nightshirts.

This was his little brother in bed with the kingdom's monarch. Not only that, but Yuuri Heika had an arm around his bedmate possessively.

I thought this was settled! But, no, of course not!

In his sleep, Yuuri mumbled Wolfram's name and his arm slid slowly down to the waist.

"Could this situation get any worse?" Gwendal asked himself before quietly shutting the door. Then, his imagination kicked in. Well, yes, it could get worse.

Now, Gwendal would be up late into the night with some balls of yarn and knitting needles. He had to make something cute and maybe have a few goblets of wine while he was at it to settle his nerves.