Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maoh!
No profit made from this fanfiction. For free entertainment only.
WARNING: homophobic slur.
11. Tip-Toe-ing
Débutant
Yuuri took a porcelain plate from the pile.
"Where's Mikari?"
"Mikari? Aah, he bailed out at the last second. And...he didn't come to the baseball training. You didn't come either."
Yuuri raised an eyebrow, choosing to ignore her last detail:"Really? I wanted to see him; but he's been giving me the cold shoulder for a week, too."
"You too? That's weird... Since the last party, he's been acting strangely like...he seems completely elsewhere. I thought both of you talked last Friday when you suddenly left."
Yuuri froze a few instants, before picking up food for Wolfram and himself.
"...I don't understand."
Hana, hands on hips, looked at him.
"Er, when you left all of a sudden, he asked me to go to the party...and he followed you. I thought you both talked together. But now, seeing your reaction, I was wrong...it seems. You look very surprised."
Rather troubled. Yuuri's complexion paled but he quickly smiled back.
"No. We didn't talk, at all. He might have forgotten something at home."
"Yeah, probably. On Sunday, he might be training at the field. You can still check him out. Why didn't you come this afternoon, though?"
"To be honest, I didn't feel really good, I wanted to rest a little."
"Yeah, Kitamura told us you have had some insomnia lately. However, you completely stood us up, idiot," she caressed Yuuri's black bangs, her hand light. Yuuri stepped back, looking at the food at the far end of the table, pretending he wanted to choose something there. "Will you make amends, Yuuri?"
"Amends?"
"Amends for not only missing our pre-party at the baseball training, but also for not wearing my shirt...Will you dance with me?" she sweetly smiled, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
There was a strong memory of another dance together, one evening at another karaoke. Mikari had been absent. She had rested her head on Yuuri's shoulder, eyes closed, peace and serenity overwhelming her.
"Dance?..." Yuuri felt embarrassed as his gaze fell on her bare legs. He sighed, looking back at the table, filling his small plate with appetizers. "I'm sorry...I think I'm still too tired to do anything too...physical, tonight."
"You speak as if we already did more than-"
"Which we didn't," Yuuri laughed as he picked a last treat for Wolf.
Hana paused, her smile fading before she took back a cheerful, yet somewhat mocking expression.
"You don't feel really okay tonight?"
"I'm sorry...Not really."
"And to think I was looking for some warmth and affection," she said with a long, exaggerated sigh.
"Pity Mikari isn't there, that idiot,"... she loves you. And she wants more from you. "After all...he's your boyfriend, isn't he?" And he gave a smile, a weak smile.
XXX
"Yes, German. From the town of Bielefeld."
The girl at Wolfram's right was Hinagashi, and her friend beside, Valérie, a French student. Before him was seated on a pouffe Kioshi, a man with long hair and a neutral expression. Although he was the quietest of the group, he exuded a clever vibe and gave a good impression on Wolf. They were dressed in what was probably the latest fashion. And Wolf noticed Yuuri had the same style. Kitamura sat down at his left, jovial.
"It looks interesting. Are you a noble? Your name has a particle."
Wolf nodded: "I am."
Hinagashi batted her hands, like an eager child. She and Valérie loved how poised Wolfram talked. He was a real-life prince, with the good looks and the way he spoke.
"Ooh, so do you have a castle? I know, I know, my question is totally cliché but I can't help it! I'm just so curious about stuff like that!"
"I do. More like my uncle does."
Wolfram's gaze slid towards Yuuri. In a corner of the room, before a big TV screen, cheeks red with excitement, Yuuri was playing a car race video game with Takeshi, Laurent (another European student) and Akio. As he had "planned" it, that succubus Hana was standing behind them, either cheering or mocking the boys, just like her friend Yumika. The two women had just won a match against the three guys and didn't miss an opportunity to gently bring them down.
"Do you live on your own, over there?"
"No, I live with Y-...with my brothers. We own a big house together. My mother travels a lot so she doesn't really stay with us."
"Oh, that's cool. So you're a bunch of single men? And none of you is ready to settle down? You know what? I think that's the best way of living at your age!" Kitamura said as he drank a handful of beer. Wolfram didn't know what he was talking about, since Kitamura himself wasn't in a relationship as he had said it earlier, and he barely looked older than Yuuri.
"I'm not single," Wolfram said. "I'm proudly eng...in a relationship."
Hinagashi and Valérie looked at one another, their lips forming disappointed pouts. Kitamura raised an eyebrow, in silence, at the girls' reactions.
"Boohoo, and to think we had a crush on you as soon as we saw you!"
"Thank you. I'm surprised you're still single," he said with a smile. He found them, objectively speaking, pretty.
"Ah, we're still looking for the right men after all."
"What? Aren't we right, Kioshi and I?" Kitamura protested.
"I would need to stand on a chair to kiss you," Hinagashi sulked.
"Oh, women. You never know what you want. Either you want a tall man, or he's too tall for you. Either way I don't date women under 1m57."
Hinagashi shot him a wrathful glare.
Yuuri smells so good! Wolfram suddenly heard, like a guitar cord snapping. His teeth were gritting, under the frustration Hana put him through. He smelled, he saw, he felt lust. Similarly to venom which slowly poisoned a victim's veins, her thoughts reached Wolf's consciousness. They were so strong that they could almost cover the music. Feeling a bit sick and disoriented, he looked at Yuuri again. His wimp of a fiancé was too enthralled by his game, to notice that Hana was sitting on his chair's back, her leg paralelling Yuuri's shoulders line from behind. Her fingers were grazing the chair back, as though they were recuperating Yuuri's warmth. He couldn't stand her familiarity, even women in Shin Makoku didn't dare to behave in such a vulgar manner with his fiancé.
"Yuuri!" he called. Yuuri's head swivelled at him.
"Uh, what?" The double black was suddenly awakening from the video game's spell.
"I want food again!"
"Okay-"
"Food? I can serve you, Wolfram, what do you want?" Hana said right away, standing up, remembering she was the hostess of the house. Yuuri noticed Wolfram's look, which urged him to serve his fiancé himself. He patted her shoulder, jumping on his feet.
"It's okay, Hana. Thank you, I'm going to take care of it."
"Did your friend taste the tempuras over there? They're really good!"
"Really? And those sushis?"
"Extremely fresh, my maid bought the salmon just an hour ago. I did some of them. I trust myself for their taste."
"Okay, one, then!"
"Roh, Yuuri, you're such a tightwad, you can give him more than one!"
"Wolf eats a lot, but he's watching his diet..."
And blah blah blah.
Wolfram took into a deep breath, feeling his ears fuming. It really was amazing-annoying- the way Hana turned every conversation Yuuri might have with anyone to a conversation that only the two of them did. And she had done this since the beginning of the party! When Takeshi had asked Yuuri about a group work, Hana had jumped into the conversation, to assure her monopolization over Yuuri... This wasn't like he needed a new servant, at the moment, in spite of being used to the best service at the castle.
"Hana, I appreciate the attention," Wolfram said. "But I trust Yuuri to choose for me. He knows my tastes." He hadn't realized how abrupt he had addressed her. She turned around from the buffet, and blinked.
"All right, then," she said with a giant smile. "Choose everything you like."
Yuuri brought him a plate full with dimples, sushis, tempuras and tiny nems. In spite of having already swallowed a portion of food worth two dinners, Wolfram salivated at the sight of his third "order". He had lost so much weight after his illness that food seemed like heaven, now.
"Do you want a drink again?" Yuuri softly asked as he set the plate on Wolf's lap.
"Water, please, it's hot here," he said.
"Okay," Yuuri straightened then faced Wolf again: "No ice cubes in it?"
"No, just water," Wolfram answered with a smile.
Yuuri dashed off towards the buffet.
"Yuuri is very caring with you," Valérie said. Wolfram nodded. It was just a pity his fiancé couldn't really stay by his side. His friends were very demanding of Yuuri's presence. It didn't surprise him that so many people loved his fiancé.
XXX
"What about..." Yumika started with a smile. And her smile was so not innocent that everyone started to expect the worst. "...what about the 'spinning bottle'?"
Mitigating reactions elevated in the air, in a mix of protests, giggles, curious questions, and other suggestions.
"Seriously?...We aren't kids any more," noted Takeshi. "Yumika, you're still stuck to your high-school mentality."
"Hey, why not? It might be amusing?" Kitamura said, after a while, standing up. "It's been a long time since I kissed a girl."
"With your breath, what did you expect," Hinagashi replied, rolling her eyes.
"Haha, that's rich coming from someone who smells like fish-"
Hana came in between them, pushing Kitamura away from a raging Hinagashi:
"Okay, okay everyone, it sounds like a fun game, I like it and we have tons of other ideas for later. Let's start!"
What is the 'spinning bottle'? Wolfram wondered. Though by Kitamura and Hinagashi's argument, he got an idea of the game that didn't settle well with him. Yuuri and he shared a glance. Yuuri took advantage of the pretext to bring him his water to whisper: "Someone spins the bottle, and when it stops spinning, you have to kiss the person towards whom the bottle is pointing."
Wolfram made a face of genuine bemusement then of horror. He looked at the others who were starting to sit in circle, behind Yuuri and Wolf, on the spacious floor. Kioshi didn't want to play, and went to the computer.
"That's such a disgusting game. So everyone might kiss everyone?"
"Ehm, yeah..."
"Have you already played it?"
"No! Of course not!"
"Well you aren't going to start today," Wolfram murmured, trying his best not to yell his discontent. "You can share a plethora of microbes like this! Who knows if one of them has cavities? " he shuddered at the thought. Furthermore, in such a vulnerable situation, and being honest to himself, Wolfram wasn't ready to witness his fiancé kissing anyone else. He declined the game, pretending his girlfriend was a jealous type. Yuuri sighed at that comment, smiling with tender reproach at Wolf, inwardly amused at the irony. There had been no intention from his part, to play, moreover.
"What a pity," Valérie moaned. "You're missing something. Sometimes it's just a kiss on the cheek." She winked.
Wolfram opened his hands in a "sorry" manner: "I was sick not a long time ago, I will watch you play."
He knew when to apply his firmness. He offered her a smile full of tranquillity as he sat down on a chair behind the group.
"Yuuri, come and sit there," Hana said, pointing towards a spot before her. But Yuuri shook his head as he took place on another armchair.
"I'm tired, I will watch you, too. I just want to laugh today, if you don't mind."
"You're really not fun," Hana retorted, staring at him for a while.
Wolfram could feel her disappointment, as if his own hand was on fire. He would have relinquished in it if Yuuri's distant behaviour hadn't been enough. After all...he had spent the last hours trying to block her thoughts. No matter how firm Yuuri was in keeping a safe space between he and Hana, seeing how strong she felt for Yuuri...and what she wanted to do with him still tickled his nerves. She exercised on him a torture she wasn't unfortunately aware.
They had already danced together...and on more than one occasion, Wolf had learnt tonight. Yuuri had kept a shut mouth, but her eyes revealed more than spoken words. Nonetheless his mind recorded her inward puzzlement and incomprehension, over Yuuri's "sudden" cold attitude.
The game was amusing enough. Wolfram kept to himself he found it somehow shocking the way these youths treated these pecks on lips -and sometimes more- with so much lightness. Most of them were already in relationships, plus.
A kiss was so little for many people...Was he, lord Wolfram von Bielefeld, ridiculous for maintaining so much importance in an act that could be so intimate? Was he...so old-fashioned?
He was snapped out of his thoughts when Hana stood on her feet, the game ending. Leaning over a pensive Yuuri, she dropped a dainty kiss on his cheek. If it hadn't been for Yuuri telling her he didn't like it, Wolfram would have dragged himself and the double black out of her damned house.
XXX
After a number of board games which served a little to calm his nerves, Wolfram felt the need for fresh air. He went out into the Japanese garden, sat down on the wood edge of the house terrace and sighed. He found the music to be loud, and the smell of alcohol a bit too tenacious. He wished he could enjoy the night more, the games fully and laugh as carefree as the others; he felt himself angry at his disgust and contempt towards Hana who monopolized too much his poor nerves. He regretted that he couldn't be indifferent towards her.
Soon he was joined by Valérie and Hinagashi. They couldn't help but being by his side.
"Yuuri and you seem very close. So how did you and he meet?" they asked after a meaningless chat.
"How did I meet that wimp?"
"Yeah. How did you become friends?"
Wolfram chuckled at the memories.
"Well...Yuuri was new in town and...it was the first time he was practising horse-riding. He was bad at it. His horse galloped into our court and he fell down miserably in front of my own eyes."
"Poor Yuuri!"
"I was not very fond of him, at first-" Wolfram hesitated but there was nothing to lose by being a little bit personal. "However, he quickly grew on me. We attended the same 'school' and I ended up being close to him. I then went to Japan several times, and his family has always welcomed me. We wanted to keep in touch so I decided to study here."
"Oooh okay...It's true Yuuri is a bit clueless and naïve at first sight, but he's quite endearing in fact. It's always funny to us when he tells us he wasn't popular as a teenager and that he used to be bullied. Because, today he's one of the most famous guys of the campus. It helps to be a gifted baseball player."
"Yeah, he's a strong guy after all. Underneath that sweet face, Yuuri has a temper of fire. We've all heard this story where he had hit a baseball coach or whatever..."
"Yuuri wouldn't do it without a good reason," Wolfram said, though, more to himself.
"And what about you?"
"About me?"
"Your girlfriend, of course."
Wolfram wanted to leave, seeing how far his lies would go. However, as long as he would stay on Earth, lies would be a compulsory part of his life- at least temporarily. So...
"She's Japanese. Pretty short black hair and bright black eyes."
"Oh, Wolfram prefers brunettes," Hinagashi gushed, laughing at Valérie's semi-disappointed, semi-amused smile.
"She's cute and funny and...a bit air-headed sometimes but I like her very much," Wolfram spoke with his heart. "She has a thirst for justice and sometimes goes into diatribes that can sound ridiculous but are actually always true. She's also a bit of a flirt but she went back to me...lately."
"That sounds cute," the girls smiled. "You're very much in love with her, right? Does she live here?"
"She stayed in Germany. She studies there."
"She should have come here, with you, at Yuuri's place. And what's her na-"
"Oh it's true you live with Yuuri!" Hana said, as she closed the sliding door behind her. She too had left the other guests in the living-room. She sauntered over the small group and gracefully, sat down at Wolf's left. As a result, Wolf tensed, a stern expression paralysing his face. "I'm glad to meet some of his friends. You must know him a lot." She looked at him, kindly.
"I do...Indeed."
"Can we talk about him?"
NO.
"...What do you want to know, exactly?"
"...Well, what type of girls does he like? Yuuri, as cheerful and social as he seems, doesn't speak much in fact. He has never talked about a past girlfriend or whatever. I'm getting curious, truth be told. He's...kind of mysterious, to me."
Oh, as he had foreseen it, she was dying to know if she had a chance with his fiancé. He stared at her, just a moment, allowing her secrets to sink in. Her heart was beating hard, and for Yuuri only. No other man occupied Hana's mind. Yuuri...her thoughts chanted.
Wolfram felt his hands getting damped with sweat and frustration.
"Am I his type?"
"No. Yuuri prefers blondes, actually," Wolfram said bluntly, eyes hooded with shadows. He thought about that flirter Saralegui and even his childhood friend Elizabeth. "And with rarer eye colours. If he doesn't speak much or do much, the reason is that he's either shy, or he's not that interested. I know him, he would do moves, as shy and clumsy, as he acts, to get the girl he wants. He needs to feel something to be and do something with them. In any other cases...you're just a friend. I'm pretty certain about that."
Hana's face lost her beaming smile. Her gaze somewhat dropped between hers and Wolf's hands, resting against the wood terrace, for in her embarrassment, the young woman didn't know where to look at. There was also some huge disappointment on her part.
It wasn't in Wolf's intention to put salt into wounds but he said:
"You look...disheartened. This is not what you were expecting-"
"No, it's just..."
"You're dating Mikari," Valérie said, with a smile she tried not to make cold. "Forget Yuuri."
"Who said I was-"
"It's obvious you have a small crush on Yuuri...But, if you're not into Mikari any longer, you should tell him first. You may be not Yuuri's type, according to Wolf, but he doesn't have anyone at the moment. That's still an open door for both of you. And Yuuri likes you a lot so yeah."
Hana scratched her hair and looked back at Wolfram:
"I'm going to show him brunettes are fun, too...or I'll dye my hair blond."
"He favours natural blond hair," Wolfram said, even if he had guessed her statement of becoming blond was just a joke. "But you could try blond hair for Halloween, you know."
"Pff, you know, appearances don't have much importance once you get to know the person. I don't think Yuuri is THAT superficial as to remain fixed on something as petty as hair colour!"
"No, probably not, but he remains pinned to principles. He isn't going to do any moves on a friend's girlfriend. He's not that type of guy."
... I choose to believe. It felt awful for Wolfram to think he might be thinking too high of Yuuri, when this was what he had always done. He had never stopped supporting Yuuri. Yuuri had all his esteem. "Mikari is his friend. I don't think he will betray him this way. He'd be too disgusted in himself...And Yuuri isn't into threesomes either."
"Fine, true. I haven't forgotten about Mikari." Wolfram saw, written all over her face, her shame that she concealed behind a more dignified air.
"And...how exactly did you meet Yuuri?" he asked, his voice getting even more serious.
"How?..."
"Oh it's true," Hinagashi said. "You never went into details!"
"Well...This was at a nightclub; I saw him and I thought he was cute, so I ended up talking to him. And we danced a little, and we talked again. With hindsight, he looked a bit troubled and even angry. But he quickly got better after a few drinks. He was very joyful and a better dancer when he didn't have any restraint. I admit...I really wanted more-"
"Did you get more?" Wolfram asked, his own respiration accelerating.
She sighed. "No, not really. I just remembered we got a bit horny, but Yuuri refused to sleep with me. I don't know why he didn't even kiss me, once. I wonder if he fears germs or whatever...So Mikari was there and well, the rest is history...it was hot, though. Yuuri can be quite seductive when he wants to."
"You're only got touched?" Valérie said, incredulously.
"Yeah...At least my thighs still remember his hands, even if he was drunk as hell and did so because he didn't know what to do, in fact," she said jokingly. Wolfram balled his hand into a fist.
"Pity you couldn't control your hormones, girl; had you not jumped into Mikari's bed, you could have had Yuuri with a clearer mind," Hinagashi said. A shadow veiled Hana's face.
She regrets it, Wolfram noted.
"Why was he angry?" He asked, tentatively.
"He said he was thinking of some friend who was quite a pain in the ass. 'An assholish friend of mine', he said exactly. During the rest of the night when we were dancing, he was saying from time to time: 'You're right, I must forget annoying people...He's not worth it...Just an ass-hole who makes me waste my time...Why am I so attached to him?...He's a good for nothing, always screaming, trying to make me feel guilty...' That's a bit weird, with hindsight. He looked as though he hold much grudge towards that person. I did my best to comfort him. I think Yuuri liked that and started to trust me. In any case, whatever, this is how I met him."
Wolfram tried to ignore the painful pang in his chest. After all, this was not something he didn't already know. And at least, Yuuri might have been honest about Hana, and this fact alone offered him a temporary satisfaction.
XXX
The party went on with a last dance, after playing billiards where Wolfram nearly won every match. By "mistake", he shot a ball into Yuuri's hand's back, earning a painful hiss from his fiancé. When Yuuri glared at him, Wolfram said he liked to punish treacherous hands.
Loyal to his girlfriend (even if she was herself a bit of a flirt, he mentioned again), no one could dance with him. So the young German student stayed against the wall, absolutely focused on the couples. His solitude was soon cast aside as Yuuri found a spot beside Wolfram, leaving everyone else to dance, too. The loud music allowed them to speak more freely.
"Too busy trying to rest, Yuuri?" Wolf asked, accepting the cool drink Yuuri held out.
"What did you say?"
"You're too tired to dance with one of the girls here."
"I'm just too busy wanting to please my fiancé." They looked at one another, with a smile.
"...I was wondering..."
"What?"
Wolfram hesitated then shook his head.
"Ouch, Kitamura, you stepped on my food, idiot!" Hinagashi shouted in pain.
"Sorry, you should have been taller, I can barely see your feet!"
"Fuck off!"
"Okay, sayonara then, hey Kioshi, leave me Valérie!"
"Hell, no," Valérie protested, abandoning Kioshi, "you two should dance together, you're both so clumsy!"
"The hell, I'm no fucking faggot! I don't dance with men, yuck," Kioshi said.
Wolfram looked at him, stunned by the hatred in this statement. Kioshi's glare held too much intensity not to take his words seriously. A shudder ran through Wolf's spine as he observed Kioshi.
"Yuuri, what is a faggot?" he inquired, lowly.
Yuuri was feeling uncomfortable. He was so ashamed, so ashamed to expose his...friends' stupidity to Wolfram's ears and eyes. He didn't know if it was worth to tell it. He could scarcely look into Wolf's eyes, arms crossed.
"A homosexual, in vulgar slang. That is often meant as... an insult."
Wolfram slowly tore his eyes away from the couples, in hurt disbelief. Then, he felt his rage grow within, his body shaking as he refrained himself. He glared at Kioshi who still with his cold face, was oblivious to Wolf's outrage. His eyes shot daggers at the whole group.
"Why is no one saying anything?" he asked, struggling to keep his voice low.
"Wolf...People don't..." Yuuri looked away so that he could ignore the disappointment-as difficult as it was- he saw in his fiancé's eyes, "many people don't really react to that kind of words. For them, it's normal...They don't question the usage they make of this word."
Everything made sense for Wolfram. And it was a painful lesson he was learning. So painful he momentarily forgot Hana whose eyes often wandered towards a powerless king. He felt his chest narrowing, a dolour, as he felt that Yuuri wouldn't react, and that he was himself helpless at the moment. He would have revealed Yuuri and his true bond, had his indignation (so strong, so hurtful) taken the best of him.
XXX
The taxi drove them back home. Both were exhausted. Trying to keep a mask in front of everyone and friends-mainly- was a task a lot more arduous than they'd thought it was going to be. After second thoughts, it felt much similar to the missions they often went on, in Shin Makoku. But there, the psychological challenge was not only of another kind, but also on another level.
"Did you have a good night, Wolfram?"
Yuuri's voice was oddly charged with soft tenderness.
Wolfram nodded, eyelids heavy.
His mind resonated with Kioshi's words and he couldn't shake them off his head. He added that to Hana's clear intention towards Yuuri and it created quite a turmoil that no aspirin would erase.
"Some of your friends are nice. I like them. But they're quite young...and carefree."
"I know. We're not exactly on the same page...Though, can they be blamed?"
Wolfram shrugged eyebrows "No doubt about that." He said after a while, in a quiet tone: "I thought Kioshi was intelligent."
He rested his head against his seat back, soon feeling a foreign shoulder against his cheek. Yuuri's perfume met his nostrils as his arm then wrapped around Wolf's shoulder. First surprised, Wolfram soon reclined into the welcoming and comforting hug. He closed his eyes. Hana's thoughts were still tainting Yuuri's body...but he cast them aside. He just wanted peace, and his fiancé's warmth.
The taxi was silent, except for the rain outside, and the music that the radio was playing.
"This song is great, Yuuri..."
Yuuri said nothing. He felt sorry.
This song was the song on which his friends had danced the last slow. And it had killed him not to be able to offer the dance Wolf had so wished for. His fiancé's eyes had shone with so much contained envy on seeing how close the dancing couples were. And yet, he had said nothing, asked nothing. He had smiled throughout the whole dance. Yuuri had remained frozen on his spot, unable to confront what he would have imagined as disgusted stares and messy judgement.
All he could muster, as Wolfram was comfortably falling into a warm slumber against him, his fair hair tickling his skin, was the courage to ignore the taxi driver's indiscreet and insisting look. He kept glancing at them, Yuuri feeling the weight and the sting of his peeks, through the rear-view mirror.
XX
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This story is discontinued.
At least temporarily since I more or less know how to end this fiction.
I've been interested in other mangas, and I'd also like to focus on my own original stories.
Thanks and apologies to the ones who have reviewed this story; you're the ones who motivated me to write more for it.
Special thanks to SweetHeaven: I really appreciated your long and frequent reviews; I wrote somewhat long chapters with details, so reading that you noticed them is very rewarding. Thank you! :)