Yuuri couldn't sleep at all that night. Every time he was dozing off, a terrible feeling woke him and he had to check that Wolfram was still safely snoring next to him. Finally he gave up on sleep and spent the morning hours just watching the blonde and thinking about the previous evening.
Yuuri wasn't going to forget that night any time soon, if ever. His emotions had taken a roller-coaster ride: first from excitement to boredom, then from anxiousness to full-blown panic followed by uncontrollable rage, then back to anxiousness and worry with a splash of guilt on top. And then... something undefinable he didn't think he'd ever felt before.
Yuuri gazed the face of his sleeping fiancé and tried to sort out his feelings. It had scared him to death, when he'd seen Tanaka with Wolfram. What he'd seen Tanaka do to Wolfram and what no doubt would have followed had they not burst in and stopped it, made Yuuri's blood boil. And what scared Yuuri even more, was his own reaction. He could've very easily done something much worse to Tanaka than punch him, which he had done right after handing Wolfram to Conrad's care. Fortunately for Tanaka, Murata had stopped him before Yuuri lost his control completely. It would have been only a matter of time before the Maou would have come out to play, so strong had been his desire to protect the boy now breathing lightly in his bed. Yuuri's protectiveness had reached all new levels, when Wolfram had held his arms out and clung to him like a child.
Tanaka had lost consciousness from Yuuri's punch and Murata had stayed behind with him while Yuuri and Conrad took Wolfram home. They'd sneaked Wolfram upstairs past Yuuri's mother and told her that they all wished to go straight to bed. Conrad had laid Wolfram on Yuuri's bed and helped Yuuri to change the blonde into his new nightgown. After Conrad had left them, Yuuri had curled into the bed with Wolfram and clung to him, like Wolfram had done earlier. During that long night he realized, that this was the way he wanted them to sleep always; wrapped together without even a hair-wide gap between them.
Yuuri sighed softly as he continued to watch the sleeping blonde. He felt completely and utterly ashamed and very guilty. His eyes had finally been opened during the night and he could only look back at his earlier behaviour towards Wolfram with deep shame. He understood, that he had treated Wolfram very badly and seriously wondered how the other boy could have borne it as long as he had. How could Wolfram care about him at all, after being treated like that?
Maybe he doesn't, thought Yuuri suddenly with dread. Maybe that's why he left with Tanaka in the first place. He'd finally had enough and—
Yuuri didn't finish that thought, because at that moment Wolfram started to stir and blink his eyes.
"Morning," Yuuri said propping himself up to a sitting position on the bed.
"Morning," Wolfram muttered, blinking his bleary eyes owlishly. Then his face contorted and he brought a hand to his forehead. "Ow, my head feels horrible."
"You drank too much," Yuuri said and reached out a hand to Wolfram's head. He let his healing powers do their magic and gradually Wolfram's expression cleared.
"I did? I don't really remember much..."
"What do you remember?" Yuuri asked, withdrawing his hand.
Wolfram shook his head a little and looked confused.
"I remember being at the party," he said slowly. "But then I... wasn't? I was outside with someone and—" Wolfram's face suddenly paled. "No, that was a dream, wasn't it?"
Yuuri looked right into Wolfram's fearful eyes and slowly shook his head.
Wolfram gasped, his face ashen.
"He tried to... And then you had to... Oh, Shinou!" Wolfram croaked and buried his face in his hands.
"It's not your fault, Wolf," Yuuri assured the blonde gently. "You were drunk and Tanaka was drunk too, not that it's any excuse for his behaviour. He had no right to do what he did. But it's my fault for leaving you alone at the party. I'm so sorry, Wolf."
Yuuri reached out his hand to stroke Wolfram's back, but the demon flinched away from his touch.
"No, Yuuri. It was my fault," Wolfram replied anxiously. "I should have been more careful. Now I've disgraced and brought shame on you and our union. You have every right to break the engagement."
Yuuri stared at him.
"What? Why would I want to do that?" he sputtered.
Wolfram lifted his head and looked at Yuuri like he'd gone mad.
"Because I've acted unforgivably as your fiancé and brought shame on upon you, my king! Please, Yuuri. Don't make this any harder. Just break the engagement."
"Is that what you want?" Yuuri asked, his suspicions suddenly flaring. "Was this your plan all along? Did you leave with Tanaka to get rid of me?"
Wolfram looked so devastated that Yuuri instantly regretted his words.
"If that's what you think, then it really is the right thing to do," Wolfram said quietly.
"No, I'm sorry Wolf! I didn't mean that!" Yuuri cried, quickly grabbing hold of Wolfram's hand. "You just really scared me last night. My heart nearly stopped when I saw that guy with you. But it wasn't your fault."
"Wasn't it?" Wolfram asked bitterly. "I left with him, didn't I? I'm a soldier, I should not have let my guard down!"
"You were drunk and weren't thinking straight," Yuuri said firmly. "Besides you couldn't have known that he would try something like that."
"Yes, but I shouldn't have been so naïve!" Wolfram cried, his beautiful eyes brimming with tears. "And it was disgraceful, that I was so drunk that I couldn't even... I couldn't even stop him! I tried, but I was too weak! It's so humiliating, that you would have to save me from a situation like that."
"Hey, it's not like you haven't saved me dozens of times. It was bound to be my turn eventually," Yuuri said lightly. "Don't beat yourself up about this, Wolf. You probably didn't even know what you were doing, when he took you outside."
Wolfram fell silent and averted Yuuri's eyes.
"Wolf?" Yuuri asked, looking at his fiancé sharply. "Is there something you haven't told me?"
"I asked him to take me outside," he mumbled, still looking stubbornly away from Yuuri.
"What? Why?"
"I... We were talking and then he said something... And I felt awful and wanted to get some air, so he asked if I wanted to go outside..." Wolfram said vaguely.
"What did he say?" Yuuri pressed, feeling like there was something important that Wolfram wasn't telling him.
"He just told me something you'd said earlier," Wolfram said reluctantly. "And I overreacted, that's all."
Yuuri winced inwardly. Of course this would all turn out to be his fault!
"What was it?" he asked patiently.
"It doesn't matter."
"Wolf, what did I say?" Yuuri asked, taking hold of Wolfram's shoulders and forcing the other boy to look at him.
"You said, that you hadn't found the person you were looking for yet," Wolfram told him after a moments silence, staring down at his hands.
Yuuri vaguely remembered the conversation he'd had with Tanaka and mentally slapped himself. It was in that same conversation, that he'd told the boy that Wolfram wasn't seeing anyone. So with that one conversation he'd managed to upset Wolfram enough to leave the party and given Tanaka the green light to pursue Wolfram at the same time. Well done, Yuuri.
"Wolf," he said and slid his hands from Wolfram's shoulders down his arms and took hold of both his hands. "I'm really sorry. I honestly didn't mean anything by it. Tanaka was asking a lot of questions and I just wanted him to stop. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I know that," Wolfram replied, lifting his emerald eyes to Yuuri's. "But it did hurt me because... it's true, isn't it? And I just... I can't bear it any more. So, if you won't break the engagement, then I will."
Yuuri was so lost in Wolfram's eyes that it took him a while to register what he'd said.
"What? No, I won't allow it!" he said ardently.
Wolfram shot him an irritated glance and pulled his hands away from Yuuri's grasp.
"Yuuri, be reasonable. You never wanted this engagement in the first place! I realize that now. I'm offering you a way out."
"I don't want a way out!" Yuuri shouted, suddenly angry.
"Then what the hell do you want!" Wolfram yelled back.
"I want YOU, Wolf!" Yuuri screamed. "I LOVE YOU!"
A very awkward silence followed. Wolfram stared at him, his green eyes wide as plates.
"Either I'm still dreaming, or this is a very cruel joke, Yuuri," Wolfram finally said, his voice shaking with emotion.
"No, Wolfram, I mean it!" Yuuri exclaimed, trying to convey his sincerity with every fibre of his being. "I realized it last night. I don't ever want to feel the way I did when I saw you with Tanaka again. I want to protect you and keep you safe. I want no one to touch you, but me. I want your face to be the first and last thing I see every day. I want- I want to kiss you and hold you and... and beat the crap out of anyone else who even thinks about doing that to you and-"
Yuuri's monologue was cut short when Wolfram suddenly threw his arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. After the initial shock Yuuri wrapped his arms around Wolfram's back and melted into the kiss. When they finally broke apart both of them were flushed and slightly breathless.
"Wow..." was all Yuuri managed to say.
"Yuuri..." Wolfram murmured looking at Yuuri his green eyes bright and cheeks slightly red. Yuuri thought he'd never seen anything so beautiful in his life.
"I really love you, Wolf," Yuuri breathed. "And I do want to marry you."
Wolfram sighed happily.
"Do you know how long I've waited to hear that?"
Yuuri smiled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry it took so long. I'm a little slow sometimes."
Wolfram rolled his eyes.
"That's an understatement. But it's okay, I'm just glad to finally hear you say it."
Yuuri wrapped his arms even tighter around his fiancé.
"And what about you?" he asked, smiling.
"What about me?"
"Wolfram!"
"Oh, okay then," Wolfram laughed. "I guess I love you too, you wimp!"
"Don't call me a wimp," Yuuri replied automatically.
"How about 'my love'?"
Yuuri smiled.
"Much better. Now, can we maybe try this kissing thing again?"