Yuuri turned the corner, wriggling between two rain-slicked walls into a narrow alleyway. His heart pounding, he ran forward, the darkness of night looming oppressively around him. Heavy fog kept him from seeing more than two inches in front of his face, and he yelped when he very nearly ran right into a wall.
"A dead end...?" he whispered, whirling on his heels at the sound of footfalls behind him. His pursuer came into a view, a dark silhouette emerging from the fog. Yuuri took a few tentative steps backward until his back was pressed flush against the cool and clammy stone.
"W-What do you want?" he stammered out, straining to see his assailant's face. If only he were in Shin Makoku, Conrad would be there to save him, or he could call on the Maou... but he was on Earth now, and all he was was a boy, scared and wet and alone.
"Don't you recognize me?" came a familiar voice, teasing and melodic. The figure stepped forward until he was close enough that Yuuri could make out his features clearly. He gasped in recognition.
"Wolfram," he breathed. "How... why?"
The blonde just smirked, a predatory flash illuminating his emerald eyes. "You can only run for so long," he said enigmatically. "Eventually, your legs will give out."
Yuuri's heart pounded in his chest as Wolfram raised one hand and placed it firmly on the wall beside him. "You built this place, Yuuri," he murmured, and the fog closed in oppressively close.
Yuuri struggled to breathe, tried to run, but his legs were rooted in place and refused to move. His chest rose and fell heavily, as though a great weight were pressing against it. "Wolfram," he gasped, before the fog and the dark alley finally fell away.
"Wolfram!" he cried out, sitting straight up in bed. He was panting and covered in sweat, but other than that his room in Blood Pledge Castle was as it always was. He took several deep breaths and felt his racing heart begin to slow.
It's just my room, he reassured himself. It was just a dream. He reached for the covers, but his hand encountered a mass of silky blonde hair instead. "Ah -" he murmured, looking down at his bedmate, who had wrapped himself around Yuuri's waist. The boy's fair head was resting on his thighs, and it was then that Yuuri realized that his legs were asleep. He tried to wiggle his toes and winced.
"Wolfram," he sighed exasperatedly, falling back onto the pillows. "No wonder. Hey, Wolf, move or something," he said, a bit louder. The boy just ignored him, the sound of his even breathing filling the dark room. After a few minutes Yuuri sighed and did what he had learned to do when Wolfram was hogging the bed.
"Come on," he murmured, taking the boy into his arms. Wolfram half-woke, though not enough to remember it in the morning, and crawled up to snuggle comfortably against Yuuri's chest. The young king thought he heard the word "wimp" muttered drowsily into his shoulder. He smiled a little and draped his arm over his fiancé's back.
"Goodnight to you too," he whispered, before drifting off again, and this time his dreams were much sweeter.
